Describe an achievement/ success you are proud of: IELTS exam Cue Card

Bhargavee Sisodia

11 Jul 2024

The four primary parts of the International English Language Testing System, or IELTS test as it is commonly referred to, are the Writing, Reading, Listening, and Speaking assessments. Understanding the format is crucial before taking the IELTS test because each test has a different format. In order to accomplish this, you must adhere to a suitable IELTS exam preparation regimen.

As it assesses a non-native English speaker's fluency, pronunciation, grammar, and assertions, the IELTS speaking test is the most significant of the four tests. For this reason, understanding the IELTS speaking topics and questions correctly is the most fundamental component of the speaking exam.

You must practice answering the most common IELTS exam sample questions in addition to studying the often-asked IELTS speaking questions on the IELTS speaking test.

Examiners will inquire about your career interests, educational background, and personal information during the first section of the IELTS speaking test, known as the general interview. Your preparation and ease for the upcoming speaking test segments is the aim of this section. It's a good idea to have a broad introduction ready when you study for the IELTS exam if you want to prevent feeling anxious in this section of the test.

The second part of the IELTS speaking test is called the Cue Card section. In this step, you will receive a Cue Card with a topic that you have to discuss for approximately two minutes. You have one minute to think things through and get ready to respond. 

As part of your IELTS preparation, set a fixed time for yourself when rehearsing your monologues on the most often questioned IELTS speaking topics. You will not be allowed to exceed the allocated time. It is also required of you to take more than a minute to complete the answer. As part of your IELTS preparation, you should practice speaking on common IELTS speaking topics from our blogs to help you understand the format of each section of the exam.

Subsequently, you will be asked additional questions on the IELTS speaking test during the follow-up questions section. These questions will be based on your answers to the Cue Card. When answering follow-up questions on the IELTS speaking questions, candidates are expected to provide evidence for their answers, show that they are confident, and openly share their ideas.  

IELTS sample test topic: Describe an achievement/ success you are proud of

Since this is a topic based on personal experience, there is a standard way to handle topics like these in an IELTS exam speech. The key selling point of this type of topic 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. Before you write down the important points that need to be included in your answer, you must understand the requirements of the subject. You must thoroughly prepare for the IELTS speaking test by studying IELTS speaking questions and IELTS sample test topics. 

IELTS practice test sample answer 1: Describe an achievement/ success you are proud of

Introduction:

I received the Purpose Promoter award for being the most passionate employee of the year in my organization and that was a huge achievement for me.

When did you achieve this:

I was given this award last December during the Christmas event at the office. This was based on my performance for the entire year.

What efforts did you put achieve this:

Throughout my tenure at work, I have ensured to be a team player and work towards attaining my KPIs which are set by the client. I have met my weekly, monthly, and quarterly targets, and thus my team management was extremely proud of me. They nominated me as one of the contenders for the awards to the client, and the clients made their decision to make me the winner. More than the monetary prize value that I received, I was proud of the fact that I was valued, respected, and validated for the efforts that I put into my organization. The client personally congratulated me after the ceremony and appreciated my work.

How did you feel about it:

This was one of the proudest moments of my career. Every single person wants their efforts and talents to be recognized and to get that was a feeling that is surreal. I still remember my heart thudding in my chest with pure happiness as my name was announced. While giving the winning speech, I thanked my team lead and my teammates for their contribution as I believe that teamwork is the greatest virtue and everything that we can excel at work somewhere depends on a collaborative work culture.

Conclusion:

This was one of the milestone achievements in my career that I am proud of. This gave me the zeal to do better at work, improve myself constantly, and set higher targets for myself.

IELTS practice test sample answer 2: Describe an achievement/ success you are proud of

Introduction:

During my undergraduate studies, I stood third in my university in my state and received a reward from the honorable Governor of our state. This was one of the most memorable achievements of my life, which I am proud of.

When did you achieve this:

I passed out from college in July 2018 and I was given the award in November of the same year for my stellar performance.

What efforts did you put achieve this:

My college life was the best day of my life. Not only did I enjoy myself, but I was very serious about my studies. I made sure to keep my attendance to the maximum, attend every lecture, and take handwritten running notes of everything that our professors explained. I followed up with them and they graciously helped me out in case I had any doubts. In my mind I had only one aim, it was not about scoring the highest marks or getting a rank, it was just about learning every concept to its depth.

How did you feel about it:

I was always a good student from my school days but never ranked in any class. So I always used to wonder what it feels like to stand on the stage and receive an award for excelling in academics with my parents watching from the audience. Although it was not something I was consciously seeking, when that wish of mine came true, I was over cloud nine. I remember when the honorable Governor of our state handed the certificate to me and made me wear the medal, I almost felt numb. I looked over to my parents who were sitting in the front row and the shine of pride in their eyes made my heart beam with joy.

Conclusion:

There is no greater joy than making our parents proud. And I am lucky that I could make them happy with my success, which equally made me proud.

IELTS test next step: Follow up questions

After you finish the second phase which is the Cue Card phase of the speaking test, the examiner will ask you some follow-up questions. The IELTS speaking follow-up questions will be based on the subject of the cue card question. You must therefore understand and practice this portion as part of your IELTS preparation in order to condense the length of your responses to the basics. You can use the IELTS sample test papers to schedule your preparation for this segment. We have prepared some follow-up questions on the topics covered in your IELTS speaking questions in addition to the solutions to them for the topic “Describe an achievement/ success you are proud of.”

IELTS speaking - Follow up question

Follow-Up Question 1: Do you set smaller goals for yourself in order to achieve something bigger?

Answer: Yes, that is exactly what I do. I believe that instead of skipping a few steps on the stairs, it is easier to take every step steadily. So I make small targets in my head. When I achieve that target, I evaluate my potential and elevate the target to ensure consistent and steady growth which is realistic.

Follow-Up Question 2: Can you give an example of a time when you set a target for yourself and achieved it?

Answer: I am a good student scoring more than average marks in my subjects however, in school, I was weak in Chemistry. I realized that while I was scoring above 85 or 90 marks in most subjects, my score in chemistry used to be in my 60s, especially during my eleventh grade. I made up my mind to consistently make efforts to increase my grade in the subject one step at a time. I first aimed at scoring and stabilizing my score at 70. I got 72 marks in my half-yearly assessment and then I set a target of 75 for myself. Like this, with slow and steady growth and effort, I scored an 86 in my twelfth board examination in chemistry.

Follow-Up Question 3: How do you deal with success and failure?

Answer: I neither get too elated when I am successful nor am I too heartbroken with failure. Both are a part of life and are not constant. While I take motivation to do better if I am successful at something, I learn from my mistakes if I am unsuccessful. My father always taught me that we win some and we learn some, and this is something I keep in my mind. Failure for me is not a loss but a learning.

Conclusion

Our D-VIVID team is available to guide, support, and assist you while you prepare for the IELTS exam. We provide top-notch responses to a wide range of IELTS speaking topics, individualized study materials for IELTS exam sample questions, and many methods for attempting IELTS practice test samples. Our objective is to help you achieve a high score on the IELTS test with our professional assistance and thoughtfully designed plan utilizing the best IELTS exam sample. We'll give you enough IELTS speaking questions, practice questions and answers, error correction support, and advice to help you acquire the best possible score on the test. So, in order to prepare for the IELTS exam and get the score you want, D-VIVID is your best buddy. Get in contact with us to arrange a worry-free study plan that will help you get ready for the IELTS exam.