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IELTSTM CUE CARD

Describe A Situation When You Helped Someone: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

Updated on Nov 12, 2024, 08:46

Overview

‘Describe a situation when you helped someone’ is one of the topics that you can get on the IELTS speaking test. In this test, you will have an open-ended communication with the examiner.
 

The examiner will assess your language and speaking skills throughout the test. You will be closely analysed to see how well you can use grammar and correctly pronounce words. They will also notice how accurately and fluently you speak on the given topics and questions the examiner asks.

 

Cue Card/Topic: Describe a situation when you helped someone

You should say

  • What was the situation where you helped someone?
  • How did you come to know about the need for help?
  • What did you do to help?
  • What was the outcome of your help?
Sample Answer 1

Introduction
 

  • I would like to share one of my experiences helping a needy stranger. 
  • This event occurred last summer when I walked near the city market. 
     

When was the situation where you helped someone?
 

  • Last August, I was going to a cafe to meet an old school friend. 
  • While walking on the busy street, I found a worried lady sitting alone.
     

How did you come to know about the need for help?
 

  • Finding her in such a disturbance, I asked her whether everything was alright. She nodded and then explained that she had just visited the city. 
  • But she couldn’t locate the hotel and her phone was always off. 
     

What did you do to help?
 

  • She was experiencing so much stress, which was reflected in her face, so I decided to help her. 
  • I took the address and assured her that I would make her reach the hotel. 
     

What was the outcome of the help?
 

  • After walking together for a few minutes, we finally found the hotel. Her face was filled with happiness and gratitude. 
  • She thanked me multiple times, which made me feel satisfied that, yes, I was able to help someone and locate them in the right direction. 
     

Conclusion
 

  • This experience has taught me how important it is to understand and help people in need. 
  • We can significantly support others by devoting little time to our lives. 
Sample Answer 2

Introduction
 

  • I had one of the best experiences during my volunteering trip last year. I got to work together on a drive to assist a needy community. 
  • This flourished my heart and encouraged me to provide a helping hand whenever possible. 
     

When was the situation where you helped someone?
 

  • Last summer, I joined a volunteer team to assist people in a rural village destroyed by a natural disaster.  
  • All the houses were destroyed, and the lifestyle was heavily challenged.

 

How did you come to know about the need for help?
 

  • As we were contributing our efforts together, I found an older woman sitting beside her destroyed home. 
  • Her eyes were full of tears, and she thought about how she would settle herself after the disaster. 
     

What did you do to help?
 

  • The older woman shared how the incident occurred and how it destroyed her home in minutes. 
  • I was genuinely melted by her story and decided to rebuild her home with the other volunteers.

 

What was the outcome of your help?
 

  • We were able to rebuild her home by adjoining our efforts together.
  • The old woman's eyes were full of tears of joy. 
     

Conclusion
 

  • This experience has been very precious to me.
  • It also gave me extreme satisfaction by positively impacting women’s lives.
Sample Answer 3

Introduction
 

  • I would like to recall an incident on a hiking trip. 
  • The solo hiker, James, was drained off during the hike.
     

 When was the situation where you helped someone?
 

  • It was during the last summer when I was hiking along with my friends.
  • The mountain was very rocky and steep, creating challenges for us. 

 

How did you come to know about the need for help?
 

  • Our group covered the most challenging path, where we met with a solo hiker, James, struggling to step further. 
  • He seemed to be running low on energy, taking slower steps and frequent rests.

 

What did you do to help?
 

  • I approached James and passed him some water. 
  • We encouraged him to join us and promised to support him throughout the hike.

 

What was the outcome of your help?
 

  • He agreed to join us, and we continued the rest of the hike together.
  • We shared many talks and lifted each other whenever we were low. 
  • This way, we all made it to the summit together.

 

Conclusion

 

  • This experience helped me to understand the power of unity 
  • It taught me the value of providing mutual support to each other and making the journey easier and enjoyable. 

