IELTS Speaking Cue Card: An interesting person from a foreign country
Describe an interesting person from a foreign country.
You should say:
Who he/she is?
Where he/she is from?
How long you have known him/her?
and explain why you think he/she is an interesting person.
Sample Answer
Today, I’m going to talk about a foreigner who I think is extremely interesting.
I work as a software developer in a multinational company called Capgemini. At present, we’re working on an international project and there are many foreigners in my team. I’ve a healthy relationship with all of them but I particularly like my team leader.
His name is Martin Henze. He is from Germany. Martin has a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the Technical University of Munich. I first met him in April 2015 when I went to Munich for attending a conference. It’s been almost three years since then.
In my view, Martin is a captivating person. He has many personal and professional attributes which make him special. Professionally, his in-depth knowledge of computer programming and problem-solving skills differentiate him from others. He also has effective communication and presentation skills. His excellent rapport with his colleagues and leadership skills can’t go unnoticed.
Personally, Martin has a pleasing personality. He is very kind and generous. He never shows off his seniority and treats everyone equally. All of us can share our views freely with him. If anyone has a suggestion to improve something, he always listens to them. In my view, developing all these skills is not at all easy. One has to work really hard to develop them and be like him. In short, Martin is my professional role model.
IELTS Cue Card Talk about a language lesson you enjoyed
Talk about a language lesson you enjoyed
You should say:
When it was?
What it was about?
What you did in the lesson?
And explain why you enjoyed this lesson.
Sample Answer
I’ve always had a deep fascination with languages. It certainly stems from the skills of my school teachers who made our lessons memorable. Today, I’m going to talk about a language lesson I loved.
I was in 8th class. Our school provided classes in many foreign languages like German, French, Japanese and Italian etc. I opted for Japanese because my father recommended it to me. My first Japanese lesson was so much fun that I still remember almost everything about it. When our teacher entered the class, she greeted us in Japanese. She didn’t translate it in English or our local language. Initially, we were puzzled but then she drew the sun and two kids on the blackboard. We understood the meaning and all of us repeated the greeting after her. Then, the teacher opened a big box in which she had kept many things like chocolates, cold drinks, tea and a bottle of milk etc.
She started taking them out of the box one by one. She was saying the name of each item in Japanese and we were listening to her and repeating after her. Later on, the teacher just showed us the objects and we were supposed to recall their names. Everyone was actively participating in the lesson. In the next stage of the lesson, the teacher taught us how to order milk, tea or coffee in a Japanese café. She divided us into two groups. Some of us became customers while others became waiters. We practiced all the words that we learned in the lesson in a very interactive way.
Not only me but all my classmates enjoyed the lesson. I found it very interesting because of the way it was delivered. The teacher created a friendly and stimulating learning environment. Its pace was also perfect for our age group. If we hadn’t been involved in the lesson, it would have been a boring lesson. All in all, I can say that this first-class boosted our confidence immensely and motivated us to learn Japanese.
Another Similar Cue Card
Describe a thing you did to learn another language.
Which language did you learn?
What was that thing, you did to learn the language?
How did it help you and how you felt?
And do you recommend that thing for every language?
(Download CUE Card)
SAMPLE ANSWER TWO-
Language is among the greatest inventions of mankind. Just imagining a world without languages seems to bring chaos and haphazardness all around. Social order and stability is ensured by this medium of communication. If we just observe our past, it is wondrous to note that we learnt our mother tongue without any formal medium of instruction. It is an automatic natural process set in motion by environment. Although I never intended to become a philologist, but I had this inertia for different words and meanings. I knew English well and I had this penchant for Spanish. So, in my college days, I decided to learn Spanish.
I joined a language academy, where they take up a language from the very basics. With appropriate syntax, pronunciation and meaning understanding of most common Spanish words in academy, I built my fundamentals strong. Thereafter, a stage of stagnation arrived in my progress and I was not improving my spoken Spanish, in particular. It was then, when I decided to stay in a Spanish colony in our city, for few months. Getting surrounded by Spanish diaspora all the time, listening to the language Spanish only whenever a word is spoken and interacting in Spanish only, were the true game changers.
