IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
A PIECE OF GOOD NEWS
Describe a piece of good news you heard or read
You should say:
- What it was
- When you got it
- Where you got it from
And explain why it was a piece of good news
A N S W E R
Well, just a few days ago while I was flicking through a newspaper in our office, I came across a news article about environmental issues that caught my interest. As I consider myself an environmentalist, that news got me excited. I couldn’t help but spend time reading it eagerly to know if that article was about a piece of environmental good news. As you know, the world is currently facing some serious environmental issues and more often than not, we only hear the never-ending problems but no solutions at all.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Flick through [phrasal verb] – look quickly through a book, newspaper, etc.
Catch (my) interest [phrasal verb] – to take notice
Come across [phrasal verb] – meet or find by chance
More often than not [phrase] – usually
TIP
i.) The speaker started his narration directly without a usual introduction which is paraphrasing the task given. He immediately narrated his experience but didn’t present the good news right away. Instead, he talked about the problem in order for the examiner to get an idea of the background story. It’s a good start and not the usual introduction.
Anyway, that news article talked about our city’s current problem of waste management. To give you an idea of our problem, people in our city struggle to properly segregate their trash because of the lack of waste segregation bins which are supposed to be installed on every corner of the streets in our city. While I was reading the first few parts of the article, I was wondering why that problem had not yet been resolved, it made me think that all the sitting leaders in our city were inutile and had no political will at all.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Struggle [verb] – to experience difficulty and make great effort to do something
Segregate [verb] – separate; set apart
Sitting (leaders) – refers to the current leaders
Inutile [adj.] – useless
TIP
i.) In this part, the speaker simply provided more details in his introduction for better understanding. This is to make sure that the examiner can fully understand the issue, this is needed as a preparation for the main answer which is talking about the good news. Enough details to fully understand the situation.
Going back to the article that I read, I became elated to know that at last, our city officials joined forces in order to resolve the major environmental problem that our city was facing. Based on that news, the city council bought bins for waste segregation and they would start placing them on every corner of the city streets the very next week. In addition, the city mayor would spearhead posting some waste segregation posters in designated areas so the public would be guided accordingly.
Although I hate the fact that our leaders are so slow in addressing the problem, still I appreciate them for taking action to protect the environment from pollution. I really hope that all leaders will be more serious in finding solutions for environmental issues in order for us to save Mother Earth.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Elated [adj.] – very happy
Joined forces [phrase] – to work together to achieve a common aim
Spearhead [verb] – to lead something
Address [verb] – to deal with
TIPS
i.) The speaker then talked about the good news which he read from a newspaper. He focused on giving details on the good news which he learned, this was after he made the examiner understand the issue. This kind of technique is called reverse – meaning to say, instead of talking about the good news right away, the speaker presented the issue first as a foundation of the story so that the examiner would understand better.
ii.) The speaker ended his story by expressing his sentiment. It’s a good way to end the story in a more impactful way. If you can and if you have time, wrap up your story well!
PART 3
What kinds of news do people in your country like?
It is hard to give a general answer to that question as I believe each person in my country has their own preference for news. Some are more inclined to political or economic news because they simply want to know the current affairs of our country and the world. They want to understand the political issues in our country as it affects the national economy which will have an impact on people’s lives.
Also, other people do not care about political issues but they are more into knowing the entertainment news as it helps them ease their stress from work or study. There are also some who are just indifferent that they do not pay any attention to the news and just live their lives accordingly.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Preference [noun] – a greater liking for one choice over others
Inclined (to) [adj.] – likely or wanting to do something
Current affairs [noun] – political news that is happening at the moment
Be more into (are more into) [phrase] – be interested
Indifferent [adj.] – no interest
Pay attention [phrase] – to consider something carefully
Accordingly [adv.] – appropriately
TIP
i.) The speaker answered realistically here, as he didn’t know what his countrymen liked, he simply categorized his answer into three groups – some who were into politics, entertainment, and those who didn’t care at all. Then he made sure to explain each group to make the examiner understand him clearly. Such a realistic and natural answer!