Here is how the cue card with our topic will look like: 

 

Every topic has some key points that should be discussed while discussing it. In our context, we have the 4 key areas we should describe to create a clear understanding for the examiner. 

 

This is how we can cover the above-related questions within this topic:

 

Introduction:
 

  • You should provide an overview of the situation you are going to discuss.
  • Briefly discuss the particular challenges and the person who was facing such issues.
“I’d like to share a similar experience when I had to support my friend facing academic difficulties actively. A couple of months back, my friend, Sam, was battling with his studies due to personal reasons.”

What was the situation where you helped someone?
 

  • Describe how the situation arose.
  • Introduce how this situation has impacted the person.
“This situation came during the final semester examination. It was a crucial time for all of us. It was a bit more challenging for Sam as he had to deal with some family issues. As his best friend, I realised his situation was very stressful and I should do something about it.”

How did you come to know about the need for help?
 

  • Elaborate the instance where you learned that he/she needs urgent help.
  • Describe what encouraged you to take action.
“One evening, Sam and I discussed the final exam. He was very frustrated and demotivated. So, finding him in such a stressful situation, I decided to provide every possible support to him.”

What did you do to help?
 

  • Explain what sort of actions you took to provide support to the person. 
  • Mention any challenges that you encountered and how you dealt with them.
“I decided to help Sam with his studies by preparing a study calendar and making strategies to cover the syllabus. Besides preparing for my examination, I decided to study with him to bring him on track.”

What was the outcome of your help?
 

  • Describe how your active support has helped the person. 
  • Focus on some positive aspects which happened due to your support. 
“With our active collaboration, Sam has successfully managed his academics and gained his motivation back. He also performed well in the examination, which was a beautiful end to this situation. With this, our friendship grew stronger, and he was always ready for me whenever I needed his support.”

Conclusion
 

  • Now, conclude all the points of the situation.
  • Discuss the outcomes of the whole experience and the lessons learnt from it.
“This scenario taught me a valuable lesson about being there for others in times of need and the value it adds to their lives. This encourages me to provide more support to the people who need it in any way I can.”

Follow-Up Questions

For every IELTS Speaking Cue Card topic, the examiner asks specific questions. In our topic ‘Describe a Situation When You Helped Someone,’ here are the possible questions which the examiner might ask you during the test:

Q1. How did James respond when you offered assistance?

Answer 1: 
 

James initially hesitated to accept our support, but he agreed later. So we started hiking together, sharing our memories and learning much about each other. We also encouraged and supported each other whenever we were low during the hike. He showed his gratitude and extreme happiness when we reached the top of the mountain. 
 

Answer 2: 

James was very worried about whether he should accept the strangers' help. But he agreed to join us when we encouraged him to hike together. That’s how we came together; we kept helping each other and finally reached the summit. Ultimately, he was very thankful to us for making him a part of our journey. 

Q2. Did James mention any specific challenges he faced during the hike?

Answer 1:
 

He mentioned running very low as there were no rest spots. He was also feeling very fatigued due to the continuous hiking activity. He was also dehydrated and too weak when we met him. But finally, he got good strength when we showed him our hands and started hiking together.
 

Answer 2:
 

James did not speak much during the initial interaction, but later, he started communicating with us. He mentioned that he was finding it difficult to move further, which drained most of his energy. The major challenge he was facing was the steepness of the mountain. 

Q3. How did the dynamic of your group change after James joined?

Answer 1:
 

Adding James to our group brought a sense of unity among all of us. We took him with us and started motivating him to help him regain the lost energy and enthusiasm. We started helping James to ensure he felt comfortable with us and continued reaching the milestone with us. 

 

Answer 2: 
 

The inclusion of James in our group has had many positive effects. We have created a more supportive environment for each other, making our group more encouraging and concerned. This has boosted us and enabled us to achieve our goals together. 

