IELTS Cue Card Talk about the weather in your country
Talk about the weather in your country
You should say
What the weather is usually like?
How often does it change?
How do you feel about the weather?
And describe what you do in different weathers.
Sample Answer
India is located in such a manner as to cross the tropic of cancer midway. This means that it is a tropical country with highly unusual weather patterns.
During the Autumn months, we experience Monsoon season, wherein it tends to rain for months on end depending on where you live in the country. Mangoes are abundant in that season and agriculture, in general, is hugely dependent on sufficient rainfall. However, further down south tornadoes and flooding are a real concern every year.
During the summer seasons, it is ludicrously hot and humid, or hot and dry, again depending on where you reside. Due to this, heatstrokes are common and it is advised to stay indoors and remain hydrated during the peak hours of the day. I myself do not like to nap in the middle of the day, but a majority of the public does.
The spring months are far more forgiving in terms of weather fluctuations, the heat is manageable and it is the best time of year in my opinion, as everything is in bloom. It is also the best time to go travelling, yet this year I have not been able to go out much in light of the global pandemic.
Lastly, the cold season. We have dry winters in India, not much rain but a lot of fluctuating temperatures, the middle of the days are again very hot due to the cloudless skies, the nights reach freezing temperatures, quite the contrasting combination. Snow is practically unheard of unless you live in the Himalayas.
So overall, India is home to some fascinating climate phenomenons, which makes it especially hard to accurately predict the weather before time, the topography and wind patterns with atmospheric pressures have a huge role to play in the cycle of the elements here.
IELTS CUE CARD – Talk about a person who taught you something important
Talk about someone who taught you something. You should say
Who this person was?
What did they teach you?
When was this?
And describe what you learned.
Sample Answer One
Learning is a never-ending process. The first things we learn are to think, to talk, to walk, basic behavioural quirks that we adopt from our family and environment. Later on, in life, we choose to learn higher-level skills such as reading, writing, mathematical reasoning and skills classified as extra-curricular. Examples of those skills might be learning to play an instrument, handicrafts, learning to ride a bike, art, and video gaming etc.
Now I will proceed to describe how a dear friend helped me discover the intricacies of braiding complex patterned friendship bracelets. This was back in the summers of primary school, my friend and I were next-door neighbours, and so quite naturally we used to spend all our time at each other’s houses. As 9-year-old girls are meant to do, our favourite pastime was drawing and playing on the swings.
It was, however, one fateful day when my friend was messing around with some string, tying them in seemingly pointless and frankly rather obscure knots. I did not understand the point of her actions but sat down to watch her anyway. She kept tying knot after knot after knot, soon enough I discovered rationality to her pattern. And why, before my very eyes she produced a magnificent friendship bracelet!
Made with a mosaic of diamonds I could not have told you how she achieved such a feat despite being present the entire duration of its creation.
A day after that I demanded she teaches me. She was reluctant but agreed eventually, though she warned me that I would not be reaching her level of expertise for quite some time. And how right she was! It was a tedious process, learning the different types of knots, the ways to tie them, how the direction determines the shape, all with a dual sting thread. Eventually, I learned to handle more threads, become more experimental with the intricacies. And Before we knew it, the summer had ended. This time we went to school with matching bracelets, for my final task had been to make her one to repay her for her patience, goodwill and friendship.
Sample Answer Two
Talk about person who taught you something important
Who the person is?
What he/she is like?
What he/she taught you?
How you felt about him/ her?
SAMPLE ANSWER
Life is all about learning. Whether it’s a new skill or some life lessons to live a more fulfilling life. All play a key role in our lives. Today, I’d like to talk about how I learnt to drive.
I’d always wanted to learn how to drive but my father insisted that I should finish my schooling first. So a week after my exams we made a plan for learning driving. We decided to get up early in the morning and set out to a huge ground located in the outskirts of the town. It was safe to practice there in the morning.
It was fun to learn driving. I felt on top of the world when every morning I sat on the driving seat next to my father. He never scolded me and always encouraged me with a positive attitude. He is the most patient person I’ve ever come across and even when I bumped into a tree he continued to motivate me and turned my fears into cheers!
At the end of a month’s training, I slowly started driving on the road. Eventually I became an expert and was able to drive in heavy traffic as well.
