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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

    the time when I saw a lot of plastic waste was around my building that was parking lot where one people started throwing bags or discarded his or her materials during after the completion of Ganpati festival and looking up to the one person rest day by day all the people started and there was a lot of waste which was collected there what was the suggestion which we collected we decide was to park a car instead and once we started that the waste stopped people stopped putting waste yeah that's it

    Band 6-7

    well I was visiting a beach few days ago and what I noticed at that beach is a very big and creepy waste of plastic so I asked people about it and they told me that it is a very serious issue in that particular area especially in beach area because when the tourists reached there they enjoyed a lot but they left their unwanted things as it is on the beach because there is no dustbin or any other facilities regarding waste management so I decided to start a movement regarding the waste management on that particular beach on social media and I got a very wonderful response from the local peoples along with some NGOs so I decided to organize a camp for collecting all the waste and dump it in proper place so that everyone can use the beach in proper way and it was finished two days ago and it was a very memorable day for me because that type of experience I never had in my life all the NGOs along with local peoples and some interested persons were also there and all the peoples are dedicatedly do their work, did their work at the site and they are like, they have the one goal in their mind that beach should be clean first and then we can enjoy at the beach so I think that is very memorable experience for me

    Band 6-7

    The last time I saw a lot of plastic waste was when I visited to the mall with my dad. There was this young little boy with his father and he was carrying a ton of plastic bottles. And I wondered what he was going to do with it in the mall. So we were just waiting in the queue for the lift and there was this machine which also looked like a vending machine where you insert the bottles. And the bottles go for recycling which is such a beneficial and essential machine in these days when global warming is seriously rising. I was so motivated after looking at that little young boy and that also had one more benefit that was that if you put more than 10 plastic bottles you are paid. So the government basically pays you for recycling which is truly and immensely a very smart concept invented by the authorities. I was really motivated to do it next time with my household plastics and seeing it done by a little young boy who had probably...

    Band 6-7

    I am a person who is obsessed to use plastic product as I am familiar with the drawbacks of using that but I preferably use it because sometimes I find it hard to carry some glass bottle or heaviest things so I prefer plastic bottle instead of rather than others but I do not think that I do not harm I don't harm society or the nature by wasting such kind of things here I would like to talk about a time that I saw a lot of plastic waste was occurred in my hometown itself it was a program that conducted by our church so it was based on the religious program as on Christmas time we had a wonderful night eve so we were mostly enjoyed the moment enjoyed the party and we just had food over there and we were very happy and we had a lot of things to entertain ourselves so we had fireworks firecrackers and we were entertaining by with some musical things or live concert so I believe that that was the moment then I realized that I can enjoy myself and even without any age group people were doing some entertainment over there but in the next day when we reached myself and my friends when we reached the church in the morning we saw lots of waste where I hope this waste were added in a area where we dispose all the things people were not aware about the water bottle the plastic cover so I just gathered most of my youth friends and we just collected everything and we handed over it to the panchayat or the public authority so that was the time which we feel more proud even the society or the people who were

    Band 6-7

    Well, I can never forget the day when I went to a trip to Himachal with my family and friends. And we were on the trip and suddenly after reaching the spot we realized that it was full of trash. All over I could see a lot of plastic bottles, plastic cups, mats and so many other things. I know Himachal is one of the tourist places. People from all over the world definitely come to that place to visit once in a while. And when I saw a lot of trash over there I was really disappointed. It was quite obnoxious at the very first scene. When I saw it was completely, I got so much blind that I could not even trust my eyes at how the beauty of nature has been completely destroyed by these plastic papers, plastic things. And also we know as plastic is non-biodegradable. It is not only polluting the environment but it is also responsible for the degradation of the forest, the soil and the beauty of the nature. When I saw it I was completely, I asked my parents that we should do something about it. And me and my family and especially my friends. We all wore our gloves, we all dressed up in a quite formal way, in a non-formal way and we just started clearing up the trash at that very moment. It took us completely two days to clean that place from all the trash paper which was available. And to be honest we had completely over 800 tons of plastic bag we collected that day. We gathered it and we sold it to the, we have sent that to the landfill. But to be honest if I could take such certain steps, why can't the people of India can do that? So what I really genuinely feel that it's not one responsibility, it is the responsibility of every individual to come forward and clean the environment.

