Speaking Archives - Page 56 of 147

IELTS Cue Card Sample Answer # Building That Impressed You

December 11, 2020 IELTS Research

There are so many construction sites around the world, so many that we see everyday. It could be an office or a house or may be something with historical importance. No matter what, there are certain buildings which make us go wow. The ones which we want to live in or work for or may be visit again and again. Let us today have a look at a cue card related to a building that impressed you.

Describe a building or construction that you have seen and impressed you.
You should say:
– where it was
– what it looks like
– when did you saw it.

There are lot of buildings that I have visited but the one architecture that has taken me by storm is the Bada Imambara in Lucknow. Bhool Bhulaiya is a labyrinth of hundreds of narrow stairway passages, some of which have dead-ends, some end at precipitous drops while others lead to entrance or exit points. We went to the place with a guide and even with him there were times when we felt lost.

It was enormous and while taking a stroll down it I realized if while walking on it, it is so difficult to remember where we came from and where we need to go, how would have the people created the architecture. The Bada ImamBara is said to be the world’s largest arched room without any pillars.

I remember my relatives came to our house, while we were living in Lucknow, during I suppose 2002. I was very young that time and going there was amazing. As a child, there were certain things that fascinated me, others I did not understand but whatever it be, it was great to be lost with my family.

Our country has some of the best architectural buildings and I have had the chance of visiting lot of them. But, the one building that I fell in love with was Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal is regarded as the sign of love and there is so much of great architecture in it that anyone can fall in love with it.

I remember having visited the Taj Mahal when I was around 13 years old and it was a truly amazing experience. As kids, we, as in me and my brother were very inquisitive about the place and ended up asking lot of questions to the guide. So, he told us about why it was made and what is the story behind it. But, when you look at Taj Mahal, I believe it was made with so much of true intentions and true love that it gives you peace and makes you calm down.

Taj Mahal was made with white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones. It has got a central dome along with four smaller domes; four slender towers, or minarets, stood at the corners. There are verses from the Quran were inscribed in calligraphy on the arched entrances to the mausoleum, in addition to numerous other sections of the complex. In the lower floor are the domes of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan.

It is for the love of Mumtaz that Shah Jahan made the Taj Mahal. Although, with the environment issues coming up, there are lot of problems that Taj Mahal has faced, but it still manages to bring in lot of tourists from all around the world.

IELTS BAND7

IELTS Speaking Sample Questions # Robots

November 9, 2020 IELTS Research

We are living in times when technology has made our life so much easier. Now, we are moving towards taking it to another level. We are shifting our attention towards automation i.e. creating devices that could do things on their own. These devices are called robots. This time we are looking at some questions related to robots that can be asked in the IELTS speaking section.

Are you interested in robots? Why?

We all are already surrounded by robots and I think yes I am too an extent interested in them as well. It will be amazing to see the robots doing things that we don’t like making us more productive. So, for example, when a robot would be driving my car, I will have time to read my novel or have a chat with my friend.

Do you like robots to work at your home?

I am pretty content with robots working at my home doing things that I really don’t like. So, for example, things like cleaning the room or the car, well if the robot does it I am good with it. Or, for sometimes make food for me. But, then depending entirely on them, does not suits me well. Allowing the robot to cook food for me or drive car for me, is not something I will go for. Sometimes it is good, but there are times you wish to do things on your own, spend time with people you love. I think balancing between both is where the things will go.

Do you want to take a car in which robot is the driver?

I would love to have a car with a robot in it, but only if there is an option of manually driving the car as well. Having a robot every time in the car, will just take away the fun of driving the car. The fun that you get, the rush of reaching to a place, the fact that you can control something is amazing. Although, having a robot will help in having those long trips but a permanent driver is something I’ll avoid.

Will robots replace human beings in the workplace completely?

Completely, might not be possible. But, yes to a very large extent, in the near future, robots will surely replace humans. And they have done in the past as well. There were times when people were given jobs only for data entry, this is now handled easily using computers. But, in my opinion for jobs like teaching or even software jobs will continue to require manual intervention.

IELTS BAND7

IELTS Speaking

IELTS Speaking Question # Animals

November 4, 2020 IELTS Research

No matter how many times, we humans proclaim this Earth to be ours, it truly is not completely ours. There are so many more species that we share our resources with. There are birds, animals, nature and so much more. Today, let us have a look at some of the questions related to animals.

Do you like animals?

I would say I don’t hate them. I am not very much of an animal lover but I like them if they exist and I am able to see them. But, owning an animal might be something I won’t prefer.

What’s your favorite animal? Why?

I love cows a lot. I think they bring in lot of peace and care in a house. You see them, they rarely make any noise and still for some reasons when I look into their eyes, it feels very peaceful and lovely.

Are people in your country fond of animals?

Yes, they are. People in my country love animals. You could find a dog or a cow being owned by a family. And it is not for any monetary reasons but because they like being around them and caring for them. Animals do bring a certain extent of happiness and togetherness in a family.