This training not only made my life easier and independent, but also gave me the opportunity to spend quality time with my father.
STRONG WORDS
WORDS
MEANING
I’d
I had (while speaking we use the contraction for I had)
I’ve
I have (while speaking we use the contraction I have)
Fulfilling
Making someone satisfied or happy through allowing their character or abilities to develop fully
IELTS Cue Card Talk about a time something good happened to you
Talk about a time something good happened to you
You should say
When was this?
What happened?
Why was it good?
And describe the situation.
Sample Answer
About two months ago, the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown and quarantine began. When it was first announced I was in a state of shock, so far, the concept of this virus had been abstract, something present but not likely to harm me. Needless to say, when the fact that this notion was indeed real and impacting me directly hit home, I was a tad bit overwhelmed.
Soon, however, I settled into a new routine, I worked out every morning and evening, ate healthy and woke up on time. I found myself extremely satisfied with this new work routine, not only was I getting time for my hobbies and getting work done, but I was having fun while doing it. This was indeed a blessing in disguise for someone like me. I rediscovered my love for writing and restated my online blog, I gained deep-set contentment from sharing everything I had to be grateful for in these trying times.
I got into reading again, and even experimented with my coffee that I had been mindlessly consuming for years without any thought to the process. I reworked so many flaws in my previous way of life, identifying things that used to be a source of stress and worry to sort them out. I managed to complete projects that I had all but given up hope on, which motivated me incredibly. The amount of self-discovery I have gone through these past weeks has been enlightening to say the least.
Not only have I learned about myself, I have learned more about my friends and family as well. The people who still took the time to talk to me every day now hold an even more special place in my heart.
While I am acutely aware of how severe the situation is globally, on some level I can’t help but be thankful for all this, for me it was a much-needed period of discovery, to organize my life and realign my goals. I have no doubt in my mind that once this entire thing blows over I will be more than dedicated to my relationships and work life balance. I am grateful for everything in my life and that I can still support myself on my savings as well as working from home. I am grateful for this extended break no matter how bleak the situation might seem.
Useful words and their meanings
Abstract
existing as an idea, feeling, or quality, not as a material object
Hit home
(phrase) to cause you to realize exactly how unpleasant or difficult something is
Contentment
happiness and satisfaction, often because you have everything you need
Bleak
If a situation is bleak, there is little or no hope for the future
Talk about A small business you would like to start
You should say:
What the business is
Where you would like to start it
And explain how you got the idea about this business
Sample Answer
Today I will detail a business I would like to open in central Munich. The idea is to open a high-end Indian snacks parlour. I found Munich to be the most suitable location for such a business as eating Indian food is considered to be quite a common indulgence there. I believe this stems from the fact that much of the European cuisine lacks the spice and intrinsic flavour of Asian cooking.
This concept has been with me for quite some time. The special “hook” of this parlour is that you customize your own snacks. Sort of like Subway, but with a far fresher and a wider variety of choices. There will, of course, be suggestions of certain combinations for those with less experimental inclinations.
I am thinking of dividing the customization process into 3 parts: the base, filling and topping. Different types of traditional Indian snacks would be used for the base. The filling would consist of a choice of flavoured curds, boiled potato, chickpeas, lentils, peas, beans and other common ingredients. Last but not the least, would be the most extensive selection of different toppings. The selections would comprise topping fruit, flavouring sauces, and extra decorative pieces. The sprinkling spices would be found on the tables. One thing I would take care of would be to label each and every product on a scale of 1 to 10 on spice factor, as many people could unwittingly use unknown ingredients and regret it later.
The layout would be a rustic-bohemian hybrid style, with rich tapestries, low golden lighting and contrasting high chairs, all of which would be done up in a deep chocolate woodwork.
As you can see, this plan is very well thought out. The reason for the same is that during my time in Munich and India, I realized how much Indian cuisine has to give for the much lacking market in Europe. The detailing for this hypothetical business was finalized during our family eat out dinner when we happened to be discussing the variety of the menu. I believe it was an evening well spent, discussing a wonderful small business idea about something we were all passionate about.
High-level words and their meanings:
indulgence
Allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of.
intrinsic
Belonging naturally; essential.
unwittingly
Without being aware; unintentionally.
tapestries
A piece of thick textile fabric with pictures or designs
hypothetical
Involving or being based on a suggested idea or theory