    Band 6-7

    I remember last year when I took a trip to Srinagar with my uncle, we saw a very huge garbage spreaded all over the place. So I felt so very bad why people are throwing that garbage. If they don't throw garbage in their personal homes, then why are they destroying their public spaces. Public spaces is also like our private homes. It's our duty to clean them and to make sure it's tidy and clean. So I decided to clean that also. I took some local people with my uncle and started to clean that place. So after that, the place got very beautiful and it was very nice looking. So after that class, we have given message to that public that it's our duty to not destroy this place by throwing waste materials like or throwing garbage. Instead, we should throw them in the dustbin which is nearby, which helps us to maintain clean in the society. So yeah, that's what I have done when I go to Srinagar. It was a very beautiful trip. Other than that, we saw beautiful landscape like Aru Valley. It's also called Minnesota land in India.

    Band 6-7

    So, there are countless number of times I've seen plastic waste. In fact, today morning while traveling to the exam center, coming in the cab, I could see plastic being, you know, thrown all over the floor on the sideways of the road. There's nothing much I could do but to observe the plastic being there, though if plastics are near my house, I've always picked up and thrown it, but if it's a public place, I'm not sure if it's contaminated or not. I always wonder why people do this. There are designated dustbins and trash cans kept around the streets of Chennai. Nevertheless, people throw the plastic down onto the ground. I don't see why they don't get the civic sense to do so. And I believe it could be because the government has not urged enough to the citizens to properly dispose the plastics. And people should understand the environmental damage it does, along with destroying the aesthetic beauty of our city. I've always felt furiated whenever I see someone deliberately throwing a plastic trash out their car window or after, you know, having or consuming a product. I've in fact went to people and told them to pick it up and throw it into a trash can. It makes me mad, but it also makes me feel sad about the fact that people aren't understanding the negative impact it causes to our city and to the country. It also sets a wrong example to the younger generation. As they grow up, they should understand the need to throw plastic into the trash cans and not just litter it all over the area.

    Band 6-7

    Recently I visited Kokan beach where I saw a lot of plastic waste because especially in monsoon season lot of tourists visit beaches to enjoy their vacation and when they visit beaches they bring cold drink to the beaches they also bring food and other things such as caps raincoats and all the things and after their use they left those plastic bags and all the stuff on beach hence it will lead to the garbage and after that along with sea waves the garbage was going inside the sea making water pollution as well as land pollution. When I saw the garbage the first thought came in my mind was why peoples in the vicinity can't install dustbins there if there was a proper dustbin so the problem of garbage was reduced to most extent and there should be volunteers to collect garbages I saw one video when one man was cleaning beach and collecting all the garbages then he recycled and make very beautiful things such as drawings paintings from the leftover canvas and he also made dustbin from bottles and leftover pots and cans after that he donated the things he made from waste to the local beach and when the things was kept on that beach the beach was

    Band 6-7

    It's been a year ago, me and my friends planned to enjoy the environment and a peaceful place. So we just selected a destination to Kodaikanal and we just travelled by car itself. We reached there and we just picked up some specific sports to enjoy the Kodaikanal. It was a cool climate which is more preferable for everyone that can enjoy the nature. Suddenly we reached to a spot called Kuwarni which is a famous place in Kodaikanal itself. It's a hilltop place and there is no permission to go inside because it's restricted from the forest department. I saw that most of the people are just not aware of what they are restricted and just got into inside. While I was observing too close, I saw that so many waste has been thrown through the area after their use. Even discharged from a small plastic to a big plastic waste itself. I just reported to the forest office about this and I feel hectic environment in that side because I don't think this is a good way to treat the environment.

    Band 6-7

    Yes, indeed I went for a summer vacation last time and on a beach in Goa and we were just passing by the beach and I saw a heap of plastic over there. There were bottles, there were wrappers of chocolates, chips and also there were vendors selling the things in plastic plates and I was very tensed about that so I was with my mother and we walked around throughout the day on the beach telling the people about the consequences of this plastic if it was thrown in the water which is usually done and how it was harmful to the marine animals. So after two days of hard work we went around the beach, we circulated circulars and all just to make the people realize that how the things could become worse if the marine animals ate the plastic or consume the plastic and how it can affect our earth. So finally after two days of hard work we got five people who were ready to help us with the help of government and we brought cranes and other things which could help to remove the plastic and seeing us many other people joined us and they also realized that yes it was harmful for the marine animals and we took out that plastic waste and we threw it in the lorry and then it went.
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