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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

    Nowadays everybody is using plastic bags covers abundantly instead of reducing the plastic people are more fond of using plastic bags as I have seen in so many places people are carrying carry bags to the vegetable market and fruit market instead of using zoot or any other bags. Also last time I went to the beach I have seen so much of plastic there I feel very bad by seeing it I feel like we should clean everything I should clean but I know I can't clean all the things there so I decided to conduct a campaign I discussed with my friends regarding the plastic on sea we people are in the NCC group and some of my friends are from NSS group also then we decided to conduct a camp on next Saturday to remove all the plastics from the sea and also I want to conduct a program to bring awareness about the plastic and I promote the use of it.

    Band 6

    We visited Thailand 4 months ago for our family trip, me, my husband and my daughter were on the trip, there we saw a hell lot of use of plastic things in our daily life, during the trip they provided the food and drinks in different type of plastic containers, they provided food in round containers along with the plastic plates, plastic spoons, they also used to carry different type of water bottle which were also, which were not in the glass material, this shows, this hurt me a lot and what we did, we bought our glass water bottle and filled our water from our hotel itself, which helped me to save plastic water bottles, also we started carrying the paper plates with us, so whenever they used to provide us the food, we ask them to dispose of the plastic and provide food in our paper plates, plastic is injurious to the environment, we know that when plastic, there is excessive use of plastic, it also affect our health, which may lead to very rare conditions which is called cancer, keeping this all in mind, we requested and put a note to the government saying that plastic should be banned, this was the recommendation when we left from our family vacation.

    Band 6

    One day I went to the walk on the roads on my streets or near houses, I saw a lot of plastic papers and bottles are not correctly put on the dustbins, they are thrown on the soils and the streets of the roads and it covers a lot of rain waters because it was the rainy season and it was the places for the mosquitoes and it started to prepare reproductions on the rain waters and it spreads the dengue, malaria and some diseases for the peoples. When I saw it, I know it spreads a lot of diseases but what can I do for that, I started to remove the plastics around the streets and clear them in the correct way and I sticker the paper on the trees and the walls of the streets to not throw the plastics on the way, put it on the dustbins and some slogans to correct the peoples and the only way of correcting the peoples was correct teaching about the dustbin methods and the proper waste disposal methods and never using the plastic bags and bottles and instead of using wooden and some greeny papers like cardboard and some of the disposal things and ok.

    Band 6

    Last year I was travelling to my native place with my family, where on the way I saw a lot of plastic waste roaming around, was thrown around by the people. This was definitely not a right thing, which I thought. I saw a lot of people throwing plastic waste on the road instead of throwing it in a dust bin, which was completely unacceptable. I thought of giving them a lesson about the same thing, about teaching how it helps us and the environment, and how it affects the animal life that is roaming around. I also explained about the animal life that is getting affected because of this waste. Definitely people got to learn more about this, and I also told them not to throw anything on the road as there are specific dust bins for specific places, for specific waste. So definitely people understood, they apologized, and the next two days before I visited the same place and I saw a lot of improvement in that place. So definitely people are starting doing the things correctly, which is great for the environment. Thank you.

    Band 6

    So there was a time when I saw a lot of plastic waste Last year I was travelling to my friend's house He lives in East Delhi suburb, Preet Vihar So I was travelling by car that day My friend had called me for his birthday party When going to East Delhi from West Delhi We have to cross a place called Mukarba Chowk It is a bypass area which connects the entire city Entire parts of the city So when I was crossing Mukarba Chowk I saw that the government has made a type of mountain from the plastic waste It was done to create a landfill Basically it was a landfill which was given the shape of a mountain The ruling party is trying to reduce the pollution in that particular area By planting trees in that mountain Throughout the day all the vehicles move there And put mud and creates a proper soil So that trees could survive there

