Cue card answers

Describe someone in your family who you really admire

You should say:

• What relation this person is to you?

• What are your first memories of this person?

• How often you see this person?

and explain why do you admire this person

Follow-up Questions:

• What are the values of family in your country?

• How family bonding is necessary for happiness in life?

• What type of family do you like? Nuclear family or joint family?

• How family value and bonding have changed over the last decade?

Possible Answer:

I've got a small family with only 5 members and all of us are very close to each other and we love each other very much.

Among them I love my mother more than anyone else in the whole world. I adore my mother for her caring, loving, adorable

behaviors and wit. She is the person I can share everything with and that's the reason I worship her so much.

Possibly she was the first human I saw when I opened my eyes in this world. A relationship with a mother is divine and all

of my childhood memories are either related to my mom or my school. I can still remember a day I was late to come back

home after school and that's because there was a ceremony at the school I did not know about. All of a certain I found that

my mother was entering through the school-gate to find me. I was so frightened that my mother would rebuke me for being

late unnoticed and she must be mad at me. But to my best surprise, when my mother saw me she had a warm smile in her

face that I'll never forget till my last breath in this earth. Then she hugged me and gave me a kiss. I felt then that I love my

mother more than me. She attended the program at the school and afterward we came back home together.

I spent my 19 years or so with my father and mother but I stay at a metropolitan city now for my education. Whenever I get

vacation I meet my mother at my village home. On an average I spend 2/3 months with my mother each year but I talk to

her over phone almost twice a day.

The reasons why I admire her are endless. She is caring, tender, she has got a big heart and she possesses love for

everyone. She had been an ideal mother to raise 3 kids and making sure our education and moral values. She had made a

lot of sacrifices all of her life and had never complained about anything to my best knowledge. She is the person who

reminds me the power of love and caring.

Alternative Answer:

I have got 6 family members and all of them are very dear and close to me. If I need to pick one family member among

them to talk about, that would be my father. My father’s name is (say your father’s name) and he is around 50 years old. He

is the kind of person I would want my offspring to be. He did his graduation in a time when formal education was not

people’s first choice. They would rather start earning from work rather than going to school. My father fought to ensure his

education with the people who thought working or doing some sort of business has more value than education. But my Compiled and Shared by Suman Poudel. 1.. Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

father believed that education is the most important part of a man’s life. He heartily held the idea that education shapes a

man’s life and is the kind of power and asset that would always accompany him.

I have lots of memories of my father and I see him every day. There exists a strong bonding between us that only two of us

feel. I still remember those days of my childhood when I used to wait in the evening for my father to return from office. He

would then play with me and help on completing my lessons. I vividly remember him sometimes taking me to the market

and buy me gifts. When I was an infant he moved to the city from the village to ensure me better schooling and

environment. That was a decision that has changed my life path. He himself helped me finishing my home works and

lessons, always allured me of gifts if I could complete my study. Besides my education he taught me lots of moral values

and important things of life.

He used to work in a Government organization and for his hard-working and kindness; he is revered by all of our relatives,

his friends and neighbors.

He believes in humanity, good behavior, our creator, and leads a life that can be exemplary. He still does most of his own

works and helps my mom on her house hold works. After retirement he has picked 2 new habits: gardening and teaching

neighbors’ kids. He is a quiet and intelligent man who has benevolent heart and that what make him so admirable to me.

He is still the pillar of our family and all of our family members love and respect him very much.

Tips for answering this Cue Card Sample: You already know a lot about your family members and this cue card should be an easy one to answer. Just focus on the

questions mentioned bellow the Cue card topic. Following questions may come for this cue card and note the quick

answers of these questions:

1. Who is he/she? : My mother / My father/ My bother/ My sister etc.

2. Your relationship to this family member: She is my mother/ he is my father etc.

3. What you do together: We walk out together/ cook together/ study together/ talk a lot about family issues etc.

4. What is s/he like: He/ She is kind, talented, energetic, works a lot, dedicated, caring, possess a great personality, open

minded etc.

5. How long do you know him /her: From my childhood/ all of my life/ for more than 20 years etc.

6. How often do you see him/her: Everyday/ once in a month/ most of the time I stay at home/ in every three months etc.

7. Why do you like him/ her or why do you admire him/ her?: S/he loves me a lot, very close to me, very caring, have a

good heart, talented, helpful, my best mentor etc.

While talking about what is s/he like or what qualities he /she has or even why do you like/ admire him/her you can use

some of the following points:

• For father: He is honest, brave, had a good heart, talented, leads an ideal life. has sacrificed a lot to up-bring us, is an

exemplary person, everybody respects him, is the best person I have ever seen, Loves me very much, hardworking,

punctual, talented etc.

• For mother: She is so caring, loving, hardworking and possesses a good heart, had done a lot to up-bring us, very close

to me, very understanding, one of my best friends, knows a lot of things and has so many practical skills etc.

Compiled and Shared by Suman Poudel. 2.. Email: [email protected]


• For brother: He is so brave, talented, well mannered, knows a lot about different things, had always been supportive to

you, loved by others, cooperative and have lots of memories together, like a mentor to me, is my best buddy, taught me

almost everything he knows, always protects me etc.

• For sister: She is caring, a good friend, loving, a good mentor, helps you on study or on other tasks, supportive, a very

good friends, talented and well-mannered.

If you prepare for this cue card you should be able to answer the following cue cards as well with very little

changes:

1. Talk about someone who cares you a lot.

2. Describe a person who you like very much.

3. Describe the person whom you admire most.

4. Talk about a person you know for a long.

5. Talk about a senior person whom you like a lot.

6. Talk about a person who has a great influence in your life.

IELTS Cue Card:

Describe a teacher who has influenced you in your education.

You should say:

• Where you met him/ her.

• What subject s/he taught.

• What was special about him /her

and explain why this person influenced you so much.


• How has education changed in your country in the last 10 years?

• What changes do you foresee in the next 50 years?

• How do the expectations of today’s school leavers compare with those of the previous generation?

