Describe an ambition that you haven’t achieved IELTS cue card
IELTS CUE CARD TOPIC
Describe an ambition that you haven’t achieved
You should say:
What it is?
Why you haven’t achieved it?
What you did?
And how you felt about it?
Sample Answer 1
Introduction:
Being an ambitious person, I have many aims in my life. I have this habit of working with determination, dedication and discipline to achieve my ambitions. Although I have met most of my goals, there is one ambition that I haven’t achieved yet.
What it is?
My ambition is to start a digital marketing business.
Why you haven’t achieved it?
I haven’t achieved it yet, due to many reasons. Firstly, I haven’t got expert guidance. Numerous mentors post their content for free on various platforms like Youtube and Facebook, but their courses are vague and difficult to understand. The central focus of such creators is on earning view.
Moreover, the option of paid training is there, but that is costly. A simple online course of 6 weeks costs around one thousand dollars.
What did you do?
To achieve my aim, I have purchased a few books. I daily read and implement the strategies mentioned in the book. Although I am making progress, the pace is slow.
And how do you feel about it?
I sincerely believe that I have followed the wrong strategy. To start a business practical knowledge is of utmost importance.
The possible course of action I must take is to join a digital marketing company as an intern. Whatever trivial knowledge I have is sufficient enough to grab me a job.
Because working with a company would empower me with practical knowledge to lead my career towards an impressive growth trajectory.
Conclusion;
I have decided to achieve my ambition by joining a job training with a company. After getting trained, I will start my business
Sample Answer 2
Introduction:
We all have ambitions in our lives, and we leave no stone unturned to achieve them. However, despite working hard, we sometimes fail to achieve our goals.
Recently, I faced a situation in which despite putting in my sincere efforts, I couldn’t achieve my ambition.
What it is?
Since my childhood, I am deeply attached to my parents. During my budding years, I was an average student who never got good grades. But my parents wanted me to become a successful person.
They worked hard and made me a brilliant student through their efforts and dedication.
To make my parents feel special, celebrating the 25th wedding anniversary of my parents with pomp and show was my ambition. However, to my dismay, I failed to achieve it.
Why you haven’t achieved it?
I haven’t achieved it, because just before the anniversary, the administration imposed stringent lockdown due to the corona pandemic. As the virus was spreading rapidly, people were afraid of stepping outside their homes.
Taking the health of everyone into consideration, I decided to cancel the event.
What did you do?
I immediately called all the guests on the list and informed them not to come.
Although I celebrated with my family parents, the pomp and show were missing. We cut the cake, had dinner and then went to sleep.
And how do you feel about it?
Initially, I felt upset. But later on, I realized that by cancelling the event I made a prudent decision. To achieve my ambition, I have decided to celebrate the next wedding anniversary of my parents with pomp and show.
Sample Answer 3
Introduction:
There is no denying this conviction that ambitions are of utmost importance to keep us focussed in our lives. I have had an ambition for a long time.
What it is?
The ambition is to do something worthwhile for senior citizens.
Why you haven’t achieved it?
I have not achieved my ambition because of funding problems. As inflation is at its peak, providing help to the elderly, without sufficient funds is a daunting task.
What did you do?
To start the free support service for senior citizens, I contacted many non-government organisations and corporates. But despite my best efforts, I have failed to generate sufficient funds.
And how do you feel about it?
I feel I have not followed the right strategy to achieve my aim. The glaring mistake I have made is not going beyond the conventional domain to generate funds.
There is no denying this conviction that social media has made inroads in our lives. Due to this reason generating funds for any social cause through this platform is a prudent approach. Hence, I have decided to launch a campaign on social media to create awareness about my project.
This initiative would help me to generate funds and also recruit volunteers. Another thing I would do is to attach with a renowned personality because it would create good branding for my project.
I think I can fulfil my ambition by working with determination, dedication and discipline. And, I would bring a paradigm shift in the life of those elderly, who require medical care and attention.
Sample Answer 4
Introduction
Having ambition is significant because it can lead our lives towards the right trajectory. Although I have achieved umpteen ambitions in my life, one is still pending.
What it is?
The ambition is to open a restaurant. Since my childhood, I have interest in cooking, and I always try to impress others through my culinary skills.
Why you haven’t achieved it?
I have not achieved it due to many reasons. The first and foremost is capital investment. I need to have sufficient funds at my disposal to run a restaurant effectively. Being a student, I do not have money to rent a place.
Moreover, success in any business thrives primarily on the experience we have. People who have heaps of experience find it easy to handle conflicts adroitly. On the other hand, for a novice like me, it is a daunting task to solve pressing problems in business.
Another roadblock is the ongoing corona pandemic. For the last two years, I have been seeing that the administration imposes lockdown regularly, in such a scenario running a business is a cumbersome process.
What did you do?
To achieve my ambition, I watched a boatload of videos on Youtube. Moreover, I have designed the website of my business.
And how do you feel about it?
I am pretty confident that very soon, I will start my business. For funds, I had a word with my uncle, he is ready to invest in my business by becoming a partner. Moreover, his tremendous experience would be an added advantage for me.
Conclusion
I will work hard with determination, dedication and discipline to lead my business towards an impressive growth trajectory.
Sample Answer 5
Introduction
Being a hard-working person, I have achieved many aims in my life, one ambition is still pending.
What it is?
The ambition I have is to carry six-pack abs.
Why you haven’t achieved it?
I have not achieved my ambition due to various reasons. The first one is Corona Pandemic. Due to the lockdown, most gyms in my city remain closed. And I have no option but to do exercise myself. Although I have given my best, the results are not as per expectations. I staunchly believe that doing physical workouts under the aegis of a seasoned trainer is a prudent approach.
