IELTS Listening Archives - Page 9 of 63

IELTS Cue Card # Ways To Relax

August 24, 2022 IELTS Research

There is so much work that we all do but when it is all work and no play we surely get tired easily. Most of the people, hence figure out a way to relax a bit. Let us today have a look at a cue card that talks about ways a person can relax.

Describe a way to relax that you find effective.

You should say:

what you do

where & when you usually do this

who you usually do it with

and explain why this is relaxing for you.

Sample Answer One

I really like taking short breaks while I am working. So, after having worked for almost like an hour, I would go out of my seat and walk a little bit here and there, drink water and just completely close my eyes for some time and be proud of myself for the work that I have done for an hour.

I do it almost for everything. So, it could be while I am playing or working or for that matter while I am studying. It is very important for me because I believe that having a ten minutes break in every hour, not only allows me to push myself harder, it also helps me not to get drained by the kind of work that I do.

I am a software engineer and doing the relaxing thing makes me more committed and focused towards the work. Although, people go out and relax with their friends, I prefer doing this activity alone, so I have no one to talk to and can completely feel good about peace and silence and just go back to work with new mind.

The reason it works for me is because, I am not that sort of a person who can work a lot. But, then I have got dreams which I need to get fulfilled. This every hour break makes me feel as if I am having my quality time and I am able to relax a bit here and there. This allows me not to be exhausted or over whelmed by the work that I do.

Sample Answer Two

I love relaxing after a tiring day but for me the best way to relax is by playing badminton. So, every day after I have finished my work I go out to play badminton with my friends. It is almost exciting and relaxing because to be able to play the game well it is very important for me to forget about whatever has happened in the entire day and focus on what is happening at the present.

This exercise not only makes me good because it is a kind of physical activity but also refreshes because there is so much of mental activity involved in it. And then I with my friends take up those silly competitions, like who is going to win, how long can we play and things like where to hit the target. It is amazing and makes me feel good and prepared for the other day.

Also, when I am playing, it makes me feel as if I am having both, work life balance which helps me go out and do my work in a better way. Because, after the work I know that I do have time for myself and I can enjoy with my friends.

The reason I love it is because apart from just whiling away my time, I am actually doing a physical and a mental activity and it helps me to be able to remain fit and work better.

IELTSBAND7

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 Sample Answer # Help Received

July 25, 2022 IELTS Research

There are so many times that we help people and more often receive help. Help is the only way, people believe, that we remain human. A person who cannot help others is of no use being called human. Let us today have a look at a cue card that talks about a help that you received.

Describe a time when someone helped you.

You should say:

Who helped you

When it was

Why s/he helped you

And describe how you felt about it.

Sample Answer One

There have been many a times when I received help and it is something so often that I wonder what would have happened had I not received the help. But, I clearly remember a day when I was helped and I felt really nice.

I had to go to my brother’s college for some work and I was not aware of how to reach there. So, the local transport dropped me at a place and I thought from there the college would be a mere km away. Thinking that I started walking down the road but after walking around an hour I could not find even a hint of his college. As I was exhausted and started asking people as to where the college is, there came a boy in his scooty and told me that the college is really far and there is no way I can reach there on my foot. He asked me to get into his scooty.

Initially, I was scared, because I had really no idea about the place and it was all jungle around. So, either ways I hopped onto his scooty and he did dropped me outside the college. There were times when I was worried but he later asked me if I wanted to go back along with him as well. Although, I refused that help, I was really happy and felt grateful for his help. He did knew me and just like others he could have behaved strangely but he left me to my destination and in no ways sounded someone who wanted any evil out of me.

It was a true pure help and I wished him all the best for his life.

Help Received

Sample Answer Two

There are so many times that I get help but the one time I remember getting help was when I was in eighth grade. I had decided to participate in our school annual festival and was among the seven girls who were part of the dance team. We used to practice a lot and everything but I was one of the weakest. There were times when it took me days to get the step right and then there were days when I would just even after trying so much could not get the step right.

Those were some irritating days and after some time even my team members started coming in and telling that I should rather leave the group. My initial reaction was that I wont be leaving the group. I have practiced and I will do good. Although I had said that, I felt bad and I started crying in the stairs. May be my teacher came to know about it or whatever, she called me and told me that in life it is not how much you know but how much you practice to get what you want in life.

She told me that I had done a great thing and I should move on with it. After that, she started teaching me extra lesson for the dance and I was able to actually dance well than most of the girls in the school.

I remember it till now because it was for the first time, I can recall, I stood for myself. And then people did started coming in to help me. It felt great because I felt as if I am important as well and my opinion does matter. It has helped me a great deal to do things in life the way I do them now.

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 AN OCCASION WHEN YOU GOT UP EARLY IN THE MORNING

June 20, 2022 IELTS Research

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.

IELTS Speaking latest cue card 2020.Describe an occasion when you got up early in the morning. When did you get up early?

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.

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 Speaking Cue Card: A special cake you had

May 5, 2022 Pooja Ph.D. CELTA

IELTS Speaking Cue Card: A special cake you had

Describe a special cake you had

What kind of cake it was?

When you ate the cake?

Who you ate the cake with?

And explain why you think this cake was special.

IELTS Speaking latest Cue Card Describe a special cake you had what kind of cake it was and explain why you think this cake was special

Sample answer

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?

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 10^th 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 10^th 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 2^nd 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 Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

9634777700

7249900007

IELTS Band 7 Saharanpur
Parsvnath Plaza, Saharanpur

email: info at ieltsband7.com

IELTS online simulator