IELTS Cue Card Archives - Page 23 of 27

Cue Card # Talk about an animal you like

May 9, 2020 IELTS Research

IELTS Cue Card Talk about an animal you like

Talk about an animal you like.

You should say:

What this animal is

What is special about this animal?

How it looks like

And explain why you like this animal.

Sample Answer

Animals are eclectic creatures; they go all the way from the very friendly and domesticated to the lethal and feral. They come in a manner of shapes, sizes and colours. Even animals of a single species are incomparable to their counterparts due to the sheer number of differences.

Today I will talk about one of my all-time favourite animals; the horse. Now, again, horses come in all sorts of combinations. Shetland ponies have a stockier body, round shape, thick fur, and short stubby legs, they are not all that much used in athletic pursuits. Now Arabian Horses, on the other hand, are taller, sleekly built with light bones, used exclusively for racing. Now both of these are scientifically speaking horses, but are oh so different in appearance, nature and purpose.

Although despite the physical dissimilarity, all horses have some things in common which earn them the top spots among my favourite animals. For one, their movements. Whenever a horse moves, I can’t help but admire the powerful muscles bulging and gliding beneath their coats, the sheer potential power they have in each step is breathtaking. The way they move is more elegant than most humans can ever hope to achieve. Their might is undeniable. For another, they are loyal, intelligent, and empathetic creatures. The bonds that a rider and horse may form is second to none. The care they give to their young is much alike to the way humans interact with their parents. I find this incredibly heartwarming.

Additionally, horses are really fun to draw, be it in action poses or just dramatically standing on the edge of a cliff, they give a great perspective on autonomy along with spicing the image up with their natural dramatic flair. A great example of this is in the painting done by George Stubbs named “Whistlejacket”, the painting has absolutely no background, and yet you can feel the power radiating outward from that piece. It was one of my very first case studies on how to draw horses.

Speaking part 3 follow up questions:

Q.1 Do people in your country keep animals at home?

Animals like cows, buffaloes and goats are domesticated widely in the countryside. In fact, livestock rearing provides sustainable livelihoods to millions of people living in rural areas.

Q.2 Do you think pets are important?

Yes, certainly. Pets can bring love and companionship into our life. Many studies have shown that keeping pets reduces our stress levels, thereby improving our health and well-being.

Q.3 Do animals have rights?

Humans use animals for food and related by-products, farming and a variety of other uses. Everyday millions of different types of animals are killed for food globally. Just by looking at these figures, I’d say that these creatures should at least have the right to live. But, who cares? Laws are made for protecting animals but they don’t work in reality.

Useful words and their meanings
Eclectic	consisting of different types, methods, styles, etc.
Feral	A feral animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated specimens.
Autonomy	the right of an organization, country, or region to be independent and govern itself
Livestock rearing	raising of animals for use or for pleasure

Feel free to call for suggestions and queries.

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

email: info at ieltsband7.com

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IELTS BAND 7 Home page

Cue Card # Talk about a park or a garden you visited

April 30, 2020 IELTS Research

IELTS Cue Card with Follow-up Questions

Talk about a park or a garden you visited

You should say

Where was the park/garden located?

What did it look like?

Why did you enjoy going there?

And describe the garden in detail.

Sample Answer

Parks are a great place for everyone. There are beautiful trees, gorgeous flowers, shy animals and lively insects. I dare say there is not an age group that doesn’t enjoy a good walk in the park. Why the elderly like long strolls, the parent’s get some peace and quiet, the kids see all kinds of curious things, insatiable beings as they are.

Today I will talk about one of my favorite parks, Hinchinbrook Park. This park was located right behind our house, but it had truly sprawling gardens and ginormous trees. In the latter part of my stay there was even an outdoor gym installed. My family and I used to love going to park on weekends for picnics.

The garden was of Temperate Deciduous Forest Species, meaning oak, maple, and birch and willow trees were the main tree types. The park’s wetlands were made up of two large lakes along with smaller ponds, lakes and even a brook. Ducks were regularly seen in the area along with other migratory water birds. Reed buntings were the most common sight among the high grass.

There were benches located all around the lakes and park, where I distinctly remember sitting and painting on a popup canvas. I have to say though the dragon flies were a bit of a nuisance. In the autumn the trees would turn this magical shade of golden red and the leaves would start falling. That was my favorite time to visit the gardens.

Another notable feature of this wondrous park was the apiary, which was maintained by the park’s own beekeeper association, the honey was also for sale for anyone wanting to buy it. Throughout the year the park also hosted various events, including a memorable biking showcase where I got to try out a new model electric bike.

Now that I think about it, I have a lot of fond memories of this park that I had almost forgotten! Gosh, I wish there were more of these kinds of parks all around the world, everyone deserves to connect with nature on such a deep level.

Follow-up Questions;

Q1: What other fond memories do you have of this park?

