Describe a time when someone who did quite well in a team IELTS Cue Card

IELTS CUE CARD TOPIC

Describe a time when someone who did quite well in a team (e.g. schoolwork or a community)

You should say:
Who this person is
When you worked together
What he/she did in the team
And explain why you think he/she was a great team player

Sample 1

Teamwork is vital for spectacular results, and I have participated in many team sports. On one occasion, one of my friends, my team member, did an exceptional job. That person’s name is John, and we participated in a cricket tournament together where we were representing our school team. That match was essential for us because it was a final match, and so for getting the trophy, it was a must-win match.

During that day, we had an abysmal start. We won the toss but had just 40 runs, and our eight vehicles were down. So, the opposition thought that they would win easily, but Andrew had different plans. He batted wonderfully, and for two hours, he batted superbly with the tailenders, and in 20 hours, due to his century, our team scored about 192 runs. After that, he performed exceptionally in bowling and fielding, taking four wickets and three catches.

So his performance was extraordinary. His solo performance was more than the combined performance of all team members, and due to his unabated support and stupendous work with determination, dedication, and discipline, we won the trophy and earned accolades, and the credit for that win went to Andrew.

Sample 2

I know many people who are good and excellent in teams, and here I would like to talk about my friend Akshay, who is good at team management. He is a good team leader, and his leadership skills make him worthy.

As I recall, it was our school days, and we had one assignment given by our teacher. It was about demonetization. At that time, demonetization happened in our country, so our teacher gave us the same assignment, but we didn’t like this as we barely knew about demonetization. So, we were worried about our assignment because its submission was around the corner.

Then, our friend Akshay and I went through various websites. But the internet was full of vast data, confusing us. Then, my friend Akshay took the initiative as a leader, assigned us to work, and gave us a deadline. So, after collecting all the data, we did our work well and submitted it to our leader, Akshay.

He organized all the data, prepared the data, and set the data according to the assignment requirements. Then he submitted it, and luckily, we got full marks. It was a big thing in our class, and it was due to Akshay’s good leadership skills. Apart from that, he has good cognitive skills, and he’s good at games. He has always done well in a team.

Follow-ups

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 time when someone who did quite well in a team”.

1. What qualities should a leader have?

A leader should have immense confidence in his abilities. Apart from this, he must have the insight to pick the right talent and have a balanced approach toward handling the team members. he must be adamant on certain occasions but exhibit flexibility also. Moreover, he should have this talent of extracting the best from the people around him.

2. What should people do without a good team leader?

Without a good team leader, people can form a cohesive unit for optimum performance. They should divide the responsibilities among themselves. Each team member should be accountable for his or her particular role. If everyone works according to a plan, the team can achieve immense success without a leader.

3. Does a team’s best player make a good leader?

In my opinion, being the best player and being a good leader have two different roles and require different skills. To become the best player, you need to have good talent, and you need to hone your skill set. You are responsible for your performance, and you need to provide support to the other team members. On the contrary, when you are a leader apart from your performance, you have to manage the performance of others, too, and you need to extract the best out of them. So, both roles are different, and we cannot say that a good player can be a good team leader.

4. Why do some people dislike teamwork?

Some people have this uncanny knack for disliking teamwork because they believe in themselves. When they work in a team, they need to listen to the desires of others also, and sometimes that generates conflicts and altercations. So those who know how to get the best out of them refrain from working in a team.

5. Do you think young people are good team players?

No, young people are not good team players because when they enter a team, their central focus is on personal endorsement, and they commit few errors when they gain experience, realize the importance of teamwork, and come to know that if they do not exhibit honesty towards team efforts, then it’s not the failure of the team. It’s their failure also. So these things you learn with experience. So that is why young people are not good team players.

6. What are the advantages of working as a team?

There are numerous advantages of working as a part of a team. First of all, it leads to holistic development. You work in a competitive environment and gain good knowledge from others. Apart from this, you learn to work with discipline, and sometimes, you need to work in a harmonious environment, and this generates good vibes inside you. So overall, your personality undergoes a paradigm shift when you work in a team.