Describe something useful you learned from a member of your family.
What did you learn?
How did this become useful later in your life?
Explain why it was important for you?
(Download CUE Card)
Sample Answer
I have been brought up in a joint family with thirteen family members. Apart from my parents, my family consists of my grandparents, two uncles, and their wives and children. My family has always believed in moral values and the strength they can provide to one’s character. Due to this, I have always learned something from every family elder. Apart from this, my elders have also taught me many practical things and activities. My uncle taught me swimming, my aunt taught me painting and art, and my elder siblings taught me how to play outdoor games.
Out of this long list, I have one memorable lesson that I remember is the power of reading that my grandmother taught me. She was a teacher in her early days and has always been a strict academic. Even in such an old age, she still reads many books, mostly spiritual and religious texts. She started teaching me how to read from an early age and helped me incite interest in it. With her help, I used to learn new words, and read something new every day. I understood the benefits of reading due to her.
She started inspiring me to read books other than my academic books. As the days passed and I spent more time with her, I realized that I had gained a lot of knowledge, and that too earlier than other children of my age. I have won many orations, debating, and writing competitions due to this habit. I am grateful to her for giving me inspiration and confidence as I know this habit has helped me with my studies and with my intellectual growth.
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.
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?
(Download CUE Card)
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 Speaking cue card: A friend who cleverly solved a problem
Talk about a friend who cleverly solved a problem
You should say:
Who he/she is?
What the problem was?
What solution he gave?
And explain why you think his solution was clever.
(Download CUE Card)
Sample Answer
We come across many problems in our day-to-day life. Some people can find workable solutions while others may seek help for tackling their problems. Today, I’m going to talk about a close friend who gave an effective solution to my problem. His name is Rishabh Agarwal. He is from Haryana. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
I’m the manager of a primary school in Mumbai. It rains heavily in Mumbai in the rainy season which lasts from mid-June to early October. School kids cannot play any outdoor games during these months because playgrounds become slippery and muddy. The long rainy season affects children’s health and moods as well. It’s also not possible for kids to be in sport halls all the time. I discussed this problem with Rishabh and asked for his advice to handle this situation.
He came up with a clever idea of having pedals installed in school desks so that kids can pedal in classrooms. I loved his creative idea and thought of implementing it in our school. Within a month pedals were installed in five classrooms. It was an experiment to check kids’ response. To our surprise, children started using pedals regularly and the overall outcome was very positive. All students became physically active and their fitness and health levels improved dramatically. In studies too, kids did considerably well.
In my view, Rishabh’s solution was very clever for two main reasons. First of all, it was very practical. Secondly, it was not expensive. If the school had to spend a lot of money on this solution, I think it wouldn’t have been approved by the management committee. Sometimes a complex problem has a simple solution, we have to just strike the right note. I think those who use their knowledge in a practical way are better problem-solvers.
Some more ideas for this cue card
You were getting sleepless nights. Your friend recommended making your own tongue twisters and automatically falling asleep in the process.
Water glasses in your kitchen were full of hard water stains. You asked your friend for advice, who recommended mixing vinegar in your cleaning liquid. Amazing results.
Your child/nephew/cousin dropped their curry on a newly painted wall in a temper tantrum. It was looking ugly. Your friend helped you out by creating a swirly crème and brown design on the wall. It looked professional.
Another Similar Cue Card
Describe when a person solved a problem in a smart way.
You should say:
What was the problem?
Who solved it and how?
And w
hy do you think it a smart way?
(Download CUE Card)
SAMPLE ANSWER TWO:
We encounter so many problems in our everyday activities, which need only a spark of an idea to tackle with them. But, often, due to the lack of right reasoning along with the panic in our heads, the problem appears to be a herculean task and we fail to find the right solution. Similarly, I can recount an incident, when the sheer smartness and instantaneous wits of my friend helped tackle the situation in an unnoticed, humorous manner. During my school days, I used to take part in dramatics and had also won a few accolades in it. So, once, during an act in a very lengthy play in an Inter Public School Drama Competition, I met this forgetfulness of my dialogues. As it was a very crucial act, my forgetfulness could have brought embarrassment and eventually the poor scores to our school team.
It was then, when my friend and co actor Aditya came to my recue on the stage. In that act, there were a number of dialogues coupled together, which I had to speak in one go. My friend was acting as a villain in that play. I recited the initial lines glibly but then, suddenly, I lost the memory of my successive dialogue and began fumbling. Generally, it takes a few seconds lapse for the immersed audience to acknowledge the forgetting error in actors in a play; but once it happens, it results into a sarcastic laughter from their side and a total collapse of the successive act. So, before that could happen to us, my friend Aditya, who was there with me in that particular act, sprung up with a boisterous laugh, characteristic of a typical villain. He instantaneously gazed into my eyes, as if giving me the time to recollect the dialogues. Within a flash of time, I was able to remember my part. Once he got the affirmative gesture from me, he discontinued laughing and I resumed with my dialogues.
