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Describe A Time When You Saw A Lot Of Plastic Waste: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • Where and when did you see the plastic waste?
  • Why was there a lot of plastic waste?
  • What did you do after you saw it?
  • And explain what your thoughts were about this.
Show all 77 answers

Cue 1:Where and when did you see the plastic waste?

  • Begin by describing the location where you encountered the plastic waste, such as a beach, park, or riverbank.
  • Mention the time of year or specific occasion, like a festival or holiday, to give context to your experience.

Example

I saw a lot of plastic waste last summer at Juhu Beach in Mumbai. It was during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, a time when many people visit the beach to immerse idols. Unfortunately, after the celebrations, the beach was littered with plastic bags, bottles, and food wrappers.

Cue 2:Why was there a lot of plastic waste?

  • Explain the reasons behind the accumulation of plastic waste, such as lack of awareness or inadequate waste disposal facilities.
  • You can also mention the cultural practices that contribute to the problem, like the use of single-use plastics during festivals.

Example

The reason for the excessive plastic waste was mainly due to the large number of visitors who brought food and drinks in plastic containers. Many people were unaware of the environmental impact of their actions, and there were not enough bins available for proper disposal.

Cue 3:What did you do after you saw it?

  • Share your immediate reaction upon seeing the plastic waste and any actions you took.
  • Mention if you participated in any clean-up efforts or raised awareness about the issue.

Example

After seeing the plastic waste, I felt compelled to do something. I joined a local group that was organizing a beach clean-up the following weekend. We collected bags full of plastic and other debris, and it felt good to contribute to the environment.

Cue 4:And explain what your thoughts were about this.

  • Reflect on your feelings regarding the situation and the broader implications of plastic waste.
  • Discuss any changes in your behavior or perspective that resulted from this experience.

Example

Seeing the plastic waste made me really concerned about our environment. It made me realize how important it is to reduce plastic usage and promote recycling. Since then, I’ve started carrying my own reusable bags and bottles to minimize my plastic footprint.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, witnessing the plastic waste at Juhu Beach was an eye-opening experience. It highlighted the urgent need for awareness and action regarding plastic pollution. I believe that if we all take small steps, we can make a significant difference in protecting our environment.

    Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.

    Tips to answer this Cue Card

    1: Vague Descriptions

    Using vague language can make your answer unclear. Avoid general statements that do not provide specific details about the location or situation of the plastic waste.

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    Tip

    Be specific about where and when you saw the plastic waste. Use descriptive language to paint a clear picture for the examiner.

    2: Lack of Personal Reflection

    Failing to share your personal thoughts can make your response less engaging. It's important to express how the experience affected you emotionally or intellectually.

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    Tip

    Include your feelings and thoughts about the plastic waste. Explain why it was significant to you and what you learned from the experience.

    Ignoring the Cause

    Not addressing why there was a lot of plastic waste can lead to an incomplete answer. Understanding the cause adds depth to your response.

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    Tip

    Discuss the reasons behind the plastic waste, such as local events or habits. This shows your awareness of environmental issues and enhances your answer.

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    All Answers

    Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

    Band 6-7

    I clearly remember an incident that happened last summer when I went to a nearby beach with my family. We were very much excited to spend a day there, but as soon as we arrived, an amount of plastic was spread over the sea. There were plastic bottles, fruit packets and bags floating in the water and lying on the sea. The main reason, I think, was the cleanliness of visitors. Many people bring snacks and drinks packed in plastic and leave the waste inside instead of throwing in the dustbin. Moreover, the beach management didn't have enough garbage or a proper cleaning facility, which made the situation. At first, I felt upset, but then I decided to do something. I joined a small group in cleaning the beach that day. We collected as much waste as we could and put it in the garbage bag. It was tiring, but it feels good and contributes in some way. Honestly, it was quite an eye-opening experience. I realized how serious the plastic pollution problem occurs in the world now, and how our small habits can harm the environment. Since that day, I have tried to avoid using single-use plastic and also plastic garbage bags. I also encourage my friends and my relatives to do the same thing.

    Band 6-7

    Yes, so once I went with my friends to Juhu beach, it's here located in Mumbai and we wanted to enjoy the serene weather, it was the evening time, so everything was really pleasant and we wanted to have a beautiful time instant, we instead we met with the horrendous atmosphere, we saw the plastic, they all were laid around the beach, which made us question why did we come to Juhu beach at the first place, it was terrible, the smell was pathetic and literally there was no space for us to sit and enjoy, we couldn't go into the water because the water was smelling funky and it was extremely black and then what I realized we all have to collectively, it cannot be done overnight, but we all have to consciously make a decision to use plastic very less, we have to reduce the usage as much as we can, we must use dustbins, we shouldn't litter around and we all need to collectively develop civic sense, which I feel like is missing here and then I kind of, that was the stepping stone when I joined a couple of NGOs and we did the beach cleanup drive and then I started writing some natural, you know, some blogs in order to reduce the usage of plastic bags around us.

    Band 6-7

    Last week I visited a local fish market which is located nearby my house. When I went there, I saw people buying fishes in black plastic bags. And instead of throwing those bags into the garbage, they threw those bags on the road. Personally, I felt very bad seeing the situation there, the way people roam there, the way they were making mess out of that place. It was a terrible sight. But it can be improved if we help people to understand the basic civic sense and to teach them how to throw garbage baggages into the garbage box or in dustbins. And when I came home from that fish market, the smell I had throughout my travel from fish market to the home, it was a very bad smell, you can say, a terrible smell.