• What role do you think extracurricular activities play in education?

Possible Answer:

I consider myself lucky to get several very good teachers throughout my academic years. Among them I'd like to talk about

Mr. Smith who was an extraordinary teacher, a really good mentor and who has a great influence in my education.

I met Mr. Smith when I was in class 4 and he was our math teacher. Initially we thought that he would be a moody teacher

and we would have to be very polite in front of him. This impression came mostly because of his serious face and tidy

dress-up. But soon we found that, he is a very friendly person and teaches us very well. He never made things complicated

and tried over and over again to explain something to us. He had a very unique way of teaching. Seems like he would start

an interesting story and later we would find that he would relate the math with the story. Thus everything we learned from

him was interesting and that's why we remember most of the theory and techniques of math he taught us.



I'd say he has a great influence in my education because he made a very strong foundation on Mathematics. Later on I

studied Science and the Mathematics was the most important subject. I have always been good at math and that' mainly

because of Mr. Smith who had a major role on making the subject interesting to me. Before I learned math from Mr. Smith,

my impression on math was not good and I considered mathematics to be a very difficult and uninteresting subject. But his

teaching and influences changed my way of thinking about math and later on math became my one the most favourite

subject.

Tips for answering this cue card question: Talk about a teacher you remember and liked. Say his/her name and which class/ grade s/he taught. Also mention which

subject she taught and what have you learned from him/ her. Following are some of the reasons a teacher becomes

influential for a student that you can talk about:

• The way of teaching is very effective and interesting.

• S/he has a great personality and leads an exemplary life.

• S/he tells lots of example and stories to make the subject and topic interesting.

• S/he is a famous teacher on your locality who also taught your elder brother, father etc.

• S/he has a great personality and because of that students like his/ her very much.

• S/he has is successful explaining difficult topics in an easy and intuitive way.

• S/he behaves very politely with all and never discriminates among students.

• S/he is brave and speaks the right thing no matter what.

• S/he teaches lots of moral values as well as inspires students to study properly.

• Apart from teaching s/he does some social works, creative stuffs and or anything which is beneficial for others.

• S/he is a great orator and has a great personality.

If you can answer this cue card, you should be able to answer the following topics as well:

1. Talk about a person from your childhood whom you still remember.

2. Describe a teacher from your school/college whom you want to meet.

3. Talk about your math/literature/history teacher from school.

4. Describe an old person who you admire.

5. Describe a subject taught in your school.

6. Describe a teacher who has helped you in your education greatly.

7. Describe an exemplary person from your home-town.

Describe a person who accidentally became your friend.

You should say:

• Who is the person?

• How did you meet?

• What made you two to become friends?

and explain how is your friendship now. Compiled and Shared by Suman Poudel. 4.. Email: [email protected]


Follow up Questions:

• Which one is better, being introvert or extrovert?

• What type of person you are?

• What important aspects do you consider to make new friends?

Possible Answer:

Though I have many friends, my friendship with them grew up with times and mutual understanding. But I can recall that

my friendship with George grew up almost all of a sudden. George is senior to me by 2-3 years and I did not meet him until

I was in the 4th semester in my University. One of my term final exam's schedules was changed and I did not know that.

According to my previous exam schedule I reached my University and was totally confused what to do when I heard that

the exam was already over. I went to our Departmental head's office and he could not find a way around of it. He blamed

me that I should have been more careful about the changes. I explained him that I was sick and did not come to university

for 3-4 days and that made me unaware of the exam schedule changes. Then I found that someone who was sitting next to

me in the departmental head's office asked me to meet the course teacher and explain the situation. He then escorted me

to our course teacher's room and talked to the teacher. It seemed to me that George was already personally known to our

teacher and they had an intimate relationship. Hearing everything the teacher agreed to arrange an exam for me next day

in his office room.

My friendship with George grew up after that event and albeit our age differences we found that we had many common

interests and habits. We started spending time and I visited his home many times. We worked in a retail shop for about 6

months and that helped us become more intimate.

George is now staying in USA and we do not meet each other in person. But we have online communications and we often

let each other know our updates.

Tips for answering this cue card topic: You should talk about a person who became your friend accidentally for this cue card. Usually we have friends from our

childhood, classes and locality but this this cue card would be bit different from the topic “Describe one of your friends”.

This cue card expects you to talk about a person who became your friend for a reason and whom you met accidentally i.e.

you helped him/ her sometime and later you became friends or can be opposite. However the basic rules for describing this

person would be very similar to describing a friend.

Read the tips for the cue card ‘Describe a friend who you really like to spend time with’ that you can also apply for

answering this cue card.

We accidentally made friends in many different ways and some of the common ways are:

1. We meet someone in a party/ park/ occasion and start a conversation and find that there are lots of common interests

between us. We simply exchange our email address or phone number and keep in touch.

2. We find someone in need of help and raise our helping hands and thus the person becomes grateful and keeps

communicating and thus the friendship grows.

3. Sometimes a friend introduces with his/her friend who later become our friend. (This is a very common reason)



4. We meet someone helpful in a time when we need certain helps and thus the person helps us can later become our

friend.

5. We meet people in our journey and some of them have influential personality, common interest and thus can become

our friends.

6. We mistakenly get letters, emails or couriers from an unknown person who later becomes our friend because of the

follow up communications. etc.

IELTS Speaking... Cue Card A famous person you know in your country.

You should say:

• Who the person is?

• Why he is famous?

• What makes you mention specifically him/ her?

and describe what positive changes this person has brought for your country?

IELTS Speaking... Cue Card A famous person you know in your country.

You should say:

• Who the person is?

• Why he is famous?

• What makes you mention specifically him/ her?

and describe what positive changes this person has brought for your country?


• What makes people famous?

• What are the differences between a famous person and an ordinary person?

• Tell about one internationally famous person in your country.

Possible Answer:

I am from Australia and Hugh Jackman is one of the most famous persons in my country. His full name is Hugh Michael

Jackman and he was born in 1968. He is a famous and critically acclaimed actor, producer and revered superstar for his

superb performance in TV, film and musical theatre.