Well, the spontaneity, with which my friend came up with this additional laughter act, was equivalent to the drop of a hat. He not only disallowed the audience to take cognizance of that error, but, additionally, he also won brownie points for his sudden laughter. I think that was the only best thing to do at that time, which he did. I was highly impressed with his outstanding wits and presence of mind.
STRONG WORDS
Word
Meaning
Glib
smooth, in a flow: Student gave glib excuses to the teacher for his late arrival in the class.
Boisterous
loud and cheerful: Children often exhibit boisterous laughs rather gentle smiles.
Fumble
act/speak clumsily: Writing essays in a fumbled manner doesn’t give clarity in the text.
Prodigious
very big extent: Internet network worldwide is very prodigious.
Follow-up Questions
Q. 1 Why can’t most people act smartly amidst problems?
Sample Answer: I think, when a person is stuck in a problem, they usually ponder over the problem only, which makes it appear prodigious. This leads to the panic in their minds and an overall confusion which results in a further distance from the solution. Their hearts start sinking and minds go blank of knowledge which results in the total surrender to a problem.
Q. 2 How should one handle a problem?
Sample Answer: I think, one should not perceive the problem as a true problem. It should be considered as a little glitch only, in the path of accomplishment. One should treat it lightly and focus on the ideas to find a way out. Earnest efforts put together with a smart approach can make any problem go disappear.
Q. 3 Are problems good or bad to a person?
Sample Answer: By the first look, any problem appears to be the worst adversary to the person. But, actually, they serve as a mean to learn new skills and better coping mechanisms. It was the problem only, that gave birth to new inventions and innovations. For instance, problem of not having light in the night gave birth to Edison’s invention of light bulb. Every wrong path actually leads to a reduction of the total no. of paths and finally we are left with the right solution only.
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Describe a plant that you find useful.
You should say:
Its name?
Where it is commonly grown?
What it looks like?
And explain why you find it useful.
(Download CUE Card)
Sample answer
I’m a nature lover. I have planted many different types of plants in my garden. All of them have their own special features. Today, I will talk about one plant which I think is highly beneficial.
The name of the plant is Aloe Vera. It’s a stem less or very short-stemmed succulent plant. The average height of the plant is around 60-100 cm. It has triangular, fleshy green leaves with serrated edges. These prickly leaves act as a defence against animals and insects.
There are different species of aloe vera and they are commonly found in most parts of the world. Aloe can grow indoors as well as outdoors. A certain amount of sunlight is essential for these plants to thrive.
I’ve read many reports about the health benefits of aloe vera. This plant is not only used in medicine but is also a vital ingredient in cosmetic products. It’s packed with antiviral and antibacterial properties which make it ideal for curing skin problems. My mother always uses aloe vera mixed with coconut oil to moisturize her hair before washing it, and I have to say, she’s nearly fifty years old but there are no signs of white, fragile or dry hair. It really is an incredible plant, and it’s so easy to grow too!
High level words and their meanings:
succulent:a plant in which the leaves and stem are thick and can store a lot of water,
serrated:having a row of sharp points along the edge,
thrive: to grow, develop, or be successful,fragile:easily damaged, broken, or harmed
Another Similar Cue Card
Talk about a plant that you find useful.
What is the common name of the plant, mention scientific name if you know it?
Who informed you about the plant and where did you see it for the first time?
Which climate is suitable for its growth and where is it found?
And what are its uses and when did you use it last time?
(Download CUE Card)
SAMPLE ANSWER TWO-
We have several useful plants in our environment. Knowledge of botany enables us to know the species, botanical names and several utilities of the plants. For instance, roses are used for perfumery and decorations, primarily. Well, for this conversation, I would like to discuss the plant that goes by the common name of Neem. Fortunately, I can remember its botanical name too, as it is a common species. Azadirichta Indica is its botanical name and it’s a species of mahogany called Meliaceae.
My grandfather first made me see the plant in our patio. We had a big house with a large courtyard, where my grandfather used to pick a twig of neem to cleanse his mouth in the morning. I still remember him calling the name of tree aloud to me, when I was nearly 7 years old. I never forgot the name since then, although I read the botanical name later, out of my own curiosity.
Tropical climate with average rainfall is most conducive for its growth. It is a deciduous tree that sheds its leaves for a very brief period in autumn. It takes a few years for neem plant to grow into a full tree. Mostly, it is found in Indian subcontinent and few other tropical regions with average rainfall.
Neem tree has several uses because of its herbal and medicinal properties. As told by me earlier, its twigs are used for teeth cleaning and overall mouth cleansing. Its leaves and bark find applications in several herbal medicines for dermatitis and other disorders related to several organs like liver, stomach and heart. It is also used in naphtha balls. I used it last in my fields as fertilizer, as govt has recently come up with neem coated urea for its ecological friendliness.