Q4. Did James express any feelings of accomplishment after completing the hike?

Answer 1: 
 

James was very happy after we had completed the hike together. He seemed to be genuinely proud of himself for reaching the summit. He also thanked us for supporting and encouraging him to keep moving forward. He told us it was unimaginable to do this hiking without our support. 
 

Answer 2:

 

Yes, James was really satisfied when he reached the summit. He was full of energy and happiness. James also expressed deep gratitude for helping and taking him with our group. He also explained how fulfilling it was to be in the teams together and how the journey has become more accessible.

FAQs

Q. What is the duration of Part 2 speaking IELTS?

Ans. The part 2 section will last for around 3-4 minutes. Here, the candidates are given a cue card containing a topic. You will be given a one-minute time limit to prepare for the topic. Then, you will be required to work on the topic for 2-3 minutes. After that, the examiner will ask you some follow-up questions related to the topics. 

Q. Is the IELTS speaking test easy?

Ans. The IELTS test is moderate to difficult. But with practice, you will overcome it easily. You just need to find some new topics and start practising them. Start making a recording, or talk with your friends to keep seeking feedback and working on it. Ultimately, you’ll be able to find it more accessible. 

Q. Are speaking tests for Academic and General the same?

Ans. The IELTS speaking test format and scoring criteria are identical for the Academic and General modules. However, the topics given will be different. The academic students will be given topics related to education, whereas the general modules will cover topics related to lifestyle and work.

Q. What are common mistakes in IELTS speaking?

Ans. Many students need help maintaining their fluency and accuracy. They often encounter grammatical errors, pronunciation problems, hesitations, and a lack of confidence. You should start practising more often, hear your recordings, and improve them to correct all these errors.

Q. How many hours is the IELTS speaking test?

Ans. The IELTS speaking test is covered in a few minutes. Usually, it takes around 12-14 minutes to cover all three parts. The introduction to Part 1 will take 4-5 minutes, and the same time will be spent on Part 2. The last part, Part 3, a follow-up (discussion round), will take around 2-3 minutes. 

Q. What vital language elements should I remember while attempting the cue card section?

Ans. Four vital elements are essential for your performance in the IELTS. It includes the grammar section, vocabulary, pronunciation, and fluency. In addition, your speech's relevancy also matters a lot. You need to speak about the points related to your topic and avoid jumping on the other unrelated points.

Q. What is the difference between IELTS speaking parts 2 and 3?

Ans. IELTS Speaking part 2 involves giving a topic and a minute to prepare for it. Then, you will have to speak on the same topic for 2 minutes. Part 3 is a discussion round on the same topic as part 2. The examiner will ask a few questions, and you will discuss more of what you have shared in part 2.

Q. Can I express my opinion during the test, even if it's different from the examiner's?

Ans. Yes, expressing your point of view in the IELTS Speaking test is essential. However, some professional codes of conduct should be followed while expressing your opinion. You should avoid arguing with the examiner by giving your views. Always back it up with proffer evidence and examples.

Q. Which part is the most important in IELTS speaking?

Ans. all three parts of the IELTS test are equally essential for scoring better. The examiner will give you an overall score based on your performance in all these three parts. But yes, part 2 is considered a bit important as the topic is given on the spot. For that, you can practice to keep yourself prepared no matter what topic you get. 

Q. Can I change the topic for speaking in IELTS?

Ans. You cannot change the topic given in your cue card, so you should try to learn how to tackle the IELTS speaking topics yourself. You can also take a free masterclass to understand how to perform better in each topic on the IELTS test. In this way, you will be better prepared for it. 

Q11. What is the marking scheme for the IELTS speaking test?

Ans. There are four criteria based on which the examiner gives you the marks. These include fluency and coherence, vocabulary, grammatical range, and accuracy. You will get an average mark based on your performance in all these four areas. It will scale on a range of 0 to 9 band score.

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