IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
A THING THAT YOU HAVE
AND YOU WANT TO
REPLACE
Describe a thing that you have and want to replace
You should say:
- What it is
- When you bought it
- How you got it
And explain why you want to replace it
A N S W E R
Recently I’ve been disciplining myself to save some money so I can buy a new pair of trainers. Actually, I really didn’t have any plan of getting a new one since I was contented with my comfortable Nike running shoes, until a couple of weeks ago when I arrived from work, I found out that my shoes were destroyed by our dog in our house.
I was really distressed at that time when I saw with my very eyes that my favorite shoes were already out from the shoe rack and completely torn. The tongue on the left pair of my shoes was totally ripped that even the best shoe repairman in town could never put it back to its original state. Also, the aglets of my shoelaces were cracked off. I got extremely upset with our dog, thinking that that pair of shoes was just one and only sports shoes that I had. What broke my heart, even more, was the fact that it cost me about $300 to get it, it’s like my hard-earned money went to waste.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Trainers [noun] – sports shoe; running shoe
Contented [adj.] [verb] – satisfied
Distressed [adj.] – annoyed; frustrated
Shoe rack [noun] – a rack where shoes are placed
Ripped [adj.] – badly torn; cut
Put it back [phrase] – to return something where it belongs
Aglets [noun] – a metal or plastic tube that is fixed around the end of shoelaces
Crack off [phrase] – to break without complete separation
Go to waste [phrase] – to be unused or wasted
Note: The speaker starts his story by not immediately giving the examiner the thing that he wants to replace, instead he talks about what he’s been doing recently as a result of why he wants to replace something. In the second paragraph, he lays out the story of what exactly happened and why he wanted to replace his shoes.
But I couldn’t do anything, I was regretful, I could’ve kept my shoes inside my wardrobe, but alas, it’s too late. I love my shoes but my love for my dog is incomparable. He is my best buddy and he’s part of our family. I have to admit it broke my heart into pieces, but I just let it pass. Anyway and like I’ve said earlier I’ve been saving money as much as I can so I’ll be able to replace my useless running shoes. These days, I’ve been turning down some invites from my friends on eating out in some restaurants and I’ve given up going to movie theatres every weekend just for me to save a good amount of money. You can imagine how my dog changed my habits. So everything happens for a good reason then.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Wardrobe [noun] – clothes cupboard
Alas [expression] – an expression of disappointment or sadness
Buddy [noun] – friend
Incomparable [adj.] – unmatched
Let it pass [phrase] – to just ignore and not retaliate
Turn down [phrase] – reject
Note: The speaker talks about his feelings towards the situation, it is a very good way to develop a story a bit longer. The last paragraph focuses on his actions on what he’s been doing to be able to replace the shoes, and that’s a very good way to end the story.
PART 3
What are some common things that young people like to replace?
I believe the young generation is so absorbed with gadgets, so it is most likely that they want to replace their not-so-outdated smartphones, tablets, and notebooks. More often than not, young people do not want to be left behind in terms of the latest technology. They do not want to be labeled as old-fashioned by their circle of friends, so as much as possible they often look forward to what latest model of electronic devices that giant electronic companies are innovating.
This is really true considering the last launching of Apple on their iPhone X and Macbook Air, we did see from the news that an enormous number of young people are queuing outside some Apple shops just to get the latest models, shrugging the hefty price tag off. So basically those are the common things that are often replaced by them.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Absorbed [adj.] – very interested
Outdated [adj.] – old; old-fashioned
More often than not [phrase] – usually; most of the time
(Young people don’t want to be) Leave behind [phrase] – to be the last person to know
To be labeled [expression] – to be called
Innovate [verb] – introduce a new product
Enormous [adj.] – huge; very large in size
Queue [verb] – falling in line
Shrug off [phrase] – to ignore something
Hefty price tag [noun] – very high price
Note: The speaker chooses to answer on electronic devices as it is easy to make his answer longer since we are in the technology era, it is just timely. Normally, it is easy to talk about something that is happening in the current times.
Do old people in your country like to hoard things?
I am not completely sure about the general attitude of the old people in my country in terms of storing things, however, considering the elderly people I know like my grandparents, do love keeping some things such as antique jars, some furniture, and even tattered clothes. I reckon this is because they value memories that they have had of those things. Those may have some sentimental value and throwing them away is something they could never do. Perhaps, the elderly people cannot easily let go of some materials things that they treasure most since hoarding them is their only choice.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Store up [phrase] – to keep things
Antique [adj.] – belonging to ancient times or in the past
Tattered [adj.] – old and in poor condition
I reckon [expression] – another way to say ‘I suppose/think’
Note: The way the speaker introduces his answer is very natural, in the first place he does not really know about his countrymen if they hoard things so, in order for him to develop an answer to the question, he talks about his old relatives. In that way, he’s able to discuss and make his answer intelligent.
Do you think old people want more new things than children?
I believe not, as we know, they have already lived a good life, well, not all of them though, but usually, old people do not want to possess more new material things. Most of them want nothing but good health, a meaningful relationship with family and friends, and more importantly the happiness of their children. These things are what they value more than anything else. Practically speaking, in later years, material things do not matter anymore.
Note: The speaker delivers a straight-to-the-point answer and focuses on talking about the most valuable things that old people usually want. He ends his answer with a powerful line that summarizes his idea.
Can you elaborate on the differences between new things and old things?
This is really a complicated question for me, as I do not know where to start answering. However, if we talk about clothes, newly-bought clothes are trendy or stylish and the color is still vivid, whereas the old ones are already worn out, out of style, and even faded due to the fact that they have been worn so many times. Well from the word itself ‘new’ suggests freshness while the old is the opposite of it.
Note: The speaker expresses himself in a more natural way, the question is really vague but in order for him to answer the question, he presents an example ‘clothes’ and focuses on talking about the qualities of the clothes.
Develop a story better in Part 2 for
the recent IELTS Speaking CUE
CARD about
An Important Plant In Your Country
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PART 3 Here!
Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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