IELTS CUE CARD: A PERSON WHO’S GOOD AT HIS JOB

IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD

[PART 2]

A PERSON WHO’S GOOD

AT HIS JOB

Describe a person who is good at his or her job

You should say:

• Who this person is
• What his or her job is
• How he or she likes the job

And explain why this person is good at his job

A N S W E R 

Let me talk about my cousin who is a financial advisor in one of the biggest financial insurance companies in this country.

A few months ago, I made up my mind to find a financial advisor who can help me educate finance-related matters. I’ve been running my own warehouse business and more often than not, I have some difficulty in managing my finances which made me confused in understanding the cash flow statement of my business. 

So, I searched through the internet about the best financial advisers in my city, to my surprise, the name of my cousin appeared on the list. As I hadn’t talked with him for ages, I had no updates about his personal and professional life. So without a second thought, I rang him and invited him for a meetup because I did believe that he was the answer to my problem.

LEXICAL RESOURCE

Make up (one’s) mind [phrase] – decide

Running (one’s) business [expression] – to manage one’s business

More often than not [phrase] – usually

Cash flow statement [noun] – a financial statement that provides data on cash inflows and outflows of a company

Search through [phrase] – to look for something

For ages [idiom] – for a long time

Professional life [noun] – work life; career life

Without a second thought [phrase] – immediately

Meetup [noun] – informal gathering

TIPS

i.) The speaker gave a very direct introduction to his story, immediately talking about who the person was and what he actually did. Sometimes, a plain or simple introduction is best, you don’t need to be always creative when introducing your story. 

ii.) After that, he transitioned to providing a background story on how he found his cousin and why he needed him. This is a very good way to make the examiner understand the story better.  A background story is essential for better understanding! 

To make a long story short, I learned that he attained an Accounting degree from one of the best schools in the US and started working in a financial company in our city two years ago. He has been awarded as the most valuable financial advisor in his company several times for lending a hand successfully to many CEOs and companies. I was lost for words when I knew that he was able to bring in 45% profit to his company last year.  He’s such a brilliant man! I couldn’t be prouder listening to his achievements in life at a young age. He really did follow in his dad’s footsteps who once worked in Financial Insurance Company Limited in the UK.

LEXICAL RESOURCE

To make a long story short [expression] – to skip some unnecessary details and focus on the most important points

Lend a hand [phrase] – to help

Lost for words [phrase] – to be surprised

Bring in [phrase] – to produce a profit

(I) couldn’t be prouder [expression] – to be very proud

Follow in (one’s) footsteps [idiom] – to do something as someone else, especially in the family

TIPS

i.) In this part, the speaker provided all the necessary details as to why he was excellent in the job that he did. The speaker gave instances that would best support or answer the key point of the given task.

ii.) Notice some very good expressions here, some are business terms that helped the speaker express his thoughts even better. As much as possible, add some good topic vocabulary words or collocations to get a good mark in the criterion, Lexical resource.

Anyway, during our conversation, I noticed how eloquent and knowledgeable he was in explaining things about finance which made me speechless. He told me that he had experienced innumerable struggles just to get to where he’s now. He’s more than passionate about giving financial advice to all of his clients because he believes that it’s his mission in this world to provide financial education or literacy to people. I couldn’t be happier to see my cousin being so successful in his chosen profession. 

LEXICAL RESOURCE

Eloquent [adj.] – articulate; fluent

Innumerable [adj.] – too many

Passionate [adj.] – having strong feelings towards something

(I) couldn’t be happier [expression] – to be very happy

TIP

i.) In this part, the speaker simply added some supplemental or secondary details to the story that focused on the reasons why he believed that this person was very good at doing his job. Adding secondary details is essential to extend your story and to be able to consume the allotted time. Apply supplemental details to your answer. 

PART 3

What skillset or characteristics do you think a manager should have?

First of all, a manager should have a good amount of knowledge of the work that he does in order for him to give proper training or guidance to all of his subordinates about their work. Second, he sets himself a good example, which means he has to be responsible and diligent before the eyes of his workers so that they pay respect and follow him. 

Third, he has to have good communication skills to be able to instruct them accurately, especially when working under pressure but as much as possible, he must have empathy towards them – being able to understand his workers’ feelings and treating them as humans not as working machines is very important. 

These are what I believe are the most essential skill sets or qualities that every manager should possess. 

