CUE CARD – Talk about an interesting old person you met recently.

April 11, 2023 IELTS Research

Speaking -Part 2 (Cue Card)

Talk about an interesting old person you met recently.

You should say:

Who is this person?

How did you meet him?

How do you know him?

What do you do with this person?

Why did you find this person interesting?

Sample Answer 1

I have had conversations with a lot of people, but today, I would like to talk about a time when I got acquainted with an old person who must be around in his seventies. His name was Dalbeer Singh, and he was a retired army officer who served thirty glorious years of his life in the service of this nation.

I met him at a party where I saw him sharing his experiences with others, and people surrounding him holding glasses in their hands and laughing crazily. I felt like there was a separate party going on. When I asked my father about him, he introduced me to him once the crowd cleared. Initially, I could not talk to him as I struggled a lot at initiating conversations, so instead he started the talk by asking me about my studies and career choices. I was quite piqued by his personality, especially his lively nature at an age like that. His experiences in life were a source of great learning, not just for him but for me and everyone else around him as well. He just made me feel so comfortable that I started sharing my views quite openly without having any fear of judgement.

Even till date I ask him for the solutions whenever I am faced with adversities in life. Moreover, his optimistic attitude towards life is something I really look up to inculcate in myself. Thus, this was an old person I met recently.

STRONG WORDS

Word	Meaning	Sentence
Lively	joyful	Riya is such a lively girl.
Optimistic	hopeful and positive	I am quite optimistic about my future.

Speaking -Part 3 (Follow up questions)
Here are some examples of follow up questions that examiner may ask during your speaking (part 3) related to cue card ‘Talk about an interesting old person you met recently’.

Q1. Do you think old people and young people can share the same interests?
They can, but it is not very common nowadays, as the older generation still have an orthodox perspective on certain aspects, which is not the case with youngsters as they want freedom and no interference with that.

Q2. What skills can old people teach the young?
Quite a many. I think old people are well versed with the circumstances of life because of the experiences they had in their life. They teach us important lessons of morality and values that one should have to become a good person in life followed by the traditional hand skills such sewing and knitting.

Sample Answer 2

I value spending time with old people and getting to know about their life trajectories. I believe old people are regarded as the archives of wisdom and experiences. One can acquire innumerable lessons which would be beneficial in building up one’s career and leading a happy life.,

Likewise, I would be sharing an experience where I got an opportunity to interact with an inspiring and cheerful personality. His name is Gajendra Rawat and he belongs to one of the most picturesque districts of Uttarakhand, which is Pauri Garhwal. My father loaded me with great excitement as he had told many interesting stories about him on the way so I was highly enthusiastic about meeting him . He is my father’s friend and had invited us to a party where my father introduced me to him and I got to know that he mentors IAS aspirants. It really intrigued me because he is an elderly person, around 60 or 65, short in height with white hair tied back in a ponytail and had a hat on. He seems to demonstrate the adage that looks can be deceptive, as he proves that right. Mr Rawat is blessed with a great sense of humour and has enormous knowledge, especially about the geography and history of the world, which charmed me a lot. Our second meeting was at his coaching centre where I shared my life goals and questions which he addressed intensely and offered pertinent guidance. I got to know that we both share similar interests in tracking and I was blown away to know that he had completed one of the toughest tracks and has received many accolades from the state government. Overall, Mr Rawat is a riveting character with an endless stream of encouraging events which can enlighten people of all ages.

STRONG WORDS

Word	Meaning	Sentence
Picturesque	scenic	Uttarakhand has many picturesque places to explore.
Intrigued	fascinated	I value reading biographies of prominent and inspiring people as it intrigues me to do good.

Q1. Do you think old people and young people can share the same interests?
Unquestionably interest varies from person to person and it is quite common to have similar interest with old people as well. Just like there are many interests which are common between my grandmother and me. For instance, gardening, as my grandmother loves to spend time with plants so do I, and there are many more interests that we share and enjoy doing together.

Q2. What skills can old people teach the young?
I reckon old people can guide numerous skills depending on their interests.. The most common skills that old people usually teach young people are cooking, knitting, gardening and many more. Apart from this they also guide about life and share their priceless lessons and useful experiences.