Describe a program/application in your computer/phone.

 Cue Card-16 

Describe a program/application in your computer/phone. 

1. What the app is?

- WhatsApp 

2. When you started using it?

- 6 to 7 years ago

3. How you use it?

- On my phone

- Internet Connection

4. How you feel about it?

- Made life easy

- Better communication 

- Addictive

1. My favourite app is WhatsApp.

2. I started using it 6 to 7 years ago.

3. I use it daily on my phone with the help of an internet connection.

4. I feel it has made life a lot easier, allowed better communication but it is addictive. 

These days, science and technology are progressing by leaps and bounds and there are hundreds and thousands of applications which are the brainchild of computer experts. I also use many different applications like Facebook, Flipkart, Instagram, Wynk etcetera but my favourite will always be WhatsApp. It is a blessing and I think we all feel handicapped without it in our phones. It initially allowed chatting and exchanging pictures. However, with the passage of time many additions are being made. One can now send pictures with captions and even make audio calls. The option of video calling is yet to come. I think WhatsApp is the most commonly used application and is found in the phone of every individual. It helps people to connect with their loved ones, carry out businesses, people make groups to share ideas, beliefs, or send important information of common interest. I find this a marvelous creation and I will always use it. 

Follow ups: 

1. What kinds of apps do you have on your phone ?

- I have social networking, photo editing, shopping, music and banking apps on my phone. 

2. What are the drawbacks of having too many apps on your phone?

- There are several drawbacks of having too many apps like the phone can get hanged, too much memory gets used and many updates have to be done from time to time.

3. How much time do you spend on these apps everyday?

- I spend almost two hours on these apps each day and on days that I have holidays, I spend even more time. 

4. Do you like to look for new apps or do you just keep using old ones?

- I am not very fond of looking for new apps but if someone suggests an app to me and I feel it is of my use then I download it. 

Related Question: An app that you have recently started using. 

A time when the weather changed your plan cue card

 Cue Card-15 

A time when the weather changed your plan.

• When this happened?

• What kind of weather was it?

• Explain why you could not finish the planned activity?

• What you did at the end? 

1. On my younger cousin’s birthday weather changed my plan.

2. At about 10am it started raining very heavily.

3. Our picnic got canccelled because the rain did not show any mercy. 

4. Finally, we celebrated her birthday by ordering food, requesting our neighbours to join us and playing indoor games.

Due to the increased interference of man in nature, the patterns of weather are undergoing an erratic change. Unexpected and unsystematic season cycles are have become common. A recent plan that I had with my cousins was a fiasco. It was the birthday of my younger cousin when we decided to go for a picnic and celebrate it. We got everything ready the previous night. Everyone was so thrilled that the lengthy discussions about what we would do the following day carried on till late night. At about 10am we decided to leave for the fun filled day we had planned, when we were getting ready to leave the heavens opened up. We thought that it will stop raining in sometime but Mother Nature had other plans in store and the downpour only got heavier. Everyone was disappointed so we decided to celebrate the birthday at home with the same enthusiasm. We prepared some snacks, called some of our neighbours, played board games, cards and watched a movie on television. Though we were upset intially but later, it turned out to be a fulfilled day and probably we enjoyed more than what we may had enjoyed at the picnic, the neighbours who joined us added to the fun. It was a memorable day and the birthday girl was also very happy. 

Follow ups:

1. Where can people get weather reports?(People can get weather reports from newspapers, applications on mobile phones, websites and television news.)

2. How do weather reports affect people’s life? (Weather reports affect people’s holidays, travel plans. They also affect everyday decisions like washing clothes etc.)

3. What do people do on rainy days and sunny days? (On sunny days people generally wear light cotton clothes, use sunglasses, hats etcetera to protect themselves against the sun’s heat but on rainy days they use raincoats, colourful umbrellas. On rainy days people prefer to remain confined to their homes and on sunny days people don’t hesitate to venture out.)

