Talk about a good news you received through a phone.

You should say:

 What was the news

 What time you heard it
 Who gave you the news

and explain how you felt about the news.

After I finished my graduation, I applied for 2-3 jobs and faced the interviews in these
companies. One day I got a phone call from one of the companies from the HR department
and the caller confirmed that I was hired for the job I applied for. This was a very exciting
and good news for me as I was expecting to start a job so eagerly. 

I did not know the person who called me at that time but later I found that he was the head of
the human resources department of the company and his name was Kane. I heard it in (…say
a year i.g. 2004…) and it was probably June. 
 
My parents and relatives wanted me to get involved in a job right after my graduation and I
felt the same. Some of my classmates were already doing jobs and I thought I should start a
job as well. After I got the job confirmation call, I was very excited and happy. The first job
confirmation, in my opinion, is very significant and exhilarating and I felt no less. I was so
happy that I instantly confirmed that I’d be joining the job from the next week. Then I shared
the news with my parents and sisters and they were very happy as well. 
 Similar Cue Card Topics
Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would also enable you to talk about the
following Cue Card Topics as well:

1. Describe a phone conversation you recently had.

2. Describe a happy event in your life.
3. Describe a news that you got via SMS/ email or phone.
4. Describe an interesting conversation you recently had on a phone.
5. Describe a good news you recently heard.

Describe an educational trip you went on in your school

days.
You should say:

 where was the trip

 what you did and what you learned
 who went with you

and explain why it was important to you. Sample Answer:

When I was in class six, the school authority arranged an educational tour to the city
botanical garden. I was very much interested to participate in it and after I got my parent’s
permission, I enrolled in the trip. It was a trip to the largest botanical garden called (…say a
name…) and we were almost 30 students and 5-6 teachers in the trip.

After we reached the garden I was very much enthralled to watch such a beautiful place that
seemed very green and different from the place we lived. The journey took 3-4 hours and I
enjoyed my visit a lot. The place very large and there were several thousands of trees, some
hills, lakes etc. the large trees gave us the impression of the woods and I felt like we came to
visit a large woods of a mediaeval age. The teachers introduced us with several plants and
flowers and there were many plants and flowers that I read or heard about but have never
seen before that day.
We learned about the importance of forests, the necessity and our responsibility to make the
world a better place for all the species and not just for humans only. We learned some
medical and herbal aspects of many trees and one of the teachers explained how the plants
and their ingredients are still used to make life-saving medicines. The whole trip was
educational and enjoyable as well.

This was a very important trip for me as I had the scope to visit such a beautiful place
surrounded by green trees and flowers. I learned many things about the plants and their
usefulness. I also learned about the natural equilibrium and why should we maintain a
greener environment for our own betterment. Similar Cue Card Topics

Your ability to talk about this Cue Card would enable you to talk about the following
Cue Cards as well:

1. Describe a tour or journey you enjoyed. 

2. Describe a memorable event in your school or college. 
3. Describe a study tour you had from your school. 
4. Describe a trip you had to a different city. 

Describe the traffic jam in your city.

You should say:

 how it happens
 what is the situation
 what problems people face due to this.

and what can be done to control this traffic jam. Model Answer:
I come from (..say the city name…) and this city accommodates a large number of
population. Due to this huge population and the increased number of public and private cars,
the city often faces bad traffics.

The number of people living in this city, the cars they are using and the public transportation
they need is higher than the number of roads. As a result, the traffic jam often occurs and
people have to suffer. Another reason for the traffic jam is the unauthorised parking if cars in
the street. People do not often follow the exact traffic rules and because of their sincerity, we
often face the horrible traffics in the street.

 The traffic jam in our city is one of the terrible things the city dwellers have to face. People
get stuck on the roads and they have no idea when they would be able to reach their
destination. Because of this jam, people often miss important schedules, students can’t reach
school in time and the outcome is devastating. Because of the jam in the street people have to
schedule accordingly and the total time killed in the street is simply a waste of time.

