IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
AN IDEAL HOUSE THAT YOU
WOULD LIKE TO LIVE IN
Describe an ideal house that you would like to live in
You should say:
- Where this place would be
- What would it be like
- When you want to live there
And explain why it is ideal for you
A N S W E R
To be honest, I only dream of simple living so a single-detached house is enough for me. I would love this house to be situated in the countryside since I want to be close to nature. It has to have a wide lawn to make my eyes refreshed all the time and the corners of the lawn should have a variety of flowers to look more mesmerizing. Not to mention, it should be surrounded by trees to provide shade.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Single-detached house [noun] – stand-alone house; a free-standing residential building
Situate [verb] – locate; fix
Close to nature [expression] – being able to see and experience nature more
Mesmerizing [adj.] – capturing the attention
Shade [noun] – darkness and coolness provided by trees
TIPS
i.) The introduction is very direct and honest. The speaker immediately talked about the kind of house he wanted to have. He used some topic vocabulary words related to a house.
ii.) Aside from talking about the type of house itself, he also talked about the surroundings of that house. This is a very good way to develop his introduction. This paragraph served as his guide in order to develop his story in a more organized way.
This dream house of mine will be single-story and will be made of bricks similar to those of English houses since I’m a big fan of traditional house designs in England. And as you may know, my country is tropical so the house needs to be well-ventilated in order for me to always breathe fresh air.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Single-story/storey [adj] – having only one floor
Bricks [noun] – a small rectangular block made of fired or sun-dried clay
Tropical [adj.] – extremely hot; humid
Well-ventilated [adj.] – being able to let fresh air go inside in a closed space and move around
TIPS
i.) In this paragraph, the speaker added details on what his dream house would look like. If you notice the topic vocabulary words related to the house were used. This is a must in order for you to show the examiner your vocabulary knowledge is never limited. This will surely help you get a good mark in Lexical Resource.
ii.) Take note that in the first paragraph or the introduction of his story, the speaker talked about the type of the house and then its surroundings. In this paragraph, the speaker provided details about the type of house. He focused more on talking about the description of the house itself.
As I’m the type who loves sunbathing, a spacious front porch is necessary. I can imagine how relaxing it’ll be to stay on the porch while sitting on a rocking chair and enjoying the heat of the sun every morning. In terms of roof, I want a gabled one as that’s the only design that best suits brick houses. For me, gable roof houses will never be outdated.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Spacious [adj.] – having ample space
Front porch [noun] – a structure that is attached to the main building and serves as the main entrance
Gable roof [noun] – a triangular shape of roof which we commonly see in simple drawings of houses done by children
Outdated [adj.] – old-fashioned
TIP
i.) The speaker continued providing descriptions of the house and he added more topic vocabulary words to showcase his knowledge about the type of house he wanted. Also, he talked about his personal interest in what he could do once he had that house. A very good way to extend his answer.
Well imagining this house makes me more inspired to work like a dog in order for me to make this dream a reality. I have high hopes to live in this ideal house in fifteen years’ time. It may sound a bit longer for some people but that’s the realistic timeline I could set. Had I been born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I would have surely resided in that ideal house of mine, the moment I turned eighteen.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Work like a dog [idiom] – to work very hard
High hopes [expression] – to have a strong feeling that something good will happen or something will come true
Born with a silver spoon in (one’s) mouth [idiom] – being wealthy
TIPS
i.) This is the conclusive part of the story and in this part, the speaker simply answered the key point about when he would like to live there.
ii.) The speaker used the third conditional in his last sentence and this is really good in boosting his score in Grammar & Accuracy. The third conditional is considered advanced grammar.
PART 3
What do you think are the differences between living in the city and living in the countryside?
Well, there are numerous differences but I cannot enumerate all of them, instead, I will be talking about the most obvious ones. First, in terms of city living, the convenience is incomparable – useful facilities such as hospitals, transportation systems, various shops, and schools, among others which the countryside lacks is what the city people enjoy.