    Band 6

    The first time that I saw the plastic waste was when I went for a clean-up drive from an NGO organization, NGO group called as Project Reach Out. So basically we had went to clean the nearby areas of Kukeli Lake in Mysore. When I actually went there, I saw that there were piles of plastic covers, plastic papers and plastic bottles lying everywhere around the place. There was a lot of plastic waste in that area because Kukeli Lake is a public place and the maintenance is not so well designed, so the cleanliness is not being maintained properly. So as soon as we saw it, we organized a clean-up drive from our NGO, calling all the people involved in the NGO organization to help us clean the surrounding places. We went in the morning at around 8 o'clock and it was really good experience because we cleaned a lot of garbage and helped to clean the whole environment. It was really great for us to go to it. My thoughts about this would be that making garbage in public places is really very bad because it…

    Band 6

    Well, I remember 5 years back, I was travelling with my family to Haridwar to take a holy dip in Ganga. So, when we reached at Ganga Ghat or also known as Harki Badi, I saw a lot of plastic waste was just in the Ganga. People were throwing a lot of plastic bottles, plastic wrappers and many flowers and other waste material in the Ganga. I felt a little bad to be very honest at that time, but what could I have done because there is a lot of population that goes to Ganga to take a holy dip. I was a child at that time. What was in my hand was that I told my parents not to do these things and I also told my friends. They were also with me and my other extended cousins. We decided not to throw anything into Ganga. There were assigned dustbins at Harki Badi and we collected all our garbage and decided to put them in different blue and green garbage bags. I honestly think that people are not aware of the things they are doing bad to the environment and they must be made aware of the impact, the bad impact or the negative impact they are causing to the environment.

    Band 6

    Plastic is something so very essential. It is harmful to the environment, but it is also so much useful in our daily use. I remember that once I had seen plastic, so much of plastic, and it actually hurt me from within. It was some years ago, I had gone with my friends for a trek. I love trekking. So as we were going, we just love to be in nature, experience the quietness, be in touch with the environment. And just the sound of the flowing water is very soothing. Moreover, as we walked, as we experienced, and were one with the environment, we saw a heap of plastic in the middle of the wildlife sanctuary. It must have been people who had dropped it all around. I believe it was collected together, gathered and piled up in a place. Looking at that, it wrenched my heart, because this was something that I would not expect to see in the forest. But looking at it made me really very sad. So what could we have done about it? We actually took a photo, which normally everyone does. We made a small short video about how we need to take care of the environment. Moreover, we had some plastic bags with us. Coincidentally, yes. Ironically, yes. We put some of that plastic into it. We carried as much as possible with us to take it out of the wildlife sanctuary. And as soon as we reached out of the sanctuary,

    Band 6

    Couple days back, I went to a beach around the city and I saw a lot of plastic garbage around, in and around the beach which made me feel disgusted and all the trash was all around the beach and around the trees, on the pathway of walking. This created a nuisance around and I really felt bad, thinking that the nature is getting damaged and disturbed because of the people, because of all of us, because of humans basically. However, I couldn't stop myself and I started collecting some of the garbage around which was possible for me, like I was all by myself, couldn't collect much of it, but I thought let's just help a bit, right? So, there was litter around and I think it is creating a disturbance for the nature and the plastic should be banned to some extent, like wherever it is mandatory use of plastic, one can use it, but where it is not required, we can use alternate options for that. I think recycle bags or containers we can use and so that we can help in mankind and save the mother earth. The planet is getting damaged because of the plastic, so I think it should be banned.

    Band 6

    It was when I was in Korea, South Korea, I've seen a lot of plastic waste because in Korea there is a, I don't know if it's a law or something, but there are not many dustbins in the roads for people to use. So there was a lot of plastic waste. I think it was because people just don't want to go a little long to find a dustbin. And it's also difficult to find dustbins in Korea, even though it is a very clean country I would say. After when I said the plastic waste, it was just that I picked up the waste and carried it on a bag and put it in a dustbin which was a little meters or some meters away. I think South Korea is a very clean country as well as most of the Asian countries like Japan and China. But there should be more quantities of dustbin in the roads because people always tend to go for shopping and buy a lot of things to eat as a snack or something and they couldn't find a dustbin. So of course they're busy. It's understandable of them that cleaning the plastic would stay in there. So I think there should be more quantities of dustbin, quantities of dustbin.
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