There are many steps which should be taken to reduce the jam in the street. First of all the
people who are driving in the street should very strictly follow the traffic rules. The traffic
control authority should more strictly apply the rules. The number of private automobiles is
increasing rapidly. Many single families own multiple cars and thus increase the number of
total cars driving in the street. The rule should be imposed on purchasing cars and the price of
the fuel could be increased as well. The public transportation system should be improved so
that people can travel on public cars. The city has more population than it can comprise and
decentralisation of industries, offices and educational institutes can be another solution to this
abhorrent problem. 
Similar Cue Card topics:

Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would enable you to talk about the following
Cue Card Topics as well:

1. Describe a problem that you face in your city.

2. Describe a bad experience you recently had.
3. Describe a thing that you would like to change in your city.
4. Describe something annoying about the place you live in.

Describe someone you know who is a good cook.

You should say:

  Who this person is

  How you know him or her
 What kinds of food he/she cooks

and explain why this person is good at cooking.

Follow-up Questions:

 What are the prospects of building a career as a cook in your country? 

 What special dishes you want to taste? Why?
 What traditional food you would like your foreigner friends to try?

Model Answer 1:
Unfortunately, I am a terrible cook, but that does mean I can appreciate those who can! I’m
going to tell you about a friend of mine who is a wonderful chef, how I know her, what she
can cook and why I think she is so great it. This person is a friend of mine, I know her
through a running club I belong too, and as I’ve got to know her better over the years we now
socialise together, I also sometimes help her with her allotment and I’ve been lucky enough
to eat at her house many times.  She runs her own business, making bespoke biscuits,
carefully decorated with original designs, so it’s just as well she can cook. But she also runs a
busy household and regularly cooks delicious wholesome meals for her family.

This friend can seemingly cook anything, anywhere! She makes her own bread and can
conjure a meal at a moment’s notice using eggs from her hens and herbs from her garden. She
cooks really healthy food and, fortunately for me, seems to enjoy catering for unexpected
guests too. She makes a very fine chocolate and orange cake, and her biscuits are famous
amongst her friends as well as her clients. However, for me, a favourite meal was one she
made for me recently. We went up to work on her allotment – that’s an area of land you can
rent for a small fee from the local council as long as you use it for growing fruit and
vegetables. It was a lovely summer’s day, and we planned to work into the evening preparing
the ground. She had planned ahead. She brought up a small gas burner, a saucepan and some
chopped red peppers, onions and other vegetables which she cooked up for us with some
delicious fried halloumi cheese. She had even thought to bring fresh salad leaves, a light
dressing and a sort of wrap to hold it all together. After our hard work on the land, we
enjoyed the late evening sun and ate with relish. Nothing tastes as good as food eaten outside
after physical work.

Why is she so good at cooking? I think it’s partly because she enjoys it, she has had a lot of
practice, and it is her passion as well as her profession. I think she is good because she uses
fresh and quality ingredients, quite simple recipes often, but tasty nutritious and beautifully –
though not over-fussily – presented. I also think a really great cook is calm, relaxed and
enjoys the sharing of their labours, she is all these things too. I feel very lucky to know her,
and feel a little guilty that I don’t ever cook in return! It seems it is my contribution to always
be a particularly appreciative consumer… it is a hard job, but someone has to do it!
A speech that somebody delivered and you heard.
You should say:

 Who gave the speech

 What the topic of the speech was
 Whether it impressed you or not

and explain why did you like / dislike the speech.

Follow-up Questions:

 What are the differences between a political speech and a speech given by a non-
political person?
 What are the important aspects of a good speech?
 What makes a person a good speech giver?

Possible Answer 1:
I have heard numerous speeches, lectures, commentaries on various topics and issues
throughout different stages of my life and among them the speech that was given by our
primary school teacher on our farewell day is the most influential one and I still vividly recall
it. The teacher who gave the speech was Mr. Mark Augustine and he was in his late forties at
that time. As fifth-grade school going kids, we did not comprehend quite clearly what was the
school farewell all about. We knew that this is going to be our last day at our primary school
and we would start our new school soon. Mr. Mark was already a revered teacher for his
teaching style, good manner, humour and honesty. Rumour had that, he was much more
qualified to be a college professor rather than being a primary school teacher.

