Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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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 behaviours 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.
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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 fathers name is (say
your fathers 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 peoples 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 father believed that education is the most important part of a
mans life. He heartily held the idea that education shapes a mans 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
behaviour, 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 neighbours' 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.
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.
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.
Where it is
What it looks like inside and outside
What kinds of foods they serve
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.
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 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.
IELTS Cue Card Sample 3 - Describe a book that had a major influence on you.
You should say:
Possible Answer:
Whenever I get time, I try to read books and the ranges vary from profession related books,
technical, religious, fiction, classic and contemporary books. The book I would like to describe is
a novel called Kane and Abel and is written by the famous British writer Jeffrey Archer.
Sometimes I read book reviews on internet and after reading 2/3 books by Jeffrey archer, I tried
to get the list of all books by Jeffrey Archer. I found that most of the Jeffrey Archer fans have
recommended the book Kane & Abel. Some people even commented that this is the best book
ever written by the same author. I made my mind at this very moment to read this book. After
one month or so, I bought the book from a book store and started reading it.
The book was first published in 1979 in the United Kingdom and in USA in 1980. The book was
the international success and reached No. 1 position on the New York Times best-selling book
list. The story-line started with the birth of two infants named Kane and Abel in the year 1906.
One of them was born to a life of prosperity and eases in USA in a rich family while the other
one to a world of hardship and struggle. On different sides of the Globes, they grew up: one
shaped by a luxurious upbringing, fine schooling and history he read, the other one who lost his
mother at the time of his birth and did not know who his father was, well tempered by war,
slavery and history he was part of. The story telling of Jeffrey Archer is magical and enchanting.
Most of his story simply mesmerizes the readers and for Kane and Abel the attraction worked
even more. Every page I turned tempted me to read further. Not for a single moment I could have
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stop thinking about the events and characters of the books and that had a major influence on me.
The characters have their own charismatic powers and followed their own paths. One is gold,
meritorious while the other one is steel and have forfeited the Dead himself. On their journey in
life, they confront each other and became the ultimate adversary of each other. In their relentless
battle, both men knew that there could be only one victor- and one vanquished.
Across three generations and around a rapidly changing world, their war rages unchecked, for the
love of a dream, the loss of an empire, and the lure of a fortune. Kane became the owner of the
largest bank in USA while Abel came to USA as a penniless emigrant after the World War I.
With intelligence Kane started flourishing the banking business, while Abel made his fortune at
last in Hotel business. The first time they confronted each other as a bank owner and a debtor.
Though Kane wanted to help Abel regain his business by financing further, but could not do so
because of the banks board members decision. After that Abel considered Kane as his greatest
enemy and sought to destroy Kane. As time passed both had to fight their own fates but the
vendetta remained on their hearts. When both men finally grew older, their son and daughter fell
in love and got married. They never agreed on the marriage because of their personal hatred of
each other. Abel succeeded to buy the bank stocks of Kanes Bank to hold the power to veto
Kane. At the end of the story both confronted each other for the second and last time. After that
Kane died and after his death, Abel learned that it was Kane who backed him financially to start
his hotel business. The story was told like a magician and is a powerful portrait of a world and
two men that a reader would never forget.
Alternative Answer:
The book that tremendously influenced me in my college level is titled "Pather Panchali" by
Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. This book was published in 1929 and later a movie was made
with the same title by Satyajit Ray. The book is a tragedy and family drama which is considered
to be one of the finest literary works in Bengali literature. This book deals with the life,
happiness, sadness and inner-picture of Roy family in a rural area. Later they moved to a
different place in search of a better life but they had to face great deal of anguish and loss during
their travel to a new transition.
The book describes the rural life, the people of this rural place, their sufferings, their joys, the
beautiful country-side, green fields, paddy-fields, flowers and many more things that become
alive in the story. The story line, the mastery of story-telling ability, the scenic beauty of rural
area, the tragic death of a touchy character all were so profoundly expressed that I was deeply
touched. Moreover this book was written by one of the superior writer who has a talent to
describe the rural beauty in a style that no other writer can do.
The book reminded me rural are I had once been. It was like travelling to the past in a time
machine. Bibhutibhushan is a gifted writer and probably the best of his type. He had an ability to
depict the rural life and scenic beauty profoundly and perfectly. The characters of his books
come from ordinary places and lead ordinary lives, but the impression they create in readers'
mind is extraordinary.
