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IELTS Cue Card: Speak about a difficult thing you did

Speak about a difficult thing you did.
You should say:

• What was that activity?
• When and where did you do it?
• How did you do it?

And how do you feel after it.

Sample Answer:

We often come across few difficult tasks in our day-to-day lives. Tasks which are practised less often turn into difficult tasks. When we are performing a task for the first time, at that time, the difficulty level is higher. As we practise more and become proficient, the difficulty level decreases and tasks are performed better in less time. Anyways, we almost always remember the struggle we underwent in those difficult times. I, too, remember my efforts in debugging a software program that was infected very severely and damaging our whole server’s data.

Basically, I am a software engineer and work in an MNC based in Dehradun. We have been offering the software solutions to our clients for the last 20 years, who are spread all over the globe. I am a programmer at Core but also deal in security systems and protection. I just have an average, fair knowledge about malwares and debugging, and from no angle am I an expert. A few months back, our chief engineer for software security was on a long leave. His team used to handle the security issues well, even in his absence, but one day, all the systems suddenly shut down like a blackout except the master computer networked directly to the server.

We acknowledged that it was a virus attack injected intentionally in our cloud space. Our existing programmes were inadequate to counter this superiorly coded malware sent into our network. This could have led to the stealing of private classified data if handled erroneously. I had dealt with debugging programmes earlier also, but here, I needed to include one extra loop in my programme to run it successfully. I scratched my grey cells for 10 hrs at a stretch to run the new programme. After a series of successive futile efforts, I finally managed to crack the code and debug the software. Our whole team shouted with a hurray and lifted me on their shoulders.

I was kind of an on-the-spot hero for my colleagues. I am a serious freak about anything that I do. This was a big leap in my programming skills, and I invented that in an exigency. That forged tonnes of confidence inside me, being fit to perform under pressure. My boss promoted me the next day, and I felt very elated.

STRONG WORDS

Word	Meaning
Erroneously	Inaccurately: The Present approach taken by world leaders to combat climate change seems to be erroneous, as there are no substantial results over so many years
Exigency	emergency: One should remember the exigency numbers provided by state administration

Follow-up Questions

Q.1 Do you like to take up difficult tasks? Why?

Sample answer: Yes, quite often I volunteer for the difficult tasks. Since my childhood days, I used to believe in doing the tasks which were not being done earlier or were very difficult to perform. I think this appetite keeps me high and motivated. Tough tasks appear to me as challenges, and the accomplishment of those tasks after my strenuous efforts gives an immense sense of joy and satisfaction.

Q. 2 How can we shed the fear of taking up difficult tasks?

Sample answer: I think we should not take up the most difficult task in the very beginning. We should follow the slow and steady approach in mastering a particular task, and only later on should we venture into the toughest aspects of it. Even the small and easy achievements in the beginning can be rich motivators and brain openers, preparing us for the next difficult task.

Q. 3 Do you believe in punishment as a tool for improvement in performance?

Sample answer: I may not be able to answer this question absolutely. Because on one hand, I believe that even negative reinforcement or punishment can be instrumental in performance improvement if administered properly and without time delays, while on the other hand, I cannot claim punishment to be the only effective option for corrections. I think one should resort to it as the last available option. Positive reinforcements and right encouragement can be highly effective in performing difficult tasks.

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