On the day, we had our parents present in school and we had been enjoying everything. As
part of the farewell speech, Mr. Mark approached to the stage and started mentioning what
funny things we had done in the last 5 years. We as well as our parents started laughing on
the things he mentioned. He mentioned how a kid started screaming at the sight of a
cockroach, how a kid of class two expressed his friendship to a girl, how we tried to play
amid of the class and many more interesting and funny events.

He then moved on topics that I still hear in my mind. He told how studying is our primary
responsibility, how we should listen to our parents, how have we achieved our liberation as a
nation, how to respect the Mother Nature and all the honesty and bravery we should possess
in our heart. The topics and his way of presenting them vibrated us heavily. I can still
remember how the advice came back to my life time to time. As a kid, those advice and
moralities were probably way to heavy to grasp but I still believe that the speech had a great
impact in my life as well as the lives of the other kids who were present there.  

Describe something important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

You should say:

 what does healthy lifestyle mean to you

 what important aspect you have in your mind
 how it is important

and explain why this is important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think
about what you're going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

Sample Answer 1:
A healthy lifestyle is something we all talk about but only a few of us follow the rules to
maintain it. I thank you for this wonderful topic and would like to talk about the importance
of a balanced diet for having a healthy lifestyle.

It is often said that 'what we eat defines what we become'. It is indeed true and in my opinion,
healthy living greatly depends on someone's eating habit. Having a balanced diet means
eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions, and consuming the right amount of
food and drink to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.          

A healthy lifestyle is a combination of a sober and prudent living style with the soundness of
body and mind. Both physical and psychological well-being are important in order to have a
healthy lifestyle. It does not depend on someone's economic status or geographic location.
Rather it is the willingness to lead a good life with some fundamental good habits.

A balanced diet has a paramount importance to remain fit both physically and
psychologically. Biologically, a person is a living organism who needs food to survive like
any other living organism on this planet. As a superior creature, we have plenty of food items
to choose from and in a way, this has made our food habit quite complex. Fast food, for
example, in no way a good choice for us and yet we have become dependant on it. Obesity,
for instance, is rare among people who have a good eating habit. Overweight has become one
of the reasons people these days suffer from various diseases. Scientific research has proven
that more than 30 percent health related complexities could be avoided by having a good
eating habit.

The modern era is highly competitive and we are so busy these days than the past
generations. However, this does not mean that we should not be aware of our health. We have
got only one chance to live and some easy-to-follow rules like following a balanced diet,
regular exercise, maintaining personal hygiene etc. can make a huge difference.

A sound mind lies on a sound body and a body needs calories to properly function. As an
intelligent species, we should not act foolishly. We should provide our body with the right
combination of food that provides necessary vitamins and calories to remain healthy - not
more, not less and nothing harmful for our body and mind.

Describe a course you would like to take if you have time.

You should say:

 what kind of course it is

 where you would do this course
 how you would take this course

and explain how you would benefit from taking this course.

Model Answer: 
If I get time I would like to learn the computer graphics designing course. It is a combination
of learning some theoretical aspect of graphics designing and then hands on Adobe
Photoshop and Illustrator. These two are widely used image editing and graphics designing
tools that emphasising on computer design and website designing. 

I would like to get admitted in (...say an institution name...) who offers a professional course
on graphics designing. They have a good reputation of teaching the course participants
accurately and effectively. Since I have offices/ classes till the evening, I would like to enrol
in the evening course that starts after 7.00 pm. The course fee is reasonable and I would have
the option to pay the fees in 3-4 installments and that would be very convenient for me. 

