The IELTS speaking section is a face-to-face, informal discussion with an IELTS examiner, that is divided into three parts. Part 1 consists of questions about you and your family. In part 2, the examiner will give you a task card or cue card on which you have to speak. Moreover, part 3 includes a longer discussion related to the topic given in part 2. Thus, in this blog, we will discuss on the cue card topic “Describe a Time You Were Very Busy” which can be asked in your IELTS speaking part 2. Further, we will also discuss the follow-up questions and tips to excel in it.
Table of Contents
An IELTS cue card is a particular type of speaking task in the IELTS exam. Candidates are presented with a cue card or a topic that includes some pointers on which they have to speak. You will get one minute to prepare for the task and two minutes to talk about your topic. Moreover, IELTS cue cards are designed to evaluate your English skills in four areas that are: fluency and coherence, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. The topics that are given to a candidate on which he/she needs to speak are mostly based on personal experiences, opinions, or ideas. Further, let’s talk in the next section that how you should answer your cue card topic.
To answer the cue card, you need a strategic approach and techniques. Thus, you should start with a brief introduction of the topic, including 2-3 main points, and giving the details, examples, and explanations. Use the one-minute time to note down your notes and prepare accordingly from start to end. Overall, this part lasts for 3-4 minutes and by the end of your IELTS speaking part 2, the examiner will get a rough idea of your score. Now let’s look at the below given three sample answers for the cue card topic “Describe a Time You Were Very Busy.”
The points that you need to mention in your cue card “Describe a Time You Were Very Busy” are as follows:
Let us show you what your cue card will look like in the exam so that you have a better understanding. See the below-given image
Now you have an idea of what your cue card looks like. Let’s move further and see the sample answers for the given cue card topic “Describe a Time You Were Very Busy.”
The first sample answer for the specific cue card is given below. Read it and gain a better understanding.
In today’s busy world, managing time has become one of the daunting tasks for many including me. Thus, I would like to talk about the time when I got very busy.
There was a time when I became really busy, and I was struggling to manage my time as I was doing my master’s degree from a university about 3 years ago. Besides, I was also serving as a “teaching assistant” which was like a full-time job to check the term papers of hundreds of students. I was also involved in conducting the regular research for my thesis and checking the term papers too.
I was studying for my masters at a university and I had about 2 months to complete my thesis paper, but I did little progression during the first two weeks. Moreover, I also had classes to attend, and exams to prepare for, and all these things made my schedule very tight. The topic of my thesis was very complex, and I had to visit libraries, browse the internet, and brainstorm a lot to organize the writing for a thesis. Also, I had to go to collect the date from the local offices.
Due to so much work pressure, I did not even go to visit my parents for the whole semester. There was hardly any month that I did not go to my hometown to meet my parents. The work pressure, tension, tight schedules, deadlines, and moving from place to place made my life hectic. However, my mother called up and said that when are you coming home? And I mentioned that I need more time to complete my thesis but I’ll come back very soon.
I wouldn’t be so busy if I had not chosen such a difficult thesis topic. I was building my conceptualization skills, and spending a lot of time making my discoveries. However, I was lucky enough that I finally completed my thesis and submitted it before the time. I got an A+ in my thesis and continued with my job by performing well in the term exam.
Overall, I can say that it was the time when I was engrossed in my thesis, university work, and my job.
The second sample answer that you can use in your IELTS speaking section. Read and gain a proper understanding of it.
In the fast-moving world, managing time is very crucial. I would like to share my incident that occurred a few months ago during which I got very busy.
It happened a couple of months ago, as it was my grandfather’s birthday. I made up my mind to make my grandfather’s natal day so special. So I decided to throw a party at our home and invite our all near and dear ones. On that day I got up at 4 o'clock, as I am an early bird, so I didn’t find it arduous to wake up so early. I had approximately all the responsibilities on my shoulders. Firstly, I helped my mother to make the home clean and tidy. Afterward, I adorned the room where my grandfather was going to cut the cake, with flowers, balloons, and other decorative materials.
I was at the bakery but I didn’t find the cake I wanted. After that, I decided to bake my grandfather’s favorite chocolate cake at home with my hands. It took me about 2 hours to make it. After that, guests started to come over to the house and my grandfather was astonished to see everything arranged or done by me. After cutting the cake, he enfolded me in his arms and thanked me a lot for all the decoration and surprise I planned for him.
