What's the weather usually like where you live?
In Dhaka it's hot and humid for most of the year. From around June to September we get the monsoon, with heavy downpours that can flood the streets in minutes. The only really pleasant time is the short winter, from December to February, when the mornings are cool and a bit foggy.
What kind of weather do you like best?
Cool, dry winter mornings are my favourite. You can finally wear a jumper, the air feels fresher, and there's a lovely atmosphere with people drinking tea at roadside stalls and vendors selling bhapa pitha, those steamed rice cakes. Honestly, it's the only time of year I don't feel sticky the moment I step outside.
Does the weather ever affect your mood?
Definitely. When it's been grey and raining non-stop for days, I find it hard to get motivated, especially if I'm stuck indoors. Extreme heat is even worse. If there's load-shedding on a sweltering afternoon and the fan stops spinning, I get irritable and snap at people over nothing.
How do people where you live feel about the rainy season?
It's a bit of a love-hate relationship. People adore the romantic side of it: the sound of rain on a tin roof, hot tea and fried snacks, old songs on the radio. But in Dhaka the same rain means waterlogged roads, endless traffic jams and soaked shoes, so by August most people are fed up with it.
Do you enjoy walking in the rain?
Only when I'm not in a hurry. If I'm heading to class and the road turns into a river, it's a nightmare, especially with buses splashing past. But walking home slowly in light rain on a weekend evening, with nowhere in particular to be, can be surprisingly peaceful. I just make sure my phone's in a plastic bag.
What do you usually do on rainy days?
If I don't have to go out, I'll stay in and catch up on a series or read. My mother almost always makes khichuri with fried eggs and aubergine, which is a rainy-day tradition in a lot of Bangladeshi homes. Sometimes the whole family ends up playing carrom for hours after lunch.
Sample answers written by Abroadway as models of natural, high-band speaking (not official IELTS samples).
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