Tips for answering this cue card sample:
This cue card asks you to talk about a book you have read. You should pick a book that you
know well. Let's say you have read a book which was very interesting but you have forgotten the
name of the author or the publisher, you can't tell the story in an organised fashion, then you
should not talk about that one. Rather pick a book which is interesting, you have read and you
know the writer and story of the book. If you are not sure of such a book, think about one, google
for the details of the book and remember the following information about the book:
1. Writer.
2. Publisher.
3. Publishing year.
4. Some other book names by the same author.
5. Story of the book.
6. Why the book was critically acclaimed.
7. Some characters of the book.
For the part why this book has a great influenced on you mention some of the following points:
1. The book was written by a writer who has a great way of telling a story.
2. The story is a page turner and you had hard time keeping it away.
3. You have learned an important lesson from this book.
4. The characters of this book gave you great impression.
5. Some of the trivia and facts about the book. etc.
If you prepare for this cue card, you should also be able to answer the following cue card topics:
1. Describe a book you have recently read.
2. Describe your favourite book.
3. Describe a book you read and remember.
4. Talk about a book you enjoyed reading.
5. Describe a book you would recommend your friends to read.
6. Talk about a book your one of your friends recommended you.
7. Describe a worth reading book.
Since the cue card topic is asking to describe a book that has a major influence on you, not
necessarily you have to talk about a story book. You can pick any academic book, religious book
or specific subject or technology related books as well.
For instance if you pick the major book of your religion, you can say how it has changed your
view of life and world. How it had helped you learning morality and humanity and religious
lessons that you follow in your life. There are so many things we learn from our religion and you
can talk about these.
If you pick an academic book, lets say JAVA programming language book, Introduction to
business or Accounting you can tell how this book has changed your view on this specific
subject and created a solid base on the subject and influenced you to later study on that subject
further.
Possible Answer:
I like visiting famous places and whenever I get vacation, I try to visit new places or places that I
have heard about. One such trip that I took with one of my friends was a journey to Holland. I
would like to talk about this tour to Holland that we took 2 years age.
Both of us (me and my friend) wanted to visit Holland and specifically Amsterdam, Hague and
Rotterdam very much because we saw pictures and heard stories from friends about how
beautiful and wonderful the place is. So finally we applied for visa, bought plane tickets, booked
a hotel, packed our bags and our trip began.
We spent a lot of time before our holiday, researching of all the interesting places to visit and all
the sights to see. So we went to Rijks museum, Van Gogh museum, Amstell Beer museum, took
a romantic sunset cruise in the water channels, drove to Volendam, a small prettiest fisherman
village, visited a cheese farm. We went to Rotterdam, which is the architecture city of Holland
that stimulates innovation. We enjoyed the architectures and building there as much as we did
walking in the neat roads and besides the beaches. Visiting the famous Anne Frank house was an
exciting moment for me. I've read the Anne Frank's Diary in my early childhood and witnessing
the place was very much exciting.
Every evening we took long walks along the channels, resting in small gardens, which
Amsterdam has a lot of. Street artists were performing everywhere and a lot of people came to
watch their show.
We enjoyed very much everything we did and especially in such a beautiful country. Having my
friend by my side on this trip made it even more fun. Since we have never been to Holland,
everything we saw and did seemed interesting and completely new to us. The people, their way
to interpretation their culture attracted us very much. Before leaving the place, both of us agreed
that the place is worth visiting and someday we would come back to re-explore it.
You had a plan to visit this place for a long time and when you had the journey, you had
been excited about the whole thing.
You would meet a friend or relative after a long and that made you feel good.
You have some memories related to this place and visiting there was a good experience
for you.
If this is a foreign country, say that you had a longing to visit this country.
The weather was comfortable and there was no interruption on the way.
You had friends with you and you enjoyed their company as well as the vehicles.
This was not a typical journey that you usually take.
The natural beauty surrounding the roads was charming.
You observed some different custom and culture there.
If you plan to say that you did not enjoy the journey focus on the following points:
You did not intend to go there but you had no other choice.
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The weather was not good and that made the journey difficult.
You did not like the vehicles that you took for the journey.
It took a very long time which was tiresome.
You got sick during the journey.
There was no interesting thing to do or watch.
The vehicle was a public transport and stopped several times.
Some other cue cards that you should be able to answer if you prepare for this cue card:
1. Talk about an interesting journey you took recently.
2. Describe a visit to one of your relative's house.
3. Describe your journey to your home town.
4. Describe a journey you took to a foreign city.
5. Talk about a journey you disliked.
6. Describe a journey you remember.
7. Describe one of your memorable journeys.
What is it
How long have you been using it
Detailed information about the website
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Possible Answer:
I've been using the internet for more than 10 years and from the very beginning till now there are
some websites those I use almost every day. www.yahoo.com is one of those web-sites and
possibly I'll use this site forever. www.yahoo.com is basically an e-mail service provider and a
very popular search engine. I can still remember my first day at a cyber-cafe where I opened the
first web site of my life and that was yahoo.com and the cafe owner helped me to open an e-mail
address and I still use this email address to send and receive e-mails and for chatting.
www.yahoo.com is a popular search engine possibly next to www.google.com but as an e-mail
service provider it is more popular than www.google.com in my country .This web-site has many
other useful features like: the homepage contains up-to-date news and feeds. It also gives the
option to open free websites to its users etc. www.my.yahoo.com is a very popular service and
recently the www.answers.yahoo.com has become one of the most popular questions and
answers web-site that's millions of people are using.
