IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
Describe a book you have recently read
You should say:
- What type of book it was
- What it was about
- Where you read it
And explain how you felt about the book
A N S W E R
I enjoy reading but I don’t consider myself a bookworm, I just read for the sake of learning something new which can be helpful to my profession. Well, I love to spend my time reading educational books. Just yesterday, while I was enjoying my leisure time, I decided to read a book titled ‘Teaching Strategies In The Age of Internet’ which is authored by a well-known educator in our country.
As I am a high school teacher, I got intrigued by the title of the book since it’s very timely and I had the feeling that I needed to read it knowing that my students are really hard to deal with.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Bookworm [noun] – a person who is devoted to reading
For the sake of [phrase] – doing something on purpose or to achieve a result
Leisure time [noun] – free time
Intrigue [verb] – to get interested; attract
Deal with [phrase] – taking action; giving attention
TIPS
i.) FIRST PARAGRAPH: The speaker showed his language skills in the introductory part by confidently talking about what kind of person he is in terms of reading. After that, he immediately answered the question about what type of books he loves reading but he didn’t mention the title of the book that he recently read yet. This is a very good introduction to impress the examiner that you are confident and natural in speaking the language.
ii.) SECOND PARAGRAPH: The speaker then gave the examiner an idea of ‘how recent’ he read the book, then followed by the specific book that he read. This is the best part to mention the title of the book and the basic information about the book.
Well, I had known this book for long as it’s advertised in an Education Magazine, but I never had the chance to get one since I didn’t have enough time to go to a bookstore due to my hectic schedule. Luckily a week ago, one of my friends gifted this to me on my birthday. I was thrilled to see it as one of my birthday presents. My friend was like a mind-reader, I didn’t tell anyone that I had so much interest in this book and unexpectedly I got hold of it!
Anyway, this educational book is approximately 300 pages and what I love about it is the fact that it’s very comprehensive. All the teaching methods that teachers need to know about dealing with millennial students are thoroughly explained. I started reading this book three days ago at home and I couldn’t be happier to know the specific teaching strategies written in this book.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Hectic [adj.] – restless
Mind-reader [noun] – a person who can discern what someone’s thinking
Get hold of [phrase] – obtain
Millennial [noun] – refers to a person who reaches young adulthood in the 21st century
Couldn’t be happier [phrase] – to be very happy
TIPS
i.) THIRD PARAGRAPH: In this part, the speaker talked about how he knew the book and how he got this. It is important to give background information in order for the story to be more understandable.
ii.) FOURTH PARAGRAPH: Here, the speaker talked about the book itself – the physical aspect (page) and the content. It is necessary to talk about what the book is about to give the examiner a clear understanding of why you read the book and how this book influenced you.
One of the unconventional teaching techniques that caught my attention from that book is that teachers need to take advantage of the social media craze among students. Teachers should utilize social media in delivering lessons from time to time since students are addicted to using it. We teachers should go with the trend to make the students get engaged in learning.
Thanks to this book, I’ve become open-minded about how I could better my style of teaching which would surely make my millennial students get more interested in learning.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Unconventional [adj.] – not traditional; modern
Take advantage [phrase] – to make use of
Craze [noun] – an enthusiasm for a particular thing
Utilize [verb] – use; make use of
From time to time [phrase] – occasionally; every now and again
Go with [phrase] – to accept
Trend [noun] – a general development that is happening at a particular time
TIPS
i.) FIFTH PARAGRAPH: In this part, the speaker talked about his realization or the lesson he got from reading the book. This is a good way to make his story longer – to be able to talk more. This technique makes the story more substantial.
ii.) LAST PART: This is considered the proper ending of the story but this is just optional. As you may run out of time. However, if you can do this it’s also great, as you are showing the examiner that you know how to end your story very well.
PART 3
Which do you prefer paper books or e-books?
