Describe an interesting conversation you had with a very old person IELTS Cue Card

IELTS CUE CARD

Describe an interesting conversation you had with a very old person

Who this person is
Where you had the conversation
What you talked about
And explain how you felt about the experience.

Sample 1

I am a social butterfly. I love interacting with people and have had many discussions with people from all walks of life. However, one of my interactions with a significantly older adult is worth mentioning, and this person is our retired army chief.

I had this conversation when one of my friends invited me to a party, and at that party, I saw an old gentleman sitting alone. I talked to him there, and then he told me about various war experiences, how he fought in three wars and survived despite having a bullet in his right leg; he managed to get out of that situation, and the talk with him was an excellent experience for me.

First of all, that person sounded very positive, and he told me that in our lives, we have various troubles, but when we worry, we make them double. So, instead of crying about what has happened to me, our focus should be on finding amicable solutions.

Apart from this, he told me about physical fitness, as he told me it is your most important asset. So, rather than focusing on amassing more wealth, you should leave no stone unturned to keep yourself physically and mentally fit because once you do that, the money is a byproduct.

This person is my friend, and we regularly meet and interact. If I have any problem, I talk to him to find a viable solution.

Sample 2

I recently discussed with a significantly older adult worth mentioning. That person is a retired history teacher. With him, I discussed the glorious history of our country, India. He told me that before the 15th century, India was a thriving economy because the small-scale industry was very well and fully developed, and traders worldwide used to come to India to buy products.

The merchant network was strong, so Indian traders went to other nations. All this changed when there were Turkic invasions, and invaders from other countries started coming to India. Due to that, the economic progress declined.

Moreover, the British occupation of India also dented the economy.
After partition, we started making some progress, and now, with IT,
we will soon be a world power. It will take the next 10-20 years for India to become very successful.

The discussion I had with him paradigm-shifted my thinking because earlier, I used to think that my nation never had a thriving economy. After that discussion, I regularly meet with him to discuss various topics of interest.

Sample 3

I had many interesting conversations with an older man. If I talked about one of the incidents when I went to my village, I met my grandfather, Sucha Singh. And we always like to talk with each other very much because he loves me and treats me well because I am his younger grandson and he loves me very much.

If I talk about one of my incidents, it was when I went to my grandfather’s place. We talked about many things, but one of the most important things I remember is village life, lifestyle, and the comparison between technology and old times. As I was living in the city, we discussed our lifestyle, and my grandfather told me about village life, how they spend their whole day, and the diet and lifestyle of a village. They mostly like to wake up early in the morning and sleep early at night.

Villagers also do household activities like farming and cattle farming. It was the best experience because I learned many new things from my grandfather. I feel very good about our culture and family background, which I have been taught.

If I talk about the complete incident, it was a great feeling because, with older men, we can learn many things, like how to handle our lives and grow ourselves in the contemporary era. So, it was the best experience for me to talk with him.

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 interesting conversation you had with a very old person”.

1. Can older adults and young people share the same interests?

They cannot share the same interests because of the generation gap, the heaps of experience the old generation has, and the inexperience of young people. As you grow older, you realize that few things are essential in our lives, and many seem imperative but are not. For this reason, older adults run after essentials, whereas young people have this uncanny knack for running after instant gratification. Due to this reason, it is a daunting task to make both of them share the same interests.

2. What skills can the old teach the young?

There is no denying this conviction that older adults have heaps of experience they can share with the young. First and foremost, they can still teach young students patience because due to technological invasion, people’s patience has declined considerably. Apart from this, older adults can teach youngsters how to handle conflicts adroitly and how to maintain their emotional makeup during challenging times so that they can come out of unfortunate situations.

3. What skills can the young teach the old?

There is no denying this conviction that young people are good at handling technology, whereas older adults find it difficult. So, the youngsters must provide unabated support to the older people in handling various devices like mobile phones, printers, laptops, etc. And if they do that, that would bridge the gap between both generations, and they can live amicably and garner each other’s unstinted support during challenging times.

4. Do you think the older adults should live with your family?

Older adults should live with their families because they sacrifice their happiness for their children and grandchildren. So, in their older age, youngsters should take it as their responsibility to provide older people with healthcare. So, older adults should live with their families.

5. Do you prefer one-to-one conversations or group discussions?

I prefer one-to-one conversations because we can say whatever we want to. In a one-to-one conversation, there is a personal connection between two people.

6. Have you ever had a conversation that changed your viewpoint on something?

Yes, there are a lot of conversations that changed my viewpoint.

But if I talk about my last incident, I met my friend from New Zealand. We discussed my studies and further studies. So, I prefer to do foreign studies to get a good, handsome salary and a great future. So, it always influences me.

7. What role does active listening play in maintaining an interesting conversation?

It plays a vital role in the conversation; listening to someone actively and responding will make our conversation more attractive and interesting.

8. What are some essential qualities of being a good conversationist?

A good conversationist always listens to the other person and responds accordingly. So, that is one of the best qualities.

9. How can technology enhance the quality of conversations?

If we talk about technology in this contemporary era, people mostly like to talk over the phone and chat. Because with the Internet’s help, you can easily talk to an overseas person.

10. Is it important for people to have deep, meaningful conversations regularly?

Deep conversations always impact people because it affects our minds.

Whenever someone talks deeply about something, we always get influenced by them.

11. What topics do you find more interesting to discuss with others?

I prefer to talk about our future goals and new ideas for doing business or something related to the job because it enhances our career and creates good life opportunities.