Is it a good idea to have knowledge about current affairs?
In my opinion, it is a must for everyone to know what is happening politically in his country as he is part of the government being a citizen and a taxpayer of his own country. He has to be aware of the political situation or the social problems in his country so that he will know what he can do to contribute change to his country through exercising his right to elect a righteous, compassionate, and strong-willed leader who can bring good governance to his country.
In addition, his knowledge of current affairs can make him a good communicator since he has always something to share or talk to others. Therefore, it is advantageous to individuals if they are informed about the current affairs in the world and in their own country.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
(A) must [noun] – something that should not be missed
Aware [verb] – having knowledge about something; be conscious of
Elect [verb] – choose a leader
Righteous [adj.] – good; decent
Strong-willed [adj.] – determined; headstrong
Advantageous [adj.] – beneficial
Informed about [phrase] – to be aware
TIPS
i.) The speaker started his answer by expressing his positive opinion towards having knowledge of current affairs and focused on giving his most important reason for being a responsible citizen. It’s a very good argument that best explains why it is essential to be knowledgeable about current affairs. Always make sure to provide a clear explanation for every argument that you present to make things clear.
ii.) The speaker added another reason which was also realistic. He explained what benefits people could get when they’re aware of current affairs. Then he ended his answer with a very straightforward conclusive statement that would wrap up his answer. Make sure to properly end your answer in Part 3 as it always leaves a good impression.
Does sensational news have an impact on people?
Yes, yellow journalism is impactful on people as it stirs various kinds of emotion. When readers learn news about political issues, conflicts, or crimes involving moral turpitude, they usually react emotionally. This makes them feel indignant, depressed, and distressed, however, this is what the news media outlets want to happen because the more people react or talk about those kinds of news, the more audiences they get, not to mention the more profits they can make.
As a result, we are oftentimes bombarded with sensationalized news in the mass media simply because it is effective in catching people’s interest.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Yellow journalism [noun] – journalism that is based on sensationalism
Impactful [adj.] – having a major impact or effect
Stir [verb] – when something stirs in you, you start to think or feel about it
Crimes involving moral turpitude [noun] – crimes that shock public conscience such as homicide, kidnapping, robbery, bigamy, rape, spousal and child abuse, etc.
Indignant [adj.] – feeling of anger or annoyance
Distressed [adj.] – suffering from anxiety, sorrow, pain
Not to mention [phrase] – in addition
Bombard [verb] – if you bombard someone with something, you make them face a great deal of it
Mass media [noun] – the media
TIPS
i.) The speaker gave a positive answer to the question explaining how sensationalized news affected audiences. To be able to clearly answer the question, the speaker talked about the feelings of the people when knowing about those kinds of news.
ii.) Also, the speaker pointed out why sensationalized news was common. That is an additional idea to answer that question in a more intelligent way. Notice the words or expressions that he used in explaining his answer – they’re advanced vocabulary words.
How can teachers make their students interested in reading news?
I suppose teachers cannot really make all their students have an interest in reading news because the students have their own preferences on what they want to read. Some students do not even want to read anything.
However, I believe teachers can encourage them to read news by giving them some homework like making them read articles about global issues and asking them to write social problems essays. In that way, students tend to read news, although, not all, still there are some who start to develop their interest in reading news. I believe that way is more realistic.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
I suppose – another way to say I think
Preference [noun] – greater liking
Tend (to) [verb] – be inclined to do something
TIPS
i.) PARAGRAPH 1: The speaker started answering by being more realistic saying that teachers could never make all students like reading the news, and that’s true. Also, he presented the possibility that some students didn’t really care about reading any kind of reading materials, so it would be much harder for teachers to make them interested. That type of answer is practical and relatable.
ii.) PARAGRAPH 2: The speaker then transitioned to talking about the possibility of how teachers make their students become interested in reading news. This is really the main answer to the question being asked, it’s just that, he wanted to make things clear to the examiner that it’s impossible to make all students like reading the news. Such a realistic point-of-view and easy to understand.
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Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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