I prefer the latter as it is way more convenient than the former. Electronic books like Kindle from Amazon are really handy. I can take it anywhere and anytime. Also, I can purchase and download more digital books online if I want to without going to a bookstore. Yes, I cannot deny the fact that there are some downsides to using electronic books but since my priority is convenience, I cannot trade e-books for paper books.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Latter [adj.] – the second thing mentioned
Handy [adj.] – useful; convenient
Purchase [verb] – buy
Downside [noun] – drawback; disadvantage
(I cannot) trade [expression] – cannot exchange
TIP
i.) The first sentence uttered by the speaker is very straightforward. He chose one over another immediately plus the reason. Then he gave a specific example to support his argument. That made his answer compact or organized.
What are the benefits of reading paper books than electronic books?
The fact that readers can underline some words with a pen and can take some important notes on the side of the page makes them become more focused on reading and understanding the content. This helps them improve their comprehension skills.
Another benefit that is brought by reading paper books is that readers will not get eye irritation. Eye irritation is mostly caused by spending too many hours facing the screen or the monitor of the computer. Readers of paper books are spared from this condition basically.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Eye irritation [noun] – a condition in which one feels that something is bothering his eyes
Spare from [phrase] – to not be affected
TIPS
i.) Instead of using the common construction of “The benefits are…/The advantages are…”, the speaker started his answer by using the expression ‘the fact that’. It means something that is true that cannot be refuted. This makes his answer sound so natural. It shows that the speaker has the confidence to handle a good discussion.
ii.) When you are asked to give plural, just make sure you can give at least two. The speaker did well here, he provided two benefits and explained them thoroughly.
Do you think people these days still read books?
Yes definitely! Even though we are now in the internet era, there are still many people who enjoy reading books since it provides plenty of benefits to them, such as being able to exercise their mind through learning a new set of vocabulary or enhancing their comprehension skills. Also, through reading, people become well-informed and more creative since it stirs their imagination. In addition, according to science people whose first love is reading are less likely to get dementia because their brain becomes more alert.
With these great benefits, I am confident to say that reading is still a popular hobby among people in this frontier technology generation. Reading is one of those activities that people should never be taken for granted.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Stir (one’s) imagination [expression] – to make someone get interested or excited in imagining
Less likely [adj.] – unlikely; not likely to happen
Alert [adj.] – active; attentive
Frontier technology [noun] – innovative; new technology
(Be) taken for granted [expression] – to never think about something
TIPS
i.) The introduction is very direct. You can always use expressions such as ‘definitely’, ‘certainly’, ‘absolutely’, when expressing a direct affirmation. Then the speaker enumerated the benefits of reading and explained them thoroughly.
ii.)The last paragraph is the conclusive statement of the speaker that affirmed that reading still does good to people amid the entertainment brought by the internet.
How can we encourage children to read books?
Well, frankly speaking, it is more than a challenge these days to motivate children to read because of the existing entertainment distractions, such as playing computer games, socializing on social media platforms, and the like. However, I suppose we can make them love reading or influence them to read through modeling. If we adults show them that we enjoy reading, then it is highly likely that they will imitate us.
In reality, the love of reading starts at a very early age. When parents spend time reading bedtime stories to their children before going to sleep, their children will surely get used to reading and it will become a habit for them. However, if parents never practice that with their children, then it is just hard to make them love reading and as a result, they will surely have difficulty encouraging their children to read.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Distraction [noun] – interruption
High likely [adj.] – high possibility that something will happen
Imitate [verb] – follow
TIPS
i.) The speaker did not immediately talk about the way how to encourage children but instead, he presented the fact that it’s difficult to encourage children to love reading because of distractions. This is a more advanced way to start answering the question than just telling the ways straight. This is a very good way to show the speaker’s confidence in using the language.
ii.) The speaker then provided the answer to what is being asked. He ended his answer by talking about the root cause of why some children are not into reading. This is a deeper way to discuss his answer to make the examiner understand better.
Develop a story better in Part 2 for
the recent IELTS Speaking CUE
CARD about
Describe A Situation When You Didn’t Have Enough Time
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PART 3 Here!
Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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