4. Has climate affected your country? (Like every other part of the world, my country too has been affected by unexpected climate changes. Human interferences with the balance of nature is the primary reason for erratic climatic conditions.)

5. Does weather affect your mood? (Yes weather affect my mood, on sunny days, I feel lively and energetic on cloudy days, I feel sad and gloomy.) 

A time when the weather changed your plan.

Time when you helped someone cue card

 Cue Card-14. 

Q. When you helped someone.

• What was the situation?

• Who was the person?

• How you helped him/her?

• Explain how you felt after helping the person?

1. I helped a poor woman and her baby in an evening when it was raining heavily.

2. They were strangers to me; I saw them near my house. 

3. I provided them food, some warm clothes and shelter.

4. I felt happy and content that I was of use to someone. 

Man is a social animal and we cannot live alone. We should always help everyone we can. There have been many instances when I helped people but I am about to relate one which happened not too long ago. It was a friday evening when it was raining cats and dogs that I saw a woman carrying a little baby and shivering in the cold. She had covered her baby with a torn shawl and the child was howling. This situation depressed me and I felt a deep urge to help. I directed her towards my house and made them comfortable in a room that we had for our helpers. I handed over some clothes to the woman and gave her tea to warm her body and milk for the body. Later, that night after everyone had dinner, my mother and I spoke to the poor woman that the woman was a parent and was abandoned by her husband. We decided to keep them with us to help in household chores and we could give them shelter, food and also send the girl to school. When my mother proposed this to the lady, she had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. That moment made me realise now a helping hand gives rise to such emotions in humans. I felt so thankful for all. I have and realised how tough life can be for certain people. I felt very happy and joyful that I was able to help a person and her daughter. It gave me contentment and also taught me a lesson to help the needy in any possible manner. 

Follow ups:

1. Do you like helping others? (Yes, my parents and teachers have taught me that we must help others.)

2. In your view should children be taught to help others? (In my opinion, children should be taught to help others keeping in mind that they may also need someone’s help in future.)

3. How can we encourage children to help others? (Children can be encouraged to extend help by asking them to help their parents in daily chores, helping old people by bringing things for them etcetera.)

4. Do you think people are less willing to help others these days? (These days we have become materialistic and self-centred and as compared to the past people are more hesitant in extending help to others.)

5. How can charitable organizations help people? (Charitable organizations can help people by raising funds for food, education, shelter, clothing, medicine etcetera.)

6. What are some examples of such organizations in your country? (The examples of charitable organizations in India are Missionaries of charity, MAD (Make a difference), Retract.

Cue card special place you would like to visit in future.

 Cue Card-13

Describe a special place you would like to visit in future.

• Where is this place?

• Who would you like to go with?

• What would you do there?

• Explain why this would be a special trip? 

1. I would like to go to a hill station called Khajjiar, it is known as the Switzerland of India.

2. I want to go there with my friends as none of us has been there.

3. I would enjoy and admire nature, visit some tourist attractions like the lake and the pine forests.

4. It would be a very special trip as I am longing for pleasant weather and good company. 

Today everyone has a very tight schedule and stuck in their professions and end up being a participant in the rat race for money and professional glory. A  short trip is good way of taking a break from daily routine and rejuvenating. I am keen traveller but I am a student and I haven’t had the chance to visit many places. I have visited very few places in India and sadly none abroad. Before going abroad, I want to visit all places in India and I would like to begin with Khajjiar, the Switzerland of India in Himachal Pradesh. I have heard a lot about its beauty and charm. It is situated in foothills of the Dhauladhar range of the Western Himalayas. It has a beautiful lake led by streams originating from the mountains. It is a unique ecosystem comprising of a lake, pastures and evergreen forests. I have read about it in books, seen it in some movies and heard a lot about it from friends and relatives who have been there. It is an hour away from Dalhousie. There are a couple of private hotels in Khajjiar but the preferred choices of accommodation for tourists are a hotel and colleges managed by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism department. Dense Deodar and Pine trees of the Dhauladhar range along with lush green meadows make Khajjiar one of the other 160 places in the world which resemble Switzerland. The best sources of entertainment in Khajjiar are walk around the picturesque lake and trekking in the thick pine forests. Children like this place because they get freedom of movement, they can roll down the grass covered slopes without the fear of getting hurt. Horse riding is another famous activity. There have been times when we have planned a trip to Khajjiar but we could not execute any of those plans. I hope something materializes soon. 

