IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
AN APP YOU OFTEN USE ON
YOUR PHONE OR PC
Describe an application program you often use on your phone or PC
You should say:
- What it is
- When you started using it
- How you feel about it
And explain why you often use it
A N S W E R
Well, I love the Google Maps application as it’s my ultimate lifesaver when traveling. To be honest with you, I have a poor sense of direction and as a result, I easily get lost, and that really freaks me out. I had lots of experiences being lost in the past during my travels, and even finding my way back to the hotel where I was staying was a complete puzzle. During those times, I tended to easily confuse myself with streets like which street corner should I take, where the street led me, and the like. That’s definitely a struggle for me.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Life saver [noun] – a thing that saves one from serious difficulty
A sense of direction [phrase] – a person’s ability to know direction without guidance
Freak out [phrasal verb] – to suddenly feel extremely surprised, upset, angry
TIP
i.) The speaker provided his answer at once and he talked about his bad experiences about being lost. That obviously is the main reason why he used that map application. That kind of introduction is very straightforward. If you want to be direct with your monologue, do what the speaker did.
Thankfully Google Maps application came into existence and it made all the difference in my life. If I’m not mistaken, I started using it 5 years ago but it wasn’t until 2 years ago that I became heavily reliant on using the app. At that time, I traveled a lot, visiting touristy places and those that were off the beaten track. Using that app made me travel smoothly and I became confident as I didn’t have anxiousness.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Come into existence [idiom] – to begin to exist
Reliant [adj.] – dependent
Off the beaten track [idiom] – little known or in a remote area
Anxiousness [noun] – full of mental distress; nervousness
TIP
ii.) In this part, the speaker simply talked about how the app had changed his life. He detailed how that app helped him during his travels and how it impacted his life. This would serve as supplemental details of his story.
What I like about this app is that it’s not a mediocre map app, it goes beyond your expectations. There’s aerial photography of places, 360-degree interactive panoramic views of streets, real-time traffic conditions, and more importantly for me the route planning for traveling on foot, by car, or by public transportation. It just makes my life more convenient and there’s no valid reason to be lost anymore. Who wouldn’t want to use that Google Maps app? It’s just absolutely beneficial!
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Mediocre [adj.] – not very good
Go beyond [phrasal verb] – to do more than expected or required
Panoramic [adj.] – with a wide view surrounding the observer
TIP
iii.) In this part, the speaker added more details about the app by giving more specific functions of the app. Those served as his topic vocabulary words which were needed to boost his score in the criterion, Lexical Resource. Not only that, it helped him extend his story a bit longer which was also very important for him to show off his language skills to the examiner.
Anyway, I’m just amazed using this app, and I don’t think I can live without relying on this app, especially when I visit unfamiliar places. Truth be told, never been an instance in my life that I missed the old-school paper map since the time I started using this app. I believe this app is a must-have for everyone.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Amazed [adj.] – greatly surprised
Truth be told [idiom] – used to say that one is stating the truth
At all [phrase] – used for emphasis; to any extent
TIP
iv.) The speaker simply ended his story by expressing his feelings about using this app. Also, to make his ending more creative, he stated how awesome the app was compared to the paper map. A wonderfully-crafted ending.
PART 3
At what age do you think parents allow their children to own a phone?
Honestly, I don’t like the idea of making children own a mobile phone or smartphone because that is just a distraction from their studies and at the same time the cause of some serious health issues. When they start using one, they will surely spend hours and hours text messaging or socializing online. That alone will negatively impact their studies and well-being, most especially when they are exposed to the toxicity of social media platforms.
They are not mature yet to deal with those kinds of issues. You may think that I have extreme views and argue that parents can look after them anyway, but it is not always true that parents can monitor their children and that’s a fact. Well, I’m just being realistic and protective.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Distraction [noun] – disturbance
Well-being [noun] – the state of being healthy
Toxicity [noun] – poisonous to a person’s emotional or mental state
Mature [adj as used in the sentence] – being an adult
TIP
i.) The speaker expressed his honest opinion instead of answering the question with a specific age. Then, he elaborated his points on why he thought that children must not have one by tackling health and social issues that were brought about by using a smartphone. He then discussed the point of some people about parenting but he believed parents could not be perfect in monitoring their children. The way he presented his arguments was very realistic and sensible.
Which phone app is the most popular in your country?
I’m not certain about this but I guess my countrymen enjoy using YouTube application. The majority of people of all ages in my country know about YouTube and more often than not, they use it for entertainment such as watching the news, listening to music, and getting updates about the lives of famous stars. Inevitably, YouTube has become a household name. Also, I think Spotify is worth mentioning because the younger generation in my country is obsessed with digging into new music. In case you didn’t know, Spotify is a music streaming and media services provider which is a very good avenue to listen or watch various kinds of music, podcasts, videos, and many more.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Certain [adj.] – sure
Inevitably [adv.] – unavoidably
Household name [noun] – a person or thing that is known by the public
Dig [verb] – search
Avenue [noun & as used in the answer] – a channel for pursuing a desired object
TIP
i.) The speaker expressed his uncertainty at the beginning since he wasn’t so sure about it. Then, he gave his assumption in order for him to provide a better answer to the discussion. He mentioned one particular app and explained how the people in his country use that app. In order for him to speak at length, he added one particular app and focused on talking about how the young generation fell in love with using that app. The answer was very well-organized and it made him sound very spontaneous although he’s just making an assumption. It’s a great answer!
How do phone applications help improve the lives of people?
Well, that depends on the function of the application. Take, for instance, apps about news, those news apps help people become informed as news information is at their fingertips. Also, I mentioned the Google Map application earlier, using it will make the lives of people easier, most especially those who do not have a sense of direction.
So basically, the positive impact that phone apps bring to a person’s life depends on the function and I am very certain that app developers are investing so much effort and money to provide nothing but convenience to people. And that we should be grateful for the brains behind the advancement of technology.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
At their fingertips [phrase] – readily available
A sense of direction [phrase] – a person’s ability to know direction without guidance
Brains [noun] – the most intelligent person in a group who plans what the group will do
TIP
i.) The speaker gave a very specific answer by mentioning a couple of applications and focused on their functions. Because he focused on discussing the functions of the apps, he’s able to extend his answer more as it helped him formulate more ideas. That made him discuss his answer substantially. So make sure to provide a substantial answer to every question.
Do you agree that people are too dependent on phone apps nowadays?
I don’t completely share that idea because I still believe that there are some people who remain conventional, I mean they choose not to use any phone applications not because they do not know how to operate them but because they just simply want a simple kind of life – without fearing of identity theft or invasion of privacy.
As we know, when we use some applications, we need to register our personal information like our phone number, email, and all. There are so many people out there who choose not to ride on the advancement of technology and that is completely fine as simplicity in living is everything.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Conventional [adj.] – traditional
Identity theft [noun] – the fraudulent practice of stealing a person’s personal information
Invasion of privacy [idiom] – a situation when someone fails to respect a person’s right to keep personal information from being known
Ride on [phrasal verb] – depend
TIP
i.) The speaker expressed his negative answer in a different way, instead of just using a ‘no’. He talked about some conventional people who remain living a simple life. He tackled the fears or the reasons why those people preferred not to use any phone apps and simply concluded his answer by leaving an adage. It’s a great way to end his answer.
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Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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