IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
SOMETHING YOU ENJOYED
DOING IN A GROUP
Describe something you enjoyed doing in a group
You should say:
- What it was
- With whom you did it
- When you did it
And explain how you felt about it
A N S W E R
I admit that I have a poor sense of direction despite the fact that we’re in this Google-Map-dependent generation and because of that, I never travel on my own. Most of the time, when I have the urge to go on a trip, I always invite my closest friends, family, or relatives to join me in traveling. I know it’s such a shame to say that considering my age but that’s just who I am.
Anyway, a few months ago, my friends and I decided to go hiking in one of the most spectacular mountains in the southern part of our state. That mountain is famous but because of the long distance from the main city and the inconvenient road conditions around that place, that magnificent mountain is less touristy, which is really good since I normally don’t like a place that’s just packed.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
A poor sense of direction [expression] – the inability to know which way to go
Urge [noun as used in the answer] – desire
Go on a trip [phrase] – to travel
Spectacular [adj.] – dramatically beautiful
Magnificent [adj.] – impressive
Touristy [adj.] – visited by many tourists
Packed [adj.] – full of people
TIPS
i.) FIRST PARAGRAPH: The speaker developed his story by giving the examiner an idea of what personality type he has. This is one good way to build an introduction as this would serve as a foundation of his story.
ii.) SECOND PARAGRAPH: The speaker then transitioned to start creating his main story by talking about the place where they visited. This also served as the overview of the story he would be developing.
Well, we’re a group of five enjoying hiking and being surrounded by scenic views of the mountain. During that time, we were lucky to witness the breathtaking sunrise that enveloped the sky. Actually, we really meant to be there as early as possible so we could behold the incredible sunrise, and thank goodness we didn’t fail. After three hours of hiking, we rested at a nearby lake, which was also picturesque since the view of the mountain was reflected on the still water. We had our lunch, talked about our respective lives, and just enjoyed the beauty of the place as we couldn’t take our eyes off it.
While resting, we realized how amazing and therapeutic nature was. I personally came to realize then that we humans had exhausted ourselves thinking of the never-ending problems that made us anxious and so we missed appreciating the gift of nature around us.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Scenic [adj.] – beautiful view of the natural scenery
Breathtaking [adj.] – spectacular
Envelop [verb] – surround completely
Behold [verb] – see or observe
Thank goodness [phrase] – an expression of relief
Picturesque [adj.] – visually attractive
Still water [noun] – a part of river where the level of inclination is slight that no current is visible
Can’t take one’s eyes off [phrase] – to be unable to stop looking because of the attractiveness
Therapeutic [adj.] – healing
Anxious [adj.] – worried
TIPS
iii.) THIRD PARAGRAPH: In this part, the speaker talked about hiking which was the activity that he and his friends enjoyed doing. Then he provided more descriptive words to describe the place which was very important to create imagery of his story. In that way, he’s able to showcase his vocabulary knowledge.
iv.) FOURTH PARAGRAPH: In this part, the speaker made his story more meaningful by adding his realization and that’s a very good way to conclude his monologue.
PART 3
Do you think a team needs a good leader?
That is without a doubt! The success of a team primarily relies on how effective the leader is since he is the one who leads the team by delegating tasks, giving instructions, evaluating the performance of the team members, and overseeing the work that each member is doing. If a leader does not possess any qualities that a team needs, the team cannot fulfill its goal and it will have a negative influence on the overall performance of the company.
So that is why in most cases, the selection process of choosing a leader to lead a team or in any organization is oftentimes rigorous.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Without a doubt [phrase] – indisputably
Rely [verb] – depend
Delegate [verb] – entrust a task to someone
Oversee [verb] – supervise
Rigorous [adj.] – extremely thorough and careful
TIP
i.) The speaker gave a direct positive answer using a very good expression instead of using the traditional yes. Then transitioned to talking about the characteristics of an effective leader that can help a team be successful. By doing that, he’s able to use several topic vocabulary words that helped him express his answer clearly. Not only that, he extended his answer by using conditional tense to express the contrast of his first idea and then ended his answer with a logical conclusive statement.
Do you think people enjoy doing things in groups?
I cannot make a generalization because I believe that surely depends on the situation and the personality of a person. Let us say a person who enjoys doing things on his own is compelled to work with others to finish a group task – may it be in school or in a company. In the first place, it will be uncomfortable for him to collaborate with others since he is used to working independently, but it does not always necessarily mean that he will not enjoy working with other people. If he is lucky enough to be with a team whose interests or goals are aligned with his, then it is highly likely that he will have a great time working with them.
On the other hand, if a people-person works with others on a certain project in which the ideas, ideologies, or opinions are out of his league, then it will be a burden for him and that makes him loathe working in that group. So again, it all depends on the situation and the people involved.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Compel [verb] – force or oblige something
In the first place [phrase] – at the beginning; to begin with
Collaborate [verb] – cooperate
People-person [noun] – a person who is friendly and enjoys talking to people
Ideology [noun] – belief; principle
Out of one’s league [idiom] – not at a level where one is good as someone else at something
Loathe [verb] – hate
TIP
i.) The speaker gave a straightforward answer by stating that it’s hard to generalize people as everyone is unique. So what he did was just provide two kinds of examples that would best explain his answer which were about personality and situation. Each example was clearly explained by the helpful vocabulary that aided him in expressing his thoughts even better.
What skills can people develop when they are working in a group?
Well, let me think…I believe, collaborative skills, communication skills, and listening skills. When we work with people, we learn the importance of working hand in hand to achieve a common goal. Not only that, we will be able to develop our communication skills as we need to express our ideas or opinions to contribute something valuable to a group.
Also, our listening skills will be cultivated as we have to pay attention to what every team member is sharing and we will assess how we can make the ideas work to fulfill the task. I suppose there are other skills that we can acquire from working with others but those three are the common ones.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Collaborative [adj.] – involving two or more parties working together
Work hand in hand [phrase] – work together closely
Cultivate [verb] – develop
Pay attention [phrase] – take notice of someone or something
Fulfill [verb] – attain
TIP
i.) As the speaker couldn’t give his answer right away, he used some adlib to avoid dead air. That’s a very good way to buy time. Right after that, he then gave his answer by mentioning three important skills. Each skill he mentioned was explained thoroughly so the examiner could understand each of his points better. Don’t be afraid to use some adlib to avoid silence during your exam.
What do you think are the reasons why some teams fail?
Based on my experience as I was once a member of a failed team, the inefficiency of a leader and the lack of cooperation among team members make a team unsuccessful. More often than not, the fate of a team relies on its leader, if a leader does not have the capacity to manage a team, teamwork will not be guaranteed because each member will not take the team seriously.
As a result, it will create problems like little to no cooperation from each member, misunderstanding, confusion, disharmony, and the like. If a team is led by a competent leader, then for sure the team will succeed.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Inefficiency [noun] – the lack of organization skill
More often than not [phrase] – usually
Fate [noun] – final outcome
Disharmony [noun] – the lack of agreement
And the like [phrase] – etcetera
TIP
i.) The speaker answered the question by getting an idea from his experience. However, he avoided talking about his personal experience deeply as it’s not the main objective of that Part, instead he discussed the reasons why a team failed, then explained each reason thoroughly. The way the speaker answered this question was spontaneous as he related that question to the lesson he learned from his experience. And finally, ended his answer with a conclusive statement using a conditional tense that would also help him increase his mark in Grammar.
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Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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