    Band 6-7

    There are not a lot of times when I see the plastic waste around me but the time that I remember was three years back from now when I was moving to Bangalore for my interview. I saw the plastic waste that has been collected at the end of the road and I look ahead and further look into the matter what is the reason behind it. Furthermore I investigated and I came to know that the society throws the waste at this end of the street because there is no municipal corporation party that come here and take the waste from this society and also it was known biodegradable and there was lot of smell around it which also creates the environment that is not suitable for people to live in and it also cause disease that are not good for human health. Moreover it is most important for an individual to keep themselves in a hygiene environment and also maintain the level of the equilibrium in the atmosphere. Then I reach out to municipal corporation and told them about the event that there is no requirement or there is no requirement available in the area. So they came and took in initial steps to clean the waste and after then when I came back after one week so all the waste was gone and it was the incident that shows us.

    Band 6-7

    Once upon a time I was traveling to the Chhattisgarh and meanwhile in my travel I experienced a lot of plastic wastage in the road and for like for an hour our car stopped there and I was like really I would say surprised to see this much plastic because before that I never ever experienced a lot of plastic waste and to be very honest that much garbage on our road and I don't know what was the reason of that much plastic in that area but it was surrounded with lot of bad smell and then I just called to the community corporation like who is responsible for all the cleanliness and tell them to take action soon as possible because my uncle have some authority that's why I request to him to hand over the coal to me and then just I just take over the coal instead of my uncle and said them to take action as soon as possible to clean the plastic then I dwell into the reason why there is so much plastic in the area then I came to know that some other before there was a big program because of that the plastic

    Band 6-7

    It was during 3rd year of my engineering degree that I encountered with such a situation in my life. Since it was mandatory to get enrolled in any of the clubs present in the university, I was enrolled in a club called Oikos, which is an eco club mainly concerned about environment and culture. So after 2-3 weeks of my enrollment, they had organized a campaign where we need to go to different places and pick up or clean the plastic waste which is present. In a group there was a total of 20 members and all of the people were divided into subgroups of 5 people and my group headed towards a beach. So when I entered that beach, it was really a shocking situation to see because everywhere there was plastic waste present and people were so careless that they used to eat, drink but they were least concerned to put that waste in the dustbin which is present. Due to this, the land and the water body both were polluted. So it was

    Band 6-7

    As I saw that there are various pollutants which pollutes our ecosystem and it creates a very detrimental effect in our environment and as well as in our personal health. But today I'm going to talk about one particular incident which took place a few days back when I was walking in a society garden which is nearby to my place. It's around 3 km far away where I reside. Moreover I usually go there to rejuvenate myself and to relax and do some gentle yoga as I'm a nature lover person. I love to explore nature and enjoy the mother nature. Moreover there are very disturbances incidents happened with me because when I was walking near in a track in a pathways in the middle of the garden I saw there are so many litters specially the waste bottles and plastics are all scattered around the garden and it makes very bad impression and as we know that these plastic waste are not recycled and this waste generates lot of pollutants which is very harmful for the ecosystem as well as the health of the human beings. Additionally when I saw I immediately went there at that place and I started collecting all the plastic in a big plastic in a box and I put there and I called the security guard over there and I explained all the incidents which happened and I asked him to put a dust bin and there.

    Band 6-7

    This is the time when I have gone to Shimla for a trip and I only imagined Shimla as a very scenic and a very beautiful place to go to. But I visited a slum when I thought it was not a part of Shimla at all. It was a different phase of Shimla altogether. And I saw a lot of garbage here and there, plastic here and there and it just broke my heart to the core. And the condition of the people living there was poor. The moment I saw that situation, I thought to myself one thing that not everything that is portrayed as beautiful is actually that beautiful. Everything has its own flaws as well and you will get to know about all of it only when you come and explore that place by yourself. And the fact that I thought Shimla would be very beautiful but then when I realized that it also has something, a face like this, it broke my heart and I couldn't do much about it because this has to be done in accordance with the government and the government has to intervene and has to bring up policies and it has to run some programs that would help people clean their places and also it has to do with the people who need to support the government with the policies and should keep their place neat and clean.

    Band 6-7

    yes to begin with last year when I was in a vacation when I was on a vacation with my friends and families for Delhi I saw that there was a lot of waste segregated on side of the roads and mostly it was always products of plastics my heart really felt bad I felt really bad I was not happy at all when I see all those ways and and the consequences that were caused and the reason and those people living living around there what their condition might have been I felt very bad and unfortunately to be honest I couldn't do anything because I was just a tourist there for a week so I just when I come back I just thought that we should everybody should contribute so that our environment and our social surrounding would be clean healthier for us to survive and it's all for us only so when I come back I thought that we should contribute we should start contributing even if it is a little bit of thing we should start conserving energies we should start using products and things with less plastic and more paper best and also I just narrated the whole thing the whole story to my family and I told I even advised them not to use much plastics and not to throw or them anywhere

    Band 6-7

    The time when I saw lots of plastic items or garbage, it was while I was travelling to a trip to Manali where there is like while leaving Delhi and reaching out to the border of Delhi there is this place Azad Mandi where all the trash of entire city Delhi is being collected over there where I could see literally a mountain of wastes which was so smelly it was so unhygienic there however that time I really got to think about like why I should stop using much of non-recyclable items I shifted to using you know paper bags instead of plastic bags I stopped using plastic bottles plastic water bottles I started using glass bottles or steel bottles which can actually help to the environment and eventually since then I personally have noticed I cannot say whether it is effective to the environment completely but yes my personal life has grown a lot in terms of more environment free personality and people also got influenced by looking at me my behavior it changed their mentality or perception as well to use more of recyclable items rather than non-recyclable
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