Alternative Answer:
I use internet daily and there are lots of websites that I often browse for different reasons. But
probably www.facebook.com is the one I most often browse. It is a social networking website
and probably is one of the top 5 most visited websites in the world. The website mainly
facilitates me stay connected with my friends and helps me update and broadcast my news as
well. Though the primary purpose of this website is to let people communicate friends and
known people but there are lots of other features as well. It offers games, eCommerce facility,
emailing, chatting, making new friends, social marketing, different campaign, fan page opening
etc. I have been using the website from 2004 and it is important to me because all of my friends
and relatives are connected there. If a friend has a birthday, the website notifies me and I can
wish him/ her a birthday, if someone has a new photo or news to share, I can see it from my
account. I can share my photo, video, updates, thought as well. If someone opines on an issue,
others can comment on it. For me, the website is important because my childhood friends,
adolescence friends, college & University friends are connected there. I get their updates
regularly and can let them know what's happening over here. In no other way I could have been
connected to the people I am now connected via facebook. I use this website from my computer
and from my cell phone as well. For me this is a social networking website where I remain close
to my friends and relatives. But with its own right it has become a powerful eCommerce
platform, gaming place, marketing channel, and many more other business related platform.
Nowadays everybody owns a facebook ID. Making new friends is easy in facebook and that
helps people grow their friends beyond boundary. Millions of people use facebook and it is
almost impossible to connect with people you care and know without this website.
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Wikipedia like website etc. If you pick a website which is popular, do not give any fictitious
information. Giving false information about a well-known website like Google, Yahoo or
Facebook would create some doubts in the examiner's mind as s/he might also be a user of this
website.
Do not worry if you do not know every details of the website even if the question asks you to
describe about it. If you do not know the owner name, operation since, technical aspects of the
website, simply skip those parts instead of giving imaginary information. You can focus on what
the website offers to the visitors and what you do from this website. For instance:
Social Networking websites:
Most of my friends are also connected in this website/ social network and I get their updates.
I can publish my updates and let my friends know about it.
It helps me finding my old friends/ family members.
It offers me to use third party applications and play games.
I can share my images and videos.
Help me find out information related to my education/ job.
Chat with my friends.
Email Service providers:
I send emails from this website.
I check the emails sent to me.
I can send attachments.
Has a good spam filtering and threat detection service.
Wikipedia like website:
Helps me finding reliable and details information on various topics.
Loads faster and has subscription option.
I can contribute on updating the information.
Most of the topics are covered and you can get almost all of the information you need.
News websites:
Provides updated and latest news.
Both local and international news are served.
Has email notification service on my selective topics.
Gives sports news and events.
Offers interesting supplementary and magazines as well.
News presentation is outstanding and sources are very reliable.
Covers last minute news as well.
Some similar cue card topics that you should be able to answer as well:
1. Talk about a famous social networking website.
2. Describe a helpful website that you have visited.
3. Describe a website you and your friends often browse.
4. Talk about a worth visiting website.
5. Describe a website that you would recommend your friends.
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Possible Answer:
The most devastating accident that I have ever seen is the one that I witnessed near (say the name
of the place) while a train smashed a passing bus. I saw accident almost 4 years back and yet I
can remember the event clearly. I was on my way to home from the capital city that Im
currently residing in. There is a train pass in the road and our bus stopped at the signal. I was
busy reading a magazine in the bus and all of a sudden I heard a loud blasting sound and I looked
through the window. What I saw was unbelievable: The quickly passing train has hit a bus that
was trying to pass the train road. The bus had been thrown away like a toy and we could hear the
unbearable screaming of victims. Lots of people have gathered the place and the train was
passing slowly. People became speechless on the effect of the devastating accident. I could see
people were trying to help the wounded people and 2-3 ambulances reached there after 15
minutes. The bus driver was blamed for the incident and I heard that he was dead too. We could
not move on from the place as a huge jam occurred. The wounded people were moved to nearby
hospitals and medical centers and the dead people were placed in a nearby field. The entire place
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became a gloomy area and people mourned on the event. I started feeling sick and tried to help
the wounded people.
