IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
HISTORICAL BUILDING
Describe a historical building you know
You should say:
- Where it is
- How does it look like
- What it is used for
And explain how you felt about this building
A N S W E R
Well to be honest with you, I’m not a big fan of historical buildings most especially the ruins of World War I & II as I find them creepy. So I don’t have any confidence talking about those kinds of buildings, instead, I want to tell you about one spectacular church building with historical significance that has stood the test of time. And that is the Sagrada Familia or The Church of the Holy Family in Barcelona, Spain.
To give you a little historical background of this building, it was constructed in the year 1883 to be exact, by Antoni Gaudi. This building is a very good example of Modernist architecture. Gaudi worked on it until his death in the year 1926 leaving this church unfinished even up to this day.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
I’m a big fan [expression] – to like something or someone very much
Creepy [adj.] – to feel uneasy
Ruin [noun] – the physical destruction of war
Spectacular [adj.] – beautiful; eye-catching
Stand the test of time [phrase] – remain popular for a long time
TIPS
i.) The speaker started his story by talking about his feelings about historical buildings. This way of introduction makes the examiner get to know the speaker personally – a bit.
ii.) The speaker then provided his answer and gave his description of that historical building. He talked about the history of the building and this served as his background story. This is very important as the examiner would be able to understand the origin of the building.
These days, the construction is still ongoing and there’s a report that said that this church would be completed in the year 2026, which would mark Gaudi’s 100th death anniversary.
Anyhow, when I paid a visit there once, I dropped my jaw with awe because of its sophisticated architectural design. The design is likened to Art Nouveau which is characterized by well-detailed linear designs and flowing curves. What amazed me about this building is the eighteen distinct spires representing the Twelve Apostles, the Virgin Mary, the four Evangelists, and the spire that is dedicated to Jesus Christ.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
On-going [adj.] – still in progress
Pay a visit [expression] – to visit
Drop (one’s) jaw with awe [expression] – to be surprised
Spire [noun] – pyramidal structure on the top of a building
TIPS
i.) THIRD PARAGRAPH: The speaker talked about the current situation of that historical building. This idea surely made the examiner believe that the speaker was knowledgeable enough.
ii.) FOURTH PARAGRAPH: The speaker described the building in a more detailed way using advanced vocabulary words and topic vocabulary. This is very crucial since the examiner would be able to visualize what that historical building looked like.
Although this building is not yet completed, this has been the most famous tourist spot and is considered the most important landmark in Spain. As far as I know, the construction was slow even before because of its exquisite and intricate design and the lack of funds. People and some organizations donated some money to finance the construction. When the time comes that this church will be completed, I will not hesitate to visit there again.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Landmark [noun] – sign; a building or a place that is recognized
Tourist spot [expression] – tourist attraction
Exquisite [adj.] – very beautiful
Intricate [adj.] – very detailed
TIP
i.) In this part, the speaker ended his story by talking about the significance of that building not only to the local people but also to foreign people. When you organize your answer, you’ll be able to end your story well, so make sure to create a structure when developing your story.
PART 3
Do you know any interesting historical buildings in your city?
Yes I do, there are several fascinating historical buildings which we can see around our city and those are century-old churches. As my country was once a colony of Spain, we can never deny the fact that their influence is prevalent here in this country wherever we go even up to this day. The designs of churches are the same as what we can see in Spain or in other European countries. The Gothic architecture of those churches are just exquisite and some of them are declared as World Heritage by UNESCO.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Several [determiner & pronoun] – more than two but not many
Fascinating [adj.] – interesting
Prevalent [adj.] – widespread
Gothic architecture – characterized by stone structures, large glass, sharply pointed spires, intricate sculptures, clustered columns, and flying buttresses
UNESCO – United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization
TIP
i.) The speaker simply gave a direct affirmative answer and explained what kinds of historical buildings his city had that were interesting. He then connected his answer to the history of his country and explained the influence of another country on his country. A very well-explained answer and at the same time the words used are advanced.
Why do you think people like to visit historical buildings?
I see two reasons for that. First, it is because of curiosity, with the existence of social media these days, it is more than common for people to post photos of different kinds of places including historical ones that make other people intrigued. To satisfy their curiosity, they want to see what others are seeing.
The second reason is, for educational purposes. Some people are eager to learn something new which they have not learned in school. Visiting historical buildings gives them an insight into culture, history, lifestyle, and tradition. These are what I believe are the main reasons why people visit historical buildings.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Intrigue [verb] – arouses someone’s curiosity
Insight [noun] – perception
TIP
i.) The speaker was so certain of his answer saying ‘it’s because of two reasons’. Then he discussed each reason clearly. Use this kind of introduction when you are really sure that you can provide the exact number of reasons that you mentioned in the first place. Some students do this kind of introduction but cannot sustain explaining. That’s what you have to avoid!
Is it necessary to protect historical buildings?
In my opinion, it is just imperative to preserve them because they are very important in a country’s tourism industry. Historical buildings especially those proclaimed as World Heritage are what tourists want to visit. Because of the influx of curious tourists visiting places with those buildings, money comes in, consequently, more job opportunities are generated and this surely impacts the economy of a country. So practically speaking, the lives of the local people get better and that is the main reason why we need to spend time saving historical buildings.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Imperative [adj.] – vital; very important
Preserve [verb] – conserve; protect
Proclaim [verb] – declare publicly
Influx [noun] – arrival of many people or things; stream
TIP
i.) The speaker was very practical in answering the question. He talked about the financial benefit of historical buildings to the local community and the economy. In that case, he was able to answer the question spontaneously and clearly. To be able to have this kind of answer, you need to concentrate on understanding the question, so to the best of your effort, listen to the questions attentively.
Develop a story better in Part 2 for
the recent IELTS Speaking CUE
CARD about
A STRANGER TALKING ON THE PHONE.
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Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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