Introduction to IELTS Cue Cards
The IELTS cue card is a pivotal tool that is provided to aspirants in the IELTS speaking part 2 task to evaluate their speaking skills. In this, a topic is provided to students, on which they have to speak for 2 minutes. This is continued by some follow-up questions related to the same theme. Since, this task is designed to evaluate your speaking fluency, arrangement of thoughts and using high-end vocabulary for IELTS. Besides, you must be aware of the marking criterion for the task so you have an idea about what to focus more on. So, this section evaluates your performance on:
- Fluency and Coherence
- Lexical Resources
- Grammatical Range
- Pronunciation
However, after receiving the cue card, you will be getting 60 seconds to prepare for the topic. Thus, use this time effectively to ace the task smoothly. So, after having an insight into what cue cards are, it is time to explore the approach to handling them to crack the test on your first attempt.
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How to Answer the Cue Card?
Since, you have an idea about how crucial the IELTS cue cards task is, you must answer them in a thoughtful manner. However, the examiner will give you a minute to prepare for the theme provides. So you must use this time wisely to arrange your thoughts and note the key pointers to ensure you do not miss anything while speaking.
Besides, you must use adequate phrases and words to reflect your grasp of the language. However, you must ensure that you do not use more of these words to prevent mispronunciation and stuffing of the same. Here is a list of questions you can answer in the cue card topic: describe a course that you want to learn.
- What is this course? Or What it could be?
- When do you want to learn it?
- Where can you learn it?
- And explain why you want to learn it.
Now, let's have a visual representation of what an actual cue card looks like. This will help you to get along with the format of the same:
Describe a course that you want to learn - Sample 1
Go through the first sample for “Describe a course that you want to learn.” You can answer the question by adding some of these points.
What is this course? or What it could be?
We all know that acquiring new skills is crucial in this fast-paced world. Thus, learning is a constant process to stay ahead of the game. I want to share about the course I would like to pursue: Digital Marketing. This course encompasses effective strategies to promote a product or a service, including SEO, email marketing, social media marketing, and more.
When do you want to learn it?
I aim to complete this course promptly as the demand for it is increasing continuously. This is why I do not want to miss the boat and intend to begin the course this month only. With the rise in demand for digital marketers, having a competitive edge is vital. So, I would like to commence the course at the earliest possible.
Where can you learn it?
I plan to pursue the digital marketing course at an online platform as it provides more flexibility. Online learning is a blessing in disguise when you have a lot to do in your bucket. This will allow me to learn at my own pace and comfort. Additionally, I would be able to learn from industrial experts, ensuring practical and updated knowledge.
And explain why you want to learn it.
The world is changing rapidly, and digital marketing is becoming a hot potato. Thus, the ball is in your court; either you take the opportunity or miss it. This is why I want to enrol on the course, as it is my area of interest and needs an hour. So, through this, I will be able to kill two birds with one stone. However, mastering digital marketing skills will widen my career opportunities in both start-ups and established businesses.
Describe a course that you want to learn - Sample 2
Here is an sample answer that will help you to ace the cue card task of IELTS.
What is this course? or What it could be?
Data Science is one of those courses that fascinates me. It is an interdisciplinary course that includes programming, statistics, and data analysis together. As the demand for data science is increasing in numerous industries, this course attracts me.
When do you want to learn it?
I want to enrol in a data science course within a span of a few weeks, possibly just after my current semester ends. There is a growing demand for data science in today's technology-driven world. Thus, it's up to us, as how soon one want to grab the opportunity. So, it goes without saying that the sooner I will take this opportunity, the earlier I can reap the fruits out of it.
Where can you learn it?
I would like to enrol in an online course to ensure I do not waste time in travelling. Moreover, these courses are affordable than the regular offline ones. Thus, with online ones, you can kill two birds with one stone.
And explain why you want to learn it
I find data science fascinating because of its immense potential. There is a growing need for the ones who can analyze data and extract valuable insights from it. Data science is not only valuable in business and industry but also in various other fields too. Moreover, it offers opportunities to work with cutting-edge technologies which have the potential to revolutionize entire industries and improve people's lives.
