Describe a Volunteering Experience You Have Had: IELTS Cue Card

IELTS^TM CUE CARD

Describe a Volunteering Experience You Have Had: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

Updated on Nov 12, 2024, 11:24

Overview

Regarding IELTS Speaking, imagine a friends chat divided into 3 parts. The whole chat is only 11-14 minutes- not too overwhelming. Now, let’s talk about the part 2 or cue card task.

Imagine the examiner giving you a cue card with topics like ‘Describe a volunteering experience you have had.’ You get a preparation time of 1 minute to frame your answer. In the next 2-3 minutes, you can speak your answer about the topic.

After the cue-card task, you will be asked follow-up questions in part 3. The questions in part 3 will be related to the cue-card topic given by the examiner.

Cue Card/Topic:Describe a volunteering experience you have had

You should say

What it was?
Where was it?
Why did you volunteer?
How did you feel about it?

Sample Answers

How to answer

Sample Answer 1

Introduction:

One of my most rewarding experiences was on my birthday.
I spent my birthday volunteering in the animal shelter.
I had a wonderful volunteering experience in a local animal shelter, caring for and assisting mistreated and abandoned animals.

Mention the reason for volunteering:

I always wanted to volunteer at an animal shelter out of deep compassion for animals and a desire to contribute to their well-being.
An animal shelter plays an important role in providing rehabilitation.
I have always wanted to participate in their journey and promote responsible pet ownership.

Explain the feeling after completing the work:

After volunteering work, there was a sense of satisfaction.
Realising that I had contributed to the well-being of the poor animals and had played a role in taking responsibility for a better future for them was immensely rewarding.

Conclusion:

Overall, the experience of volunteering in an animal shelter taught me a lot of important life values like resilience, patience, and the ability to bring a positive impact through teamwork.

Sample Answer 2

Introduction:

I haven’t had any volunteering experience, but I can envision having a similar experience and the potential and valuable contribution individuals can make through volunteering.
I have never had the opportunity to be involved in volunteering, but I can understand the feeling of helping someone in need and contributing to society.

Mention the reason for volunteering:

Whenever I get the chance to volunteer, I would like to contribute to a local community centre that supports underprivileged children.
I can help teach the kids one of the skills I am good at.
I will always want to teach skills I excel to underprivileged children at a local community centre.

Explain the feeling after completing the work:

After volunteering, I am privileged and honoured to have assisted them in some way that might help them in the future.

Conclusion:

Volunteering helps bring tangible changes, makes the lives of people in need easier, and brings a sense of shared responsibility.

Sample Answer 3

Introduction:

One of my interesting volunteering experiences was in my 2nd year of college.
The college organised the campaign, and it was about spreading awareness of traffic rules.
All the volunteering work has different experiences.
One of my exciting experiences was becoming aware of traffic rules.
Our college initiated it, and this campaign got me interested.

Mention the reason for volunteering:

The campaign was important because there was an unfortunate mishap on the road leading to our college.
One of our fellow classmates attempted to cross the road when a speeding vehicle careened into her, which led to deep injuries.
The incident enlightened us about the campaign on awareness of traffic rules.

Explain the feeling after completing the work:

Through this volunteering experience, I got equipped with many rules and regulations set by the government.
This campaign helped have the social responsibility of obeying the traffic rules.

Conclusion:

The incident with our classmate taught us that we should take responsibility for obeying the traffic rules for the well-being of individuals.

A good score answer for the IELTS part 2 task should include a strong introduction, some context to the topic, reasons to support your answer, and reasons on how you relate to the topic.

The examiner will assess your answer based on your ability to communicate in English.

Once part 2 begins, you will be handed a cue card and 4 questions related to it. In our case, the cue card will look something like this:

We have divided the answer for our topic, ‘Describe a volunteering experience you have had,’ into 4 parts.

Introduction:

What was the volunteering work?
Where was the volunteering work?
Set a formal tone while starting with an introduction.

Mention the reason for volunteering:

Describe why you wanted to volunteer.
Mention the challenges you faced during volunteering work.

Explain the feeling after completing the work:

Describe how you would motivate people to do the same.
Set some context on the experience of volunteering work.

Conclusion:

Summarise the key highlights from the topic.

Follow-Up Questions

Part 3 of the IELTS speaking section is known as the discussion round. The follow-up questions for “Describe a Volunteering Experience You Have Had” are a part of the discussion round.

Part 2 and Part 3 are interlinked. In this section, the examiner will ask you questions related to the topic given in part 2 of the IELTS speaking. The discussion round's duration, part 3, will be 4-5 mins.