As the other family members left, I started again to clean up all the things and I was very tired and sleepy. As soon as I cleaned the house, the next thing would be to arrange all the gifts that had been brought by the relatives. After that, I completed small chores and moved to my bed for a good sleep. Overall, my grandfather’s birthday went very well and well.
I was very busy from the start of the day as I had to make all the arrangements. And I baked my grandfather’s favorite chocolate cake, ornamented the house. Also, I went to the market to buy some decorative items, especially balloons and it took me more than two hours to complete it. These things made me very tired but it was looking awesome and exciting.
Overall, that day was a myriad of activities, coordinating my grandfather’s birthday and my regular tasks.
The third and final sample answer has been provided in this part. Go through it and see the format of answering it.
In our daily lives, time management plays an important role. Further, there was an incident I would like to talk about that changed my schedule and kept me busy.
Some days ago, in the middle of my office meeting, I received news about my elder brother’s engagement. At first, I was very surprised to hear this news but then I quickly wrapped up my work and rushed home to partake in the joyous celebration with my family. Also, I was assigned various tasks as it was an elder brother's engagement.
Upon arriving home, I found my family, along with my uncle, immersed in the busyness of sharing the good news. They hadn’t even time for lunch. Keeping aside my work commitments, I stepped in to help my family members in the preparations for the engagement. In the evening, people gathered at our house for the engagement ceremony.
With my workload, it all becomes a juggling act. I worked day and night to ensure everything was in order. After doing some preparation, I got indulged into to make my presentation for the next morning’s meeting, and somehow, I managed my office work. Well, the meeting went very well and now I had to rush again to my house for the wedding preparations.
I was very busy inviting a lot of guests. I was responsible for catering, decorations, and the meal. It was very difficult for me to manage but somehow I did. After that, I helped my brother choose his groom accoutre. He was having trouble finding the right one, so we went to different shops and malls to find the perfect clothes. It was a time when I was incredibly busy, but I was happy because it was my elder brother’s wedding.
Overall, despite the hectic schedule, it was a very memorable event for all our family members.
The table has provided the meaning of difficult words that have been highlighted in the answers. It will enhance your vocabulary for IELTS exam.
| Lexical Resources | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Daunting | Worried about your ability to achieve something |
| Thesis | A long piece of writing on a particular subject |
| Progression | The act of moving to the next stage of development |
| Complex | A difficult task to do |
| Brainstorm | Thinking about a lot of ideas for the future |
| Hectic | Very busy and fast |
| Conceptualization | The act or process of forming an idea |
| Engrossed | Giving all your attention to something |
| Natal | Relating to a person when they were born |
| Arduous | Needing a lot of energy |
| Adorned | To add something decorative |
| Astonished | Very surprised |
| Enfolded | To closely hold somebody or something |
| Chores | A piece of work that needs to be done regularly |
| Ornamented | An object that is beautiful |
| Myriad | A very large number of something |
| Wrapped | Finishing some work |
| Partake | To eat or drink |
| Juggling | Throwing and catching of objects |
| Accoutre | Something impressive in clothing |
Overall, these are the difficult words with their meanings we have provided in our answers. Now let’s discuss some of the follow-up questions that will be asked in your IELTS speaking part 3.
After completing your cue card round, the examiner will ask you some possible follow-up questions related to your topic. You can explain your answer by giving examples and telling your own experiences. Thus, it is a two-way conversation and it can be long. So let’s look at the follow-up questions that can be asked after your IELTS speaking part 2.
These are some of the follow-up questions that can be asked in your IELTS speaking part 3. Now let’s discuss some tips that will help you ace the cue card in the exam.
Read the following tips carefully and use them in your exam.
Also Read: Describe a Skill That You Learned in Your Childhood
To conclude, preparing for the IELTS speaking section is difficult but with the right techniques and strategies you can excel in it. Thus, we have provided the best sample answers for the cue card topic “Describe a Time You Were Very Busy” Also, we have provided the follow-up questions and some tips that will help you ace the speaking portion. Moreover, for more such exposure on the cue cards take our free IELTS mock test of the speaking section. Also, you can join our offline or online IELTS classes at Gradding.com.
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