This should not be a very difficult course for me as I already have some background on
computing and graphics designing. But I will have to concentrate on the course and maintain
the regularity. This course would be a 6 months course and that's why I will have to adjust
my time during this 6 months period. Another thing that required a course participant is to
practice a lot. Since this is a creative task and the course teacher would show us how to do
something, the course takers have to work hard to improve their skills and creativity. 

This course would be helpful for me to do better in my career. Graphics design is required for
many jobs and knowing it would be a great advantage for me. Besides, If I can become a
prominent graphics designer, I would be able to work for clients from different countries as a
freelancer beside my day job.  

Similar Cue Card Topics

Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would also enable you to talk about the
following Cue Card Topics as well:

1. Describe course or workshop you are planning to take

2. Describe an interesting course you know about
3. Describe a course you did in your college or university
4. Describe a useful course you know about
5. Describe a subject taught in your college university

Describe the environmental pollution in your city.

You should say:

 What type of pollution it is/ are

 Cause and effect of pollution
 Why it happened

and explain how can this pollution be controlled.

Model Answer:
I live in (..say the name of your city..) and this city has got some several issues related to
environmental pollution. The major environmental pollutions that this city has are water
pollution, air pollution and sound pollution.

The main reason for these pollutions is overpopulation and a rapid and unplanned
industrialisation of this city. The city has more than (…say the current population of this
city..) whereas the number should have been far less than that. It is evitable that a large
number of populations in a small city always cause environmental pollution as they use more
cars, consume more energy and natural resources and create more wastages ad noises.  

The reason for the water pollution is the uncontrolled number of industries, factories and
other constructions that have been grown up beside the rivers. These factories and industries
produce a large number of chemical and other wastages which directly affects the water.
Inappropriate and uncontrolled construction is another reason for water pollution in our city.
The effect of water pollution is severe, the water supply would be affected and the supply of
safe and clean water would be threatened. A large number of people rely on the water
available of the rivers and they would be directly affected. Lots of people would get sick due
to water pollution and those diseases can become epidemics if not controlled and that results
in an immense loss of innocent lives.  
Air pollution is also very concerning in this city and the chemical smoke, carbon dioxide and
carbon monoxide emitted from automobiles and industries are the main reason for air
pollution. This city has more than million automobiles and thousands of industries which are
omitting the dangerous gases, and ingredients which are causing the air pollutions.  Air
pollution is the direct reason people suffer from various dangerous diseases including lung
cancer, asthma, heart disease etc. In fact the number of people currently suffering from these
diseases in alarming and if steps are not taken to prevent air pollution immediately, this
number would rapidly increase.
Sound pollution is produced by the loud horns used by the cars, loud sound used for
announcement and cacophony created due to loud sound. Airplanes that fly over the resident
area created a very loud noise as well. Air pollution is a silent killer that causes lots of serious
diseases including hearing and brain cancer. The air pollution directly affects the natural
balance by affecting the wild lives.
The most important thing to reduce pollution in our city is to create public awareness. We are
mostly creating that pollution and endangering ourselves, the Earth and other species.
Without our awareness and strict determination to prevent our city from pollution, we can’t
reduce or prevent it. Strict laws should be introduced and be applied against any
environmental pollution and all the illegitimate industries and companies should be banned.
The decentralisation of industries and offices can be effective as it would reduce the number
of people currently living in this city.
Job opportunities and other facilities should be improved in the rural areas so that people can
manage works in their own cities and villages other than coming to this city. The education
and morality are two important aspects that help people understand the necessity of keeping
the city clean and healthy.

Part 3 – Two-way discussion:

Q. Is water pollution a problem in your country?

Q. What are some of the causes of water pollution?
Q. What can individuals do to try and ensure water is kept clean?
Q. Do you think problems with the cleanliness of water will improve in the future?
Q. What can an individual do to reduce the pollution in your city?
Q. How pollution can affect the biodiversity of our environment?
Similar Cue Card topics:

Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would enable you to talk about the following
Cue Card Topics as well:

1. Describe a problem that you face your city.

2. Describe a pollution that causes a great problem in your city.  
3. Describe a city you know that has air pollution.
4. Describe something you would like to change in your city.
5. Describe a law you would like to introduce in your community.
6. Describe something irritating in your community.
7. Describe a change that has happened to the place you live in.