You should avoid rephrasing the question without adding meaningful content in this section. Pay attention to the time allocated by the examiner for each section, especially during the discussion round.

Q1. What are the qualities required for being a volunteer?

Answer 1: The qualities required to be an active volunteer are understanding and compassion for other’s needs and interests and being flexible and open to changes or unexpected situations that may arise during volunteering.

Answer 2: A compassionate volunteer should have qualities such as commitment to demonstrate dedication to the cause and the organisation. He/she should have excellent communication skills to share the ideas and thoughts with others.

Q2. How can companies engage in volunteer work and help the society?

Answer 1: Companies engage in volunteer work by implementing certain initiatives, such as pro-bono services for non-profit organisations. This allows companies to help non-profits address their challenges and improve their operations.

Answer 2: Some companies carry out volunteer work to fulfil corporate social responsibility (CSR). Volunteers can engage in corporate giving programs, which means donating funds to charitable causes.

Q3. What are the benefits of participating in volunteer work?

Answer 1: Volunteering can offer many benefits to both recipients and the volunteer. It can benefit personal growth and development by allowing the opportunity to gain new skills, enhance existing ones, and develop hands-on experience.

Answer 2: Volunteering benefits personal growth and development and other benefits, like building your own social network and making lasting friendships. It can enhance professional skills, making individuals more marketable in the job market.

Q4. Why do you think people should participate more in volunteer programs?

Answer 1: People should participate more in volunteer programs because some research suggests that volunteering can positively impact mental and physical well-being. It can also help reduce stress, combat depression and contribute to well-being.

Answer 2: Volunteer programs focus on addressing social issues and community needs. This allows the individuals to contribute to positive change in the community actively.

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FAQs

Q. Can I use informal language during my cue card task?

Ans. While there are no strict rules against using informal language or slang during the cue card task, sticking to a more formal language and tone is advisable. This is because the IELTS is designed to evaluate your proficiency in using English in formal and academic contexts. Therefore, excessive use of casual language may not be suitable for the test.

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

Ans. The vital language elements you should remember while attempting the cue card section are:

Punctuation
Fluency
Language
Pronunciation.

Q. Is there any dress code for speaking in IELTS?

Ans. There is no specific dress code for the speaking test in IELTS. As such, you can wear comfortable and casual clothes to the test. There is no need to wear a suit or tie. However, it is essential to dress appropriately and ensure you are well-groomed for the test.

Q. What are some of the common cue card topics?

Ans. Some of the common cue card topics are:

Describe a Famous Person that you are interested in: IELTS Cue Card
Describe an activity that you do after school/work cue card
Describe a person who impressed you in primary school cue card
Describe an invention that changed people's life IELTS cue card
Describe a person who you believe dresses well.

Q. Can I use informal language during my cue card task?

Ans. While there are no strict rules against using informal language or slang during the cue card task, sticking to a more formal language and tone is advisable. This is because the IELTS is designed to evaluate your proficiency in using English in formal and academic contexts. Therefore, excessive use of casual language may not be suitable for the test.

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

Ans. The IELTS speaking parts 2 and 3 are distinctly different. IELTS part 2 is also known as the Cue card section, and part 3 is the discussion round. In part 2, a topic is given by the examiner, and you are given 1 minute to prepare the answer. After the time is completed, you are asked to speak about the topic for 3-4 minutes. In part 3, the examiner asks questions related to the topic given to you in part 2.

Q. What if I fail my IELTS speaking test?

Ans. The IELTS speaking test can be retaken if you have failed. You will need to repay the fees and then sit for the exam. But before you blindly plan to retake the exam multiple times until you don’t reach the score, you need to analyse your mistake and understand what went wrong in the exam.

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

Ans. The marking scheme for the IELTS speaking test includes:

Fluency
Coherence
Lexical resource
Grammatical range
Accuracy
Pronunciation.

Q. Can I use informal language during my cue card task?

Q. How can I get 8.5 in IELTS speaking?

Ans. You can get an 8.5 band score in IELTS speaking with the following tips:

Build up your accent.
Maintain eye contact while answering the questions.
Practice previous topics that are likely to come in the IELTS exam.
Practice speaking by talking to the mirror; it will build confidence.

Q. Can I exceed the time limit during the speaking test?

Ans. It is crucial to remember that the speaking test has a strict time limit, and if your answer exceeds the time limit, the examiner may interrupt you and move on to the next question. However, this is a normal exam, and your scores won't be affected.

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

Ans. The total duration of Part 2 IELTS speaking is 3-4 mins

Preparation time: 1 min
Speaking time: 3-4 mins.

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