This idea of living among Spanish people was an instantaneous hit. Within a span of just three months, I was conversing in Spanish without any great efforts. To add to it, I even grasped the uncommon classical Spanish vocabulary. The result of the uniform harmony with the Spanish language in my overall environment, while living in Spanish people, was very fruitful. The shopkeepers and watchman in that colony were Spanish too, which necessitated me to even think in Spanish. I felt extremely happy witnessing my gradual but consistent improvement in Spanish.
I would like to recommend my test and trial approach with the learners of any language. Staying in airs stuffed with a particular language all around you, automatically brings you in sync with that. No doubt, academy is something mandatory, but apart from that, my idea for learning a language is very effective, especially the spoken one.
STRONG WORDS
Word
Meaning
Penchant
special bent/liking: My friend has the penchant for old classic movies.
Haphazard
disorderly: students in college generally keep their room haphazard.
Diaspora
scattered population with origin somewhere else: America is truly cosmopolitan in a sense, to have diaspora from so many nations
Follow-up Questions
Q. 1 Is learning a new language difficult after an age?
Sample answer: I can’t answer this with confirmation without actual evidences. Definitely, after an age learning appetite decreases to some extent. Learning a new language might not sound as exciting and hence motivating to a grown up man as to a young boy. This lack of interest, apart from the work pressures faced by an adult may hinder his learning process.
Q. 2 What factors make a language interesting to learn?
Sample answer: It is the accent, smoothness, tone and pitch primarily, which creates impression for a language. Apart from them, glory and status of the nation, to which a language belongs, also generates fan following. Influence of a language created by its major presence all over the globe is a big influence.
Q. 3 Can deepest emotions be conveyed by a language?
Sample answer: I would say speech itself comes with a limitation. Use of any language can definitely easen the process of emotions’ description, as done in poems, plays and other fiction. But, I still believe that language do not have the absolute adequacy to display all the emotions, in complete.
Q. 4 What are the advantages of learning a new language?
Sample answer: Learning anything new, in itself is a fun process. Language learning comes with the spoken, written, hearing and speaking tasks involved in it, therefore it further broadens our pleasurable experience. It is always an advantage staying in a country, if we are averse with its native language. This brings a sense of assimilation in an earlier differently looking ethnicity. It also enriches our experience of different civilizations and cultures.
I do tend to have a bit of a sweet tooth and it just so happens that cakes are my all-time favourite treats. Today, I’ll talk about an absolutely delicious cake that I had some time back.
Last week I went to Mussorie with my family. Naturally the journey from Delhi to Mussorie was quite long and it left us exhausted. So, we decided to go to a cafe for refreshments. After strolling about and absorbing the general atmosphere, we came across a cafe named Lovely Loaves. It seemed to be quite an old cafe. We went inside. It was a quiet place with a certain antique charm. Their menu offered a wide range of coffees, sandwiches and other sweet assortments. I ordered a cappuccino with a slice of mixed fruit cake to the side. My parents chose to order sandwiches.
At first glance, the cake was lovingly decorated with almonds, cashews and hazelnuts, it had some sort of brown sugar powder sprinkled on the frosting. From the side, you could see the cream filling and the little fruit pieces. Every savoury little bite was infused with the rich warm flavour of fresh fruits, filled with fluffy vanilla sponging. The treat was sinfully divine, in fact I adored it so much I asked for another piece. My parents too each took a forkful from the gourmet treat. They loved it as well and were inclined to order one of their own too.
I felt that that cake was special and that it had a certain warmth to it, a quality which is not found in many things nowadays. The love which it was made with, made sure that the quantity and quality of each ingredient was just-right. From the crumbly flakiness of the sponge to the blissful sweetness in the drizzled frosting, the cake was and will be one of the best things I have ever eaten. When I go back to visit Mussorie, I will without a doubt revisit Lovely Loaves.
Another Similar Cue Card
Describe a special cake you received from others.
When did you get it?
Who gave you, where and why?
What made it special?
And how did you feel?
(Download CUE Card)
SAMPLE ANSWER TWO-
Cakes are usually presented on special occasions as a token of dessert, for wishing good and healthy for someone. They are specially ordered from the bakeries as per their appearances, sizes and tastes. I used to get cakes mostly, on my birthdays, till, when I was a young boy. On my 10th birthday, I received a special cake from my parents.
