Describe a person who encouraged you to achieve your goal : IELTS Cue Card

Bhargavee Sisodia

20 Jun 2024

Describe a person who encouraged you to achieve your 
goal : IELTS Cue Card

International English Language Testing System or popularly known as the IELTS test consists of four major tests namely the Writing Test, Reading Test, Listening test and the Speaking Test. Each test has a different configuration and it is crucial to understand the format of each test for which you need a proper IELTS exam preparation program. Just skimming through the commonly asked IELTS speaking questions is not enough, you need to prepare and practice answering the most sought IELTS exam sample questions during your IELTS preparation. 

We'll talk about the IELTS speaking topics and several approaches to them in this blog. This will assist you in deciphering the underlying meanings of each speaking issue, applying the guidelines provided on the cue card, and effectively expressing your ideas. You should start preparing for the speaking portion of the IELTS exam as follows: : 

• Prepare a general introduction of yourself for the first section of the IELTS speaking exam.  
• You need to go through all as many IELTS speaking topics as possible and understand the requirements of the speaking topics 
• Skim through different answers on the Cue Card topics for your IELTS speaking test. This helps in gaining momentum, understanding the strategy of forming creative answers and amplifying the ideas in your mind. 
• Practice the answers on the IELTS speaking topics in front of a guide or tutor, who can provide their insights on your gestures, pronunciation and grammatical errors of your answers.
• While practicing your monologue on IELTS speaking questions, record it. This will help you to review your answers, understand your shortcomings and visualize the time complexities. 
• Practice answering the IELTS speaking questions in the follow-up questions section to improve your communication and conversation skills. 
• Avail for at least one IELTS sample test or  IELTS practice test on a regular basis. It would help in boosting your confidence and spirit for the speaking test. 
• Try reading magazines or books, watching a lot of english content and news and practice casual conversation in english with friends and family. This would enable you to upgrade your vocabulary and strengthen your grip on the language. 

Let us discuss one such IELTS exam sample question for the speaking test and understand the techniques of approaching the question on a personal level. You will get 1 minute to construct the answer in your mind and 2 minutes to speak on the assigned topic. After the 2 minute speech, the examiner will ask a few follow-up questions based on your answer and that would conclude your IELTS speaking test. 

IELTS speaking topics : Strategy and Approach

Before diving into the IELTS exam sample question and answers, let us carve a strategy to approach the question in a systematic manner so that it would be easier for you to draw your own answers on known or unknown IELTS speaking topics. 

Firstly : Understand the meaning of the topic

Let us say your topic for the IELTS speaking test is “Describe a person who encouraged you to achieve your goal” , you need to understand the essence of the topic and draft the key pointers you aim to mention in your answer. The key pointers of the above IELTS speaking topic can be : 

• Who is/was the person?
• What is/was your relationship with the person?
• How did he/she encourage you to achieve your goal?
• What is the goal he/she encouraged you to achieve?

Secondly : Be very clear about what to include and how to frame the answer

The IELTS speaking test is scored on an individual’s fluency, power of articulation, grammatical integrity and overall hold on the English language. So it is important to keep your answers accurate and error free as much as possible in the speaking sections of your IELTS exam.  

Lastly : Content is King

Keep in mind that your IELTS test examiner has been hearing several answers on the IELTS speaking topics, hence to grab his attention your answer should be unique and fresh. Try to draw examples from your life events which would lend a touch of gold to your responses. 

IELTS sample test topic : Describe a person who encouraged you to achieve your goal

Begin with : 

Every individual faces hurdles while pursuing their goals in life which inches them closer to quitting. In such situations, the kind words of encouragement from a close person can be a huge source of motivation, and a reason for them to stick to their aim. In moments of despair, I often remember the words of motivation from my grandfather whom I adored a great deal. 

Describe your goal and how this person encouraged you ? 

