Describe a time when you used a map: IELTS Cue Card
Bhargavee Sisodia25 Jun 2024
Describe a time when you used a map: IELTS Cue Card
The IELTS test, also known as the International English Language Testing System, comes in two primary forms based on the reason behind taking the test. The two variations of the test are Academic and General Training. The key pointers and structure of both IELTS exam formats are comparable, with just little differences in the study guides. Both versions have the same speaking test.
The General Interview portion of the IELTS speaking test is the first section. During this section, the examiner will ask you a number of questions including your educational history, personal preferences, interests, and career goals. They use this round as an ice-breaker before moving on to the more difficult sections of the IELTS speaking exam. For this round of the IELTS speaking test, prepare a succinct introduction of yourself.
The segment with follow-up questions is the last and subsequent round of the speaking test. The cue card topic or response in the part of the IELTS speaking topic will be the basis for a few questions the examiner will pose to you in this round. The IELTS speaking questions round lasts roughly five to six minutes, with seven or eight questions anticipated.
For proper IELTS preparation for the speaking test of the IELTS exam, a candidate must review all of the frequently questioned IELTS speaking topics and go over each IELTS speaking question and IELTS exam sample answer. It is essential to consistently take the IELTS sample test in order to perform well on the speaking portion of the test.
To understand the format and style of the IELTS speaking questions, you should also routinely take the IELTS practice test. For the purpose of achieving your desired band on the IELTS speaking test, make sure to focus enough on the following areas during your IELTS exam preparation: fluency, power of articulation, lexical resources, and pronunciation.
IELTS speaking topics: Describe a time when you used a map
Ballpark strategy :
Since this is a personal experience topic, there is a standard approach to handling topics like these in an IELTS exam speech. Prior to writing down the important points that need to be included, you must comprehend the requirements of the subject. You must thoroughly prepare for the IELTS speaking test by studying IELTS exam sample topics and IELTS speaking questions in order for this procedure to proceed smoothly.
This kind of topic's key selling point is that your response needs to be vivid and descriptive. If not, your response may come across as dull or uninteresting to the IELTS speaking test examiner. Let's now discuss the essential topics that should be covered in your answer:
- Describe the situation: Give a detailed description of the situation in which you used the map
- How useful was it: Describe the utility of the map and how it helped you
- Conclusion: End it well. Give it a proper ending
IELTS exam sample 1 - Model Answer
Describe the situation :
I was returning from my hostel to my home for the weekend, at night, on a public bus, when the bus suddenly stopped. Everyone on the bus including me, got puzzled as to what was happening. After a few minutes, the bus driver informed us that the bus was facing some technical issues and could not go further. He informed us that he had called the towing van to take the bus to the mechanic for repair. I was extremely confused at that moment. I had no idea what to do while I stood on the road in the middle of nowhere.
How useful was it :
Slowly I composed myself and thought of the possible outlets of this problem I was facing. I realized that my first step should be to identify which part of the city I was in, and to do so, I took out my smartphone and opened the Google Maps application. Within seconds I could locate my exact location and I saw that there was a police station within 3 minutes walking distance. I immediately started walking towards the police station with my luggage in one hand and the map in the other. On reaching the police station, I booked a cab from my phone from the police station to my house. Although the price of the cab was higher than expected, I went on to book it anyway, because, at that moment, I was more concerned about my safety than finance.
Conclusion
During my entire journey in the cab from the police station to my house, I constantly monitored the journey on the map to verify that the driver was taking the correct path. I reached home after a stressful one-hour journey and narrated the whole story to my parents. I am glad that I had the maps on my phone and had the presence of mind to use them in that situation. In a way, the maps saved my life that day.
IELTS exam sample 2 - Model Answer
Describe the situation :
As a travel enthusiast, I tend to take at least one trip every year with either family or friends to relax and destress from my hectic life in the city. On one such trip with my friends, we decided to embark on an unusual journey. On reaching North Jalpaiguri station in West Bengal, we decided to rent a car for the rest of the trip and travel the mountains on our own. My friend Vaibhav took to the wheels and we started our journey up the hills towards our destination i.e. Darjeeling. While the initial part of the trip was smooth, after going about 20 km up a hill, Vaibhav stated that he needed proper directions to go further. That is when we resorted to Google Maps on our smartphones.
