The IELTS exam is a globally accepted language proficiency test that determines the candidate’s ability to understand and comprehend the language. It tests the 4 skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This blog deals specifically with the IELTS speaking part 2, where the candidate is given a cue card with a question and four additional pointers. Also, the follow-up questions that can be asked in the third part along with the tips to excel it. Moreover, the sample answer to the trending cue card is “Describe a long walk you ever had”.
Table of Contents
The speaking section of the most popular language proficiency test (IELTS test) has 3 tasks to attempt. Out of those, the second task is IELTS cue cards, where you will be given a prompt with hints and questions. The candidate has to include all the questions in order to structure the answer. The speaking section is evaluated on the basis of four factors that are mentioned below
Each of them contributes equally to the section scores. Each section score reflects the overall band score and the result. In the next section, you will know the way to answer your second round of IELTS speaking section.
Till this section, you know “what is a cue card?”. Now, let us proceed further to understand the way to answer it. Before moving forward, it is crucial for the candidate to know that unusual phrases help you to score high. Also, there should be no grammatical errors, and an enriched vocabulary leads to successful clearance of the speaking section. Moreover, it helps you leave a lasting impact on the examiner, eventually leading to high band scores.
Talking about the cue card topic “Describe a long walk you ever had”, here is a list of questions that can appear in your cue card.
Let us have a look at the visual representation of the cue card on the topic “Describe a long walk you ever had”.
Moving forward, let us delve into the sample answers to this topic. You can refer to the nature, structure, and vocabulary of the answers.
Here is the first sample answer on the topic “Describe a Long Walk You Ever Had”. You can refer to the tone and nature of the answer to use while attempting the IELTS speaking section.
One cold Saturday afternoon, I proposed a plan to one of my close friends to go for a walk in the surrounding woods. Surprisingly, I didn't have to exert much effort in persuading her. Despite the awful weather, she arrived at my house within minutes to pick me up.
Our colony of houses is adjacent to the jungle and close to the hills. The woods are not particularly wild. Nevertheless, we are always advised to return home before or by 6 o'clock. Being tardy by five minutes past 6 could result in a lengthy lecture. Hence, we agreed to return before the dark, which was 30 past 5 during winter.
My companion was one of my oldest neighbours. Naturally, we had been together since we were 6 years of age. Our bond had strengthened through these spontaneously planned excursions. These walks have also contributed to our growth in communication and understanding. Thus, she has become very dear to my heart.
I felt truly blessed and deeply grateful for every step we took together. Particularly, it was the night after we returned when I found myself reflecting upon our adventure. I came to realize that despite the familiarity of the routes etched in my mind, the experience remained thoroughly enjoyable. Furthermore, each conversation with her amidst the woods served to enlighten me. I hold great admiration for her perspective and consider her to be an invaluable companion.
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This section contains the sample answer to the given topic. It can be your potential question in the IELTS speaking section.
On a fresh morning, I decided to witness the sunrise and the break of dawn from a hilltop. Hailing from a state situated within the Aravali Range, the idea of hiking up a mountain frequently appears exaggerated. I was adamant to watch the sunrise. I was fighting with all the thoughts of going alone. I do not exactly remember when I last watched the dawn of the day. I had to convince someone to accompany me. I was sure whom to take with me. I knocked on the doors of my brother’s room and ordered him that he had to come along. Surprisingly, he said yes.
So, my brother and I decided to rise early, traverse through the mountains, and ascend to the peak to witness the sunrise.
It reminded me of my school days when we would stumble to the veranda with half-opened eyes, feeling the gentle breeze on our faces and hearing the birds chirping in the garden. It was during those days that I last witnessed such a dawn.
Finally, experiencing the sunrise in adulthood, where we are constantly juggling between corporate responsibilities and personal life in bustling cities, was truly a moment of pure bliss. In an era dominated by binge-watching shows and movies on OTT platforms, the simple act of gazing at the sunrise felt like discovering a hidden treasure.