I have witnessed more than 30 people were lying dead and their relatives were crying and
mourning heavily. I left the place after 8/9 hours and could not think anything else. The whole
event occurred in a few minutes and the effect was devastating. I had spent nearly 2 weeks in a
hallucination and thought a lot about the people who died there and about their relatives. It came
to my mind that, our life is hanging on the cliffs and we are so helpless sometimes deciding our
fates.
Tips for answering this cue card topic:
Watching an accident and its effect is a devastating experience. So describe how dangerous the
accident was, how awfully you felt about it. Even if you have not seen any major accident, you
should talk about one. Pick some of the points from the below list to describe this cue card:
1. It was a car accident/ bus accident/ train accident.
2. You were just passing by/ were in another transport while the accident occurred.
3. Everything happened all of a sudden and you were devastated to watch it.
4. You can also talk about a plane crash but for that mention that you watched it on TV.
5. If you live in a country where water transportations are available, you can talk about the boat
accident due to storm as well.
6. Describe how severely the accident caused damage.
7. Mention that due to the accident you were stuck there for a long time and raised your helping
hand.
8. Tell how bad you felt and what steps should be taken to prevent such unexpected and
unbearable accident.
9. If you were the victim of the accident, give details on how the accident occurred and how you
were safe.
10. Tell that you had a hard time forgetting this mournful experience.
11. Regarding the part 'how the accident affected you' say about your feeling of the unsafety of
the road, how uncertain our lives are, what changes you bought to your life after the accident etc.
Some similar cue card topics that can be answered in a similar fashion:
1. Describe a bad experience you have.
2. Describe an experience you have that you wish you did not have.
3. Talk about a road accident you know about.
4. Describe something terrible you witnessed.
5. Describe a car accident you saw.
What is it
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When it happened
How it affected you in your life
Possible Answer:
I can still remember lots of thing I did in my childhood and things that happened when I was a
child. Sometimes those memories seem so lucid that it seems those events occurred only few
days back. Anyway, a childhood memory I can still remember so clearly is the first time when I
saw massive death. I was a kid of class three or four then and one day I heard that there had been
an accident near our home. My mother asked me whether I want to go or not. I went with her and
speculated lots of thing about the accident but when I watched 10 dead people were kept lying in
the ground and among them there were 2 kids too, I was devastated about the massive dead
scene. I started feeling sick and started vomiting there. My mother took me back to our home and
I was ill for about two days.
This memory was important to me because it helped me to think about the life in a different way.
I could realize then what the dead is and how fragile our lives are. This memory helped me to
grow faster and opened my eyes of vision.
Alternative Answer:
I was born in a beautiful urban area called ..... (say your birthplace name) and the place was full
of magic and wonder. I spent my whole childhood there and the place is full with my childhood
memories. Childhood, is perhaps, the most magical and beautiful time of our life and I cherish
my childhood memory. The one particular memory of my childhood I would never forget is the
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time I first saw the devastating effect of accident. This event has a significant importance of my
life.
Like most other newly school going kids, I wanted to be Superman or Spiderman. The life was
full of dreams and fantasy. One day I was walking with my mom and heard from the neighbours
that a severe accident has happened nearby. I was bit confused what was it all about. Finally I
and mom reached at the place where the accident took place. We saw that people had made a
crowd around the victims who were already dead. I observed the dead for the first time in my
life. We did not stay there for a long. After returning home I felt sick. Later on I started realizing
that our lives are fragile and are not eternal. We all will die someday no matter what we think we
are. That event helped me growing up mentally. Not that I become pessimist from the event, but
a realization always knocked me. I started changing some of my silly attitudes after the event. I
started caring for my parents, relatives, known and unknown people. I learned that our days are
numbered and we've to make best use of it. I was so deeply touched that I started praying
everyday and became kind to insects and animals. Some people might think that the event was
devastating for a kid, but to me, it revealed reality in front of me.
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How it looks
How much time you spend in this room
How an ideal study room should be
Possible Answer:
My study room and living room is the same one and I spend most of my time in this room
whenever I am home. Its a square size room that has been painted in white colour. It has got 2
doors, 2 windows, one attached bathroom and a north facing veranda. The bed is placed beside
the bigger window. Warm and fresh air keeps the room healthy for breathing. Among other
possessions Ive got a computer desk, a bed table, a wardrobe, 2 bookshelves, one reading desk,
one bed table, and a dressing table. One bookshelf is full of novels and story books and the other
one with academic books. I keep my notepads, diary, boxes and other necessary things amid of
the study desk. I read mostly on my desk and sometimes on my bed. In case of story books, I
prefer to read in bed. For academic reading and writing I mostly use my desk. My study room
has not got plenty of luxurious furniture but I keep my things organized and clean. In day time I
keep my windows and prefer not to turn on the light. My mother sometimes takes the authority to
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arrange and clean the room. I have arranged my story books based on Author and the academic
books on Subject.