Ever since childhood I had an inclination towards mathematics and my goal was to never fall behind in that subject. My interest in mathematics was entirely my grandfather’s credit as he taught me the subject in the most fun way when I was a child. As I grew up, I noticed that my love for mathematics never faded because of the fun and simplistic approached my “dadu” taught me as a child. In my school, high school I used to perform better than others in the subject and gained a lot of appreciation from my teachers for my simple and straightforward formula and approaches to solve a problem. Whenever I came back from a mathematics exam, my “dadu” and I used to sit together solving the problems of the paper and understanding each other’s approaches. These are one of the dearest memories I have of my grandfather who passed away a few years ago. He was my biggest cheerleader and his words of encouragement have been one of the key driving factors behind the academic career I have today. He supported me in all my academic endeavors and urged me to never settle the thirst of knowledge. 

Finish with : 

Although he is not with us today, his words of wisdom have been engraved in my heart and soul for a lifetime. Even today whenever I achieve something in my life or find myself demotivated, I can visualize his smiling face and encouraging pat on my back. I know for a fact, he would have been the first one to ask me about my exam once I get back home from my IELTS test. I genuinely miss him on occasions like this and wish he was around to witness and participate in my journey of academic upliftment. 

IELTS sample test topic : Describe a person who encouraged you to achieve your goal

Who is this person and how are you related to him/her : 

I have a very special relationship with a person who is not only my neighbor, but also my mentor. She is 2 years older than me and we studied in the same school as well as college. She is a friend, a tutor, my mentor, my neighbor and above all, she is like a big sister to me.

How has she encouraged you? 

 She has been a constant source of support for me through every decision of my life big or small. She taught me when I under performed in a subject, she motivated me when I was in despair and she gave her unwavering support whenever I needed it. There were times when I couldn’t discuss the challenges I faced in my college with my family, because I didn’t want to trouble them. But I shared them with her and she gave me solutions to my problems. She is that person in my life, speaking to whom, fades away all my troubles. A few years ago she went to a different city to pursue her master’s degree but we have never drifted apart. Even to this day, whenever I am in a fix, she is the first person I reach out for help and her words of encouragement have always dragged me out of several ruts of distress. 

The ending : 

It is very hard to find someone as supportive as her in this materialistic world and I am so glad to have found a friend like her. She is my inspiration in life and I want to be the pillar of support in my loved one’s life just the way she has been in my life. There are very few relationships in life which are too special to lose and my bond with her is exactly that. I hope I can be as encouraging as her whenever she needs me in her times of desperation.  

IELTS speaking test next step: Follow up questions

The next part in the IELTS speaking test is the follow-up questions. In this section the examiner asks a few follow-up questions based on your answer in the IELTS speaking topics section. Below we have listed a few follow-up questions for your reference. You can treat them as reference for your IELTS practice test. 

IELTS speaking test - Follow up question

Do you tend to get easily demotivated in life ?  

Answer : Ever since childhood, my parents have taught me the importance of fighting for achieving a goal in life. So I have never accepted defeat very easily in any struggles of my life. In moments of dismay, I tend to search for other solutions instead of getting demotivated or stressed out. I believe that if we stick to our goals and determination, we can achieve anything in life. So, to answer your question, no, I am not someone who gets easily demotivated by hardships in life. I tend to embrace them as lessons, increase my thirst for my goal and march towards it with new vigor. 

What do you think motivated you in your daily life ? 

Answer : I find motivation in very small things in my daily life. On some occasions, the smile and satisfaction on my parents’ face motivates me, while on others the encouraging words of a close friend cheers me up. But there is one constant source of motivation in my daily life and that is my thirst for improvement. I thrive to be a better person every single day and that though is one of the most important driving forces in my daily life.   

Are words of encouragement enough to drag a person out of despair? 

Answer : I would not say that a few words of encouragement is enough to drag a person out of a pool of desperation, but it can definitely be the small ray of hope in a dark and closed room. When a person is struggling in a difficult situation only the words “this too shall pass” can serve as a small source of motivation. Words of encouragement are important in times of despair as it rejuvenates hope in a person, urging them to not lose hope and continue their fight with new stamina.

Conclusion

Our team at D-VIVID is here to advise, mentor and guide you through your IELTS exam journey. We provide top-notch answers to multiple IELTS speaking topics, customized materials on IELTS exam sample and several means of conducting IELTS practice test. We value your time and effort and understand that each person has their own way of grasping a topic. Hence our highly qualified counselors guide you through your IELTS preparation process and help you gain a good score in your IELTS test. So hurry up and contact us now to enjoy a great IELTS exam preparation experience.