Let us look at the other way to answer a cue card in a different manner.
I had a very rough at my office where I was interning in a newsroom to gain experience and of course my degree. Actually, I made a minor mistake that turned out to be a blunder for the media house. My seniors took charge of the issue and explained to me the depth of my mistake. After that, I was wondering how a small thing can tarnish the image of an organization.
So, I aimlessly stepped out of my house at night when insomnia took over me. My locality has a police station, one of my city's safest societies. It is, indeed, a privilege to be able to walk on the streets with freedom. I walked down the street for almost an hour, wondering about existence and its reality. I also reflected on the past week and how I could have been a better sister, daughter, or person.
I was in my deep thoughts and questioning myself repetitively how and why me? It was around 4 AM that a patrolling van went through and suddenly stopped to question my whereabouts. They asked me to go home since an accident took place nearby and it could be risky.
I analyzed my performance, accepted the mistake, and decided to learn a lesson from it. Quitely walking on the road with a solution was a great relief. As soon as I reached home and lay in bed, I felt like a burden was taken off my shoulders. I don't know when I slept, but it was peaceful, for sure.
| Lexical Resources | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Surprisingly | Unexpectedly or in a way that is unusual |
| Persuading | To make somebody do something by giving him/her good reasons |
| Surrounding woods | A place or area in which trees and forest life are plentiful and surrounds it |
| Nevertheless | Despite anything to the contrary |
| strengthened | To become stronger or to make something stronger |
| spontaneously | In a way that is natural, often sudden, and not planned or forced |
| excursions | A short journey or trip that a group of people make for pleasure |
| enlighten | To give knowledge or understanding to |
| invaluable | Valuable beyond estimation |
| perspective | A mental view or prospect |
| Hailing | To greet or summon by calling |
| exaggerated | To make something seem larger, better, worse, etc. than it really is |
| adamant | For sure; unshakable or insistent especially in maintaining a position or opinion |
| traverse | To go or travel across or over |
| ascend | To go up: climb, rise |
| stumble | To hit your foot against something when you are walking or running and almost fall over |
| dominated | To be more powerful, important, or noticeable than others |
In this section, you will know the questions that an examiner can ask the candidate. It is a round where the follow-up questions of the speaking part 2 take place. Here are a few of the questions that you may face for the topic “Describe a long you ever had”.
In the next section, you will learn tips on how to excel in the cue card section of the IELTS exam.
There are many common mistakes that a candidate makes while attempting the IELTS test. One of them is not understanding the prompt properly. Also, the usage of slang and informal language leads to low scores. Here are a few tips to ace the IELTS speaking part 2.
The very first thing is to read the given prompt properly and understand it. Use the 1 minute properly and note down all the important pointers so that you can use them wisely. Create a structure that covers all the pointers of the given topic. You can use the remaining phrases in the next round, where the examiner will interject the candidate based on their answer.
The language you use plays an important role while you attempt the test. Avoid using fillers like uh, um, and you know. Enrich your vocabulary by knowing the appropriate idioms for IELTS. English has four pillars: noun, pronoun, adjective, and adverb. You should have proper knowledge of these four. Also, keep in mind the language assessment criteria of the speaking section.
You should learn to manage your time while preparing for the language skill test. Allocate sufficient time for each task so that you do not miss any crucial part or fail to attempt. Moreover, each task carries significant marking that affects the overall band score. Use the given pencil and paper properly to note down the ideas you want to use in the coming minute.
One of the things that you can do is seek expert advice by signing up for online IELTS classes. These classes will help you as per your need. You can take care of your time and pocket. You will get the same trainer as the traditional classes. Also, personalized attention, doubt-solving, and feedback will help you polish and develop your language for your dream destination.
These are a few tips that you can follow to ace the speaking section of the IELTS exam. Also, in this blog, you will learn about cue cards and the way to answer them. Moreover, sample answers were included so that the appearing candidate knew what to include and what to skip.
Related IELTS Cue Card Topics
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