He is well known for the superhero character Wolverine in the X-Men series and his leading roles in many well-known

movies like Australia, Kate & Leopold, Les Misérables, Van Helsing, The Prestige, Real Steel, and Prisoners.

I mention specifically him because I’m a big fan of his acting and performance. I have seen almost all of his movies and TV

serials and consider him to one of the world’s most prominent actors alive.

He was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and graduated from University of Technology, Sydney, in 1991 with a BA in

Communications.



He is a philanthropist and is an active supporter for micro-credit. He is also one of the founders and the global advisor for

the Global Poverty Project. Besides he is an ambassador of World Vision and participated in the climate week NYC

ceremony. He is also an active supporter and donator for different charity and social welfare programs.

Through his acting, fame and donation he is trying to fight poverty and is trying to help the people in need. That’s a great

way of extending hand for people in need and can be exemplary for others.

He is a world renowned actor and is revered by his countrymen. Through his acting he has increased the impression of an

Australian born actor and through his charity and philanthropic activity he is helping others.

Tips for answering this Cue card topic: Talk about a famous person from your country. S/he can be a famous person from any profession and you should be able

to gives some statistics on her/ his life and achievements and successes. Not necessarily you have to describe a famous

person who is still alive. You can talk about a famous deceased person who is famous and is from your country. Usually we

know more details about famous writers, politicians, movie personnel and sportsmen than other famous persons. Pick

someone about someone you would be able to give some details.

Some of the ideas for taking about a famous person:

• A famous leader or political figure in your country.

• A famous writer or a poet.

• A famous movie star.

• A famous sportsman.

• A famous business man.

• A famous scientist.

• A famous inventor.

• A famous artist.

If you prepare for this cue card question, you should be able to answer the following cue card topics as well:

1. Describe a writer you know about.

2. Describe a successful sportsman in your country.

3. Talk about a famous person you would like to meet.

4. Describe a political leader you admire.

5. Talk about a scientist from your county.

6. Talk about a person who is well known in your country.

7. Describe a person you really admire.

8. Describe a successful person from your country.

7. Talk about a person who has great contribution in your country.



Describe your favorite Restaurant.

You should say:

• Where it is

• What it looks like inside and outside

• What kinds of foods they serve

What makes this restaurant so special to you and others


• Which one is better: home-made foods or foods from restaurant?

• What traditional foods do you have in your country?

• What are the tourist attractions in your city?

• Cue card Answer 1:

Thank you very much for giving me the chance to talk about my favourite restaurant. The name of my favourite

restaurant is (say the name of the restaurant you are going to talk about) and it’s situated at the centre of the city I

am currently living in. Not only I like the spacious, serene environment, tasty menus that the restaurant serves, but

I have lots of memories related to this restaurant. I remember that my parents celebrated some of my birthday

parties there, our college friends arranged the get-together parties, one of my cousins’ marriage ceremony was

celebrated there and similarly I attended lots of other parties at this very restaurant.

The restaurant has 3 floors and the sitting arrangement is quite nice. Paintings of famous artists have been

hanging on the walls and the place is quite neat and clean. The interior decoration is charming and gorgeous

feeling. The ground floor is spacious and can accommodate more than 50 cars' parking. The front view of the

restaurant is different as the place gives the impression of an urban garden.

The restaurant offers several dishes including exotic desserts, ice-creams and also offers a separate place for the

kids to play and have fun. The prices are reasonable and the foods are served quickly as opposed to some other

restaurants where you will have to wait for a long for your foods to appear on your table. The waiters and other

staffs are friendly and welcoming. The restaurant offers Chinese, Italian, Indian, Thai, Pakistani and local menus

that gives you a wide ranges and options to pick from. The soft background music and instrumentals make the

environment more enjoyable and soothing. The tables are not congested and people can chat over their personal

topics without interruption. The long glass made windows offer the city view which makes the place worth visiting

besides the delicious foods. The place must be a good place to be as I often found the foreign tourists visiting the

restaurant. The authority lets the customers provide their feedbacks and comments on foods and the place and as

I have noticed they take prompt action on a customer complaint.

In short, this is a really nice restaurant to go and enjoy the delicious meals.

• Cue card Answer 2:

Today I am going to talk about my favourite restaurant. Where it is, what it looks like, the kinds of food it serves

and why it is so special to me.



• My favourite restaurant is in England! It is actually in the suburbs of the city of Sheffield which is where I live. The

restaurant is on a busy street very near to a large park. It is quite a small and hectic place called Jonty’s because

Jonty is the name of the person who set up the business.

• From the outside the restaurant doesn’t look very impressive. It has large glass windows at the front, and some

benches outside for people to sit on if they are waiting to go in. There used to be a large sign with the name of the

restaurant written on it in big letters, but recently they have taken down the sign and not yet replaced it! Inside

there are lots of square wooden tables, each with about four chairs around them. The restaurant is on two levels, I

prefer to go upstairs to the first floor, because there you can sometimes get a window seat and enjoy watching

people as they go past in the street outside.

• The restaurant serves mainly breakfast and lunch meals. It does really good coffee – I like their latte’s best – and

lots of sandwiches, salads and special soups. The restaurant also has a selection of delicious, gooey home-made

cakes. However, when I go, I always have the same thing – scrambled egg on wholemeal toast with mushrooms,

because that is what I like best!

• The restaurant is very special to me and my friends because we meet their every Saturday. On Saturday’s about

500 people go to the local park for 9.00 in the morning to take part in a 5 km run. Afterwards, I like to go to

breakfast at Jonty’s with three of my best friends. We feel we deserve a big breakfast after our run, and we enjoy

catching up with each other’s news over a leisurely meal together.

• So if ever you are in Sheffield, I hope you will find Jonty’s and enjoy it as much as I do.

