Describe an achievement/success you are proud of IELTS Cue Card

IELTS CUE CARD TOPIC

Describe an achievement/success you are proud of

You should say:

What you did

When did you do it

How did you feel about it

Why did that achievement make you proud

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 1

Introduction

There is no denying this most people wish to gain substantial success in their lives, and they leave no stone unturned to do that.

I have an achievement for which I am proud of

What did you do? And When did you do it?

Last year during the corona pandemic, I sat free at home due to the lockdown. During that time, I decided to earn extra money by launching my Youtube channel.

I am a fantastic cook, and the theme of my Youtube channel was cooking. Initially, I did not get success because instead of producing my content, I took inspiration from others and followed their style and recipes.

But sooner, I realized that following others was an imprudent approach, and I decided to do things beyond the conventional domain.

After that, I started experimenting with cooking by making dishes with a solar cooker. I taught people how to save money by cooking their lunch and dinner with solar energy.

To my surprise, my idea worked like a charm, and within two months, I had 10,000 subscribers.

From the fourth month, I started making money and was on cloud nine.

How did you feel about it?

I felt good because my hard work paid off.

Why did that achievement make you proud?

That achievement made me feel proud because my father lost his job during the lockdown, and we had less money to run our house.

By getting success through the Youtube channel, I helped my father by providing him with money to run the house.

The smile my family members had on their faces after getting the first payment through youtube will be etched in my memories.

Sample 2

Introduction

Getting success in the tasks we perform is of utmost importance because it uplifts our mood and changes our mindset. Although I have had success many times, one instance is worth mentioning.

What did you do?

I became a fit person within three months.

When did you do it?

Two years back, I stayed at home for six months due to the corona pandemic. I didn’t have much work to do during that time, and I followed a sedentary lifestyle. Consequently, I gained a lot of weight, and I looked obese, and many people started body-shaming me.

That was when I decided to get in shape and to do so; I worked hard with determination, dedication and discipline for six months.

Every day I got up at 4 am and did a combination of walking and running. And in the evenings, I went to the gym to do various aerobic and non-aerobics exercises. Many guys in the gym lost weight by doing different activities, and I sought flashes of inspiration from them.

Apart from exercise, I focussed a lot on my diet too. I practised intermittent fasting and took all meals between pam to 6 pm. It boosted my metabolism, and I started burning lo of fat.

Within one month, I experienced changes in my physique, and in three months, I reduced my weight substantially.

How did you feel about it?

I felt good because I achieved the target set by me.

Why did that achievement make you proud?

It made me proud because I gave a befitting reply to those who used to pass comments on me due to my being overweight.

Sample 3

Introduction

Although I have many success stories to share, one of them is worth mentioning.

What you did do? and When did you do it

I sold laptops during my internship.

How did you feel about it?

I felt good about it because it was a sales success for me. There is no denying this conviction that the toughest job in the world is to sell.

Many organisations produce quality products and services, but only a few are successful in selling them.

During my college days, I was always afraid of a sales job because I believed that, I could not convince others to purchase the product. In short, I lacked the confidence to sell anything.

Due to this reason, when many companies came to our college for an internship, I opted for a sitting job instead of sales. However, there were only a few job roles for operations profiles, and most companies were hiring for sales and marketing positions.

As I did not have any option, I accepted the position offered by Dell company to sell its laptops during my internship. The company gave me a one-week training related to the product. After the induction, the concerned manager told me to sell the laptop during an exhibition.

I had kittens before reaching the exhibition venue. As the training helped me know everything from soups to nuts regarding the laptop, I pitched its specifications adroitly. About 30 per cent of visitors liked my presentation and purchased the product.

At the end of that day, I was as happy as calm because I sold 50 laptops in a single day and became the top performer.

Why did that achievement make you proud?

It made me proud because I came out of the fear that I couldn’t sell anything.

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 an achievement/success you are proud of”.

1. How to measure a person’s success?

It isn’t easy to measure success. Success is a very subjective term. Different people give different meanings to success. For some earning a lot of money means success. For others, leading a life where they provide others with unabated support implies success. For a student, passing the exams with flying colours means success. So measuring success takes work.

2. Do you think the way people gain success has changed?

Yes, the way people gain success has changed. Earlier, people did a lot of hard work and success was limited to a small area. Only politicians, film stars, and sportspeople in the news or on national TV were victorious over a more comprehensive place. But, nowadays, any person with some talent can become successful overnight because of reality shows. People can succeed worldwide through the Internet, YouTube and other such networks. Today, people know of successful Indian business people worldwide because the world has shrunk.

3. How do you define success?

It is challenging to define success as it is a very subjective term. Due to this reason, varied people have divergent meanings of success. For some, substantial earning money means success. For others, leading a life where they can help others implies success. For a student, passing the exams with flying colours means success. So defining success takes work.

4. How to reward successful people?

We can reward successful people by acknowledging their work. We can do so by flourishing them with rewards and monetary benefits. Giving promotions is a prudent approach to rewarding successful people.

5. What’s the most challenging thing you have ever done?

I am very stage shy. I remember, at the annual science fair of my school, I had to speak on a model I had prepared. The model was on different types of pollution. I found it very difficult, but somehow I managed it. That was the most challenging thing I did.

6. What qualities does a person need to have to be successful?

The person should be hard-working and exhibit good communication skills. Moreover, he should have the audacity to take calculated risks. And last but not least, he should showcase a helping and caring attitude.

7. Do you feel terrible when you fail to do something?

I feel terrible, but only for a short period. Then, I learn from my failure and work harder to succeed the next time.

8. Is failure a necessary thing in people’s lives?

Yes, it is. Without knowing failure, we can never enjoy success. We need to know about the night to enjoy the day. Without unhappiness, we can never enjoy happiness. The freedom we enjoy today is also because we have been under British rule for a long time.

9. Is it essential for young people to have some achievement?

It is an interesting question; having achievements at a young age certainly helps us gain confidence and teaches us the importance of hard work.

10. How to handle challenging situations in life?

There is no denying this conviction that how so ever hard we try, we have to encounter challenging situations in our life.

Whenever we go through tough times, the best approach is not to overreact because doing so can jeopardize our relationships with our near and dear ones.

Moreover, sometimes things take time to settle and trying hard doesn’t work in our favour. In such a scenario waiting for the right time is a discerning approach.

Lastly, if the situation is out of your hands, it is best to accept it and start living your life as per the changed circumstances.

Vocab

1. Leave no stone unturned.

Meaning: Use every possible course of action to do a task.

Sentence: Multinational companies leave no stone unturned to woo customers. They apply behavioural science principles to plant their products’ seeds in the customer’s mind.