Follow ups: 

1. Are there any special places for visiting in India? (There are many special places worth visiting in. Some places are famous for natural beauty, temples, monuments and buildings. Others are famous for food, clothing, art, music etcetera.)

2. Do Indian people like to travel abroad? (Yes, Indian people like to travel abroad for vacations, business or study.)

3. How can people benefit from travelling? (There are many advantages of travelling like attaining knowledge of places, understanding reigonal and cultural diversity. Widening our social circle by meeting new people is also one of the many advantages of travelling.)

4. Do you like to travel on your own or with your family? (I am solitary and peace loving person. I prefer to travel alone and do what I want when I visit new places.)

5. Do you like to visit popular places or less-known places? (I like to travel, so I visit any place that is new for me and its popularity really has no significance.)

Related Questions: A short vacation you would like. OR A trip with your friends. 

Favourite festival cue card IELTS

 Cue Card-12 

Favourite festival 

• Which festival is it?

• When is it celebrated?

• Why is it celebrated?

• Explain why you like it?

1. My favourite festival is Baisakhi.

2. It is celebrated in the month of April.

3. It is celebrated as the festival of harvest and marks the beginning of the Sikhs’ New Year.

4. I love this festival because people wear colourful clothes and there is celebration all around with a lot of happiness. 

Incredible India is a land of Unity in Diversity, where people of various religions and cultures live together. There is hardly any month in India which has no festival. Festivals are of varied nature and have their own significance. Some festivals are celebrated to mark the change of seasons, some have a historical or religions value and some are national festival. I love all festivals but my favourite is Baisakhi. It is celebrated on the 13th of April every year and is better known as the harvest festival but also mark the beginning of the Sikh New Year and the remembrance of laying of the foundation of Khalsa by the 10th Guru of Sikhs, Shri Guru Gobind Singh. People visit Gurudwara the holy Temple of Sikhs. Farmers offer prayers thanking God for the abundant harvest of the year which passed and seeking blessings of the year ahead. People dress in colourful costumes and they perform the traditional dance, Bhangra. Some gather in groups and sing songs along with playing drums. There is great mirth and jubilation on each face. People of all age groups zealously take part in the celebrations. To conclude, I would say that people should involve in celebrations as it strengthens bonds among masses and also keeps them connected to their roots. 

Follow ups:

1. Do you have traditional dresses in your country? (India is home to people from many cultures. Traditional dresses vary from culture to culture and reigon to reigon. For example, in Punjab ‘Salwar Kameez’ is the traditional dress for women and ‘Kurta Pyjama’ for men.)

2. Do you think traditions would be lost in the future? (I think may be lost in future because of our inclination and liking to Western Culture. We are adapting to Western culture on a scale which may make us forget our original traditions.)

3. Should young people celebrate traditional festivals? (In my opinion, young people should celebrate festivals so that they become familiar with their importance and pass it to the future generations.)

4. Are there any drawbacks of celebration of festivals? (There are some problems associated with the celebration of festivals at times people get carried away in celebrations and indulge in excessive consumption of alcohol and use gambling as a source of celebration. Noise pollution, air pollution, wastage of resources like electricity and water are other drawbacks of uncontrolled festive celebrations.)

Describe a perfect job you would like to do in future.

 Cue Card: 11

Describe a perfect job you would like to do in future.

• What is it?

• How you can get this job?