Although, it was presented jointly by my parents but later my father informed me that it was my mother’s exclusive choice. I was surprised to see the size and outlay design of the cake. It was a 3 storeyed chocolate and vanilla cake with my favourite cartoon star impostered on the top of it. My 10th birthday was celebrated in a famous hotel of our city. It was there, that I received my birthday cake as a beautiful present, after all the guests arrived. Usually I used to get a normal sized chocolate cake on my birthdays, but my mother told me that it was special this time because I had entered the double digit zone of my age. This transition made it commemorative, to be occasioned with the special cake.
The very outlook, the way it was designed, with my favourite star standing tall on it, gave it a dazzling view. I was oblivious of this this special gift, therefore, I screamed out of joy and surprise as soon it appeared in front of me. I felt like wrestling with my hero on the cake, there and then. I just kept on looking at it in bewilderment, till I finally cut it in pieces. Delicious chocolate and vanilla turned it into a mouth-watering treat. That night, I even saw that magnanimous cake in my dreams.
STRONG WORDS
Word
Meaning
Commemorate
remember, celebrate: Gandhiji’s birth anniversary is commemorated on 2nd oct every year.
Dazzling
eye catching: I wore a dazzling suite on my brother’s wedding.
Bewilderment
great surprise: I was bewildered to know about the size of ancient mammoth.
Follow-up Questions
Q. 1 Why do you think cake is presented on special occasions?
Sample answer: It was a trend that was set by Britishers in colonial India. It is not a native dish of India and was introduced by them. Later, Indian bakeries flourished and we started making our own cakes. The sophistication involved in baking and the sweet fluffy texture of a cake make it an ideal choice for desserts on any special occasion.
Q. 2 Do children miss something on their birthdays in the absence of a cake?
Sample answer: Yes, Indeed. Cake is the first thing that comes to mind when we think of celebrating a birthday. Candles are placed and lit on this special platform, which are then extinguished by celebratory puff of the birthday boy. So, cake, in a sense occupies the centre stage on this occasion. Therefore, children will definitely complain and miss this treat, if it is absent on their birthdays.
Q. 3 On what other occasions do you take something special to eat?
Sample answer: Well, we, the family, makes it a point to visit a good restaurant on our birthdays and anniversaries. Apart from that, whenever I feel the special appetite of eating something delicious, I request my mother and she will prepare those dishes for me. Sometimes, we visit the restaurants even on weekends, to have a fun outing and tasty food.
Q. 4 Do you consider eating outside a healthy habit?
Sample answer: No, not at all. Outside, in stalls, restaurants or even in hotels, the quality of food prepared is not up to the mark, considering its nutritious and healthy indices. Oil, flour, sugar and so many other ingredients used in food are of genuine brands at home but one cannot verify them at an eatery outside. Eating outside on a regular basis, especially the fast junk foods, can bring a detrimental effect on our health.
IELTS Speaking Cue card # A foreign city you would like to visit
Describe a foreign city you would like to visit
You should say:
Its name.
How and when you would go there?
Who you would go with?
and explain why you would like to visit this city.
Sample Answer
I love traveling and exploring new places. Today, I’m going to talk about a foreign city I wish to visit. It’s London, the capital of United Kingdom. Since London is about 7000 km from my hometown, the only viable modes of transport to reach there are water and air. If I were to choose between these two modes, I’d prefer a flight because it’ll take less time as compared to a cruise. From safety and economic points of view as well, I think going by air is definitely the better option.
Talking about the time when I’ll go to London, I haven’t yet decided, maybe in summer this year. I don’t know who I’d take with me but it would probably be some people that are close to me, I feel that visiting a new place is more fun if you’re with your family or friends. I’ll have a word with my parents and friends, whoever wants to come with me is welcome.
Coming to the many reasons why I want to visit London, I guess the main reason would be my fascination with history and art. You see, London is one of the oldest multicultural cities in the world. I’ve read about the changes which transformed this city into a center of history, art, business, and education through many of its conquests of the world. And thus, London is home to world-class museums and art galleries, all having a different and unique story behind them.
Other than that London also happens to have the oldest underground railway system in the world. To visit the most popular tourist attractions of London has been on my bucket list for a long time. These include the London Bridge, National Art Gallery, and the British Museum. I’ve heard that the bakeries in London are some of the best out there. I’d love to see what they have to offer.
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