The second reason for failure is a lack of discipline. Some days I exercise for 2 hours, and on some occasions, I skip exercise. There is no denying this conviction that, for a perfect physique, working according to a set routine is of utmost importance.
What did you do?
I have watched a boatload of videos on Youtube related to fitness. Moreover, I read content on the diet because it is intuitively true that abs are made in the kitchen.
And how do you feel about it?
Earlier I was upset about my failure: however, now I am hopeful because I have realized the reason for not getting success. I have planned to work with determination, dedication and discipline to achieve my ambition.
I have ordered the gym equipment and hired a personal trainer. Under the instructor’s guidance, I will leave no stone unturned to achieve my ambition of having six-pack abs.
Sample Answer 6
Introduction
There is no denying this conviction that having ambitions is a must to lead our lives towards an impressive growth trajectory. In their absence, our life is at the mercy of circumstances, where they take us, we go.
I have had an ambition pending for a long time.
What it is?
I wish to write a book on self-improvement. People follow the wrong steps to lead their lives to the correct path. They make goals with a deadline, but do not plan to achieve them.
Through my book, I would provide knowledge to people to achieve success. It is intuitively true that hard work is a must to gain triumphs: however, if we complement it with smart work, the results are beyond expectations.
Through my book’s content, I would bring a paradigm shift to people’s lives.
Why you haven’t achieved it?
I haven’t achieved my ambition yet due to two reasons. Firstly, it is a lack of time. In this era of fierce competition, I have to work hard to excel in my career. Due to this reason, I do not get sufficient time to work on my dream project.
Secondly, inflation has made inroads in our lives. Due to that, finding a publisher who would print my book at a lower cost is a daunting task.
What did you do?
I have made a blueprint of the book. Moreover, the pdf version is also ready.
And how did you feel about it?
I felt dejected after not achieving my ambition. But then I read the first few pages of my book’s pdf and got the much-needed motivation to pursue my goal.
Sample Answer 7
Introduction
Without ambitions, our life is just like a radar less ship that does not have any other option but to move at the mercy of the wind.
What it is?
The one ambition, that I have not achieved yet is to participate in the program Shark Tank India.
Why you haven’t achieved it?
I have not achieved it because of the fierce competition. Although Shark Tank is a famous show in numerous countries, in India, just one season has taken place yet, and due to this, the organisers received a boatload of applications.
The show runs in a format with a fixed number of episodes. The organisers had to shortlist some 100 participants out of 1 million applications. Due to this reason, I did not receive the invitation.
What did you do?
To take part, I did a lot of practice. Firstly I worked on my personality and soft skills because presenting an Idea in front of intelligent investors is a daunting task.
Secondly, I gained tremendous knowledge of the financial aspects of my business so that I would explain the strength of my business idea.
And how did you feel about it?
When I came to know that I was not on the list of selected candidates, I was in a state of depression. However, after the pep talk from my father, I gained confidence, and now I prepare daily for season two of Shark Tank India.
Conclusion
I am pretty sure that I will be a part of season two of Shark Tank India.
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 an ambition that you haven’t achieved ”.
1. What ambitions do children usually have?
Children thrive primarily on ambitions to lead their careers towards an impressive growth trajectory. The first aim they have is to have a successful career. During childhood, they fantasize about becoming a film star, sports star or air hostess, fashion designer etc.
Another ambition that children have is to learn a boatload of money to live an opulent lifestyle. Because they sincerely believe that having money would help them to solve the pressing problems in their lives.
2. Why are some people very ambitious in their work?
Some people tend to work with determination, dedication and discipline. In their opinion, being ambitious is the secret to success because it brings the best out of them.
On the other hand, when they work without much ambition, work seems boring to them and they feel monotonous.
3. Why don’t some people have dreams?
Some people believe that having dreams is daydreaming. They lead their life as per their comfort zone and having dreams propel them to step out of their comforts.
That is why they have this uncanny knack for not having dreams. Because having dreams prompt us to work hard and strive towards success.
4. How do people balance work and life?
To maintain work and life balance, people prioritize things. After doing this, they do careful planning and make informed decisions. Moreover, they work with determination, dedication and discipline to solve the pressing problems of their lives. In short, their hard work coupled with a smart attitude helps them to maintain a work-life balance.
5. What are your career ambitions or goals?
My career ambition is to have a plum job with a reputed company. After honing my skillset in a job, I will open my own business to rake in big bucks.
6. What motivates you?
For me, the motivating factor is fame. When I do some tremendous work, and I get applauded, that thing puts me in a state of flow, and after that, my work becomes worship for me.
7. What does success look like to you?
Success is a feeling that I get after attaining my goals. Moreover, success becomes double when your family becomes a part of your ambition.
8. Where do you want to be in five years?
After five years, I see myself in a European nation living an opulent lifestyle.
9. Tell me about a time when you set yourself a stretching goal and achieved it.
Two years back, I used to be a bulky person. As people would body-shame me, I planned to lose weight by doing physical workouts with determination, dedication and discipline. However, later on, I realized that the key to losing weight is a balanced diet.
After that, I started taking my diet seriously by taking all meals between 9 am to 7 pm, this attitude brought a paradigm shift in my life, and I lost 10kgs weight in two months.
Some Cue Cards from Jan to April 2022 list
1.Describe something that was broken in your home and then repaired
2.Describe an ambition you haven’t achieved
3.Describe a time when you organized a happy event successfully
4.Describe something you received for free
5.Describe a famous person that you are interested in
6.Describe a toy you liked in your childhood
8.Describe a person you met only once and want to know more about
9.Describe a resolution you made in the new year
10.Describe a skill that you learned from older people