My study room and living room gives me comfort in terms of quietness. Sometimes I pick my
chair on the Veranda and lit a table light and read book there at night. There are several other
rooms in our house but my study room is quite soothing to me. I feel more comfortable at my
study room than any other room in our house.
IELTS Cue Card Sample 9 - Describe the best gift/ present you have received.
You should say:
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And explain why it was the best gift / present you have received ever.
Follow-up Questions:
Do you think that present giving will play an important role in daily life? Why?
Compare the gift which people have received 10 years ago to the present that people now
are receiving? What's the difference between them?
Do you think that the brand name is very important for sales?
Possible Answer:
In my life I have got numerous gifts and presents and among them most exciting and best gift
was the Laptop my father gave me when I was 14 years old. When I was 10 years old, I found
that many of my friends had their own laptops and desktop computers. I was heavily fascinated
about this wonder machine and dreamed about owning one someday. After getting admitted in
grade 6, I got admitted in a computer training center and learned the basic computing. Whenever
I visited any my friends who had a computer, I felt overwhelmed playing games, learning new
software, trying to browse internet etc. over there. I sometimes visited some of my friends
houses more often than usual only because they had computers. Thus this machine became the
only dream of my life. As I knew that my father wont be able to buy a computer for me, I did
not ask for one. I made a dummy computer using papers and boards and played with it. One day
I bought a savings bank and started saving coins and notes there. After one month I found that I
have saved very few amount to purchase a computer!
I got busy with other stuffs and could hardly find times to visit friends houses to use their
computer but in a corner of my heart I felt the same fascination for owning a computer. On my
14th birthday, my father told me that he wants to take me to the computer shop and purchase one
for me. I could not believe what I was hearing. That night it was tough for me to sleep. In the
morning I wake up earlier than usual and went to the computer shop with my father. He bought a
Dell Laptop that was Pentium 4 machine. While returning home, I found myself flying in joy. I
opened the box after returning home and showed it to my mother and other relatives.
As a kid, that was a long expected gift that my father gave me and till now its the best gift/
present I have ever received.
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IELTS Cue Card Sample 10 - Describe a historical place that you know about
You should say:
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What are the changes brought about by the historic place in local economy, people, etc?
What is the effect of tourists on the place?
Possible Answer:
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, reenactments 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.
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.
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Possible Answer:
I read newspaper almost every day and sometimes I purchase or borrow magazines to read as
well. I'd like to describe a magazine that I usually buy each month and enjoy reading a lot. The
name of this magazine is PC World which is a global computer magazine published monthly by
IDG in USA. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other
personal-technology products and services. In each publication, PC World reviews and tests
hardware and software products from a variety of manufacturers, as well as other technology
related devices such as still and video cameras, audio devices and televisions.
I have been reading this magazine for the last 6-7 years or so. It is specifically useful for people
who love computers, other technology devices; software and IT related news and updates. I am
doing my graduation in Computer Science and Engineering and love to learn about new
hardware and software. This is a magazine that offers great hardware & software reviews, tips on
advanced computing and many other useful articles.
Reading a newspaper or a magazine is always helpful for learning new information. Newspapers
provide contemporary local news, international news, editorials, entertainment, news, sports
news and so on. Without reading newspapers or magazines one can't keep himself / herself
updated with the latest news and views of the world. I purchase the PC World magazine every
month and read it for about 7 days. Sometimes I read older versions as well to find out any
particular reviews or articles. This magazine is helpful for basic, moderate and advanced
computer users and techno lovers. Someone who has a computer should read it to increase his/
her knowledge on hardware and software. Even its helpful for those who are going to buy
computers, printers, cameras, scanners, software or other hardware devices. I enjoy reading it a
lot.
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To answer this cue card, first decide if you are going to talk about a newspaper or a magazine. If you want
to talk about a newspaper, decide which one you would like to talk. For the magazine you should finalize
the magazine name also. Deciding a particular newspaper or magazine would help you focus on the
features and characteristics of it. There are some differences between a daily newspaper and a magazine.
If you decide to talk about the magazine focus on following points:
a) What type of magazine it is: weekly, monthly etc.
b) what's it about: Lifestyle, technology, fun, business travel, fashion etc.
c) For magazine describe the topics and issues it covers. Like a computer magazine covers the software
and hardware reviews, tips on computing, tutorials, and price list etc. whereas a fashion magazine
highlights the current trends in fashion, new arrivals and focus on brands.
d) Why do I read it? Entertainment, tutorials, academic or professional benefits, new recipes etc.
e) Why this magazine is better than similar other magazines? Article presentation, economic, has
subscription facility, exclusive etc.
