India is a diverse country having four distinct seasons, namely spring, summer, autumn and winter. While the southern and western India experiences moderate summers and winters, the northern regions witness the extremes. As I belong to Chandigarh, a city in the north India, most of the people including me love the winter season. This is because summers are long and sweltering while winters bring the much awaited respite from the blazing sun.
The winters begin by the end of October and last till the end of February. The weather is usually bright and sunny with few foggy days intermittently. I really enjoy basking in the sun with my friends and sipping a cup of hot coffee. During weekends, we plan to go window shopping in the seventeen sector market plaza followed by hot meals at one of our favorite joints. Also, we plan at least one trip to Shimla, a nearby hill station in the month of December , when there are chances of a snowfall. It’s still my idea of a perfect holiday with friends as there is a bit of everything to do like trekking, shopping, sightseeing , sledging and clicking loads of pictures.
Winters also bring in a lot of healthy fruits and green vegetables. This is the perfect time to try out different recipes which are colorful and full of nutrients. We do get some grandma style goodies too like peanut and jaggery sweet bars, which I absolutely love eating every now and then. What’s more, winters offer us to dress ourselves in some stylish overcoats, cardigans, caps and boots. All this and more make winter season, the most awaited season for me.
FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS
Q1. What are the seasons that you have in your country but other countries do not? Ans. That’s a difficult question actually and I need to have a sound knowledge of other countries to answer it. Still, with whatever idea I have, I can say that India is much more diverse as there are 4 distinct seasons here unlike many foreign nations. For instance, while the gulf countries witness extreme Summers, the nations in north America and Europe have long and extreme winters.
Q2. Is there a seasonal festival in your country? Ans. Yes, we do have many festivals to celebrate seasons. Harvest festivals are also seasonal festivals , celebrating both bounty and the change of seasons. Baisakhi is a festival of spring harvest in April celebrated by both Hindus and Sikhs. Then, Basant Panchmi is celebrated to welcome spring in the month of February. People dress in yellow to mark flowering of mustard fields. Also, Pongal is a harvest festival dedicated to the Sun God. It is celebrated in January in the south of India.
IELTS Cue Card #Describe a resolution you made in new year
Describe a resolution you made in new year.
You should say:
What was the resolution and why did you make it?
How would you fulfil this resolution?
How would you feel after fulfilling it?
And how will you react in case of failure.
Sample Answer :
New year arrival is considered to be an auspicious beginning of the good things in our lives. People like to streamline their lives with adoption of productive activities and creative inspirations. On the other hand, they want to get rid of malicious thoughts with a new start on new year eve. Such vows provide an anchor to affix determination needed to accomplish a particular task or behaviour. On this new year, I also made a resolution, which is to achieve a band score greater than 8 in IELTS exam. Last year, I attempted this exam only once and I got a band score of 7. I have the requirement of higher band in order to crash through the best universities abroad. I was lacking in my time devotion and sincere hard work, therefore, I decided to bring corrections by taking this resolution.
To fulfil this resolution, I would be working very hard with a proper result oriented approach. The brilliant techniques elaborated by my teachers would be instrumental in enhancing my approach and methodology of preparation. Study material provided by the institute would be learnt by heart. I shall be focused on my studies and would be devoting extra hours for my study sessions. Moreover, I shall be attending every classroom session this time, which I used to miss previously. Along with that, I would be involving myself in speaking and listening sessions with my friend, informally too. After meticulous efforts and virtuously working upon the feedbacks, provided by teachers for improvement, I am confident of getting a score of band 9.
There are no permanent fulfilments or failures. By fulfilling my resolution, I would feel confident and the sense of accomplishment would sweep me with joy and enthusiasm. But, even in case of failure I won’t be deterred by the disappointment. With my relentless spirit and undying hope, I shall reappear in the exam and will crack it with greater efforts.
STRONG WORDS
Word
Meaning
Malicious
harmful: Good souls don’t carry malicious intentions for anyone.
Follow-up Questions
Q. 1 When did you make resolution on new year, first time? Why?
Sample answer: I still remember making my first new year resolution when I was in fourth standard. Our class teacher instructed us to take up a fresh resolution on every new year. This helps us to channelize our energies in a manner, so as to achieve our resolved ambition.
Q. 2 Do you personally think that resolutions help us achieve our goals?
Sample answer: Yes, I am an ardent supporter of faith and confidence within oneself. Vows help us in providing a flagpost reference, a motivation, by looking at which, consistently, we can keep ourselves focused and determined in our actions.
Q. 3 Do you think that one possesses regrets, in case of not fulfilling a resolution?
Sample answer: I believe that one should be honest with himself at all the times. Imbibing honesty in all your actions directed towards the resolution fulfilment. By doing that, one can feel confident of putting his best efforts. Despite that, if one meets failure, he should not be dejected with a bag of regrets. He should rather prolong his resolution for the next best attempt.