How useful was it :
I quickly fed the destination on the application as the hotel we had booked for our stay, and the journey continued after a brief halt. It was very easy to navigate using the maps, as it gave us accurate real-time data on which part of the hill we should climb, which part of the city was congested, and which roads we should avoid. It also gave us updated ETA (estimated time of arrival) every second which helped us plan our stops and lunch breaks accordingly. I kept assisting Vaibhav with all the updates on the maps and he followed it diligently. After traveling for an hour or two, we reached our hotel without any hassle. The maps helped us to reach our destination without any problem and we could our journey in our independent ways without the intrusion of any third party.
Conclusion
After we reached our hotel, it was a moment of realization for me. I understood that the proper utilization of technology can make anything possible in today's day and age. We could complete the journey without getting panicked about the roads or directions, with the help of our travel buddy, Google Maps. Hence, if you have a proper battery backup in your smartphone and a good internet connection, you can reach any part of the world without getting lost with the help of maps.
IELTS test next step: Follow-up questions
The follow-up questions are the next section of the IELTS speaking topics where the examiner will assess your conversational skills by asking you a few follow-up questions based on your answers in the IELTS speaking subjects part. For the IELTS speaking follow-up questions section, you must frequently review the IELTS speaking questions to comprehend the variations of the frequently asked speaking questions and their follow-up questions.
IELTS speaking - Follow-up question
The next and final round after the IELTS speaking cue card section is the follow-up questions section. In this part of the speaking test, the examiner will toss some questions at you based on your response to the IELTS speaking topics. You need to put forward your ideas and opinions in a strong and opinionated manner. This round is designed to judge the conversion skills of a candidate along with their power of articulation and fluency. Let us have a look at the follow-up questions that can be expected from the above IELTS exam sample topic and discuss their answers as follows.
Your take on traditional maps vs maps on the phone?
Answer: I think traditional maps are not as useful as the GPS-based online maps on our phones, the reason being they are not easy to use, do not have real-time updates, and do not allow dynamic updates of locations. For people like me, who are bad with directions, reading the directions from a traditional paper map is very confusing. Online maps have different features to satisfy the user requirements which makes them so popular. The only place where traditional maps can be of tremendous use is the locations where internet access is unavailable. In those places, paper maps could be of ample use.
Has there been any occasion when maps have confused you?
Answer: Yes, there have been a few incidents when I got confused by the direction of the maps on my phone. I find it difficult to understand which lane to avail on the road if there are parallel roads in the same direction. Also when the app suggests a U-turn at a place where there is no place to take the turn, I tend to get puzzled. There have been occasions when I have misread the maps and taken the road down a bridge when I should have driven up the bridge. These are minor inconveniences that I face while using maps while traveling.
How has technological advancement changed the approach towards traveling in people?
Answer: Technological advancement in terms of direction-related applications on smartphones with GPS has widely altered the perspective of people towards traveling. Nowadays people do not rely on random directions from people or their understanding of traditional paper maps while traveling from one palace to the other. With a proper internet connection and solid battery backup, it is possible for anyone to reach their desired destination with the click of a button without pestering anyone else for directions. On top of that, map applications also provide an estimated time of arrival (ETA) and proper warning of construction or traffic on the road, which helps people to manage their time accordingly while traveling from one lace to another.
Conclusion
We provide one-on-one mentoring and in-depth coaching for your IELTS speaking exam as part of our professional IELTS exam preparation program at D-VIVID. Using our IELTS sample test and resources will provide you with a clear idea of the kinds of IELTS speaking questions you can expect on your IELTS speaking test. We will provide you with all the guidance you need to ace the IELTS exam from our team of incredibly qualified and talented educators. From specific IELTS speaking questions to common IELTS speaking topics, we can help you hone all the skills required for the IELTS test. You can relax and focus on your IELTS preparation with D-VIVID because we'll take care of all the details for you. So take prompt action and contact us.
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