If you talk about a newspaper focus on their news presentation, editorial and overall contribution to help
people get unbiased and quality news and articles.
Since, almost all the daily newspapers cover same type of news i.e. political, sports, editorial,
international, business etc. you should focus less on the type of news they present. Rather emphasize what
makes it a worth reading newspaper.
Use the same techniques to answer the following cue cards also:
1. Describe a magazine that you read often.
2. Describe the newspaper that you read daily.
3. Describe you favourite magazine.
When it happened
Where it happened
What it was
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I can remember many happy events of my life and among them I would like to talk about the
event that I can still remember vividly. The moment I heard that I have got scholarship on the
board exam was a very happy moment for me. I spent almost a month with great anxiety
regarding my result publication. I started speculating so many things and many of them were
negative. I could hardly keep away the tensions about my upcoming result. The result was so
important that my college admission would have depended on it. I could not sleep well in the
night before the result publishing.
The result was published at around 11.00 am and I found that I did exceptionally well. I was so
relieved and happy that I literally shouted. Then I hurriedly came back to our home and gave the
news to my parents. They were happy too. My father bought sweets and my mother gave it to our
neighbours. I felt excited, happy and relieved. At that time I was about 15 years old. It happened
at our hometown called (... say the name of your home-town...)
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3. The birth of your younger sister/ brother/ nephew/ niece or even your own kid if you are a father/
mother.
4. One of your family members was severely ill but got healed miraculously.
5. You won a competition.
6. You did something for others and people acclaimed that.
7. You got scholarship.
8. You overcame one of your obstacles.
9. You went to visit a foreign country
10. You achieved something noteworthy.
11. You saved someone from a big problem.
If you can talk about this cue card, you should be able to answer the following cue cards as well:
1. Describe a memorable event of your life.
2. Talk about an event that made you happy.
3. Describe a happy memory you have.
4. Describe a success you achieved in your life.
Answers Submitted by our students:
Model Answer 1:
In my face, I feel a glow whenever I remember the day I went to the International trade fair with some of
my friends. That was my first International trade fair visit and this was such a happy experience that I still
feel a great joy reciting the memory of this event. It was January, 1998 and that time I was in my first year
of college.
Till my college I was like a new born lady, who had never visited any places without her places of her
local area. After I got admitted in to the college, I started exploring the world and the amazing things that
invites people like us. One day I planned with my friends that we would visit International trade fair. This
might seem like a very usual and banal event for others but to me that was a really exciting thing to do.
Later on we did as we thought and finalized our visit to the fair. After break period at college, we escaped
by back door (As a side note, I would like to mention that Id no previous record of escaping school or
college before). We were five in members and we hired taxi to reach the trade fair. There wasnt enough
space to sit in the back side of the taxi and the taxi driver gave a suspicious look at us. Thats why with a
fishy smile we took the decision that one of us would sit in front of the baby taxi with the taxi driver. It
was a funny decision but there was no alternative to us and we enjoyed it.
After few minutes we reached at the fair and then collected the tickets. We were thoroughly enjoying
everything we did that time. We entered the fair and took a deep breath to ease ourselves. We were kind
of overwhelmed to observe the vast area with hundreds of shops and stalls. People were all around us and
we felt like somehow we have come to a fairy land. Wherever we went, I was feeling so excited,
everything was totally new for me as a grown up lady. We took lots of photos from different views,
purchased few interesting things within our limited budget and roamed in the whole area of the fair. I
forgot my usual area, boundaries and the same thing I do almost every day and felt a happiness that I
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missed for a long. We spent almost 4-5 hours in the trade fair and at last retuned to our home in the
evening. We returned home by bus and I was so happy that I felt like discovering a new continent.
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4. Give a short detail what the subject. For example: The Geography would discuss about the
Earth, the other planet in the solar system, atmosphere, and climate changes etc. and you should
mention those.
5. Next describe how the teacher taught the subject and what things you learned from the class.
6. Mention some interesting things you learned from the class and how the teacher made things
easier to understand for you.
7. Describe how interested you were about the subject and the class.
8. Relate how this subject has later helped you/ influenced you in your education and learning
process.
9. Finally give a conclusion by mentioning how beneficial the subject for students.
If you pick Math try to focus on the following issues:
1. The teacher was very good explaining the intricacies of the subject.
2. You learned many theories and formulas of math.
3. This teacher explained how math would be helpful for the rest of the life and academic years.
4. You learned the importance of Math for higher study.
5. The teacher not only explained the math from the academic book but also has taken interesting
and thought provoking math from other sources.
