IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
Describe an activity that you enjoy doing alone in your free time
You should say:
- What it is
- How often you do it
- Where you usually do it
And explain why you would like to do this activity
A N S W E R
To be honest, I’m an introvert type so most of my spare time is spent on my own. Normally, I love spending my free time gardening. I’m lucky that I have a green thumb, I can grow many different kinds of plants from crops to ornamental plants without any difficulty.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Introvert [adj.] – reserved; unsociable
A green thumb [idiom] – refers to a person who has the ability to grow plants healthily
Crop [noun] – refers to plants such as grain, fruit, vegetable in a large amount
Ornamental plants [noun] – decorative plants
Tip: The speaker starts his answer by talking about his personality and he connects it to his interest in gardening. It’s a good way to start a story. He is already giving an idea to the examiner why he loves gardening in a subtle way.
I suppose I’ve inherited this interest or passion for planting from my dad. My dad is actually a successful farmer in our hometown. Surprisingly, he owns 25 hectares of land where he grows a variety of crops. He’s just amazing for amassing a fortune from his land even up to this day.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Inherit [verb] – being born with the same physical or mental characteristics as one of your parents or grandparents
Amass [verb] – to accumulate
Fortune [noun] – wealth
Tip: The speaker gives a background story on how he became interested in planting. This is a very good way to stretch your story.
Anyway, I’ve been loving gardening since I was a child. I remember I planted strawberries when I was only five years old in flower pots. I diligently took care of them and after a couple of weeks, I was more than elated to see that they were bearing tiny green strawberries. My effort really paid off after seeing them, that’s what I first thought of. And what made me more thrilled was after two months, I harvested lustrous red strawberries. It’s still vivid in my memory how delighted I was that a five-year-old kid could reap irresistible strawberries. My parents were so proud of me. Since then, I have learned how to grow various kinds of plants.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Diligently [adv.]; diligent [adj.] – hard-working
Elated [adj.] – very happy Paid off [phrase] – being successful
Thrilled [adj.] – excited
Lustrous [adj.] – silky
Vivid [adj.] – clear
Delighted [adj.] – very pleased; happy
Irresistible [adj.] – tempting
Tip: The speaker continues giving more details on his background story. And that makes his story longer. It does really help you sustain your storytelling without losing coherence. (Some examinees have a hard time sustaining or developing their story and some just keep on talking and talking which makes their sentences and ideas incoherent. Be watchful!)
These days, I’m living many miles away from my parents, I can’t deny the fact that there are times that I feel homesick. Of course, they’re just one call away but sometimes it doesn’t help much, so my best diversion is to take care of my vegetables and fruits in my garden. I have a not-so-huge garden in my backyard, and everything I’ve got in there is solely for personal consumption. However, if there’s a time that there’s just too much produce, more often than not, I share them with my beloved neighbors. Well, gardening gives me inexplicable pleasure. It’s my way to relieve all the kinds of stress that I have. Without gardening, I really don’t know how to cope with my stress and homesickness.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
One call away [expression] – it means that if you need help, you can just call a person at once
Diversion [noun] – interruption; distraction
Solely [adv.] – only
Produce [noun] – agricultural products collectively
More often than not [phrase] – usually
Inexplicable [adj.] – cannot be explained
Homesickness [noun] – the condition of missing one’s home/family
Tip: The speaker talks about the current time and what he does. He adds more details about gardening and how enjoys doing it in his free time. The last paragraph gives a signal to the examiner that he’s wrapping up his story – a very good way to end a story. Isn’t it?
PART 3
In what situations do people need to be alone?
Well, I believe there are so many occasions that people need to spend time on their own. One is when people are overwhelmed interacting with different kinds of people, most especially in formal situations. Some easily get drained emotionally after socializing and they need to spend time alone to regain their energy. Another instance would be, is when people need to make a life-changing decision. In order for them to come up with the best decision in their lives, they have to spend time away from distractions contemplating. Well, the best example of that is whether or not to change a career. These are just two of the many instances that make people want to spend their time on their own.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Overwhelm [verb] – to have a strong effect on one’s emotion
Drained [adj.] – very tired
Life-changing decision [noun] – very important decision
Come up [phrasal verb] – happen; occur
Distraction [noun] – interruption; diversion
Contemplate [verb] – think deeply
Tip: The first line -> The speaker paraphrases the question. It shows that he really understands the question and in that way, he proves to the examiner that he can say it in his own words.
Do you think young people in your country have less time for themselves?
In my opinion, yes, young people are under pressure in school and at work, and spending time for themselves is near to impossible. Let me tell you the sad reality here in Japan, most young workers including me have been pressured by the demanding jobs that we do. We work more than the required hours and normally go home very late and oftentimes miss having dinner with our family. Our time is mostly spent on our jobs always. Yes, we Japanese are very diligent, and that is really commendable, however, working so much all the time has taken a toll on us. Mental issues like depression emerge and what is worse some commit suicide.
On the other hand, students as well cannot get away with pressure, they have to study really hard and when I say ‘hard’, they have to spend time studying from morning to late at night even on weekends. This is for the ultimate goal of entering a reputable university. It is like 90% of their time is spent studying. Spending time doing personal things has become a luxury.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Under pressure [idiom] – to be in a state of stress or anxiety
Near to impossible [idiom] – seem almost impossible
Diligent [adj.] – industrious; hard-working
Commendable [adj.] – admirable; praiseworthy
Taken a toll [phrase] – to harm or damage someone in a gradual way
Emerge [verb] – become known
Get away [phrase] – escape
Reputable [adj.] – well-respected; having a good reputation
Luxury [noun] – state of great comfort
Tip: The speaker hits the questions very brilliantly. He explains well why the young people in his country do not have time for themselves. He gives two situations to support his argument which are straight to the point and coherent.
What kinds of jobs can be done at home?
Well with the advent of technology, there are several jobs that people can enjoy doing at home without tackling the hassles such as traffic, crowded trains or buses, waking up early, and the like. These jobs are all online-related like virtual assistants, home-based teaching, web designers, writers, proofreaders, and online marketers. Thanks to technology these kinds of jobs are created. Those who want to work in the comfort of their homes can surely work more effectively. I believe there will be more jobs in the future that can be added to the long list of home-based jobs and I see it favorably.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
The advent of technology [expression] – the coming
Tackle [verb] – deal
Hassle [noun] – inconvenience
And the like [phrase] – and many similar things; etcetera
Tip: The speaker did not give the lists of jobs at once in the introductory part of his answer instead he talks about the cause of the phenomenon (the trend of home-based jobs). It is a very good way to develop an intelligent answer as the speaker shows his language skills to the examiner.
Develop a story better in Part 2 for
the recent IELTS Speaking CUE
CARD about
Describe Your Childhood Friend
GET THE LATEST
REVIEWERS FOR PART 2 &
PART 3 Here!
Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
If you want to support my work, you can buy me A CUP OF COFFEE here:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ieltsdragon
Thank you so much!
