The IELTS speaking test will test your use of spoken English. The test will last for around 10 to 15 minutes and you will discuss a range of topics with an IELTS examiner. Your test will take place in a peaceful and quiet room, and the examiner will motivate and encourage you to continue speaking. The examiner will be a speech and language expert, so there will be no problem in understanding your accent and that would lead you to score the best possible band score.
In this blog, we will discuss an important topic often asked in the cue card section of the IELTS speaking test, ‘Describe a time you made a promise to someone’. Let’s see how you will proceed to answer this question but before that, let’s understand the cue card questions first.
Parts of the IELTS Speaking Test
The IELTS speaking test is divided into 3 parts. In the first section of the speaking test, the examiner will ask your name, your city of residence, your current profession or field of studies and a variety of questions on familiar topics. This part of the will follow a basic question-answer format and focus on your ability to answer questions based on everyday topics.
You will be given a cue card with a topic on it by the examiner in part two of the speaking test. You will have a minute to prepare and make short notes or notes before you begin speaking. You will get two minutes to speak about the topic. Try to speak for the complete two minutes. This part will test your ability to speak on a particular topic and logically arrange your ideas.
You will be asked some questions about the cue card topic in part 3. The examiner will discuss the topic with you in a more general and abstract manner, and it is supposed to show the examiner that you can justify, analyse and discuss your opinions and topic in more depth.
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IELTS Exam Cue Card Topic – Describe a Time You made a Promise to Someone
You will be given a minute to prepare an answer for the cue card topic question, so instead of trying to write the complete speech write some prompts which you are going to cover while answering the topic. The prompts to describe a time you made a promise to someone cue card are:
- Whom did you make the promise to?
- What was the promise?
- Why did you make the promise?
- Was the promise easy to achieve?
Describe a Time You made a Promise to Someone: IELTS Exam Cue Cards Model Answer 1
Introduction of IELTS Exam Cue Card Topic
Many people are generally casual about making promises, and it irritates me. Why make promises or commitments you have no intentions to keep? This is one reason I don’t make a lot of promises. But If I do make a promise, I try my best to keep that promise.
What was the Promise and Whom did You Make the Promise To?
During the Coronavirus pandemic, all the citizens were asked to stay indoors due to the government imposed lockdown. I am a social animal and before the corona era, I used to spend at least three to four hours with my friends daily. As soon as the lockdown was imposed my parents made me promise them that I wouldn’t leave the house unless and until it is urgent.
Why Did You Make The Promise?
My grandparents live with us, and they were in the high-risk category due to their age. Moreover, my grandfather is also diabetic. I am quite emotionally attached to my grandparents as they have taken care of me ever since I was a kid. I am so close to them that I used to sleep on the couch in their room. All of us were worried that my grandparents might catch the virus from me if I spend a lot of time outdoors.
Was that Promise Easy to Achieve?
Hence I promised my parents that I would remain indoors rather than spend time outside with my friends. It wasn’t easy in the beginning. I was bored and I couldn’t meet any of my friends. I was not even allowed to leave the house to get groceries. I contacted my friends on the phone, we used to talk via calls and text. There were times when we used to video call each other. After some days I ran out of things to talk about. There were times when I would get irritated and frustrated but I would soon remember the reason why I had made the promise.
Ending
It got easier with time as I developed new hobbies and interests. I learned how to play the guitar, I read a lot of books and even played some indoor games with my grandmother. It has been almost a year since I made that promise, I am glad that I have been able to keep it.
Also Read: Describe a Situation You were Not allowed to Use Your Cell Phone: Cue Card Topic for the IELTS Exam
Describe a Time You made a Promise To Someone: IELTS Exam Cue Cards Model Answer 2
Introduction of IELTS Exam Cue Card Topic
I have made a lot of promises, and have fulfilled most of them. There were some promises I was not able to keep. I would like to talk about a promise I made to my parents.
What was the Promise and Whom did You Make the Promise To?
I wasn’t that good in my studies, and I had not scored good marks when I was in 11th standard. I had planned to apply to a good college for my undergraduate degree and my parents were worried about how I was going to manage after passing out from school.
Why did You Make the Promise?
I love my parents a lot, I could not see them constantly worried about me and my future. Hence I decided to buckle up and I promised them that I would work hard and score good marks in class 12th boards. I promised them that I will study wholeheartedly for the board exams.
Was that Promise Easy to Achieve?
I made a proper schedule, started solving sample papers, and also quit all the social media apps. I didn’t even meet my friends for the last 3 months before the board exams. I put all my effort and was over the moon when the results were declared. I had scored 87%, and when my parents came to know about my result, they couldn’t even stop smiling. I remember my mother even cried a little bit. All my teachers and friends were also proud of me and what I had achieved.
Ending
My parents organised a surprise party for me and they had invited a lot of my friends. I even got admission to the college of my choice. Even though I had to make a lot of sacrifices, I am glad I made the promise.
Cue Card Follow Up Questions to Boost-up your IELTS Exam Preparation
The examiner will ask some follow up questions about the cue card topic once you have expressed your views on the topic. These questions will help you discuss the topic in a much more detailed manner with the examiner. You will be able to explore some abstract ideas and will get another chance to justify your opinions. The questions for the topic ‘Describe a time you made a promise to someone’ are –
- Do Indian parents make a lot of promises to their children?
- Do children also make a lot of promises to their parents?
- Are most people able to fulfil their promises?
- How do you feel when others break their promises?
Also Read: Describe a Change that can Improve Your Local Area: IELTS Exam Cue Cards
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article on the cue card topic ‘Describe a time you made a promise to someone’ might have helped in clearing the doubts and confusion you had regarding the IELTS speaking test. You must have gotten a better idea on how to solve these kinds of cue card topics in the IELTS exam. The examiner will assess you based on your fluency, grammatical range, lexical resource, accuracy, coherence and pronunciation. Think of the speaking test as the conversation between two individuals and don’t get nervous.
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