January 7, 2020 - Page 2 of 3

IELTS Cue Card Sample Questions # Unlearned

January 7, 2020 IELTS Research

IELTS Cue Card Sample Questions # Unlearned

Schools are considered the epitome of learning. It is in school that most of us gain education and make careers for ourselves. However, in recent times there have been serious questions about the education system and its impact on students. This time we are looking at a cue card that talks about the things that one can never learn in school.

Describe something that cannot be learned in school. You should say –

what is it?

why do you think it cannot be taught in school?

who is the right person to teach it?

SAMPLE ANSWER

School has been a very important part of my life and there is a multitude of things I learned during my school life. But, as they say, there can never be a better and bigger school than life. Schools definitely teach us the various subjects, the importance of languages, geography, and biology but what most schools fail to teach us is the right way of life.

The education system of my country has been such that we are taught right from the beginning that it is important to get good marks, but no one tells us why. Rather, the fact that all the questions being taught in school are of what and how with little or no emphasis on why! Sadly, this is one habit that an individual inculcates from the society he or she lives in. The right attitude can never be taught in schools as a child grasps more what he or she sees that what is being taught.

The best people to teach it would be the parents, but in case they fail, the responsibility goes down to teachers and then finally government. The society must be given shape such that children spend more of their time on learning rather than memorizing. The market must be built in a manner which allows even the average students to make the most of their lives.

Feel free to call for suggestions and queries.

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

email: info at ieltsband7.com

IELTS online simulator

IELTS BAND 7 Home page

IELTS cue card: How do old people spend their Leisure time?

January 7, 2020 IELTS Research

How do old people spend their leisure time?

Who they spend it with?

How often do they do it?

How do they like it?

Sample Answer

The way people spend their leisure time changes dramatically as they age. Old people mostly spend their time watching television or listening to the radio. I remember my grandfather wasn’t much interested in watching TV but he was big on the news. He used to listen to the news every night religiously, and then he would have a sort of round-table discussion over the current issues with his friends.

Another way old people get together is when they meet for a walk. They never miss a chance to catch up with their buddies while they get themselves some fresh air in the park every day. They would, actually, talk more but walk less. But it’s good, nonetheless. Old people need someone to talk to otherwise they feel all lonely and left out.

The third most common way of spending time for old people is -since most of them are grandparents- to have fun with their grandkids. In joint families, it’s mostly the grandparents who spend their time with the little children while their parents are busy at work. It is thought that since they were too busy while raising their own kids, old people now can sort of compensate it and enjoy their time frolicking with the toddlers.

Feel free to call for suggestions and queries.

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

email: info at ieltsband7.com

IELTS online simulator

IELTS BAND 7 Home page

How To Talk On Phone?

January 7, 2020 IELTS Research

Once you go abroad, there will be chances where you need to make a conversation on phone. Although it sounds easy to some but could be quite weird to some since they are not able to see the person they are seeing. Well, if you are one of those who gets a little uncomfortable while talking on the phone, following the below tips could prove to lessen your burden.

Don’t Be Direct

One of the main problems we make is we are very direct. For example, I want to talk to Mr. XYZ. It is not polite to say “want”. It is preferred to rather a use could, would, may. For e.g. I would like to talk to Mr. XYZ.

Practice

Practice, but then how to practice? Well, you can practice with your friend. Or you may call a business chain whom you know has an answering machine and write down the key points. You can also practice in front of a mirror or record it and analyze it yourself.

Spelling

A lot of times we have to spell on the phone. In those cases, it is important to be able to pronounce the letters correctly. For e.g. you may say, “my name is Anmol”. and the person on the other side could ask you to pronounce it. You need to then spell it. You do this as, an as in ash, n as in Neptune and on. But then why do you need to give examples? Because some English letters sound the same on phone. Example : p, t,v sound quite similar on phone.

Numbers

It is important to practice numbers because after all you a conversation can even have them. But why practice them? Because you may get confused between 30 and 13 or 40 and 14. Practice listening to long numbers.

Ask

Now, this is the most important thing. If you don’t understand something, ask them. You can say, I am sorry could you repeat that. Can you please low down, my English is not so strong.

Memorize Key Expressions

There are some expressions that are very common or are required as it is. E.g. May I ask who is calling, please. Is so and so there?

Formal/Informal

Remember there is a difference between formal and informal. Formal is used with someone whom you don’t know. Informal is one used with friends. It is important that you use them where they can be used.

Smile

Why smile when no one is even seeing you? When you smile when you are on phone, it will calm you down. And you will be able to make some good conversation.

Go on, be confident, make some calls. It is okay to make some mistakes, as long as you are ready to improve on them.

Feel free to call for suggestions and queries.

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

email: info at ieltsband7.com

IELTS online simulator

IELTS BAND 7 Home page

IELTS preparation

IELTS cue card: Describe a historical building you visited?

January 7, 2020 IELTS Research

Describe a historical building you visited?

What kind of building was that?

Who you went there with?

What did you learn by your visit there?

Sample Answer

This just happened yesterday. I was going to meet my friend after a gap of three years and she asked me to meet her outside the railway station. While waiting for her, I got a text that she got stuck in a traffic jam and that she would be half an hour late. There was a Railway Museum just around the corner and having nothing else to do, I decided to take a look around the museum.

It was an old building with Gothic architecture. The entrance was huge and the gallery was unending. There were several artifacts from different eras, and since I’m not a big fan of history, they weren’t of much interest to me. The evolution of railways, however, did impress me. It was amazing to see how simple a steam engine was when it was used for the first time, and how quickly it has evolved in just over a century. Since I used to collect train models when I was young, my childhood passion seemed to rekindle upon looking at all those locomotives. The building was maintained very well by the authorities, and other than the museum it housed shops and pubs as well. The exit opened in an alleyway, and I had to walk around the block to get back to the front door near which my friend asked me to wait.

Looking back at my visit, I don’t think I would have ever taken time out of my busy schedule to see this amazing museum had I not been wandering around waiting for my friend. But then, like they say, “Everything happens for a reason”.

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