If you prefer to talk about Literature say:
1. The teacher helped you enjoy the literature.
2. S/he told stories of classic literature that you still remember.
3. S/he was a gifted story teller and she had been successful creating your interest on literature.
4. You became a good reader because of the classes and the teacher.
Similarly you can talk about any subject that you were interested in your school level. In your
whole conversation you should talk about the subject itself for about 2 minutes , 1 minutes about
the teacher and his/her way of teaching and for the remaining time say how benefitted you had
been from those classes.
If you can talk about this cue card you would also be able to answer the following cue cards with
little changes:
1. Describe a teacher from your school.
2. Describe something you learned from your school.
3. Talk about a subject you enjoyed in your school.
4. Describe a subject taught in your school/ college/ university.
5. Talk about your favourite teacher from school.
6. Talk about a teacher you still remember from school.
IELTS Cue Card Sample 14 - Describe a museum that you have visited
You should say:
When you visited the museum
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Follow-up Questions:
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India
Indonesia
National Museum, New Delhi;
National Museum of Indonesia;
Indian Museum, Kolkata;
Jakarta History Museum;
Salarjung Museum, Hyderabad;
Museum of PKI Treason;
Government Museum, Bangalore;
Bali Museum;
Victoria Memorial, Kolkata;
Australia
Malaysia
Australian History Museum;
The national museum;
Macleay Museum;
Petrosains museum;
Sydney Harbour Bridge Visitor
Maritime museum;
Centre;
National science museum;
Fort Denison;
Pakistan
Lahore Museum;
Vietnam
War Remnants Museum;
National Museum of Pakistan
Spain
Reina Sofa;
Institut Valenci d'Art Modern;
Guggenheim;
CaixaForum Barcelona;
MACBA;
Turkey
Istanbul Modern;
Russia
Pushkin State Museum of Fine
Arts;
State Historical Museum;
State Hermitage;
State Darwin Museum;
State Russian Museum;
Zurab Tsereteli's Art Gallery;
Novosibirsk State Art Museum;
Moscow Kremlin;
China
Nanjing Educational Museum;
Capital Museum;
Tianjin Museum;
The National Museum of
China;
The Capital Museum;
Beijing Planetarium;
Xibaipo Memorial;
Thailand
Royal Barge Museum;
Museum of Siam;
Bang Khun Thien Museum;
Bangkok Planetarium;
Prasart Museum;
Italy
Vatican Museums, Rome;
Galleria Palatina, Florence;
Musei Capitolini, Rome;
Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan;
Nepal
National Museum of Nepal;
Iraq
National Museum of Iraq;
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USA
Metropolitan Museum of Art;
Guggenheim Museum;
National Portrait Gallery;
Philadelphia Museum of Art;
Hirshhorn Museum;
Singapore
Peranakan Museum;
Asian Civilisations Museum;
National Museum of
Singapore;
Iran
National Museum of Iran;
Azadi Museum;
UK
British Museum;
Natural History Museum;
Victoria and Albert Museum;
National Gallery, London;
Royal Academy of Arts;
Tate Modern, London;
Kazakhstan
Abai Kununbaev Museum;
Museums and Art Galleries;
Almaty City History
Museum;
Central State Museum;
Geology Museum;
Kazakhstan Museum of Arts;
Greece
Acropolis Museum;
National Archaeological
Museum of Athens;
Benaki Museum;
Athinais Culture Center;
Athens War Museum;
Archaeological Museum of
Komotini;
Japan
Tokyo National Museum;
Some other Cue card topics that you should be able to answer as well if you prepare for
this cue card:
1. Describe a worth visiting place in your city.
2. Talk about a museum you have visited.
3. Describe a place where you would like to go.
4. Describe an interesting place you have visited.
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In 1989, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry a
being deemed 'Culturally', 'Historically' and 'Aesthetically' significant. It is the 2nd best movie of
all time based on AFI's 100 best movies of all time.
I've seen the movie more than 2-3 times. The story is excellent, the casting, plot, acting,
dialogues and all other aspects of the movie is superb. The movie deeply touched me and became
the most favourite movie I have ever seen.
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Stardust
Pride and prejudice
The Godfather
Schindler's List
The bridge on the river Kwai
Scarface
Note that Movie and Film indicates the same thing. 'Film' is used in British English where as
both words are used in American English. So do not get confused if the cue card asks you to talk
about a film while you consider it as 'Movie'.
IELTS Cue Card Sample 16 - Describe a foreign country you have never been to
You should say:
1) Where is the country?
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Some other topics you should be able to answer if you preparer for this cue card topic:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
IELTS Cue Card Sample 17 - Describe a party that you have attended
1) What is the party?
2) Where was the party held?
3) Who attended the party?
and describe what did you do in that party?
Follow-up Questions:
What are the differences between serious party and friendly party?
Why are some people late for parties intentionally?