• [ Written by - Lucy Marris (UK) ]

• Tips for answering this Cue Card Sample: • You should talk about a restaurant that you know about. Do not pick a renowned restaurant that you know very

little. You are free to describe the interior design, service, external environment, dishes served of the restaurant

the way you like. It does not have to be an exact match with the restaurant you actually go a lot. You should add

some of your memorable events of this restaurant. Some of the common features that people like about a

restaurants are:

1. Delicious dishes.

2. Reasonable price.

3. Easy to go there from home.

4. Quiet and nice environment.

5. Attractive decoration and view.

6. Playground for kids.

7. Open space.

8. Privacy.

9. Service and behaviour of the staffs.

10. Special treats for the regular customer.

11. Variety of foods.

12. Past memory related to the restaurant.

13. Recommendation from friends and family members.

14. Discounts, etc.



In your answer you can use the above mentioned points.

• If you are prepared for this cue card sample you should be able to answer the following cue cards as well:

1. Talk about a place you often go to. (You can say that you often go to this restaurant)

2. Describe a place you would recommend your friends to visit.

3. Describe a party centre you went recently.

4. Describe a restaurant you recently visited.

5. Talk about a place where you often meet your friends.

6. Describe a restaurant that you enjoyed going to. Describe a historical place that you know about

You should say:

• What the place is

• Where it is located

• What is the historical meaning of the place

and describe your experience of the place.


• What do you think of the future trend of historic places?

• Will government strengthen its protection toward historic places?

• What are the changes brought about by the historic place in local economy, people, etc?

• What is the effect of tourists on the place?

Model Answer 1:

I have a special interest on visiting famous places and on my list historical places always get preferences. I have visited

many historical places like Machu Picchu in Peru, The Pyramids at Giza, Taj Mahal, Parthenon in Greece and many more.

The historical significance and the site attractions sometimes mesmerized me. The historical place that I would like to talk

about today is Colosseum (also known as Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre) which is situated in Rome,

Italy. It is basically an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy which is the largest amphitheatre in the

world and is made of concrete and stone. The construction of Colosseum began under the emperor Vespasian in 70 AD

and was completed under Titus in 80 AD.

The Colosseum could hold approximately 50,000 to 80,000 spectators and was used for gladiatorial contests and public

spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles etc. The Colosseum was

listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980 and was also included among the New Seven Wonders of the World. It

is 189 meters long, and 156 meters wide, with a base area of 6 acres .The height of the outer wall is 48 meters. The

Colosseum nowadays is one of the major tourist attractions in Rome with thousands of tourists each year paying to view

the interior arena.

I have heard and seen of this famous place a lot and when I witnessed it for the first time, I became speechless. The huge



architect, the overwhelming interior and exterior decoration was beyond appreciation. The place kept reminding me the

classical mythological and historical facts I have read and heard about.

Tips for answering this cue card topic: This cue card is different from the cue card 'describe a historic place you have visited'. For the later one you should pick a

historic place which is usually located in your country and you have visited. In this case you need to say when you visited

and what you enjoyed there. But for the cue card 'describe a historic place that you know about', you can talk about any

historic place located at anywhere in the world. Not necessarily you need to visit a place to know about it.

Do not pick a place which has very little historic significance or the places that store historic evidences but not itself is a

historic place. For instance, you can learn a lot about history from museum but the museum is not a historic place.

A historic place can be part of national history or international history. For instance, some places in your country may be

the part of the history of your country but not known in world history. In your IELTS you can pick such nationally recognized

historic places.

There is a subtle difference between a famous place and the historic place. To be a historic place, the place itself has to be

qualified and registered for the historic place.

Don't pick a broad area or a whole city as a historic place, rather pick the particular place. Like, there are lots of historic

places in Rome like: Colosseum, The Pantheon, St Peter's Basilica etc. and if you pick Rome as the historic place, you

won't be able to cover all the historic significance of this city. Alternatively, picking only Colosseum or The Pantheon would

give you a better option to describe it.

With your ability to answer this cue card topic, you should be able to answer following cue cards as well:

1. Describe a place you recently visited.

2. Describe a worth visiting famous place.

3. Talk about a place you would recommend others to visit.

4. Describe a famous place in your locality.

5. Talk about a place you have planned to visit in the future.



IELTS Cue Card Topic: Describe an historical place that you know about.

Sample Answer 2:

I am going to talk about an amazing historical place that I know about, even though I’ve never visited it. I’ll tell you what it

is, where it is and as much as I can about the historical meaning of the place and finally my own reactions/ experiences

regarding it.

I want to tell you about Stonehenge. This is an ancient set of standing stones, arranged in a circle. It is located in

Wiltshire, in England, but I think it would be fair to say the image of it would be recognised worldwide, as it is possibly one

of the most famous historic sites in the world.

In terms of the meaning of the place it’s really impossible to say. It is so very old, even archaeologists aren’t sure exactly

when it was built, estimates go back to as long ago as 3000 BC, which is mind boggling to me! It is certainly accurate to

describe it as a prehistoric monument. Some people think it might have started as a burial mound and be even more

ancient that 5,000 years. The colossal slabs are arranged like huge door frames, no-one really knows how they were

erected without the technology of modern times, but everyone agrees it was an incredible feat of engineering and showed

foresight and tenacity in spaces! However, it is certain that they were somehow aligned so that at key stages of the lunar

(moon) and solar (sun) cycles, the way the light strikes the stones is of some significance. Apparently it was deliberately

constructed so that the rising sun only reached the middle of the stones for just one day of the year.

Lots of people like to try and imagine what sort of ceremonies and importance the stones might have had for the people

who built it, but the truth is we can’t say. Even today, modern day druids have for many years gathered at the stones for

the summer solstice (longest day of the year) and winter solstice (shortest day of the year) to watch the sun rise and mark

the event with their own celebrations.

For me I think this is the ultimate historical place, even though I have yet to visit it. It is just so remarkable to think it was

constructed all those thousands of years ago just by physical labour. Even the stones themselves – the largest of which are

up to 30 feet and weigh about 25 tons, had to be brought to the site from about 20 miles away, how on earth was that

possible? For me the stones prove that with determination, tenacity and working together it is sometimes possible to

achieve what seems impossible. At the same time, the way they have endured over time, gives perspective on our place in

the world. Time passes, people and generations pass too, but they can leave a legacy behind even if it only one of many

unanswered questions for future people to ponder over!

