Tag: IELTS Speaking

IELTS Cue Card #Describe a person you follow on social media

Describe a person you follow on social media.
You should say:

• Who is he and how did you come to know about him and started following him?
• What are his posts on social media all about?
• Why do you follow him? What qualities of him impress you most?

And is he famous enough or do you think he deserves more.

Sample Answer :

Nowadays, social media is a ubiquitous phenomenon. Accessibility and affordability of Internet connection with apposite phones and other devices has spurted the digital ecosystem, overall. Netizens generally have tendency to associate in like-minded forums or groups. I have this hobby of reading psychological blogs from different authors. One day while surfing on the net, I came across a very interesting extract about crime psychology. It was exposing some of the primitive basic instincts responsible for inducement of criminal tendencies. For e.g.: Crime in many cases originate from overwhelming love for someone, which altogether, sounds like a paradox. I read the name of the author, which was E. Heisenberg. From that day onwards, I made it a point to follow his thread.

As I mentioned a while ago, Heisenberg publishes psychology articles, most of them related to crime psychology and mental distortions. He has a compilation of short stories too. The posts inform you about various conflicting tendencies in our subconscious mind which ultimately give rise to mental disorders. He can be called as quasi Freudian, but he supplements the text with his own insights and evidences.

First of all, I would like to mention that he is an honourable faculty in prestigious Harvard university, as a Professor of Psychology. Extensive research and several thesis formulations, that he had undertaken in the last few years are simply impressive. His objectivity, accuracy and verifiability of his experimental research makes him truly exceptional. He has that acumen of observing the silent depths of the discipline.

For people like Heisenberg, fame is an irrelevant and unwarranted award. They remain focused on their work only. But, yes, otherwise he is admired by not just intelligentsia but receives adulations from the common man too, who finds his short stories meaningful to read.

STRONG WORDS

Word	Meaning
Ubiquitous	present everywhere: God’s presence is ubiquitous.
Apposite	appropriate: Bride found the apposite match in this wedding.
Paradox	contradictory: Sachin getting out at 0 for three matches in a row is a paradox.

Follow-up Questions

Q. 1 What are the main benefits of social media?

Sample answer: Social media is a digital platform, where information can be disseminated to millions of active users. Current affairs, editorials, texts, posts, mails, discussions and so many other streams of information are available on social media. Therefore, it’s a good source of knowledge. Apart from that, movies, theatre, reality programmes, songs and many such things make it an ideal junction for entertainment too. One feels democratic in freely expressing his views on social media regarding any topic or issue.

Q. 2 What are the harmful effects of social media?

Sample answer: The tendency of addiction, to access the social media throughout the day and night, is commonplace nowadays. This harms our neck, spine, eyes and overall sitting posture, when we immerse in social media continuously for hours. This is a serious implication for youngsters and children. Similarly, it distorts the sense of reality and our feelings and emotions take a virtual mode. It is very common to see nowadays, members in one home, one family devote most of their time bugged in their mobiles rather than having a joyous or serious discussion with others. This actually breeds separation in long run.

Q. 3 What are the evident changes in children after incursion of social media?

Sample answer: Most notabely, Social media has played the role of a distractor in children’s lives. Today, most of the children spend their quality time engrossed in mobile games or some other indoor fun sticks. Outdoor community games are shrinking. This hampers their physical growth and socialization. They also turn less focused on academics because of social media. Creativity and hard work is minimum when they can copy, paste their homework from social media.

Q. 4 Do you feel social media should be restricted?

Sample answer: Not at all, I have mentioned the benefits too along with the shortcomings. I just want to say that parents should regulate their children well, so they are minimally exposed to social media at a young age, as it has no direct applications for that age. Even the adults should avoid its uninterrupted access and should use it in a balanced manner.

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8439000086

8439000087

7055710003

7055710004

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

9634777700

7249900007

IELTS Band 7 Saharanpur
Parsvnath Plaza, Saharanpur

email: info at ieltsband7.com

IELTS online simulator

IELTS Cue Card #Discuss a long drive by car that you remember vividly

Discuss a long drive by car that you remember vividly.
You should say:

• When did you take it and with whom?
• How did you plan it and what was the route of the journey?
• What makes it different from other car rides?