Describe a course that you want to learn - Sample 3
Here is a sample answer to help you get an idea of how to present your views in the test.
What is this course? or What it could be?
The course I'm enthusiastic about is Artificial Intelligence (AI). It's a fast-developing field that seeks to create intelligent machines capable of emulating human cognitive processes.
When do you want to learn it?
I hope to commence learning AI within the next year. This timeframe allows me to thoroughly prepare for the course while still managing my present responsibilities efficiently.
Where can you learn it?
There are various credible online platforms that provide comprehensive AI courses, including Coursera, Udacity, and edX. Furthermore, local colleges and educational institutions may provide in-person or hybrid learning opportunities for AI courses.
And explain why you want to learn it
I'm really driven to master AI because of its transformational potential across several sectors. As artificial intelligence continues to transform industries such as healthcare, banking, and transportation, gaining knowledge in this subject brings up intriguing job options and potential for innovation. Furthermore, I'm interested in exploring complex algorithms, machine learning approaches, and neural networks to create intelligent systems capable of tackling complicated issues. Finally, understanding AI not only improves my professional abilities but also allows me to make a significant contribution to the creation of cutting-edge technologies that will define our future.
Lexical Resources
In this section, we have created a table including all the difficult or challenging vocabulary for IELTS that we have used in the samples above. Through this, you can easily understand the meaning of those words.
| Words | Meaning |
|---|---|
| promptly | very quickly or immediately |
| miss the boat | to lose an opportunity |
| intend | to have in mind as something to be done or brought about |
| blessing in disguise | something that appears to be a misfortune can have unexpected benefits |
| a hot potato | a situation or subject that people disagree strongly about and that no one wants to deal with |
| ball is in your court | it is up to you to make the next move |
| kill two birds with one stone | it will enable you to achieve two things that you want to achieve, rather than just one |
| it goes without saying | is so obvious |
| it's up to us | Used to tell a person that they are the one to make a decision |
| immense | vast, huge |
As of now, you have an idea about the samples, structure, and lexical resources for the test; move ahead to explore the follow-up questions that might be asked by the examiner about the same theme in the IELTS speaking section.
Follow-up Questions
In this segment, we will explore some follow-up questions that the examiner might ask you after you have completed speaking on the topic.
- Should arts and science must be compulsory subjects in the schools?
- What types of courses are useful for students in your country?
- What are the reasons for some subjects to be disliked by the students?
After getting along with the follow-up questions, it is time to perceive the tactics to handle the cue card task of the IELTS speaking section 2.
Tips to Excel in IELTS Cue Card
Knowing the helpful strategies will ease your process and you will not have to baffle around to complete a task that can be easily done. Thus, here are some handful of tricks to implement and remove the hurdles from your path without struggling alone.
- Read the question provided to you in the cue card adequately to ensure you perceive or understand what is asked by the examiner.
- Use your 1 minute wisely; this is the preparation time given to you. During this time, jot down the essential pointers and keywords related to the theme of the topic to plan the answer.
- Explain and elaborate clearly to describe the topic completely. So, avoid giving one-line answers. This will help the examiner to evaluate your language skills.
- Include apt IELTS vocab idioms, and phrases to reflect your grasp on the language. But ensure you do not use them abruptly and loose your impression. To do this, practice them in your daily conversations.
- Structure the answer well to solve each part of the question effectively without missing anything. This will help you score more than without doing so.
These are a few of the most effective and insightful tips from experts in the field. These are to ensure that you excel in the IELTS cue card task without baffling around. Besides these tricks, this blog included three samples for the cue card topic: Describe a course that you want to learn and the follow-up questions that might come up. However, even if you feel stuck at any point, you can join offline or online IELTS coaching, where the experts will remove all the hurdles from your path to success. To do this, they will provide personalized guidance to suit your needs at affordable prices.
