IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
A VOLUNTEERING
EXPERIENCE YOU HAD
Describe a volunteering experience you have had
You should say:
- What it was
- Where it was
- Why you volunteered
And how you felt about your experience
A N S W E R
When I was a college student I had plenty of opportunities to volunteer in different organizations and I can say that my experiences were unforgettable and life-changing that I’ll forever hold dear. Well, let me tell you my favorite volunteering experience at a Children’s Cancer Foundation center in our city, where I usually spent most of my summer holidays.
The foundation is basically housing children with cancer from different places in our country. It provides medical care to children, education, food, and other necessities. The foundation is primarily run by three doctors who lost their children to leukemia, colon cancer, and brain tumors. Their experience inspired and led them to establish a foundation for children who are living with cancer.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Hold dear [phrase] – to cherish or treasure
House [verb, as used in the story] – to provide shelter
Necessities [noun] – something necessary
Leukemia [noun] – blood cancer
Establish [verb] – set up
TIPS
i.) FIRST PARAGRAPH: The speaker developed his introduction by stating that he had many experiences in volunteering and each experience he had was valuable to him. Then after that line, he gave the main topic of his story. With that kind of intro, he’s able to use good language and it’s creative.
ii.) SECOND PARAGRAPH: In this part, he introduced the foundation by talking about what it does, how it started, and who are the beneficiaries. That’s important as it acts as a background story. In that way, the examiner would get a better understanding of the foundation and he would then get an idea of what kind of volunteering the speaker did.
Anyway, my first volunteering experience at that foundation was three years ago when my best friend who was a nursing student then, invited me to join their volunteer activity. He said that their professor wanted to take them to the said foundation. As I was eager to know about children with cancer, I never hesitated to join.
On the day of our visit, we held some activities, of course, intended for children. I was assigned to entertainment as I didn’t have any background in nursing or medical-related stuff. I did story-telling, painting, and singing with kids. It was a lovely experience seeing kids be wreathed in smiles. Witnessing their condition for the very first time and hearing their stories made me realize then, how brave they were. I felt embarrassed of myself for having so much fear in life even on petty things.
Those kids taught me to be fearless in anything that I do. If they themselves are brave enough to face their condition, there’s no reason why I can’t be as brave as they are in this life.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Eager [verb] – having or showing a desire
Hesitate [verb] – be reluctant
Be wreathed in smiles [idiom] – to be smiling and looking extremely happy
Petty [adj.] – trivial; unimportant
TIPS
iii.) THIRD PARAGRAPH: In this part, the speaker started recalling the time how he got to join a particular volunteering activity. This would serve as a preparatory idea or detail for the major details that would come next to his story.
iv.) FOURTH PARAGRAPH: Here, he described thoroughly what he did as a volunteer. He stated very important details of his story. This is the most important part of his monologue answering the task about volunteering.
v.) FIFTH PARAGRAPH: He simply shared his life lesson from what he experienced and this would give a great value to his entire story. That’s a very good way to end his monologue.
PART 3
What qualities or personalities are required for a volunteer?
I believe compassion, selflessness, kindness, and dedication are the most important qualities a volunteer should have. These characteristics are needed in order to achieve the goal of volunteering, which is to contribute something valuable to society – may it be helping the less privileged people, conserving the environment, taking care of the elderly, and the like.
As we know, volunteers do not get any monetary rewards for the work that they do, so in the first place, they should possess those commendable traits, otherwise, the common goal will not be realized. So, if one embodies those qualities and is willing to allocate time to take part in volunteering, then this world will become a better place to live in.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Compassion [noun] – sympathetic concern for the struggles or sufferings of others
Selflessness [noun] – concern more with the needs of others than with one’s own
Dedication [noun] – commitment
Less-privileged [adj.] – having less money, education, than the other people
Conserve [verb] – protect from destruction
Monetary [adj.] – relating to money
Commendable [adj.] – admirable
Embody [verb] – to possess or show particular ideas or qualities
Allocate [verb] – give out; share out
Take part [phrase] – participate
TIP
i.) The speaker gave a straightforward answer enumerating the different qualities of a volunteer. Then he explained the importance of those characteristics to achieve the main goal of volunteering. Not only that, he mentioned some examples of what kinds of volunteering activities could add value to society. Finally, he ended his answer by stating that with those kinds of people and the act of kindness they share with others, the world became a better place to live in. It’s a very well-constructed answer with an enlightening conclusive statement.