Ans: Like I said, our family used to go on picnics on the weekend, I used to bring my entire painters kit and sometimes sit and paint. Other times, I would play chase with my kids after a hearty meal. My kids and wife used to make flower chains form the daisies and buttercups, often I would be the recipient of a flower crown which I was not allowed to remove till we got home. Those are some other fun memories.

Q2: What do you think is the future of such parks?

Ans: I would dearly hope that such parks are kept preserved and loved. I would adore it if we could see more of them all around the world, showcasing and nourishing nature’s best efforts. With rapid urbanization, I know this is a bit of a far-off dream but we still have hope in the concept of roof gardens.

Q3: What is your stand on roof gardens from an ecological habitat standpoint?

Ans: I would be hard to have truly habitable roof gardens individually as everyone would try to personalize their own. With the availability of non-indigenous plants in shops, the wildlife would certainly face confusion. The only way to make such a concept work is to have an ecologist pre-plan roof gardens for the welfare of the local species. Such a concept would require constant monitoring and careful execution, but it is certainly doable.

Useful words and their meanings

High-level useful words and their meanings:
insatiable	(especially of a desire or need) too great to be satisfied
sprawling	existing or reaching over a large area
ginormous	extremely large
wetlands	an area of land that is naturally wet
apiary	a place where people keep bees, especially a collection of hives kept to provide honey

Feel free to call for suggestions and queries.

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

email: info at ieltsband7.com

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IELTS BAND 7 Home page

Cue Card – Talk about someone who travels often by plane

April 30, 2020 IELTS Research

IELTS Cue Card Talk about someone who travels often by plane

Talk about someone who travels often by plane

You should say

Who this person is?

Where do they travel to?

Why do they travel frequently?

And describe how you feel about them traveling so frequently.

IELTS Cue Card Talk about someone who travels often by plane

Sample Answer

Air travel is a modern moral conundrum, but for some people it is unavoidable due to their job description. I will talk about my friend, Maximillian who is a pilot. He used to travel by air in nine-hour shifts for international flights, though currently, the airlines have suspended all travel due to Covid-19.

He is what one would call a true globetrotter, he loves to travel, and even takes his family abroad for his vacations. Whenever I call him I expect a new answer to the question, “Where are you?”. Due to this we have even stopped playing Atlas on our monthly game nights; it’s so unfair, he always wins.

But I’m glad to have a friend like him, he tells great stories and really puts into perspective how the world works. Although sometimes I do wonder how much air pollution the industry causes, I can hardly fault him for doing his job.

Max has traveled to both exceedingly wealthy countries and pitifully impoverished nations. He likes to tell us about his stays at various locations. I would say, due to his traveling he is the most worldly of us. He is a telling example of how travelling can broaden our horizons and influence our personality positively. His undeniable humility can attest to the same. I am proud that he does what he loves, that his job not only teaches him, but by extension also us, his friend group.

Useful words and their meanings

Conundrum – a problem that is difficult to deal with

Globetrotter – someone who often travels to a lot of different countries

Impoverished – very poor

Humility – the quality of not being proud because you are aware of your bad qualities

Cue Card Talk about an item of clothing you enjoy wearing

April 29, 2020 IELTS Research

IELTS Cue Card # Talk about an item of clothing you enjoy wearing.

Talk about an item of clothing you enjoy wearing.

You should say:

What that item is

Where you got it from

How it looks like

And explain why you enjoy wearing it.

Sample Answer:

Clothes and accessories have come to represent more than just simple survival gear. They are a window into someone’s life, their personality, their wealth, their age and their experiences. We all have some clothes we enjoy wearing immensely and others that never get to see the light of day.

Speaking on the former, I will talk about my favorite hoodie. Right off the bat, when I mentioned hoodie it is obvious that this hoodie is going to be very comfortable and quite possibly oversized; well you would not be wrong in that assessment. But perhaps what you might not be able to deduce at first glance is the emotional value of this hoodie due to the memories it carries.

I received it back in 12th class during our graduation party as a gift from the school. I was endlessly curious as to what the shiny silver foil held. Out came a comfy back hoodie, it had my school logos on the sleeves and all of our batch’s names on the back forming a giant 2015. I was incredibly touched and distantly realized I might have torn up a little at the flood of memories in my mind.

I instantly put it on, and true enough, it was even more comfortable than it looked from the outside, for the inside had been lined in fleece. My mother will tell you how difficult it is to get that hoodie away from me once I have decided to wear it. The hood shape is simply perfect; even though it is oversized, it doesn’t slip into my face. The pockets can store more than what you would think possible, and why the sleeves sit snugly at my knuckles, just where I like them. But most importantly, I feel like I am enveloped in a big hug whenever I wear it, it reminds me of simpler days, of sunshine and laughter, of badminton on Sundays and swimming on Wednesdays. There is no doubt about it, that hoodie is my favourite piece of clothing.

High-level useful words and their meanings :
Right off the bat	(American phrase) – immediately or right from the start
fleece	the thick covering of wool on a sheep, or this covering used to make a piece of clothing
Snugly	in a way that fits closely
comfy	comfortable