LEXICAL RESOURCE

Subordinate [noun] – a person especially a worker who is under the authority of someone

Set an example [expression] – to behave in a way that one should be imitated

Diligent [adj.] – industrious; hard-working

Before (one’s) eyes [idiom] – right in front of one or while one is watching

Work under pressure [expression] – to work under deadlines or demands in order to meet the requirements set

Empathy [noun] – the ability to understand and share the feelings of others

Possess [verb] – own; have

TIPS

i.) The speaker gave a spontaneous answer by enumerating the different qualities that he believed every manager should have. He gave three very specific qualities and explained them thoroughly.

ii.) Also, he used some good business terms when he explained his points. This is a very good way to get a better mark in the criterion, Lexical Resource.

iii.) Finally, he stated a simple conclusive statement just to wrap up his answer properly. Make sure to end your answer with a conclusion as it helps the examiner understand that you’re done answering. 

Should a manager be strict? Why or why not?

I do not think a manager should be necessarily strict as it emanates negativity from his or her workers. Negativity affects workers’ job performance. People want to work with a manager who has a positive attitude – someone who is accommodating, understanding, and who knows how to treat them well. 

However, I also believe that managers have to set boundaries for their relationship with their workers professionally, they have to make sure that their subordinates still respect them as their superiors. As we know, sometimes some workers take advantage of the kindness of their managers and managers should not allow that to happen. For me, balance is necessary to have a harmonious relationship at work.

LEXICAL RESOURCE

Emanate [verb] – spread out

Accommodating [adj.] – helpful; cooperative

Superior [noun]; [adj.] – someone who has a higher rank than others like a manager or supervisor

Take advantage of [idiom] – to make use of something for one’s benefit

Harmonious [adj.] – free from disagreement; amicable

TIPS

i.) The speaker expressed his negative answer to the question and explained thoroughly why managers should not be strict. He explained the characteristics of a good manager to support his main argument.

ii.) He then transitioned to talking about his opposing idea by saying that managers should set a limitation on their relationship with their workers to maintain a respectful relationship as managers and subordinates. Then, he ended his answer by giving his realization or reflection on the situation. Always make sure to explain your argument clearly and end your answer properly. 

How should new workers perform in their first jobs?

I believe each company or industry has its own standards or regulations imposed on newly hired workers that they need to abide by from the start of their career in a company. So basically, the work performance depends on what industry they belong to. If the new workers are in the creative or advertising industry, it is expected that they have the freedom to be peculiar and outstanding in order for them to deliver what their clients are asking. 

On the other hand, if the new workers are in the IT industry, they have to work systematically to achieve their tasks. For instance in computer science, system or computer engineers need to follow some protocols to be able to transmit data between electronic devices without causing any technical problems. They have to fully understand the pre-existing agreement as to how the information will be structured and how each computer sends and receives data.

So to answer this question, the new workers’ performance in their first job solely depends on what industry or profession they have. 

LEXICAL RESOURCE

Standard [noun] – the level of quality; something used as a measure or model in comparative evaluations

Regulation [noun] (in the answer) – rule set by a company

Impose [verb] – force on someone

Abide [verb] – obey; follow

Peculiar [adj.] – different to what is normal

Outstanding [adj.] – excellent

Systematically [adv.] – methodically

Protocol [noun] (in computer science) – set of rules for transmitting data between electronic devices

Solely [adv.] – only

TIPS

i.) The speaker answered the question by stating his opinion about the uniqueness of each company or industry. In other words, he didn’t give a generalized answer but he discussed the individuality of each company and how new workers performed in those companies. 

ii.) The speaker presented a very well-discussed answer by giving two examples of specific industries. He described the two kinds of workers in different industries thoroughly. Also, he used some good topic vocabulary words and collocations to express his thoughts even better. Make sure to discuss your answer clearly but don’t make it too much to the point that you’re beating around the bush. That’s not the point in this part. 

How can workers improve their work performance?

I really believe that constant learning can make workers improve their performance at work. Providing them with various kinds of training that will help them develop their skills is an effective method to make them work more efficiently or productively. 

For instance, in the teaching profession, young educators are given several types of seminars or training to broaden their understanding of their learners’ differences and their capability to learn. They are taught that every child is different from one another, with that being said, one teaching methodology does not fit all, so as much possible, every teacher needs to be flexible in addressing their students’ learning needs. Through training, they will be able to achieve that.

So basically, it all boils down to learning and continuing to develop one’s skills even more as a realistic way to improve the performance of workers. 

LEXICAL RESOURCE

Efficiently [adv.] – in an organized and competent way

Capability [noun] – the ability to do something

With that being said [expression] – is used to transition from something you have just said to something different; usually contradictory to what has been said first

It boils down [phrase] – the most important or the basic aspect 

TIPS

i.) The speaker directly gave his answer by talking about continuous learning. He focused more on talking about training which he believed was the best way to improve one’s performance at work.

ii.) He then presented a specific example to support his argument that surely helped his reasoning clear and understandable. 

iii.) Finally, he ended his answer by reiterating that constant learning like training was the most effective way. He ended his answer with a very good conclusive statement. Always properly end your answer.