Describe An Activity That You Do After School/Work: IELTS exam Cue Card

Bhargavee Sisodia

12 Jul 2024

The IELTS test, also known as the International English Language Testing System, comes in two main categories: Academic and General Training. The primary demographics for 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 a warm-up before moving on to the more difficult sections of the IELTS speaking exam. For this round of the IELTS test, prepare a concise introduction of yourself.

The next round is called the cue card round, or the IELTS speaking questions portion. You would receive a cue card from the examiner with a randomly selected topic on it for this round. You have two minutes to speak about the assigned topic. The examiner will allow you one minute to prepare a mental synopsis of the monologue you will be delivering on the assigned topic.

The segment with follow-up questions is the last and subsequent round of the IELTS speaking exam. The cue card topic or response in the part of the IELTS speaking topics will be the basis for a few questions the examiner will pose to you in this round. This round lasts for roughly five to six minutes, with the anticipated amount of questions to be around 5-6.

In order to properly prepare for the speaking portion of the IELTS exam, you must review all of the frequently questioned speaking subjects and quickly read through each speaking question and IELTS exam sample answer. This will give you various ideas and if you receive a similar IELTS speaking question in your cue card section of the speaking test, you can directly narrate one of the answers. You do not have to memorize them at all, but just take the idea from our blogs.

It is essential to consistently take the IELTS sample test in order to perform well on the IELTS 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 during your IELTS preparation. 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, lingual resources, and pronunciation.  

IELTS exam sample topic: Describe An Activity That You Do After School/Work

This kind of IELTS speaking topic requires you to use your own experiences to come up with the responses. That alone would make your response unique and believable. When responding to this question, try to think of the most crucial points you can touch on. Aim for any type of follow-up question throughout the IELTS speaking section. Now let's look at the topics you can cover in your answer to the IELTS exam sample question:

• Introducing the activity
• With whom you do it
• Description of the activity
• What it makes you feel
• Conclusion

IELTS exam sample answer 1:  Describe An Activity That You Do After School/Work

Introducing the activity:

Every day after coming back from work, I go to the gym to do some cardio workout. I come home by 8 in the evening and hit the gym by 9 at night.

With whom you do it:

The gym is inside our building complex and I, along with a friend of mine, who is my neighbor as well as my office colleague, exercise together.

Description of the activity:

After coming home, I have a banana and some yogurt as my daily snack and hit the gym. The place is empty at that time, which also gives us the freedom to use whatever equipment we want without having to wait for anyone else to finish their workout. We play some good music in the music system depending on our mood and stretch and complete our free-hand exercises. Then we start with running for 10 minutes on the treadmill. After that, we hit the cross-trainer and the cycle. This is the fixed routine that we follow and on rare occasions, if we feel like it, we stretch the workout session with a few more exercises.

What it makes you feel:

Sweating it out in the gym really makes me feel fresh after the day's work. I prioritize my fitness and with the daily routine and a desk job, it gets very difficult to stay physically active. Since the morning workout makes me tired and late for work, I prefer it after work. This not only helps me release the stress of the day but also aids in a good night's sleep. Also, the fact that one of my closest buddies accompanies me, I get to spend some time talking about life outside work.

Conclusion:

Going to the gym after coming home from work is something I look forward to throughout the day.

IELTS exam sample answer 2:  Describe An Activity That You Do After School/Work

Introducing the activity:

I love reading books. From my childhood, it has been a habit for me to come back home from school, freshen up, and read a book, even if it is 10 pages of it, I make sure to do it. Now that I have grown up, I haven't changed my habits, and now when I come home from work, I take my time off from everyone and spend an hour reading.

With whom you do it:

I like to be alone in my room when I am reading. I usually dim the light, with only the yellow reading lights on, and sit in my recliner and read.

Description of the activity:

There is no particular genre that I prefer reading. It can be anything from an autobiography, spiritual book, romantic fiction, thriller, crime fiction, biography, horror to classics, satire, drama, and even history. Sometimes I read fewer pages, while sometimes if I feel like it, I can sit for 3-4 hours at a stretch till late at night and complete a book. Right now, I am on the verge of completing Trout: A Fictitious History by Dan Brown. The story is keeping me hooked and since it is a comparatively longer story, I will complete it by the third day of starting it.

What it makes you feel:

Nothing gives me more peace and calm than reading books. I love the smell of its pages and the thought of spending some time after a day's tiredness in another world which the author paints for us is ever so exciting for me. In those hours, I get to live the lives of the characters depicted in the book and it makes me feel a different kind of joy.

Conclusion:

I truly believe that reading books gives us the chance to be a part of so many people's lives, be it fictional or someone real through the words and anecdotes of the author in his story.

IELTS test next step: Follow-up questions

In the final section of the IELTS speaking test, "follow-up questions," the examiner will evaluate your communication abilities by asking you a few follow-up questions based on your answers in the IELTS speaking topics segment. You must carefully go over the IELTS speaking questions in order to understand the variations of the commonly asked IELTS speaking questions and their follow-up questions in the IELTS speaking follow-up questions portion. You will get numerous IELTS exam sample answers on our website.

IELTS speaking - Follow-up questions

Question 1: Would you recommend others to do this activity after their work/school?

Answer for sample 1: Absolutely. Working out in the gym is not only to lose weight, but the goal is to stay fit. Our lifestyle has forced us to become less active with work stress and unhealthy food choices. Thus, working out in the gym will help us with staying healthy and flexible, along with the much-needed physical activity.

Answer for sample 2: Yes I will recommend others to read books after their work/school. This is not only a great way to relax, but also an effective way to learn. For example, reading has helped me prepare well for the IELTS exam. Not only did it enhance my vocabulary, but also improved my command of English since I prefer reading books in English.

Question 2: What kind of activities do you avoid after returning from work?

Answer: I avoid doing anything related to my work after coming back. Be it as small as checking an email or checking the official group for work updates on messaging apps. I feel that it is needed for me to disconnect from work in order to be efficient. If I do not follow this thumb rule, after a point of time, I will be worn out.

Question 3: In your opinion from the people around you, what do you think most people like to do after returning home from school or work?

Answer: From what I see around me, most people often are in front of their television or mobile after their work at school. For kids, it is cartoons and for elders, it is either catching on the news or watching a movie or show to get themselves to relax. However, I have one friend of mine, who has a pottery-making set at his home, and regularly makes pottery as a way to relax after coming home from work.

Conclusion

Having a reputable study partner is crucial for your IELTS preparation because they can provide you with resources for each section of the test, as well as advice on a range of IELTS speaking topics and IELTS exam sample answers for IELTS speaking questions. The experts at D-VIVID can work with you as a partner. We have well-known teachers and mentors on hand to help you with every step of the IELTS exam preparation process. In order to help you achieve your desired band on the exam, we offer a comprehensive collection of IELTS exam sample questions, frequently asked IELTS speaking questions and topics, and specifically created IELTS practice test samples. Additionally, you can take advantage of a customized IELTS sample test that offers more sample questions and answers. We promise to stick by your side the entire time. So don't wait to seize this opportunity; get in contact with us right away to ensure a smooth IELTS preparation experience.