Category: IELTS Listening

Describe an occasion when you got up early in the morning

• When did you get up early
• Why you got up early
• What did you do?

And how you felt about it.

SAMPLE ANSWER

There is no doubt that getting up early in the morning is always a good idea. Since ages it has been advocated that getting up early is good for our health. I too try to get up early in the morning so that I can utilise my time in the morning by doing some physical exercise. Due to my hectic work schedule I do not get enough time for physical activities throughout the day.

If I recall a time when I had to wake up extremely early in the morning, it was when I was supposed to board my first flight. I was travelling from Mumbai to Delhi and I had to take early morning 7 am flight to reach Delhi to attend a seminar which was scheduled to begin at 10 am and I didn’t want to get late. So I decided to take a morning flight to reach there on time.

I asked my Mom to wake me up and I also set an alarm for 3 am so that I could leave my house well in time. As it was my first journey by air I was extremely excited and kept visualising my trip while I lay in bed.

When my alarm rang in the morning, it was very hard for me to wake up but then I forced myself and got up. I quickly got ready, had my breakfast and by 4 am I was on my way to the airport with my father in his car. We left early as we didn’t want to get stuck in the traffic jam, which is a usual sight on the road to the airport.

I reached the airport at around 5 am, passed through security and boarded the plane, excited and happy to start my first plane journey.

Ever since, I decided to be an early riser. And nowadays my profession also demands me to get up early in the morning.

STRONG WORDS

WORDS	MEANING
Hectic	full of activity
Visualising	to form a picture of someone or something in your mind.

Another Similar Cue Card

Describe a time when you got up early.

• When was it and where?
• Why did you get up early?
• What did you do then?

And how did you feel then?

SAMPLE ANSWER TWO-

People generally follow a discipline in their lives regarding day to day activities. For instance, most of the people have their almost fixed schedule for waking, going to office and returning, evening walks or exercises and finally going to sleep at the end of the day. This routine, over a period of time, turns into an inseparable habit and one sticks to it necessarily. On the same pattern, we can generalize that youngsters usually have a habit of sleeping and waking up in the late hours and I am no exception here. Almost every night, I sleep around midnight hours and wake up around 8 in the morning. But, there was one-time period, which I can recall vividly, when I used to wake up at 3 am in the morning. It was, when I had a three-day stay with my parents in an Ashram in Hardwar.

Ashram had its own regulations and code of conduct. Whoever used to stay there, for spiritual reasons only, had had to attend the early morning rituals and needed to pay offerings to the fire god. Even though there was no punishment ascribed for the absence, but the spirituality factor itself was the primary motivation for my parents, who then enjoined me to be a part of the morning ceremony.

After waking up, we had to make up our beds first and then we needed to take ablution in cold Ganges water. Thereafter, we had to adorn the particular clothing provided by ashram and stand in the queue, waiting for our turn to sit around fire pits and pay offerings.

Well, since I was habituated to wake up late, therefore it was a painstaking task for me for the first two days. My father used to switch on the lights and started hymning bhajans which automatically made me awake, although with a little irritation. But, once I became the part of that community consciousness in the rituals and ceremonies, I used to feel a very pleasant divine feeling. Meditative practices and postures, followed afterwards, dispersed waves of tranquillity in those crimson lights of the early dawn. I, then felt the importance of the morning calm and woke up voluntarily on the third and final day.

STRONG WORDS

Word	Meaning
Enjoin	instruct, urge: Schools were enjoined to conduct online classes in Covid.
Ablution	holy bath: Hindus perform ablution before worship.
Tranquility	peace, calmness: Meditation helps in keeping mind tranquil.
Crimson	deep red: Milk turns crimson if heated for longer periods.

Follow-up Questions

Q. 1 Why do people wake up early?

Sample answer: Manyatimes, people wake up early to take up their personal chores in the morning hours. For instance, morning hours are considered suitable for exercises and religious prayers. Similarly, those who have to commute long distance to offices, also wake up early to reach on time.

Q. 2 What are the benefits of waking up early?

Sample answer: With less vehicular congestion and limited polluting avenues in the morning, it is beneficial to perform physical exercises in the early hours. Apart from that, morning hours give us ample of time to be prepared for the forthcoming events during the day time. We can utilize these extra hours to clear the backlogs, if any, and do the necessary arrangements for the day. It is also believed that morning study enables quick learning and better retention of the texts, therefore it is favourable time for students too.

Q. 3 Why do children and youngsters generally wake up late?

Sample answer: Lack of responsibility and absence of active job are the crucial reasons due to which youngsters spend a lot of time on entertainment and other activities in the night. Also, it is a common trend, nowadays, for the students to study late in the night and wake up early. Although, those who are involved in the sports activities possess the habit of waking up early.

