Cue Card # Talk about a time you were travelling but were delayed

IELTS Cue Card Talk about a time you were travelling but were delayed

Talk about a time you were travelling but were delayed 

 

You should day

  • Where were you travelling to?
  • Why were you delayed?
  • How did you overcome the delay?
  • And describe the entire episode in detail.

Cue Card Talk about a time you were travelling but were delayed

Sample Answer

Travel is a requisite of the modern lifestyle. One cannot achieve globalization without interpersonal communication after all. Even though now the situation has changed quite a bit since the outbreak of this pandemic, travel for essential services still carries on.

My story happened quite a while ago; I believe it was in the December of 2017. Now, I was going to travel to Sri Lanka for a vacation with my family. We were set to arrive at the airport at 4 pm so we could board our 7 pm international flight on time. A tip for travel I always keep in mind is to be as unhurried as possible, be it driving or train travel; you always want to have extra time, it takes away the unnecessary stress.

Naturally, we had a bit of a tussle with our baggage to get it out of the drop off taxi trunk but we managed in the end. As we entered the terminal gates were greeted by the classic coffee scent that permeates most airports. So far, the situation was looking good. We managed to get past check-in, baggage, security and customs with no hiccups at all with an hour to spare.

Here’s where the trouble started. Soon after boarding the flight and idly waiting for a half-hour for the flight to take off, we were asked to deboard as the flight was facing technical issues. So, we boarded the airport bus and were all relocated to a new flight. Our baggage relocation took us another hour. At this point many people were getting very antsy, and for good reason too. This was supposed be a short 3-hour flight and we already had to endure more than 2 hours of waiting time, it was quite preposterous.

My family and I dealt with it by simply getting out our travel pack Uno game. That’s another great tip for anyone who’s travelling with kids; always bring travel-friendly games along because the kids will get bored. We played a variation of games with the card pack, original Uno, bluff, and a couple of games my kids came up with. After some very suspicious game rule changes and some very victorious kids, the announcement of the flight being ready for takeoff started. We arrived that night in Sri Lanka, where we found our waiting cab and managed to drive to the hotel. The journey ended up pretty smoothly despite the technical delay we faced. As they say, “all’s well that ends well”.

 

Speaking part 3 follow up questions:

Q.1 What are the most common reasons that cause travel delays?

Answer: I think severe weather conditions and technical defect are the two biggest causes of travel delays. Traffic congestion, diversion of routes due to accidents or repair work also lead to travel disruptions.

Q.2 Do you think too many people are dependent on cars as a means of transport?

Answer: Definitely, yes. The number of people who depend on cars for commuting and travelling has gone up considerably in the past few decades.

Q.3 Why do people prefer to travel by car?

Answer: I think there are two main reasons why people prefer to travel by car. Firstly, public transport systems like buses and trains are poorly maintained in many parts of the world. Secondly, cars have become a status symbol. Nobody wants to wait for hours and board an overcrowded bus or train. Those who can afford tend to avoid using public transport facilities and prefer their own mode of transport. It not only saves their time but also gives them comfort and privacy.

antsy very nervous, worried, or unpleasantly excited
preposterous very silly or stupid

 

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IELTS Essay: Computers will be more intelligent than human beings

WRITING TASK 2 Computers will be more intelligent than human beings
 
You should spend 40 minutes on this task.
 
Write about the following topic:
 
  • Some scientists believe that very soon computers will be more intelligent than human beings. Some people think that this will be a positive development, while others worry it will have negative effects. 
  • What are your opinions on this?
  • Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
 

 

IELTS Computers will be more intelligent than human beings

Sample Answer:

 
 
Human civilization has developed at a staggering pace in the last century. We went from not having sliced bread to being on the path to having supercomputers more powerful than we can comprehend. There is indeed a common presumptuous notion out there; that one-day computers might become ‘more intelligent than human beings’.  
 
The amount of ignorance this specific thought conveys leaves me quite inarticulate. Firstly, computers are digital, brains are analogue. There is no conceivable way to compare these two. Computers are highly logical machines designed to perform tasks; humans are essentially a tangled mass of neurons behaving in an unpredictable manner, which births thoughts, emotions and ideas. Their core functions are polar opposites. 
 