Do you think people should participate more in volunteering?
Well honestly, the question sounds like everyone is obliged to volunteer but that is not the principle of volunteering. We cannot ask or order people to volunteer because volunteering in the first place is not asked, it is offered personally without conditions. In my opinion, the thought of the question conflicts with the concept of volunteering. I think it would be better to ask, “How can we encourage people to participate in volunteering?”.
To volunteer is to offer part of yourself willingly to the community and every one of us should not be obligated to do volunteering. Let me just reiterate, it is not asked but it is offered.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Oblige [verb] – make someone legally or morally bound to do something
Conflict [verb] – clash; not support
Obligate [verb] – oblige
Reiterate [verb] – to say something again
TIPS
i.) The speaker commented on the question itself as he felt and believed that the idea of the question presented as if everyone must volunteer. He expressed his point of view about volunteering and explained that volunteering in the first place is not something people can ask for but it’s something people could offer. Because of that belief, he suggested a different way to ask a question which is focusing on how people can encourage others to participate in volunteering. He sounded very confident in the fact that he showed disagreement with the question.
ii.) Then simply ended his answer by reiterating his understanding of what volunteering meant for him. It’s a great answer as he’s able to make a good impression on the examiner.
In what way do companies engaging in volunteering help society?
That hugely depends on what volunteer activity they are taking part in. If a certain company is conducting a coastal clean-up, then for sure they help save the ocean’s health from the brink of destruction. If companies are doing humanitarian aid like educating children, providing basic necessities, or medical care to underprivileged communities, then they make people’s lives better. Through their assistance, they are able to uplift the morale of those less fortunate people.
Although each company has a different charitable organization that they are engaging in, they all share the same goal which is to make a better society and I should say that their efforts for participating in volunteering are deeply appreciated.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Hugely [adv.] – very much
Coastal [adj.] – or of near the coast
Clean-up [noun] – the act of cleaning or tidying the place
The brink of [phrase] – a situation when you are almost in a new situation, usually a bad one
Uplift [verb] – raise; boost
Morale [noun] – self-esteem; spirit
TIP
i.) The speaker answered the question by giving two kinds of scenarios so he could provide a better answer to discuss. He stated specific kinds of volunteering activities that each company does and talked about the results of their acts of kindness. Then, he ended his answer by emphasizing the fact that even though those companies had different ways of volunteering, they still had the same goal which was to contribute something valuable to society. The way the speaker developed his conclusion makes his answer logical or organized.
How do advanced technologies help volunteers and volunteering experiences?
Excuse my ignorance, I do not have any idea at all. Well, I joined several volunteer activities in the past but unfortunately, we did not use any forms of modern technology. We only relied on ourselves in conducting feeding programs and teaching children important things like the importance of personal hygiene. We did not use any advanced technologies to make our activity successful.
Anyway, if modern technologies are now incorporated with volunteering, then that will surely be helpful to volunteers and the beneficiaries since basically, technology provides nothing but convenience or comfort to humankind. I applaud those volunteers who take the initiative to use modern technologies to make their volunteering work more fun and productive.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Excuse my ignorance [phrase] – another way to say ‘I’m sorry I don’t know this’
Rely [verb] – depend
Incorporate [verb] – include
Beneficiary [noun] – a person who receives help
Applaud [verb] – praise
Initiative [noun] – ingenuity; the ability to make decisions and take actions without waiting for others
TIP
i.) The speaker gave a very honest answer to the examiner. As he didn’t know anything about the question, he simply said that he didn’t have any idea. However, in order for him to extend his answer and to prove his language prowess to the examiner, he gave comments on the idea of incorporating modern technologies in volunteering. Although he didn’t know the answer to the question, he was still able to express his answer better. So don’t be afraid to say that you don’t know the answer but make sure to express why you don’t know. It’s a great answer!
*The story in Part 2 is only fictional, in which the author got inspiration from the House of Hope Foundation For Kids with Cancer Inc. If you want to donate to the organization just click here.
Learn how to develop a monologue for the recent cue card about
DESCRIBE A TIME YOU HELPED SOMEONE.
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Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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