Category: IELTS speaking audio

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.

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

1. You were getting sleepless nights. Your friend recommended making your own tongue twisters and automatically falling asleep in the process.
2. 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.
3. 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?

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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