1. Speech that somebody delivered and you heard.

Speech by a famous person

In my life I heard many speeches. But here I would like to discuss with you a speech which my principal delivered when I was in 10th class and it was on the most burning issue nowadays - that is “GLOBAL WARMING”.

My school principal is very famous person in my home town and is known for his oratorical skills.



He talked on the topic of global warming. The whole globe is involved in it.

The way he described the causes and effects was very interesting. It was an eye-opener for me.

We humans are the causes and we humans can lessen it.

He also told us how the pollution caused by cutting trees, having more industries, growing number of cars and other human luxuries is leading to global warming.

Then he told us about the effects of global warming. Firstly is the rise in the sea level. This is because of the melting of mountain peaks. Second effect is changing climate. We all know that summers are getting hotter and winters are getting colder. Finally, we are having epidemics of diseases like malaria and dengue. This is because mosquitoes and flies prosper in the heat. He also told how to lessen this phenomenon by simple measures like

Not cutting down trees. Planting more trees. Using recycled materials. Saying no to plastic bags.

I felt very enlightened after listening to his spellbinding speech.

I try to avoid using plastic bags and also accept recycled material even though quality is low.

2. An interesting news story that you watched on TV

I have watched many interesting news stories on TV. A news story that I saw recently was on Global warming.

I saw it on Star news Channel. It caught my attention because global warming is a burning issue these days. The whole globe is involved in it.

The way they showed the causes and effects was very eye catching.

It was an eye-opener for me. We humans are the cause and we humans only can lessen it.

The news article told how the pollution caused by cutting trees, having more industries, growing number of cars and other human luxuries is leading to global warming.

Then it told me about effects of global warming. There are three main effects. Firstly there is rising sea level.

Secondly we are having longer summers and extreme climates.

That is to say that the summers are hotter and the winters are cooler.

Finally we are having epidemics of diseases like malaria and dengue. This is because mosquitoes and other insects prosper in the heat. The news article also told how we can lessen this phenomenon by simple measures like not cutting down trees, planting more trees, using recycled materials and saying no to plastic bags.

I felt very enlightened after seeing this news story. I decided to start using recycled things immediately

3. An Interesting news story that you read in paper

· I read the kathmandu Post , one of the most widely circulated newspaper in our country.

· It gives many interesting news stories.

· The news story that I am going to talk about here is on Global warming.

· I read it in the editorial section of the paper. The editor Mr ……… had presented the article in a very nice way.



· It caught my attention because global warming is a burning issue these days. The whole globe is involved in it.

· The way he wrote about the causes and effects was very eye catching.

· It was an eye-opener for me.

· We humans are the cause and we humans only can lessen it.

· He also told how the pollution caused by cutting trees, having more industries, growing number of cars and other human luxuries is leading to global warming.

· Then he told about effects of global warming.

· There are three main effects.

· Firstly there is rising sea level.

· Secondly we are having longer summers and extreme climates.

· That is to say that the summers are hotter and the winters are cooler.

· Finally we are having epidemics of diseases like malaria and dengue.

· This is because mosquitoes and other insects prosper in the heat.

· The news article also told how we can lessen this phenomenon by simple measures like not cutting down trees, planting more trees, using recycled materials and saying no to plastic bags.

· I felt very enlightened after reading this news story.

· I decided to start using recycled things immediately.

4. An interesting place in your Home Town

Favourite Restaurant

· There are many restaurants which I frequently visit but here I am going to describe Haveli.

OR

· There are many interesting places in my home town but here I am going to talk about Haveli

· It is on the national highway between Narayanghar & Butwal. · Actually it falls in the suburbs of Narayanghar. · I like it because of the delicious & quality food , quick & prompt service & a friendly atmosphere. · It is always swarming with people & brimming with activity.

· The food is priced at very normal rates. It is a huge place with a seating capacity of about 200 people.

· The interior is decorated to simulate a traditional Nepalii village scene.

· Handicrafts adorn the walls which give the place a very ethnic look. The food served is mouth watering & delicious. The restaurant is very clean & hygienic. The waiters are amicable & friendly. In the evenings Nepali cultural songs & dances are per formed by various artists.

· It is a must visit place for one & all · It is so interesting that one can never feel bored there.



5. Changes in your life

· Change is the law of nature. · My life has also seen many changes.

· I would like to talk about here about some changes that are worth mentioning.

· I used to be a very fat and chubby child. · A real couch potato.

· Then one day there was a drama competition in school. · I was given the role of a fat and dumb girl/boy.

· Everyone laughed at me. I decided to change that image and I started exercising daily.

· I stopped eating chocolates and candies. · The changes became obvious and in six months I was a new person. I felt more confident and active.

· You know what, I even got better in studies Then I made new friends. · I used to be an introvert.

· I started going out and meeting people. · I started finding the world a better place.

· Another change that I would like to talk about here is in my nature. · I used to spend all my money on chocolates. · Once I helped a poor class fellow with some stationery material.

· I found great happiness in it. · I used to live for myself only.

· But I found a new meaning of life. · So you see, changes are a part and parcel of life.

6. A positive change in your life

· The one positive change in my life was joining the ILETS course. I had learnt English before that. · I started learning English in my school days but when I joined IELTS, I was exposed to in international English. I never knew English had these four areas. I never knew English was so beautiful. The training centre where I went was exclusively for English and they spoke only English. It gave me a lot of ideas, confidence, vocabulary and enthusiasm. My teachers were excellent. Some students over there were my role models.

· I could improve my accent and my pronunciation. They were always motivating us is to talk. Ear lies, I used to sky away when any body was speaking English. Now I find myself totally changed for the better.

· If I get a good band, I can go abroad and my life will be totally changed.

· So, joining the ILETS has brought a positive change in my life

7. Educational tour (museum)

· Educational tours are routine part of school curricula these days.