• What kinds of things you would do for this job?

• Why do you want to do it? 

1. The job which I like to do is of HR Manager.

2. After completing a degree in Human resources, I can get the job.

3. I am working very hard to achieve this job.

4. I want this job because I really like managing Human resources and feel that I can do really well in such a role. 

The desire to succeed is inherent in every individual. All people work to make ends meet. It is natural to want more and better and my parents and teachers have taught me to aim higher. I aspire to become a human resource manager of a reputed company abroad. I made this my goal about 2 years ago when my aunt who lives in Canada visited us. I always had an interest in dealing with people as I usually like to interact and know individuals. Also, my aunt suggested this to me because she has known me for many years now. As per her experience the role of an HR manager is very fulfilling and satisfying. Human resources are the most valuable asset of all organisations and there is a lot of development in this field. I hope I am able to fulfill my desire of getting into this job soon I am making very possible effort to make it come true. 

Follow ups:

1. What kinds of jobs are unpopular in India? (Some jobs like babysitting, old age care-taking which are unpopular in India.)

2. Why do many young adults keep changing their jobs? (Many young adults keep changing their jobs due to availability of better opportunities, growing monotony with a particular job and dissatisfaction with salary.)

3. How to find a perfect job? (I think, there is no way to find what we call a perfect job but choosing our passion as a profession, is an effective way of achieving job satisfaction.)

4. Would you ask your parents for advise about work? (I would like to ask my parents to advise me about my work because I know that they will never give me wrong advice and they know what suits me.)

5. Would you like to apply for challenging jobs or common jobs? (I would like to apply for uncommon and challenging jobs as I like to take up challenges and do things which are out of the ordinary.)

6. Would you like to work abroad? (I have always had this desire to work abroad and I am trying my best to make it come true.)

Related Question: Future goal

A person elder to you whom you admire cue card

 Cue Card-10

A person elder to you whom you admire

1. Who this person is?

- My Mother

2. What you do together?

- We do many things together 

- Walks, movies

3. How you feel about this person?

- She is a woman of courage 

- I feel indebted to her for all that she is to me.

1. The elder person who I admire is my mother. 

2. We do many things together like walking, watching movies etcetera.

3. I feel she is a courageous woman and I owe a lot of what I am today to her. 

It is rightly said, ‘The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.’ My favourite person and someone whom I admire and appreciate a lot is my mother. She is an epitome of love, compassion, simplicity and sacrifice. Teaching me the basic things like walking, talking and complex skills of decision making and handling the pressures of adult life, she has been an instrumental person in my life. She is a beautiful person inside out and always displays great elegance and confidence. I am indebted to her for teaching me some very important values. She is someone who never gets tired of doing good. She has been with me on every step no matter how tough a situation I face in my life, she always gives me comfort and helps me to be the best of me. She never hesitate to sacrifice to make her family happy and peaceful. Taking care of all the sorts of needs of each one of us, she even listen to us when we lose our temper and forgives our mistakes. She has never been judgemental about me even when I have committed big blunders. I lover her a lot for her strength and courage. I always have one surety that she is my mentor and guide. I am grateful to god for giving me the opportunity to be her child and I will always try to be like her. I wish God gives her good health and happiness throughout her life. 

Followups:

1. What kind of activities do old people like to do these days? (Old people like to go for walks, join clubs, meditate and perform yoga.)

2. Why do some old people only remember happy things? (Some old people remember only happy things because recalling unpleasant and bad things makes them sad.)

3. Why do young people like to ask about the past of old people? (Young people can learn, morals, ways to handle tough situations and a lot of other life skills from old people.)

4. Do you think old people enjoy their life more these days as compared to the past? (I think old people enjoyed their life more in the past as life was simple, everyone stayed together and everyone had a lot of time for her family and relatives but nowadays old people feel lonely as their children are busy and do not have time for them.)

Related Question: Favourite family member OR A person who inspires you.