Why do some people like party while others hate it?
What would you do if the guests feel bored?
Will there be more and more people to attend parties?
Possible Answer:
The party I'd like to describe is the New Year eve party that I attended 2 years back. Our
University friends invited me to join the party and I had to contribute some amount for that. The
party held on a 3 star hotel where the teachers, students and their relatives attended.
On the New Year eve one of my friends gave me a call and then I picked up a taxi to reach the
hotel. The name of the hotel was (..say a name you prefer...) and it was a beautiful hotel in our
city. After I reach the hotel I found that it has been gorgeously decorated with lights. Our party
was in the 2nd floor and I found most of my friends and some of the teachers already enjoying
the party.
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A local music band was singing and people were wearing mostly party dresses. We enjoyed the
party a lot and ate several local and foreign dishes. We started counting down the time at 11:59
pm and when the clock ticked at 12:00, we started shouting with the New Year wishes. We
stayed at the party till 2.00 am and all those time we enjoyed our time every way possible.
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IELTS Cue Card Sample 18 - "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.
Follow-up Questions:
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 todays 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.
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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:
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.
IELTS Cue Card Sample 19 - "Describe a friend who you really like to spend
time with."
You should say:
When and how you met.
How often do you see this friend.
What kind of personality your friend has
and say why do you like spending time with this particular person?
Follow-up Questions:
Is friendship important in your culture? How many close friends can you have?
Are friends more important than family?
What are the important things among good friends?
Do you have any friends from foreign country?
What are the difference between real life friends and pen friends?
Possible answer:
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The friend I like to spent time with is Steven. I met him when I was only 8 years old and was in
primary school. After that our intimacy grew up and we became best friends. One day he forgot
to bring his book in school and that day I helped him with my expire books. After that we talked
for a long after school and our friendship started to begin. We went to college together and then
got admitted in different Universities. Since we were studying in the same city, we can meet each
other and spend time together.
We are yet to finish our graduation and busy with our own stuffs but whenever we get vacation
we spend time together. Since our hometown is same, we go there together and thus we meet
each other at least twice in a month. He is a helpful and talented friend who helps people and
always wished best for people. He is studying Mathematics and he has a talent in Mathematics.
Sometimes he explains some complex mathematical theories in a very simple and interesting
way. He is passionate about reading books and that makes a good bonding with me. We often
exchange our thought and criticism about books and politics.
I like to spend time with him because we have many common interests between us. I never feel
bored spending time with him. Since we are friends for a long time, we understand each other. A
good friend always extends helping hands when in need and I've found Steven by my side
always. We do so many fun stuffs together and help each other in our study. Good friendship,
understanding and common interests makes us close friends and those are the major factors for
what I like to spend time with his.
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can also mention you met at college/university or even all of a sudden in a shopping mall/
auditorium/ park. Sometimes friendship starts from fights and quarrel and for this you can
mention that you had a fight in an issue but later you two become close.
A friend can be an online friend whom you have met only few times or may be never met. In this
scenario your friendship can start from an online chat-room or from a social networking
platform.
How often do you meet?
To answer this question you need to focus on the previous question and the context. If you talk
about a friend who lives in the same street or study / work with you then you would meet him
daily. If you pick a friend from your hometown where you no longer live, then your meeting
frequency would be 2-5 times a year or so. For online friends whom you have never met, simply
say that you have never mate him/her in person but you talk/ chat over internet almost every day.
What kind of personality your friend has:
For this question, say that s/he is very friendly, helpful and caring. S/he values your friendship
and always raises a helping hand. For his/her personality, say that s/he is talented, creative and
has an attractive personality. Also mention that s/he is understanding and well-behaved. For
online friend, mentioning personality is bit tough as you might have never met him/her. In this
case, say that s/he is caring and have positive attitudes and his/her opinion on different issues
seems very well thought and positive. Mention something s/he does for the benefits or others and
you were attracted to some of his activities.
Why do you like spending time with this particular person?
Naturally people like to spend time with people who have common interest and have positive
attitudes. So you should mention what common interests you have and what you do together (for
online friends, say the topics you discuss and share). Also you can say you have learned many
positive things from him/her and you two have a great understanding. Also say that s/he is a
good friend who is ready to support you no matter what and has already advised you or helped
you in different issues.
Your preparation for this cue card topic should also help you answering the following topics:
1. Talk about a childhood friends you remember.
2. Describe a friend from your hometown.
3. Describe one of your online friends.
4. Describe an activity you do with your friends.
5. Describe a friend you like to spend time with.
6. Talk about a friend who helped you once.
7. Talk about a friend whom you helped.
8. Describe a friend from your college/ university.
9. Talk about a friend whom you met accidentally.
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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.
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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.
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