· I too went with my school to an educational tour

· It was to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Museum at Khatkarkalan, Banga

· I was in 10th class at that time.

· I remember how much we enjoyed.

· We learnt a lot about our freedom struggle also

· The museum displays memorable belongings of the martyrs of Punjab Compiled and Shared by Suman Poudel. 15.. Email: [email protected]


· The museum was inaugurated on the 23rd March, 1981, on the 50th martyrdom day of S. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev

· The museum reminds us the toil, sweat and the sacrifice which Bhagat Singh gave for the country’s freedom

· I was awe-struck by the magnificent grandeur of the big bronze statue of Bhagat Singh at the entrance of the museum

· What moved us most were the half-burnt ashes of S. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev

· The blood-stained newspaper in which his ashes were brought is also displayed

· A copy of the Bhagwad Gita with Bhagat Singh’s signature is also displayed

· Bhagat Singh’s family photographs, his jail diary and original documents of Lahore conspiracy are also displayed

· The museum brings alive the life and times of this iconic revolutionary.

8. Family apart from your family

A Family you like

· A family is a basic building block of society . I know a lot of families and I am well connected to the families of my aunts and uncles. So, I belong to an extended family.

· The family I am going to describe here is of my aunt Jyoti. · She is my father’s sister.

· My Uncle’s name is Jagtar and they have two children Deepa and Roop.

· They live in Pokhra in Mahandra Nagar. I like their family a lot because even though my uncle and aunt are very well off, as they are both doctors, they are very down-to-earth.

· Even their children have no airs about them. They are liked by all people in my family.

· Both aunty and uncle are very magnanimous and always willing to help others with their time and money.

· Deepa is doing here masters in biotechnology and Roop is doing mechanical engineering.

· Aunt and uncle are known for their hospitality. At least once a week they invite us all over for lunch or dinner.

· We also invite them over quite often. Whenever somebody in the family is not well you can depend on aunt for help. Their home has warmth in it which cannot be described in words.

· All the time aunt and uncle seem to have minor quarrels with each but they take it in the lighter vein and in fact are very amusing. In fact you enjoy being with them.

· The way aunt and uncle run their family and their nursing home and still have time for all of us is amazing.

· They are indeed an ideal family.

9. Polluted City

· Well pollution is a big problem these days · There is hardly a place which is absolutely pollution free



· Here I am going to talk about a city Kathmandu our capital city which is very very polluted

· It has all sorts of pollution – air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution

· I went there last week. In fact I go there quite often as my relatives live there.

· Industries dump their effluents in the surrounding area and this causes water pollution

· The population of kathmandu is far more for its size and this has given rise to slum areas in the outskirts

· The people in these slum areas are mainly labourers from other states

· They too litter the place. There are many vehicles also which cause air pollution

· Whenever I come back from kathmandu, I heave a sigh of relief

· Gaidakot the place where I belong is relatively pollution free. There is so much air pollution in kathmandu that my eyes start watering.

10. Law which is good

· There are various laws imposed by the govt from time to time. All these laws are for the benefit of the society in general. Without these laws we would be living in utter chaos.

· The law I am going to talk about here is ‘Ban on smoking in public places’. This law was made effective from 1st January 2008 . In this law, smoking is strictly prohibited in public places , such as hospitals, courts, bus stops, cinema halls and so on

· If any person is caught smoking in public places, he can be fined Rs. 200 . Smoking is very bad for health · It is bad for the smoker and also for the passive smoker

· There are many diseases caused by smoking like. Lung cancer, Chest infections like Coughs (bronchitis)

· If a pregnant woman does passive smoking then the child can be born with defects

11. Law which is good

· There are various laws imposed by the govt from time to time. · All these laws are for the benefit of the society in general. Without these laws we would be living in utter chaos. The law I am going to talk about here is PNDT act i.e. Pre Natal Diagnostic technique Act. This was first enforced in 1994 and then amended in 2002.

· In this there is a fine of Rs 1 lack, imprisonment and cancellation of the registration of the Doctor who is caught doing the test. It is a disgrace for the Indian society which considers the birth of a girl child as a bad investment in future. She is considered a consumer rather than a producer and this narrow view point has led to practices like female foeticide.

· The situation is worst in rural areas . In many parts there are only 700 girls per 1000 boys.

· This decline in sex ratio might lead to degradation of moral values of society resulting in Polyandry

- violence against women. - red trafficking.

· This low is being strictly implemented but still there is a fear that there is a fear that these practices are going on in the back street. I feel that law alone is not sufficient .



· Other measures like-

- Providing old-age-pension to parents who have no son.

- Free and compulsory education for girls.

- Job reservation for women

- and equal share in property would also help.

· In the end I would like to say that all of us have to work together to form a gender balanced society.

12. A time when you helped someone

· Man is a social animal – a part of society. In a society everyone needs help of someone or the other

· I have also given and received help many times. Here I am going to talk about a time when I helped a needy class fellow. Her name is Sonia. I remember I was in 10th class

· She did not have money to buy books

· Her father suffered a heavy loss in business and was hospitalised because of depression

· I used to receive hundred rupees per month as pocket money. I used to spend it all on chocolates

· I am very fond of chocolates. I gave all the money to her

· I remember how her face lit up. She bought the books . Since then we’ve been the best of friends

· At that moment I found a great happiness. I had never experienced such a feeling before

· I realized that some things can give more joy than eating chocolates.

· I remembered the saying. To have enough to share

- To know the joy of giving. - To thrill with all the sweets of life Is living

13. Best Friend

A person with whom you like to spend time with

· My best friend is Sagar. I really like to spend my time with him.

· I met him when I was in the 4th class in the Govt Primary School where I studied.

· I like him because he is an honest and straightforward person. He was a very happy mentality.

· Whenever I was in trouble he used to come and help me. He tried to be very understanding and never fought with me. In class I was weak at maths and he used to help me.

· I had a very bad handwriting and he helped me to improve my handwriting also.