The issue that must be addressed is the highly misdirecting role of movies and entertainment media in presenting Artificial Intelligence as ‘self-sufficient’ and ‘intelligent’ in the manner of independent thought processing.  One cannot press this enough; but machines will never aim for world domination. They have been created for one purpose and one purpose only, to aid humanity. 
 
The world’s fastest computer averages out at 200 petaflops, the human brain has been estimated to run at one exaflop. The difference between them is akin to the earth and sky. Nonetheless, I do not doubt the gap will be closed within the next decade. However, this will just mean that supercomputers will be more efficient at the analysis tasks they perform, this will not mean that they will spontaneously decide to sprout a conscience and destroy the world in the blink of an eye. This idea is so ridiculous it has passed the point of comedic hilarity into plain oblivion and beyond even idiosyncrasy
 
I refuse to even acknowledge such a possibility. Computers becoming more efficient than human processing power would be a leap in the fields of data analysis, weather prediction, space calculation, molecular modeling, natural resource exploration, etc. There is absolutely no cause for worry, fear or panic. Only further awareness on the true nature of computers and the fictionality of popular media tropes
 
In conclusion, it is inevitable that computers will become more efficient. There are very little drawbacks to this save for initial job losses, the positives outweigh the negatives in all formulate-able aspects. 

 

Staggering

very shocking and surprising

Comprehend

to understand something completely

Presumptuous

Showing little respect for others by doing things they have no right to do

Notion

a belief or idea

Inarticulate

unable to express feelings or ideas clearly, or expressed in a way that is difficult to understand

Conceivable

possible to imagine or to believe

Misdirecting

to use something in a way that is not right or legal

Petaflops

a unit of computing speed equal to one thousand million million (1015) floating-point operations per second.

Exaflop

a billion billion calculations per second (1018)

Comedic

relating to or involving comedy

Hilarity

a situation in which people laugh very loudly and think something is very funny

Oblivion

the state of being completely forgotten

Idiosyncrasy

a strange or unusual habit, way of behaving, or feature that someone or something has

Media tropes

something such as an idea, phrase, or image that is often used by the media

Fictionality

the quality of being fictional (= imaginary)

Inevitable

Certain to happen

 

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Cue Card # Talk about an animal you like

IELTS Cue Card Talk about an animal you like

 

Talk about an animal you like.

 

You should say:

  • What this animal is
  • What is special about this animal?
  • How it looks like
  • And explain why you like this animal.

 

IELTS Cue Card Talk about an animal you like

Sample Answer

Animals are eclectic creatures; they go all the way from the very friendly and domesticated to the lethal and feral. They come in a manner of shapes, sizes and colours. Even animals of a single species are incomparable to their counterparts due to the sheer number of differences.

Today I will talk about one of my all-time favourite animals; the horse. Now, again, horses come in all sorts of combinations. Shetland ponies have a stockier body, round shape, thick fur, and short stubby legs, they are not all that much used in athletic pursuits. Now Arabian Horses, on the other hand, are taller, sleekly built with light bones, used exclusively for racing. Now both of these are scientifically speaking horses, but are oh so different in appearance, nature and purpose.

Although despite the physical dissimilarity, all horses have some things in common which earn them the top spots among my favourite animals. For one, their movements. Whenever a horse moves, I can’t help but admire the powerful muscles bulging and gliding beneath their coats, the sheer potential power they have in each step is breathtaking. The way they move is more elegant than most humans can ever hope to achieve. Their might is undeniable. For another, they are loyal, intelligent, and empathetic creatures. The bonds that a rider and horse may form is second to none. The care they give to their young is much alike to the way humans interact with their parents. I find this incredibly heartwarming.

Additionally, horses are really fun to draw, be it in action poses or just dramatically standing on the edge of a cliff, they give a great perspective on autonomy along with spicing the image up with their natural dramatic flair. A great example of this is in the painting done by George Stubbs named “Whistlejacket”, the painting has absolutely no background, and yet you can feel the power radiating outward from that piece. It was one of my very first case studies on how to draw horses.

 

Speaking part 3 follow up questions:

 

Q.1 Do people in your country keep animals at home?