Second, more job opportunities are available in the city than in the countryside wherein job is limited to agriculture. On the other hand, living in the country is way refreshing and calming since pollution is nearly impossible, that is what the city comes short of.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Numerous [adj.] – many
Enumerate [verb] – to list; to name one by one
Incomparable [adj.] – cannot be matched; beyond compare
Among others [phrase] – to indicate that there are more other things like the ones mentioned
Near to impossible [expression] – almost impossible
Comes short [phrase] – fails to reach a standard
TIPS
i.) The speaker started his answer by recognizing that there were many differences but because of time constraints, he couldn’t talk all of them one by one. This kind of introduction is a very good way to start answering especially if you are still thinking of your answer. This will serve as your adlib.
ii.) To enumerate the differences properly, the speaker used “First, Second, etc.”. Use this style when you are asked to give many things (plural), as you will be able to make your answers more organized. However, you have to make sure that you can sustain talking or discussing your answer.
What are the disadvantages of living in the city?
Interesting! As I have just said, the city has environmental issues which is the major downside compared to living in the countryside. Pollution is always a problem such as noise, air, and water even in developed cities. This particular problem is always a challenge to cities that city governments should address in order to achieve a better quality of life.
Another notable problem is the high cost of house prices. It is a burden to some city residents who make ends meet to achieve a convenient or comfortable life because of the expensive rent. These are the only negative factors that I can think of which can surely disappoint some people upon living in cities.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Downside [noun] – drawback; disadvantage
Notable [adj.] – noteworthy; important
Make ends meet [phrase] – earn enough money
TIPS
i.) The way the speaker started his reply by saying ‘interesting’ made him sound so natural. This is just right since in the previous question he already talked about the differences between living in the city and the countryside and one of his ideas is pollution. It’s an initial reaction upon hearing the question that needs a similar answer.
ii.) The speaker gave two disadvantages more specifically. It is more common among students to forget that they are asked to give plural. Always have concentration when being asked, and listen to the question very carefully because if you don’t, there’s a huge possibility that you only give one when in fact you are asked to give more than one disadvantage. If that happens, it implies that you’re listening skills are not good enough. Pay attention always!
How can the government address the existing problems in the city?
Considering the disadvantages that I have just mentioned, I believe the government should seriously execute the law to be able to address those problems. In terms of pollution, the city government should impose high penalties on residents who are irresponsible with their waste. Also, establishments will be penalized by revoking their business permits if they do not have a proper sewage system. As for solving noise pollution, the implementation of no-blowing of car horns can be a good start to minimizing noise.
On the other hand, house prices must be regulated by the government mainly to protect the citizens, like there has to be a price cap regulation in order for real estate companies to not abuse property buyers. These are the possible solutions to solve the problem. I know this is easier said than done, however, I believe with the best efforts of the government, this will surely be feasible.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Execute [verb] – enforce; carry out
Penalize [verb] – punish; discipline
Revoke [verb] – put an end
Sewage system [noun] – a facility that consists of a system of sewers for carrying off liquid and solid sewage
Regulate [verb] – control or supervise
Price-cap regulation [noun] – a kind of regulation that sets upper limits on utilities
Easier said than done [phrase] – easy to talk about but hard to put into practice
Feasible [adj.] – achievable; workable
TIPS
i.) The speaker answered this question by connecting it to his answer to the previous question. Since he enumerated the disadvantages of living in cities previously, he just provided the solutions to all of the problems he stated. This achieves Coherence since he focused on giving solutions to the problems he previously mentioned. Do not think of any other problems, focus on the problems you already stated beforehand.
ii.) The speaker provided a well-detailed answer by discussing how the government could address the problems. When the question is ‘how’ provide ways specifically like what the speaker did in his answer.
How did your city change in the past 10 years?
Actually, our city has become more industrialized now as there are a lot of international companies operating and because of that, many job opportunities are being generated. As a result, the economic standing of our city has greatly improved since the unemployment rate has significantly reduced. This change has not only improved the lives of the residents in our city but also the other residents in the neighboring towns and cities since they are able to get jobs in our city.
As for the negative side, our city has become populous and noisy, this is surely brought about by the development. I believe that is natural as a common sign of progress.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Industrialize [verb] – to have many businesses and factories
Generate [verb] – produce
Economic standing [noun] – another term for economic status
Populous [adj.] – densely populated; very many people
TIPS
i.) The speaker provided a straight-to-the-point answer, answering the question ‘how’ by talking about the progress of industry and how it greatly affects the lives of the people. A very good answer to what is being asked in terms of change.
ii.) In the second paragraph, the speaker talked about the effects of the development in both positive and negative ways. This serves as a very good statement to end the answer.
Develop a story better in Part 2 for
the recent IELTS Speaking CUE
CARD about
Describe A Book That You Recently Read
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!
