Describe when someone gave you something you really wanted /a gift you received IELTS Cue Card

IELTS CUE CARD TOPIC

Describe when someone gave you something you really wanted /a gift you received

You should say:

Who gave it to you?

What was the thing?

When you received it?

Why you needed it?

How you felt about it?

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

Although I have received many gifts in my life, I got a present I wanted on one occasion. Hence it is worth mentioning.

Who gave it to you?

My brother blessed me with a gift, and he gave me the thing which I was severely in need of

What was the thing?

It was a laptop.

When you received it?

I received it on my birthday.

Why you needed it?

I needed it because my country’s administration imposed a strict lockdown due to the corona pandemic, and my college started offering online classes instead of offline.

Since I did not have a laptop, I took a lot of work to attend classes online. Although I participated in the courses through my smartphone, its screen size needed to be improved.

I found it challenging to read the content written by the teacher on the whiteboard. Moreover, submitting the projects was also problematic because typing the content on a mobile phone is time-consuming.

Hence, due to the non-availability of the laptop, my life was going through a challenging phase.

How did you feel about it?

After getting the laptop, I was on cloud nine. Attending the class became easy for me, and The teacher’s whiteboard was visible to me.

Apart from this, I completed my projects and submitted them on time because typing the content and offering the presentation is relatively easy on a laptop compared to a smartphone.

Hence, with the laptop at my disposal, my performance increased appreciably, and I passed my exams with flying colours.

Sample Answer 2

Introduction

In life, we receive many gifts from our near and dear ones. Today I will talk about a special present which improved my life considerably.

Who gave it to you?

My father gave it to me.

What was the thing?

It was a scooter named Honda Activa.

When you received it?

On my 18th birthday, he surprised me by gifting me this scooter.

Why you needed it?

I needed it because for me going to college by public transport was a daunting task. Although it was close to my residence, there were many traffic lights, a due to that; the bus moved slowly.

Every day I used to waste two precious hours travelling to the college. The two-wheeler takes less space, and during traffic congestion, it is easy for us to move from one place to another.

Apart from this, most of my friends had two-wheelers, and I used to feel deprived.

Sample Answer 3

Introduction

Although I have received many gifts, one is the most cherished and worth mentioning.

Who gave it to you?

My sister gave it to me.

What was the thing?

It was a microphone.

When you received it?

I received it on the occasion of Brother’s day.

Why you needed it?

I needed it because I started my Youtube channel two years back, and as I needed the mic with me for noise cancellation, the audio quality needed to be better. Due to this reason, I have yet to get success despite posting the best content.

How did you feel about it?

The arrival of the mic brought a paradigm shift in my Youtube career. Firstly it enhanced the audio quality. A microphone produces better audio than a built-in microphone in our cameras or computers, which tantamounts to finer and more sophisticated audio.

Secondly, I operate from home, and the background noise is always a pressing problem. Due to this reason, I used to create videos at odd hours. After its arrival, I can make videos at any time because it has a feature that minimizes background noises.

Thirdly it helps to get rid of muffled or unclear audio, which has bridged the gap I had with my subscribers because it is not easy for them to understand what I am saying.

Lastly, it has helped me in brand building. There is no denying this conviction that high-quality audio can help us showcase our brand as a professional content creator, enhancing your channel’s goodwill and reputation.

Overall, the microphone is a gift that has considerably enhanced my videos’ audio quality, helping me produce a highly professional and sophisticated end product.

How did you feel about it?

After getting the gift I badly needed, I was on cloud nine. It made my life better in many ways. Firstly it saved me time; before its arrival, I used to leave for the college at 9 am, but after getting it, I would go every day at 9 am. I used the saved time for personal grooming by joining a personality development institute.

Additionally, my confidence grew considerably. After all, I never missed occasions like birthday parties, special classes, seminars and presentations because my Active empowered me to go to many events despite traffic congestion.

It brought a paradigm shift in my life by allowing me to use my time productively.

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 when someone gave you something you really wanted /a gift you received”.

1. What is the relationship between shopping and your country’s economy?

Shopping helps the economy in two ways. Firstly it inclines tax collection, and secondly, it creates more job opportunities with increased demand for products and services.

2. What are the things young people like to buy?

Young people buy things that provide instant gratification, like new clothes, watches, mobile phones, cars, etc.

3. Is consumption important to a country?

The economy of countries thrives primarily on consumption. The nations with low consumption face severe financial crunch, whereas increased consumption of goods and services provides innumerable benefits. Firstly it leads to the effective utilization of resources because factories and machinery re total capacity. Secondly, it strengthens the state’s exchequer through more collection of taxes through enhanced buying. Thirdly it improves productivity by providing jobs to unemployed people.

4. What should parents do when their children ask for things their friends have?

Parents should clearly distinguish between demands and desires in front of their children and make them understand them. Parents should also make clear their financial position, like the funds at their disposal and the liabilities they have. This practice puts the children on the right track and inspires them to work hard for things their parents cannot provide them.

5. Why do people buy things that are not necessary?

People engage in purchasing unwanted things because of various reasons. The prominent cause is peer or societal pressure. Apart from this, they fall into the trap of multinational companies, which manipulate the minds of innocent buyers by applying the intelligent principles of consumer behaviour.

6. Will online shopping grow in the future?

The trend of online shopping will grow in the future. The first and foremost reason for this is the hectic schedule of people. In the modern era, most people experience fierce competition in their field, so they have less time at their disposal. In such a scenario, online shopping is prudent because it saves you time.

Moreover, the population in most cities is growing at a rapid pace. Due to this, the travelling time has increased considerably. Due to this, many people do not wish to step out of their homes. It also would surge online shopping.

Vocabulary

1. Worth mentioning

Meaning: Important enough to require a comment.

Sentence: The printing press’s contribution to technology development is worth mentioning. After its arrival, it became easy to transfer knowledge from one person to another. Hence, it provided unabated support to the engineering fraternity.