· He has a habit of reading. His father has subscribed to the Reader’s Digest magazine.

· I started reading because of him. He is a very loving, caring and affectionate person.



· So, he became a very intimate friend. Now also he lives near my house and we spend our evenings together.

· We go for movies together, do shopping together and even play together.

14. Favourite movie ( BAGHBAN)

· I have seen many movies but the movie I like the most is Baghban.

· IT is directed by Ravi Chopra. The lead roles are played by Amitabh Bachan and Hema Malini.

· The movie shows the selfish attitude of today children and how they take their parents for granted.

· After Amitabh Bachan retires his four sons are very reluctant to look after them.

· Amitabh and Hema are supported by an adopted son who really loves and respects them.

· Fortunately Amitabh’s book Baghban turns out to be a bestseller and he becomes rich overnight.

· Now his selfish children again swarm around him like bees around honey .

· This movie gives the message that when parents look after their children, they should save money for their rainy days that is their old age.

· After seeing this movie my respect for my parents grew and I began to look at things from a different perspective.

15. Historical Place (Golden Temple)

· I happen to visit India few years back and as you know India is a diverse country. It has a rich historical background. The place I am going to talk about here is the golden temple or Harimandir Sahib or the temple of the god.

· It is a place of stupendous beauty and sublime peace. It is situated at Amritsar in Punjab.

· The sikhs all over the world daily wish to pay obeisance at Shri Harimandir Sahib.

· Although the 4TH guru of Sikhs guru ram dal had the idea of this temple , but it was made by the 5TH guru Guru Arjan Dev ji .

· It look 16 years (from 1588-1604)to complete this temple . The temple is surrounded by a large lake of water, known as the sarover which consists of amrit (holy water or Immortal vector).

· There are 4 entrances to the temple which signifies openness and acceptance. People of all castes ,creed ,religion and sex are welcome here . However, everyone must cover their head as a mark of respect, remove their shoes and wash feet in the small pool of water. People from all nooks and corners of the world flock to see the golden temple.

17. A famous person you would like to meet

· I would like to meet many famous people but here I am going to talk about Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

OR

· A person I admire the most is Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.



· He is ex- president of india. Dr Kalam was born in a very poor family in the southern parts of India at Rameshwaram. The reason why I admire him is that his life shows how & ordinary boy from a deprived class (poor family) could reach the highest level of the nation.

· He became not only the best rocket engineer but also the first citizen of the nation.

· It is true that he described his posting as the president as a piece of luck but his achievement as a rocket engineer were absolutely because of sheer hard work.

· He is role model for one & all. The success of Dr Kalam depended on the fact that he was willing to grow daily.

· He learned everything that come to him &was looking for thing to learn.

· The real success of Dr.Kalam is in his application of the discipline, what he learned, in other fields also.

· That is why he could contribute to artificial limbs of lesser weight. In him we find a person with insatiable quest for knowledge & with great love for suffering fellow beings.

18. Photograph

· I have a collection of many photographs in my album. Here I’m going to describe one in which my cousin and I are standing with our grandparents in our farmhouse. There is a small round table on which there is a cake. I remember vividly, it was the golden jubilee celebration of my grandparents. My aunt baked and iced the cake at home. She’s an expert cook. She only clicked the photo. That’s why she is not there in the picture. But her presence can be felt through the cake. Only the four of us were there in the picture. Last year when I celebrated my parent’s silver jubilee, I wished in my heart that I celebrate their golden jubilee too.

· The tablecloth which is spread on the table was embroidered by my grandma. She had a gifted hand in needle and thread work. Both my grandparents are no more in this world now. · I really treasure this photograph as this brings back nostalgic memories of my childhood.

· Now I have a digital camera in which I capture precious moments.

· Maybe one day my children will value them. I like painting and drawing too but can’t find enough time for these arts out of my busy schedule.

The cue card question An older person Talk about an older person you admire. You should say: who this person is how long you have known him/her what qualities he/she has and say why you admire him/her



I’m going to tell you about one of my teachers who taught me in middle school. He was a great influence on me and someone I still admire and look up to – a real role model. Who he is Barry – that’s his name - taught me Geography and Biology for about 2 years I guess. He was also my tuition teacher and so we saw lot of each other when I was at school. Like quite a few teachers he hadn’t been a teacher all of his life – in fact he’d had a successful career in the army before he took up teaching. That I think is what made him a little different from the rest of the staff – he had a lot of outside interests in life. How long I have known him As I was saying he taught me at middle school when was I around 11 or 12. But our relationship went much further than that. He became something of a family friend and he still comes to visit us quite often and he’s even shared Christmas Day with us once or twice. So I suppose you could say we have known each other for over 20 years now – though naturally I see much less of him now that I have moved away from home. His qualities He has lots of qualities. For example, he was a strong disciplinarian at school and insisted that everyone tidied their desk and was polite. But his greatest quality for me is his sense of humour and enthusiasm. When we used to have lessons with him he was able to make a class of small boys want to learn because he wouldn’t just tell us funny stories he would show how us how enjoyable studying nature could be – even though I had no real interest in the subject. Why I admire him Why do I look up to him so much? Well, if I was a teacher I’d want to be just like him – someone who is able to make other people want to learn. Talk about a good cook Describe someone you know who is good at cooking. You should say: who this person is how you know him or her what kinds of food they cook and explain why you think this person is good at cooking I’m going to talk to you about my friend Annabelle. She’s the best cook I know and she’s made lots of great meals for me. I know that every time I go around to her place to eat that I’ll be given something wonderful. Who the cook is Annabelle isn’t a professional chef or anything like that- although I do think that she could easily make a living as a cook. In fact she’s a lawyer and has a full-time job that means she can only ever cook in her spare time. How I know her



