Describe a difficult decision that you once made

IELTS CUE CARD TOPIC

Describe a difficult decision that you once made

You should say
What the decision was?
When you made the decision?
How long did it take you to make the decision?
And explain why it was a difficult decision to make?

Sample Answer 1

Introduction:

Decision making is an important skill. Although I do not take much time while making a decision, in some cases, it turns out to be a daunting task.

What was the decision?, and When you made the decision?

Recently I had to decide on the purchase of a new smartphone for myself.

After going through the product features of both phones, I was in a state of bewilderment.

On the one hand, my mind was telling me to go for an Android phone, whereas my heart was forcing me to book an iPhone.

In the end, I had listened to my heart and bought the latest iPhone.

How long did it take you to make the decision?

It had taken me two months to make a choice.

And explain why it was a difficult decision to make?

The decision was tough because both iPhone and Android phones have carved out a niche in the smartphone market.

On the one hand, Android phones have tremendous reach because they have close to seventy-two per cent market share. People from all walks of life use these phones.

On the contrary, iPhone provides flawless security. Moreover, it has some exclusive applications which provide tremendous information.

Sample Answer 2

Introduction:

Decision making is tough to master. If decisions turn out to be fruitful they lead our life towards an impressive growth trajectory. However, if they turn otherwise, they disturb our state of flow.
And in this contemporary epoch, making decisions is a daunting task due to the numerous choices available at our disposal.

What was the decision?, and When you made the decision?

A few years back, I was in a state of confusion when I had to choose my stream of study after passing the tenth standard.

How long did it take you to make the decision?

Since a plethora of things had to be taken into consideration, it took almost three months to make an informed decision.

And explain why it was a difficult decision to make?

I was in a dilemma because I had too many thoughts coming into my mind. Such decisions change the trajectory of our lives, so I didn’t want to choose haphazardly.
In my childhood, I did not have a clear goal like others.
I was lost in the fantasy world. In the budding years, I wanted to be an engineer, later on, my interest shifted towards literature.
During my teenage, I wanted to be an actor.
The confusion started when many of my friends had opted for the non-medical stream.
The other contributing factor to my state of absolute disarray was my fear of losing my friends.
The confusion reached the tipping point when I had started taking advice from others.
After some time, I concluded that taking advice from others was a collosol mistake from my side.
Finally, I decided to take advice from my parents and friends only.
In the end, my parents came to my rescue and helped me make an informed choice.
They suggested I take a psychometric test to understand my strengths and weaknesses.
When the test result was out, most of my doubts were clear. I had a clear cut picture of the path to be chosen.
I decided to ignore all the choices I had made while discussing with others.

Conclusion:

Based on the test of the results, I opted for the non-medical stream.

Follow up Questions

Here are some examples of follow up questions that the examiner might ask during your speaking part 3 related to cue card “Describe a difficult decision that you once made”.

1. What decisions do people generally make in their daily life?

In our daily life, we have to make a lot of decisions. They have to choose what to eat and what to wear. They also have to decide about their plan for the day, like what significant tasks they have to do.

2. Which is easier, making a decision by oneself or making a decision after a group discussion?

It is no doubt easier to decide after engaging in a group discussion because we come to know divergent perspectives, in short, different ways to solve the issue. However, in some cases, too much pondering with others lead to an unprecedented delay in making the right choice.

3. Why are many young people unwilling to listen to their parent’s advice?

I believe numerous youngsters opine that their parents thinking is not in synchronisation with the needs of this contemporary epoch. Moreover, at a young age, due to hormonal changes, they have this tendency to not pay enough heed to the advice of their parents.

4. Why do middle-aged people tend to second guess their decision?

According to my opinion second-guessing has very little to do with the age of a person. We all have this tendency to go ahead with the second guess, in case the decision seems to be difficult and when we do not have enough confidence while making a decision. I believe the prudent approach to do away with second-guessing or rethinking the decision is to put a limit on the options we have and discuss them with our acquaintances.

5. Should significant decisions be made by a single person or a group of people?

Decisions that are significant lead to a collosol impact on the future, due to this reason a group of people must take part while making informed choices.

6. Should people consider the consequences of their decisions that impact others or only think of themselves?

It is our bounden duty to consider the impact on others while making decisions. A wrong choice could jeopardize the future of others.

7. How to make informed decisions in life?

To make informed decisions in life, individuals must consider all factors. Apart from this, they must pay heed to the judgement of others and refrain from having a stubborn attitude.