IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
GIVING ADVICE TO
SOMEONE
Describe a time that you gave advice to someone
You should say:
- Who you gave advice to
- What the advice was
- Why you gave advice
And explain how you felt about it
A N S W E R
I’m not into giving unsolicited advice because I don’t want to be misunderstood by others as arrogant or righteous. I only give my sound advice when I’m asked to. Just a couple of weeks ago, my female friend decided to have a coffee with me because she wanted to talk with me about her recent breakup with my friend. I agreed to meet her at one of my favorite coffee shops. When we got into that shop, she started pouring her heart out. And I was all ears.
She said that my friend was emotionally unavailable for the past few months and that she decided to call it quits. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted from their relationship since my friend had never given any effort to make her feel special.
She said that when they’re together, there’s not much communication happening. Also, she felt that she didn’t get the fair share of the love that she deserved in their relationship since she was the only one making efforts to make the relationship work.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Unsolicited advice [expression] – advice given without being asked
Arrogant [adj.] – full of oneself; egotistic
Righteous [adj.] – morally right
Sound advice [noun] – sensible; stable
Call it quits [phrase] – stop; give up
Fair share [noun] – a reasonable amount
I was at a loss for words right after she confessed to me her struggles in their relationship. I was surprised because I really thought that they’re totally fine because of the photos they shared on social media. On their social media accounts, they just looked as if there was nothing wrong like everything was just perfect. Besides her boyfriend who is my good friend didn’t tell me about their problem.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
At a loss for words [phrase] – confused; uncertain what to think, say, or do
Confess [verb] – admit; reveal
Social media [noun] – websites and applications that enable people to create or share content on social networking
Anyway, she asked me if what she did was right and I felt obligated to answer her. Both of them are my friends so it’s just pretty complicated for me to comment. But in order for me to sympathize with her, I gave her a piece of advice as a friend. I told her that if the relationship was not healthy anymore and that would cost her peace of mind and happiness, then ending the relationship was the best thing she could do.
I also told her that a relationship would only work if the two lovers were making efforts to cultivate the relationship. Upon hearing my words, I could feel that she felt good, I think she just wanted someone to validate her decision but I could really understand her. I also reassured her, that when a relationship becomes toxic, letting go is necessary and that’s just the way it is.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Obligate [verb] – oblige; compel
That’ll cost (one) [idiom] – something will have a negative impact on
Validate [verb] – accept; reassure
That’s just the way it is [idiom] – there’s nothing we can do
Toxic [adj.] – unhealthy
PART 3
What kinds of advice do parents usually give to their children?
There are several types of advice that parents never fail to give to their beloved children. First, is about education, more often than not, parents remind children about the importance of education. They instill in their children’s minds that they have to finish their studies as it gives them a brighter future.
Second is about romantic relationships, parents are protective without a doubt but overprotective of their daughters, they always tell their children to choose the right person when they start having a relationship as they do not want their children to end up being devastated and broken-hearted.
Another piece of advice that is given by parents to their children is, to be a good example to their future children. When they are better role models, their children will grow to be morally good. With all of these pieces of advice, children must realize that their parents want nothing but the best for them, so they should treat every piece of advice as a life lesson.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Several [determiner] – more than two but not many
Beloved [adj.] – dearly loved; dear
More often than not [phrase] – usually
Instill [verb] – inculcate; implant; imprint
Without a doubt [phrase] – indisputably
Overprotective [adj.] – protecting someone excessively
End up [phrase] – to reach or come to a place, a condition, a situation that was not expected
Devastated [verb] [adj.] – to be destroyed
Role models [noun] – a person looked to by others as a good example
TIPS
i.) The speaker mentioned several pieces of advice on how parents give their children advice. As he gave three, he used transitioning devices such as: First, Second, Third, Another … These expressions can help you achieve coherence in your answer. Use this when you are enumerating something.
ii.) The speaker explained each piece of advice very clearly. Each of them is realistic and that made his answer so natural. Notice the words that he used – they are not ordinary.
How do experts give advice to others?
Well, I am not so certain about what experts mean here, however, I assume it refers to professionals like doctors or lawyers. I believe doctors cannot easily give advice to someone who is suffering from illness without undergoing a medical examination. They cannot advise by just listening to the person’s complaint about his health. Doctors can only give some medical advice once they know the health condition of the person.
It is the same way as lawyers, they need to examine the case or the situation in the first place and spend time studying it, and later on, give their legal advice to the person who seeks it. I believe this is how experts, especially doctors, and lawyers, provide advice to people, and every piece of advice is supported with medical and legal evidence or theories.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Certain [adj.] – being sure; beyond any doubt
Assume [verb] – think; suppose
Undergo [verb] – go through
Rely [verb] – depend
Medical advice [noun] – the provision of a formal professional opinion done by medical practitioners
Legal advice [noun] – professional advice given by a lawyer
Seek [verb] – ask for
TIPS
i.) The speaker was being honest, implying that the question was vague, and that made him create his assumption by mentioning two kinds of experts whom he believed in. Don’t be afraid to show the examiner your uncertainty, just make sure to explain something just like what the speaker did here in his answer. It does sound really natural!
ii.) In order for the speaker to discuss his answer although he was just making an assumption, he gave two kinds of professionals and explained each of them thoroughly. The explanation was really clear and he used some good topic vocabulary words and collocations. That makes his answer great!
Why don’t some people listen to advice?
I believe some people cannot heed other people’s advice simply because they are just stubborn or close-minded. Some of them do not see the pieces of advice they get from friends or family as a kind gesture, they think that their loved ones are dictating to them what they should do with their own lives.
They misunderstand what their loved ones say and think that they are just meddling in their lives, which is actually the opposite of what they think. So being close-minded is for me the real reason why there are some people who never bother listening to others’ advice.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Heed [verb] – pay attention to; notice
Stubborn [adj.] – not to change one’s attitude or position on something
Close-minded [adj.] – not to consider others’ ideas or opinions
Piece of advice [expression] – singular form of advice, pieces of advice is the plural form
Kind gesture [expression] – showing a good or favorable attitude towards someone
Meddling [verb] – to try to change or influence someone on things that are not your responsibility
TIPS
i.) The introduction is the paraphrase of the question. This is a very good way to start your answer as you are showing the examiner your ability to say it in your own words. If you can paraphrase, do it! But remember, not all synonyms of a particular word work so be more careful.
ii.) Right after the speaker’s paraphrasing, he then added his answer directly and explained it carefully. His main reason was about the attitude of a person. The next succeeding sentences were the details of his explanation. Everything in his answer was on point.
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Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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