Describe a place you visited where the air was polluted IELTS Cue Card

IELTS CUE CARD TOPIC

Describe a place you visited where the air was polluted

You should say:

Where the place is?

When you visited ?

Why the air was not good?

Explain how you felt about the place?

NOTE – The examiner gives you one minute to plan your answer, and to help you prepare for the topic, the examiner provides you with a pencil and a notepad. You’ll have to answer the questions given on the topic for one-to-two minutes.

Sample Answer 1

Introduction

In the modern era, pollution has become a pressing problem.

I am a dweller of the countryside. I usually do not experience much pollution. However, I sometimes spend time in a contaminated environment on my visits to cities. One such instance is worth mentioning.

Where is the place? .and When did you visit it?

Two years back, my school organised a one-day trip to an industrial city in my hometown; The trip was to see how different kinds of machinery work in the factories.

Why was the air not good

The atmosphere could have been better over there for many reasons.

Firstly, many heavy vehicles were there, and a sizeable proportion of them was emitting various gases into the atmosphere through their exhaust pipes.

Moreover, most of the industries over there had massive a lot of chimneys throwing hazardous fumes directly into the air.

Explain how you felt about the place.

Spending time at such a place was a daunting task for me. I did not feel good after visiting there. Because after breathing the contaminated air of that place, many students fell sick. Even the teacher who accompanied us started coughing.

Additionally, seeing the workers working in such an area left me in bad taste. The environment over there was inhumane, and only those who had excellent immunity could survive over there.

It is not that solutions are not there to reduce pollution. Due to the advancement of technology, there are many ways to minimise contamination. But the administration is following a lacklustre approach.

By framing stringent rules and regulations, we can reduce environmental contamination considerably. We need to achieve this aim with the unabated support of people from all walks of life.

Sample Answer 2

Introduction

Although I have visited many polluted areas, one had extreme air contamination. Hence it is worth mentioning.

Where is the place?

I visited the city called Ludhiana, also known as the “Manchester of India.”

When you visited?

I had to attend a wedding over there last month. I stayed there for two nights and three days for the celebration.

Why was the air not good?

There was massive contamination in the air due to many factors. Firstly, Ludhiana has numerous factories and industries because it is a hub for textiles, hosiery, and machinery manufacturing. Enterprises in every nook and corner emit pollutants into the air consisting of harmful gases that are detrimental to our health.

Secondly, the adjoining countryside areas of Ludhiana thrive primarily on agriculture, which has a substantial share in air pollution as the farmers utilize pesticides and other chemicals to enhance fertility. Apart from this, burning crop residue also plays a pivotal role in air pollution.

Thirdly the number of vehicles plying on the roads has increased appreciably in the past few years, which plays a vital role in air contamination by releasing pollutants like carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.

Lastly, there was haphazard waste management, so the open burning contributed significantly to the air contamination. The persistent burning of plastic and other waste materials emitted toxic pollutants.

Explain how you felt about the place.

The local administration was playing with the life of the inhabitants. The place required stringent rules and regulations to nosedive the air pollution inside.

I faced persistent cough problems for two weeks after coming back from there. And I decided never to visit that area again.

Sample Answer 3

Introduction

Although we know that air pollution is a pressing problem, it is still rising. Recently I visited a place which according to me is the most polluted place I have ever seen.

Where is the place?

The name of this place is Baddi, an industrial area in the Himachal Pradesh state of India.

When you visited?

I visited it last month to meet one of my friends working there in a pharmaceutical company as a quality control manager.

Why was the air not good?

The air quality was terrible due to many reasons. Firstly, in the past few years, the number of factories in this area has grown exponentially. It is because the government provides a tax holiday to the industries in this area, which means that the companies who shift their factories here need not pay tax for the next eight years.

The higher authorities provided tax holidays to have more industries in this area, far away from the city, to generate more unemployment so that the unemployed youth could get jobs. However, this plan backfired because it wreaked havoc on the environment.

One can see countless chimneys exhausting fumes at a brisk pace. Another prominent reason for air contamination was the need for a proper setup for waste disposal. Due to this reason, many industries were burning waste in front of their factories.

Lastly, due to it being an industrial area, there was constant movement of trucks due to the consistent burning of diesel.

Explain how you felt about the place.

I had the wrong time over there. There is no harm in having industries, but there should be a limit, and if you do not have sufficient infrastructure for waste disposal, you should not issue new licences.

There is no denying this conviction that opening industries give people employment. However, it adversely affects all the resident’s health and well-being.

Follow up Questions

Here are some examples of follow-up questions that the examiner might ask during your speaking part 3 related to the cue card “Describe a place you visited where the air was polluted”.

1. Is there more pollution now than in the past?

In this modern era, the number of industries has gone up considerably. This is due to population explosion and rampant urbanisation.

With the increase in the demand for goods due to the burgeoning population, the manufacturers are leaving no stone unturned to produce surplus goods. Economic activities, on such a large scale, are inclining pollution considerably.

2. In what ways can air pollution be reduced effectively?

The bulk of air pollution comes from the burning of fossil fuels. Hence with a decline in the number of passenger cars, air confirmation will decline considerably.

The authorities need to promote electric cars by providing subsidies through various schemes. This practice will definitely decline pollution.

Moreover, there should be full tapping of alternative sources of power like wind, solar and tidal energy. The vacant and unused areas should have solar panels to tap the energy. As alternative sources do not cause pollution there, usage needs to be encouraged.

3. Do you think the city is cleaner or dirtier than the countryside? Why?

Most cities worldwide are encountering the problem of a burgeoning population. Due to this reason, problems like traffic congestion and unclear water are prevalent. Hence, most urban areas are dirtier as compared to the countryside.

4. What can factories and power plants do to reduce pollutants?

Factories and power plants can play a substantial role in nosediving pollution. The first initiative they must take is to strictly follow the norms prescribed by the higher authorities. For example, those industries which have chimneys can help in reducing pollution by inclining the height of their chimneys. Apart from this, old and new industries should focus on utilising alternative sources of energy to run their operations.

5. Do you think many companies have been forced to reduce pollutants?

Yes, the higher authorities have taken this initiative of forcing many companies to reduce pollutants. However, to our dismay, these companies are leaving no stone unturned to look for loopholes and alternative ways to escape the penalties, and due to this reason, the earnest efforts of the higher authorities are going to waste.

6. Do you think the wind has any effect on pollution? How?

In my opinion, winds play a vital role in the wind helping to spread air pollutants. Due to this reason in many cities where the number of automobiles is high still the air pollution is less because of the fewer winds.

7. Will the world will be more polluted in the coming decades?

The level of pollution will decline substantially in the coming decades. The prominent reason for this is the disastrous repercussions we have faced for many years due to environmental contamination.

The world has realized that if we do not make informed decisions to curb pollution, the future of the current generation and posterity is in jeopardy.

Hence, numerous developed and developing nations have already started taking stringent measures like introducing electric cars, banning the usage of plastic bags, eco-tourism etc.

With such initiatives, we will see a dramatic decline in pollution and the world would become a better place.

Vocabulary

Worth mentioning

Meaning: Important enough to require a comment.

Sentence: The role of QR codes in the digital era is worth mentioning. They have brought an exemplary change in the lives of street vendors who do not face the problem of loose change nowadays.

2. Stringent

Meaning: Rigorous

Sentence: Those organisations which do not adopt stringent yardsticks to provide seamless customer care usually lag behind in business.