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8439000086

8439000087

7055710003

7055710004

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

9634777700

7249900007

IELTS Band 7 Saharanpur
Parsvnath Plaza, Saharanpur

email: info at ieltsband7.com

IELTS online simulator

IELTS CUE CARD – Describe a favourite toy of yours in childhood

 

 Describe a favourite toy of yours in childhood.

• What was the toy?
• Who gave it to you?
• How often did you play with it?

SAMPLE ANSWER

Toys play an integral role in formative years of all children. They help in the development of the brain and also enhance the motor skills. I loved playing with toys when I was a child. In fact I had a room full of toys where I spent most of my time after returning from school.

One of my favourite toys was a Barbie Doll. It was gifted to me by my parents on my 6th birthday. I vividly remember, it was packed in a beautiful pink box when my parents gave it to me. The box had ‘Birthday Pink Barbie” written on top of it. When I opened the box I saw a very pretty Barbie Doll wearing a pink gown, matching shoes and few additional dresses with a comb and makeup kit. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.

Since that time the Barbie became my constant companion. I’d play with it every day after returning from school. I loved to change its dress and comb its hair. I treated the doll as my best friend and used to have conversations with it and share my daily school activities with my doll. In fact during holidays I’d pretend to be a teacher and teach the doll as a student for hours together. Imitating the dialogues of my school teacher was full of fun. Taking the doll to bed and narrating bed time stories was a daily routine.

This doll remained my favourite toy for several years. It is still with me as a memorabilia.

STRONG WORDS

WORDS	MEANING
Constant companion (collocation)	a person, animal or thing that has been with someone most of the time
Memorabilia	objects kept or collected because of their associations with memorable people or events

Another Similar Cue Card

Describe a toy you liked in your childhood.

• How old were you and when did you get this toy?
• Who gave you the toy?
• What was the toy exactly and how did you play with it?

And how were you feeling at that time?

SAMPLE ANSWER TWO-

Gifting toys to children is one of the common mores in society. Toys consist of the most playable items for children. Children just love to upkeep a complete shelf or drawer full of toys of different kinds. They generally receive these toys on special occasions although feature toys are given otherwise also, on a child’s insistence. When I turned 6 on my birthday, I received many gifts on that day from family and friends. Later that day, I silently creeped into my room to calm my curiosity about new gifts. I started unpacking every item, when eyes stood fixed on a toy, half wrapped in the shine.

I, at once, jumped to the living room and with a broad glee on my face, questioned in a loud shout, that who has brought my favourite gift to me. To this, my mother smiled back and informed me that it was my father who knew my likes very well and brought this specially for my day. I looked at my father and recited a hymning thank you.

Well, it was a remote controlled car. It used to be a sensation for children in those times, when imports from china was very timid and remote car was considered as an electronic toys masterpiece. My friend already had one such car at his home, so, whenever I used to visit his place, I had some occasional trips with that high speed and advanced controls. But, I always lingered on my desire to have one of my own and drive whenever, wherever I want. Once, I even asked my father to bring one remote car for me.

That was few months back. I was happy that my father remembered it on my birthday. I was feeling the freedom of fiddling with my own car. Also, since I knew the controls already, I was now experimenting with different terrains and exhibiting some amusing stunts. I was feeling very exalted back then.

STRONG WORDS

Word	Meaning
Exalted	feeling very happy, joyous: After seeing my IELTS score, I felt exalted.

Follow-up Questions

Q. 1 In your childhood, did you receive more gifts from your family or friends?

Sample answer: Well, friends and family both, I suppose used to gift me on my birthdays. But, family used to gift me otherwise also. Sometimes, when I used to be on scooter ride with my father, I used to see several enticements in the market area. It was then, when my father had to buy me a toy on my repeated insistence.

Q. 2 When did you stop receiving toys as gifts?

Sample answer: I suppose, it was my 11^th birthday, when for the first time I could see no toys in the wrappers. Rather, I had some stationery items and a few English novels.

Q. 3 How did you feel when you received no toys on your birthday?

Sample answer: By the time I was 10, I could visibly see the cutback in my toys collections and moreover, I started indulging in different activities like outdoor games, bicycle rides and so on, which obviously took me a little away from my toys. Therefore, although I kept on searching for a toy till my last unwrapment on my birthday, but I didn’t really feel disappointed in any sense.

Q. 4 Why do you think children like toys so much?

Sample answer: I think the most primitive and aboriginal instinct in a human being is TO KNOW. Curiosity to explore and create something new has always been the driving force behind our evolution. Therefore, a child who has not yet gained exposure to society and its creations at large, feel captivating interest in the novel features of toys. They feel the toy so animated that they love to play with it.

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8439000086

8439000087

7055710003

7055710004

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

9634777700

7249900007

IELTS Band 7 Saharanpur
Parsvnath Plaza, Saharanpur

email: info at ieltsband7.com

IELTS online simulator