Talk about an equipment of your household (computer,

television, refrigerator, mobile phone and so on).
You should say:

 What is it
 What you do with it
 Will you always keep it

and explain why it is important for you.

Model Answer 1:
I am describing my laptop as it is the equipment I often use at home. It is a black coloured
laptop by Toshiba brand and I bought it almost five years ago.

This electronic device has helped me in many aspects, including work, study and
communication. The first important usage is saving data. I can save numerous e-books,
pictures, audio and video clips in it, and the 300GB hardware capacity has allowed me to
save plenty of them. Moreover, I can access the Internet using this laptop. By connecting to
the Internet I can access every website, check my email and watch online movies or
documentaries, like National Geographic documentaries, which has extremely been useful to
improve my listening and speaking.

Lastly, definitely, this device has been very useful to my profession. By its camera, I can save
different important information related to my job and use them as I need to access them in
few seconds. So, this laptop has assisted me to raise my knowledge not only in my career and
study but also in learning the English language.
I have already become dependent on my laptop. Maybe I will replace it with a new one but a
laptop would always be mandatory for me.

I rely on my laptop for my personal, professional and study needs. I communicate others with
this laptop and this is the primary means of communication with my friends. Definitely, the
use of internet and computer has become unavoidable in this modern era and this is indeed a
very important tool for me.

Describe an experience when you lost something.

You should say:

 what you lost

 how you lost it
 where you lost it

And explain how you felt about it.

Model Answer:
I was in the second year of my university and at that time I lost my laptop with some other
necessary papers and the experience was so bitter that I still remember it. I was on my way to
home from the university and I took a public bus to reach home. I had my bag with me that
contained my laptop, charger, some music DVDs, a pen drive, 2 books and some other
necessary papers. I lost the bag so the things that I had in my bag were also lost.

I remember that I had my bag with me and I had to stand inside the bus as there was no seat
available. After an hour I left the bus and took a shared taxi. Finally, I walked for a while to
reach home and when I entered my room, I felt that the bag is missing. I got so tensed and get
back to the street and tried to remember exactly where I lost the item. But I could not
remember exactly where I lost my bag.

I felt so low and depressed that I could not sleep at night. Even though I knew that it was
impossible to get the stuff back, I tried hard to have those items back. I reported to the nearby
police station, contacted with the bus authority but after 7-8 days I gave up all the hopes I had
to get my items back. I felt like a child who lost his most important toys! The laptop was
really important to me as it has lots of valuable study materials and other files. I felt so stupid
that, I was blaming myself for the whole thing and rebuked me not to be more careful.
Honestly, the whole experience and the feelings were pretty depressing.  

Alternative Answer:
Thank you very much for the opportunity you gave me to talk about my experience of losing
something. In my preparation time for the given topic, I thought about many occasions when
I lost something and finally I decided to talk about the experience I had when I lost my
University ID card. In fact, I had to go through a series of events because I lost this ID card
and probably that’s why I have remembered this event very clearly.

I lost my ID card when I was in the 4th semester at my university.  I remember putting the ID
card in my pocket while leaving home and to reach the University. I took a public bus and
then a shared taxi on my way and I don’t know exactly where I lost it but noticed it while
entering the library of my University where every student is advised to show his/her ID card.
That’s the first time I noticed that the ID card is no longer is in my possession and I searched
every possible place of my dress, bag and even in the classroom. But to my dismay, I could
not find it anywhere.

This ID card was pretty important to me as it was required to enter the University building,
library or even in exam rooms and labs. This was the only valid form of Identification Card
that I had at that time to show anyone in case I needed to. Let’s say, if there is an emergency
check post on the road, and the policemen ask me to show my identity, my ID card is the only
piece of valid identification proof for me. So losing it was a disaster to me at that time.