Q. 4 Do you think resolutions as necessary in any endeavour?
Sample answer: Not at all. I do not consider resolution as the only sufficient measure to achieve goals. With a sense of responsibility and apt maturity, one can affirm and internalize the same degree of sincerity and motivation within him. If one keeps his motivation alive all the time, then one may not cling to the psychological hook of resolution.
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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.
Music is a form of art which has been a key component of celebrations in both ancient and modern times. Other than being a source of entertainment, it has profound impact on our brain too. Music is like a food for the brain, soothing and relaxing us even on a bad day. This time we are looking at a cue card that asks questions about a song you like.
Describe a song that you like. You should say:
What the song is?
Where you first heard it?
What kind of song it is?
And explain why you like it.
(Download CUE Card)
Sample Answer
Music is something that we all can associate with, although our choices can be different at different times. There are times when I like to listen to soft music, while at others I enjoy rock or peppy music. Today, I’d like to talk about a song that remains one of my favorites since I heard it around 20 years back. The name of that song is “Heal the World” by Michael Jackson. The song is from his album “dangerous”, which was released way back in 1982. In one of his interviews, Jackson said that this was the song that he was most proud to have created. He also formed a charitable organization by the same name, designed to improve the lives of children all over the world.
This song is has meaningful and soulful lyrics, talking about unity, peace and equality. It says that we should treat each other equally and put an end to discrimination based on color and religion. Let us make this world a better place to live by spreading love and not hate. It guides us to be considerate towards those who are less fortunate and feed those who are hungry. I still remember the music video of this song which features children living in different countries suffering from unrest, poverty and hunger. It is also one of only a handful of Michael Jackson’s videos not to feature Jackson himself. I’ll wrap up by saying that it is a beautiful song carrying a message to make this world worth living.
FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS Q1. What would be life without music? Ans. I just can’t imagine life without music- no singing, tapes or music, no dancing, no hymns and concerts. Without music our world would certainly be a bleak place. Life would be extremely dull, boring and will lose its vibrancy.
Q2. Which is more important to you- music or TV? Ans. Although, I do watch television regularly, I could probably do without it if asked to choose between TV and music. Music is definitely indispensable in my life. Music is something I can hear exclusively or read, do households etc. while playing it in the background.
Q3. What is the best time and place to listen to music? Ans. I feel that the beauty of music is that it can be always heard. However, work meeting would be an inappropriate place to listen to music. Also, I feel that you can really enjoy music if you are in the company of your friends. You can dance and groove while chit chatting with them.
Another Similar Cue Card
Describe an interesting song.
What is the song?
Who sung it and what is it all about?
Is the song popular and when do you like listening to it?
And why do think it an interesting song?
(Download CUE Card)
SAMPLE ANSWER TWO-
Music forms a crucial element of our wellbeing. It is a part of the nature and universe as a whole. Wind, Rains, Thunder, birds and so many other things have their unique music characteristics. We, humans also have discovered art and music to add beauty to our lives. Different songs are composed on different genre of music and this variety is played in different contexts of moods and occasions. I admire one of these Hindi songs which says “yeh daulat bhi le lo “. It is composed in form of ghazal.
This was sung by legendary Jagjit Singh, who is considered as maestro of ghazals. This song has most beautiful lyrics, encompassing the reminiscences of the childhood. It has an enchanting soft music composition. Various childhood acts, considered to be trivial, have been depicted in this song and the singer is willing to sacrifice his wealth and fame just to return to his childhood days. The song wraps up a huge nostalgia for the old, for the childhood.
This song did the rounds on every music chart and album, when it was released back in early 90’s. It was a mega hit song and it has grown in its popularity since then. This song has earned fame even in abroad. The sense of melancholy, it awakens with its lyrics and music is simply spellbinding. I personally like this song because of the nostalgic rush which I feel after listening to it. Vivid mental images about my childhood start hovering inside me, once I happen to listen this song. That innocence and free will of children, in turn, start permeating my whole being, which gives me a feeling of immense pleasure.
The eternal connect with the past, evoked by this particular song is the linchpin of its greatness. Every age group person, every gender and every ethnicity would like to hear the soft, subtle message of this song. Voice of Jagjit infuses life in the song.
STRONG WORDS
Word
Meaning
Melancholy
sad and pensive: Visiting my alma mater was a melancholic experience.
Linchpin
main point: Acting is the linchpin of Amitabh’s personality.
Follow-up Questions
Q. 1 Do you like music and songs and which type?
Sample answer: Yes, I like to hear music and songs. Sometimes, I sing myself too, although I am not a very good singer. To put it plainly, I like songs of different genres but most of the time, I prefer listening to old classics.
Q. 2 Why do you prefer old songs?
Sample answer: It is the beauty of lyrics apart from the serene music of the old songs, that captivates my interest to them. The peculiar story and situation thread, that old songs used to draw is simply interest gathering.
Q. 3 What changes do you feel in the songs composed nowadays?
Sample answer: Apart from the loud fast music nowadays, the songs are totally devoid of the beautiful meaningful lyrics. Songs in the present times are suitable only for hip hop dance and act as anxiety inducers. It is only the glitz and the rocky music which are the soul centres of today’s songs.