And how did you feel then and how do you think of it now?

Sample Answer :

As I am fond of driving and often take up the joy rides in the car, I would love to inform you about one such drive that I remember vividly. It was my third year in college. Back then, I didn’t know to drive a car. My friend, Rohit, used to possess a second hand Tata sedan. Although it was a little old, but it had a good performance and outlook. So, this memorable drive of mine was with him, Rohit, in his car.

It was my curiosity to drive my maiden one that basically erupted out on one fine evening in college campus. There was no premeditated plan as such, although we were thoughtful of the place to go. Mussorie was our first and last choice, as no other place had that comparable scenic beauty which Mussorie had in our choice of close destinations. I remember, I all of a sudden, barged into Rohit’s room and asked him to join me for an adventitious ride to Mussorie. Youngsters, as they usually crave for adrenalin shoots; Rohit agreed upon impulsively.

I had the basic know how of car mechanics but was driving for the first time. Rohit was with me so I rushed out my anxieties without any fear, in no time. Sun was just setting beneath the horizon and we hit the road in our red. This trip definitely stays in my memories most prominently because of that euphoric feeling I experienced for the first time, sitting behind the wheels. For a moment, I felt like flying. Rohit was careful in offering punches of driving tips in between. Cool wind was rushing through the aisles and we were in seventh heaven with our music in car stereo. With the headlights gleam in the thick forest road that we crossed in the night, drive turned into the thrill mode. My spookiness visible in my first drive was adding to it.

I was overwhelmed by joy at that ride. It was a feeling of a blisslike thrill. Company of my best friend kept me cool as well as warm. Even now, sometimes in the threads of my thoughts, I ponder over my insouciant heedlessness to tale up a hilly terrain in my maiden drive but then, I feel amused at the joy and spontaneity of the adventurous spirit we used to possess.

STRONG WORDS

Word	Meaning
Spookiness	enjoyable entertainment: Children like to watch spooky ghost stories.
Insouciant	casual lack of concern: Insouciant behaviour is harmful to organizations.

Follow-up Questions

Q. 1 Do people like long drives? Why?

Sample answer: Yes, in general it is my common observation that people like to go for long drives. This is because it provides a much needed hilarious break from the monotonous mundane routine activities. Joy and carelessness on a long drive simply add to this momentum of enjoyment in long drives.

Q. 2 Why long drives are enjoyed more than short ones?

Sample answer: As I have mentioned just now, long drive offers a pleasant break. In a short drive, there are few intermittent junctions and joy driving is reduced temporally. Moving in a car for long becomes a new environment altogether and this novelty factor becomes the point of joy and excitation whereas in a short drive, one is not able to happily adapt to the new feel because of time shortage and anxiety for the destination and therefore the joy of long ride is amiss here.

Q. 3 Which conveyance would you prefer for a journey more than a day long? Why?

Sample answer: Without a single iota of doubt I would prefer the train as my conveyance for a very long journey. It is all about the space and comfort offered by a train as compared to the vehicles plying on road. Moreover, variety of people encountered in a train along with their interesting social discussions make it a unique travelling commune. Washing facilities and proper sleeping births make trains an ideal mode of transport for long journeys.

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8439000086

8439000087

7055710003

7055710004

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

9634777700

7249900007

IELTS Band 7 Saharanpur
Parsvnath Plaza, Saharanpur

email: info at ieltsband7.com

IELTS online simulator

IELTS Cue Card #Describe a place in a village that you visited

Describe a place in a village that you visited.
You should say:

• When did you go and where?
• Who went along with you?
• What did you do there?

And how was your experience.