Animals like cows, buffaloes and goats are domesticated widely in the countryside. In fact, livestock rearing provides sustainable livelihoods to millions of people living in rural areas.

Q.2 Do you think pets are important?

Yes, certainly. Pets can bring love and companionship into our life. Many studies have shown that keeping pets reduces our stress levels, thereby improving our health and well-being.

Q.3 Do animals have rights?

Humans use animals for food and related by-products, farming and a variety of other uses. Everyday millions of different types of animals are killed for food globally. Just by looking at these figures, I’d say that these creatures should at least have the right to live. But, who cares? Laws are made for protecting animals but they don’t work in reality.

Useful words and their meanings
Eclectic consisting of different types, methods, styles, etc.
Feral A feral animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated specimens.
Autonomy the right of an organization, country, or region to be independent and govern itself
Livestock rearing raising of animals for use or for pleasure

 

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CUE CARD – Describe a picture or a photograph

Talk about a Photograph you have in your home

 

You should say

  • What is happening in the photograph?
  • Where is it placed in your house?
  • When and Why was it taken?
  • And describe the photograph in detail.

IELTS Speaking latest cue card 2020. Describe a picture or a photograph in your home /room that you likeWhat is it about?

Sample Answer

 

Photographs capture moments in time clearer than our memories are capable of. Humans have used Photographs in abundance in the past decade to try and capture life’s most important and most trivial moments. This has led to a fad of over documentation, often at the consequence of missing reality to be able to capture it virtually.

Today I will talk about a very special photograph of me when I was around the age of 5. In the image, I am seen sitting in on ‘Santa Claus’s’ lap for a special Christmas event in a fully decked out mall. Behind one can make out a giant Christmas tree adorned with fairy lights and baubles; giant piles of decorative presents underneath.

My likeness can be seen wrapped up in a warm shawl and my very favourite red cap, rosy cheeks and the biggest grin as I had just wisped to ‘Santa’ my wish. ‘Santa’ had on a heavy blush, a nose red enough to make even Rudolf blush, and the classic half foot long white misty beard cum moustache.

The event was held every year on the days leading up to Christmas in most major malls, parents would take their children to see a friendly volunteer as ‘Santa’ who would listen to all the kid’s dreams, laugh a big belly laugh and give his blessings. Some days Book Readings were also conducted.

Back when the photo was taken, our family had just moved there and were unfamiliar with this custom, for it was our first Christmas in a Christian country. My parents tell me the photo might never have taken place had they not delayed their last-minute gift shopping. But I am glad the events played out the way they did; Else today I would not have this heartwarming image sitting framed in a cheesy glitter and mistletoe frame on our mantelpiece. It is a reminder to always smile and keep going, that is one image which will never become a waste of space.

 

Similar Question with Answer:

Describe a picture or a photograph in your home/room that you like

  • What is it about?
  • Where is it in your home?
  • How you got it?
  • Why you like it?
SAMPLE ANSWER

Some photographs are for decoration while some capture the best moments of our lives and keep our memories of those cherished moments alive. A few months ago, I was going through my collection of photo albums when a family photo caught my attention. It is one of my favourite photographs where I am standing with my parents in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. It was taken several years ago when I visited Paris with my parents as a child.  I got it framed recently and it is placed on the wall above the study table in my bedroom.

Whenever I look at the picture it reminds me of the good times I had with my parents especially during that particular vacation abroad. I remember vividly, it was my birthday and this trip to see the Eiffel Tower was a gift from my parents. I can clearly recall how my parents had a small celebration near the water fountains and rows of flowers, where this picture was taken. It was one of the best birthday celebrations I ever had as a child.

My parents have grown old now and when I see this photo it brings back fond memories of my childhood. I don’t see them often now as I have moved to another city and whenever I miss them I have a look at the photograph. It doesn’t let me feel lonely and I feel them around me. Seeing my parents extremely young and lively in it brings a gentle smile on my face!

STRONG WORDS
WORDS MEANING
Vivid very clear and detailed e.g. Some people have a vivid imagination.
Fond

loving and affectionate e.g. I am fond of eating out on a weekend.

 

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IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

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