I first got to know Annie when we were at college together. We were both first year students and didn’t know anyone else and we became close because we lived next door to each other in the accommodation block. Even back then she was a terrific cook and she would invite me over to her room on a regular basis. Neither of us had much money but while I survived on a diet of marmite sandwiches, she would make soups and stews – the sort of really practical food that lasts for a while and can be re-heated and costs very little to make because the ingredients are so cheap. What kinds of food she cooks What kind of food does she cook? Well, she’s got a little more adventurous since out student days and she now has a huge variety of dishes. She’s quite experimental and so you can never quite tell what kind kind of food will be served up when you go around. It could be traditional French cuisine, a Spanish paella or even a curry. What makes her a good cook I think what makes her so good at cooking is that she loves food herself and she loves entertaining people. She makes food that she thinks people will enjoy. A magazine Describe an interesting magazine You should say: how you know about this magazine where you can buy it what it contains and explain why you think this magazine is interesting. I don’t actually read magazines much nowadays – I generally get my information from the internet. But one magazine I do read is The Week. How I know about this magazine I found out about this because of my sister and brother-in-law. They’ve been subscribers to it for quite some time now. The last time I went to visit them I saw it on the table in their kitchen and just picked it up to read. Where you can buy it I’m not exactly certain where you can buy it. I imagine that you can get it from local newsagents and other shops that sell newspapers and magazines. But when I decided to buy it I just filled out a coupon inside the magazine that gave me a free offer – so I get it delivered to my door with the post. What it contains I decided to subscribe to it because it saves me time! It contains the best and most interesting articles from several different newspapers and is neatly divided into different topics. I don’t have



to spend time any more browsing different sites on the net. So for instance I can find out about World News and read articles first published in French or German newspapers. Why is it interesting Why is it interesting? There are lots of reasons but I think what I like most is that you find articles written from different viewpoints. You never know quite what to expect. That’s slightly unusual in a magazine. A school rule Talk about a school you had as a child. You should say what the rule was what punishment there was for breaking it why it was made And explain whether you liked the rule or not I’m going to talk about a rule at my primary school. The school I went to wasn’t a pretty relaxed place and in fact there weren’t that many rules and regulations. We were for instance encouraged to speak in class as much as possible because our teachers wanted us to learn how to express ourselves. It was that sort of place – really liberal. The one rule that I really remember though was that we couldn’t use our mobile phones in class. The school was really strict about this and you could get into a lot of trouble if you became a repeat offender. Normally it wasn’t much of a problem. If a teacher saw a student with a mobile, he’d just tell him to turn it off and pay attention to what he was saying. Then again, there were some teachers who would confiscate any mobile phones they saw at all – even if they were not being used and were just lying on the desk. I suppose the reason for the rule was to make sure that all the students were paying attention to the teacher or just doing what they were supposed to be doing and not texting their friends or browsing the net. I think the idea was that the school was happy to have kids talking to each other but weren’t nearly so happy if they were writing texts – perhaps because the teacher wouldn’t know what was being said. Did I like the rule? Not really. I thought that it would have been much better of we’d been allowed to use out phones more. There’re so many great learning apps on phones that it seemed a little silly that we had to learn on just and paper. Clothes Describe a favourite item of clothing. You should say: what it is when you bought it why you bought it and say why you like it so much.



I’m not really that into clothes. I do try and look fairly smart but I’m not that bothered by my personal appearance and the clothes I’m wearing. But I will tell about my favourite article of clothing – my leather jacket. That is by some distance my favourite piece of clothing. What it is and looks like It’s a fairly normal or regular leather jacket. The one unusual feature I suppose is that it has white stripes down the sleeves. It’s also quite well-worn by now because I’ve had it some time and I tend to wear throughout the winter months. In fact it’s got quite a few little tears where it’s caught on sharp objects. I still love it though and I don’t mind at all that it looks rather second-hand. When I bought it I bought it at least 5 years ago now. It came from one of those big department stores and not a specialist leather shop. My old coat was very shabby and I was told by my girlfriend that I definitely needed to buy another one – I think she was embarrassed to be seen with me. Where I bought it So I went out by myself. I think it must have been sometime in January when the New Year sales were on. My girlfriend wanted to come with me and help me choose something smart but I said I would do it by myself. We shop in very different ways. She always wants to try everything on and can spend hours buying nothing. My approach is quite different. If I see something that I like and it fits I buy it. She might be two hours in a shop while I normally only take 15 minutes. Why I bought it Anyway I saw this jacket and I thought that it looked really cool. I had always secretly wanted a leather jacket and because the sales were on and it was reduced by 50% I just bought it. My girlfriend was really shocked when she saw what I had bought. Why I like it I like it because it’s different – it;’s just not like any other clothes I have in my wardrobe.

An important decision Describe an important decision that you made You should say: what the decision was how you made your decision what the results of the decision were and explain why it was important



’m going to tell you about one of the more important decisions I’ve made – it changed my life almost completely. It was when I asked my girlfriend to marry to me. The decision It was in some ways a very easy decision to come to. We’d been going out together for quite some time – very nearly 4 years. In that time we’d got closer and closer and I think we both knew that we’d tie the knot one day. But strangely enough getting married wasn’t something we had discussed in any detail. It was something that had been mentioned from time to time but we didn’t sit down and talk it through. How I made it One day though I came to the conclusion that the time was right and I took her out for an expensive meal and popped the question. She said yes which was of course amazing and we did get married around 6 months later. The results of the decision What I hadn’t considered though was all the planning that went into a wedding. Almost as soon as we’d told our families everyone was of course very excited. But very quickly both our mothers became involved in planning the wedding and the next 6 months were extremely hectic – there was so much to do – make lists of guests, book a church, arrange catering , get invitations printed and so on. It became quite stressful. Why it was so important That said it was not just a really important decision, it was without doubt the best decision I’ve ever made. Some quick tips on answering the question Choose an event you are personally familiar with – make sure it is one you know a little detail about. Detail is always important. Use your thinking time to make sure you have enough to say. My best advice is to note down ideas and not vocabulary. See how I structure my answer by following the cue card. You don’t have to do this but it can be easier this way. You’re not talking for 2 minutes about 1 thing but for 20 seconds or so about 5 things! Normally easier to do. Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself a little. I do this and it makes my answer more coherent.