I felt pretty bad and was blaming myself for being such a careless person. I wrote an
application to the University authority and they suggested me to make a General Diary to the
nearest police station. I had to submit several applications and had to publish lost item news
in the newspaper before I was issued another ID card after almost fifteen days. Meanwhile, I
had to face lots of problems and had to submit several applications that made me remember
this event pretty vividly.    

Similar Cue Card Topics

Your ability to talk about this Cue Card would enable you to talk about the following
Cue Cards as well:
1. Describe a depressing experience you have.
2. Describe a sad event you clearly remember.
3. Describe something important you lost.
4. Describe a bitter experience you had.

Describe your favourite animal.

You Should Say:

     What kind of animal it is

     Describe it briefly
     Why you like the animal

and describe why it is your favourite animal.

Follow-up Questions:

     What do you need to do to take care of it?

     What’s the future trend of the animal?
     How do you think of the poaching of some precious animals such as pandas?

Possible Answer 1:
Today I am going to tell you about my favourite animal, what it is, where it lives, when I first
encountered it and why I like it so much.

I like lots of animals, so it is difficult to choose just one. However, I think my favourite
animal is the Warthog. Warthogs live in Africa, they are a sort of wild pig. They get their
name because they have four fleshy bumps on their faces, which look a bit like warts. These
are part of the defence mechanism for males when they fight. Some people think warthogs
are ugly, but I think they are lovely, they have great character.

I was lucky enough to spend some time volunteering at a property in South Africa. At the
property, there were three young warthogs which had been orphaned after their mother was
poached – killed for food. The baby warthogs were, therefore, hand-reared. When they were
old enough, they were set free to run around in the wild. However, because they were so used
to people they preferred to stay nearby. 
These three warthogs were very friendly, intelligent and loved to play. They also like to
follow their leader. In the wild, baby warthogs will run after their mothers, these three young
hogs used to follow us. They would run after us even if we were in a vehicle or on a horse –
once they even tried to follow the landowner when he took off in his helicopter! The pigs (as
we started to call them) loved to be scratched and cuddled, they were very affectionate. They
were also very nosy, whatever we did, they wanted to be with us!

I love warthogs, they are energetic, loyal, and funny and I think they are beautiful too.
Though I do understand the saying ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder!’

Describe a success you have had.

You should say:

 what it was and when it happened

 why you chose this area of activity
 how easy or difficult it was to achieve

and explain how important this success was.

Model Answer:
The success I think I am proud of is my outstanding performance in the board final exam that
I attended many years back. I got the highest mark in our locality and because of that I got
many congratulations and this success story was reported in the local newspaper.

It was the year 2002 (...say a year that suits you...) when I passed my school board final
exam. I can't recall the exact month the result was published but that would be either January
or February.

Since the success was a part of my academic study and exam and not related to any
extracurricular activity, I would say it happened naturally and I had no involvement in
choosing it. To say more specifically, if someone achieves some successes in photography or
in art, s/he has some history how and why she came to photography or art, what was the
motivation etc. but for me that success was an academic success and I did not have to choose
anything. I needed to study attentively, though. I followed a rigid study routine for a couple
of years and that helped me achieving this success. I would say that it was easy to achieve as
I had a planned routine that I followed and I enjoyed reading my academic lessons. I have
devoted a great deal of time reading academic books, reference books, different magazines
related to subjects, took note, did group discussions and other activities and all those
activities helped me to achieve this success.

This was an important success for me as it highly inspired me to do better in my further

academic years. This success gave me the impression that if I can do better, my hard work
would be rewarded accordingly and I would be in a better position in my future. Thus this
success inspired me to achieve next success.

Similar Cue Card Topics

Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would also enable you to talk about the
following Cue Card Topics as well:

1. Describe a memorable event in your life.

2. Describe an event when you were congratulated.
3. Describe a completion you won.
4. Describe a prize you won.
5. Describe a skill you have.
6. Describe a good quality you have.
7. Describe an achievement of your life.