Sample Answer :

Gandhiji once said that soul of India rests in its villages. Villages, in true essence, represent the actual aboriginal habitations. Earlier, there used to be a remarkable difference in the access of amenities between a village and a city. But, over the time, with globalization and digital media, the difference has shrunk to the bare minimum and villages along with their suburbs hold every item of necessity and luxury. Still, they remind of their rustic routine and scenic beauties with ample of open spaces in fields. I visited my village the last Diwali. I heard a lot about art and craft fair, organized by the locals of few neighbouring villages on the eve of Diwali. It was a 3 hrs journey from my hometown.

I went along with my close friend, whom I informed about the festivity in advance. He was my college mate and like me, he too was overly interested in exploring the village culture and traditions. We together went in my car. We were received by my relatives living there with great warmth. After that we were offered the traditional village winter food at home, which we both enjoyed thoroughly.

It was noon then. After taking food, we went on to stroll around the village. I took my friend round the corner, to see the open fields. They were, at that time, laden with wheat harvest still in the ripening stage. Thereafter, we played with cattle and stray dogs. Watching crimson sunset with the clear horizon past the fields was a beautiful experience. In evening, we went to the place where this fair was organized. Already, it had turned into an entertainment zone with the shouts of vendors and exciting shrieks of children, eating sweets and riding different swings. Artefacts that were being sold, were generally made up of mud or wood. Some metal articles were also present.

It went till 10pm. Fair was organized amid the brilliant fireworks played on that panoramic evening. I was too absorbed in that peculiar scent, emanating from the households and cattle sheds in evenings. We bought some beautiful craft articles and ate jalebis prepared out of desi ghee. It was, indeed, a great bash for us. We had finally witnessed the lively village fiesta on Diwali, which made me tremendously joyful.

STRONG WORDS

Word	Meaning
Suburbs	surrounding area: In suburbs of Dehradun, we can easily find wild animals.
Panorama	wide view: Scenic photos usually contain the panoramic view of landscapes.
Dwindle	diminish rapidly: rate of population growth in our country will dwindle in coming years.

Follow-up Questions

Q. 1 Do you like going to villages?

Sample answer: Yes, after a prolonged exposure to noisy and polluted cities, I always wish to go to quite surroundings of the village. Although, long electricity outages and lack of city comforts start pinching after a few days stay but I always wish to visit a village intermittingly.

Q. 2 What changes do you witness in villages nowadays?

Sample answer: Villages have been getting their facelift for the past few years. Every home in village, now has a toilet and bathroom. Even the govt was very keen on it for personal hygiene. Nearby towns have started including almost every facility, that is available in big cities. Literacy rates have improved significantly and students are selected in competitive exams from villages too. Pucca houses are built in villages nowadays. Broadband connection is reaching there, which in turn makes villagers aware of the latest trends and styles. Therefore, villages are no more the representations of backwardness and obsoleteness.

Q. 3 Why do you think people migrate from villages?

Sample answer: Primarily, people migrate from villages in search of better livelihood opportunities. In villages, there is a lack of infrastructure and apt productive facilities, due to which there is a great pressure on farming resources. To easen this pressure and earn a decent living, people travel to cities.

Q. 4 Do you think urbanization has destroyed the spirit of villages?

Sample answer: Yes, I strongly feel that rapid urbanization had severely damaged the villages’ image and spirit. Organic solidarity, simple lives, intense cooperation are the virtues of bygone days only. Noiseless pollution free lanes in a village is a rarity to be seen today. Tradition of joint families and livestock domestication is also giving way to the individual style of living. Urbanization, definitely has the advantages too but govt should have been careful in sketching the nation’s growth trajectory in such a way so as not to encroach upon the fertile village ecosystem, which used to have its own unique sustainability.

Q. 5 What do you think is the future of villages?

Sample answer: Villages, with their true character and flavour, are already dwindling at a rapid pace. These are, in turn becoming the extensible arms of the neighbouring towns and cities. This process is Rurbanization, which encompasses the physical territories of a rural area into the folds of urbanization. Therefore, we might be calling some places as villages in the future but they will merely be the reflections of cities only.

---

8439000086

8439000087

7055710003

7055710004

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

9634777700

7249900007

IELTS Band 7 Saharanpur
Parsvnath Plaza, Saharanpur

email: info at ieltsband7.com

IELTS online simulator