What kinds of animals as a pet do the people have in your country?

As a pet, most of the people have dogs in their house. Dogs are preferred over other animals because firstly they are very friendly and loyal to their owner. Also, they help in guarding the house against all the possible odds.

animals

Compared with the past, have there been any changes concerning pets in your country/hometown?

I think yes, there have been many observable changes in our country since past few decades. With the coming of globalization and people going for modernization, there has been a steep decline in people owning cows. Earlier one could see most of the houses having a cow, because first it is treated as God in our country and then there are some monetary benefits associated with cows. One can sell its milk and other milk products.

Do you think cities are suitable places for keeping a pet?

A pet requires 24/7 care and if in a city one can provide that care, there should not be any issue in keeping a pet. I think with houses in cities so close to each other keeping pets like cows or other big ones is not possible. But, for the ones smaller in size like dog, cat or fishes, it is completely feasible and one should definitely go for them. But, yes if one has a very strict working lifestyle, keeping a pet will only be disastrous for the pet.

Do children like animals?

It all depends, I assume. There are some who love animals and then there are even those who are scared of them and not like them. Also, there are some who like to irritate animals just for the sake of fun.

What kind of animals do you think children like?

I think for most part, children love dogs and cats. Because these are the animals children can have lot of fun with. They can play and roam about with them.

What was your favourite animal when you were a child?

I was not a very particular animal lover as a child. I used to get irritated when people annoyed or irritated animals, but going out and playing with them was not my idea of having fun.

Did you have any pets when you were a child?

Yes, my father got a dog for us as we were child. But, I remember he was so aggressive that we rarely played with it. He used to kept only for guarding the house. However, later on when he started recognizing us he allowed us to come near him. I remember, my brother actually bonded a lot with him and so when he died it was a true shock for my brother.

What do you think are the benefits of a child having a pet?

I think a child learns a lot from a pet, especially unconditional love and that is really important. In times when people just do things for the benefit of doing it, a pet teaches you that apart from the money and the fame and the success there are so many other things which are important in life.

If you have children in the future, will you allow them to raise a pet?

Definitely yes. I think having a pet in the house is very important because it allows the kids to learn about love, patience, respect and so much more. It brings happiness and togetherness and tells you that no matter if the other person is more or less powerful you should stand for the right.

IELTSBAND7

IELTS Speaking

Cue Card Talk about a boring meeting

May 24, 2020 IELTS Research

IELTS Cue Card Talk about a boring meeting you had with other people

Talk about a boring meeting you had with other people

You should say

When was this meeting?

Who were the other people?

What did you converse about?

And explain why you found this meeting boring.

Sample Answer

Boredom is the word used to describe a task or situation when the human mind finds a task dull and uninteresting, something mundane oftentimes a repetitive task that becomes monotone. To alleviate our boredom we can do a lot of things, but sometimes it is just better to suffer.

Take last year for example. I had gone to a family reunion because our twice removed uncle had built a new house, thus everyone in the extended family was invited to the house warming. Since it would be unspeakably rude to deny such an invitation, I was forced to leave my weekend plans and drive a good four hours form the city all the way to my ancestral village.

Once there I had to pretend to recognize distant relatives who might just as well be strangers for all I knew them. We took a trip to the temple, it was a hot sweltering day, I was wearing a large Indian traditional gown and on top of that I am an atheist. Needless to say, I was finding this expedition more and more cumbersome by the minute; it all looked to be a giant waste of time. When we arrived at the house, we had another three-hour long ritual of chanting while sitting around a fire. I was very fed up by the time everything began to wrap up. As if that wasn’t enough, my aunt proceeded to drag me into the most boring and futile conversation I have ever had in my life.

Generally, I am a great conversationalist and I love to listen, asking questions at the appropriate moments and really getting to know the other person. But this was truly beyond me. The village ladies had all sat in a circle and were bragging to each other about how much milk their cows gave, how much money their husbands made, and how many marks their four-year-old got in their latest test. Every single sentence was repeated what felt like dozens of times, the conversations were simply shallow and intrusive. How one could live a life that revolves around envy I will never understand. I am one for self-development; if you try hard enough you can learn anything. Why then discuss the mundanity of life when you have the miracles of possibility, of learning, and of development to talk of?

I felt extremely tired after that taxing day, I am aware this is not a nice thing to say but, oh my!! Relatives are indeed simply tiresome! Even when you are bored you cannot say anything for fear of making your family feel unwanted. It is a delicate balance of wanting to love them and see them dearly but not having the courage to converse for more than a minute. That was my story of a tedious meeting I had to attend.

Useful words and their meanings
Boredom	the state of being bored
Oftentimes	on many occasions
Shallow	not showing serious or careful thought
Intrusive	affecting someone in a way that annoys them and makes them feel uncomfortable
Mundanity	the fact of being very ordinary and therefore not interesting