CANDIDATE`S CUE CARD Task 4

THE EXCURSION
The Overseas Students` Club is organising an excursion to a local tourist spot.
You are thinking of joining the exursion. Your examiner is one of the
organisers.
Ask the examiner about: destination
means of transport
length of excursion
cost
meals
clothing/equipment
YOU
Describe yourself.
FAMILY
Describe your family?
Do you have a large or small family?
How much time do you spend with your family?
What do you like to do together as a family?
Do you get along well with your family?
Are people in your country generally close to their families?
WORK
What do you do?
What are your responsibilities?
How many hours do you work each day?
Do you enjoy your work?
Is there some other kind of work you would rather do?
If you could change your job or profession, what would you do?
Describe the process of getting a job in your country.
Describe the company or organization you work for.
What is your position?
What do you like about your job?
What do you dislike about your job?
EDUCATION
Describe your education.
What kind of school did you go to as a child?
Did you go to a co-educational school?
What was your favourite subject as a child?
Who was your favourite teacher?
What is the education system like in your country?
Do you think your country has an effective education system?
STUDIES
What are you studying now?
What is your area of specialization?
HOMETOWN
Describe your hometown.
Whats special about it?
Where is your hometown located?
Is it easy to travel around your hometown?
What is it known for?
What do people in your town do?

What are the main industries in your hometown?

What problems face your hometown?
What languages are spoken in your hometown?
What are the advantages of living in your hometown?
What are some problems faced by your hometown?
Compare your hometown with another city.
What are some environmental problems faced by your hometown?
WEATHER
Whats the weather like in your country?
Does the weather affect your mood?
How do rainy days make you feel?
Whats your favourite season of the year?
What do you like to do when its hot?
What do you usually do in the winter?
How many seasons does your country have?
HOME
Describe your home.
What kind of building do you live in?
How long have you lived there?
WEDDING
Have you ever been to a wedding?
Whose wedding was it?
Where was it held?
What clothes do people wear?
Describe the wedding ceremony.
What sort if gifts do people buy for the bridal couple?
What kind of clothes did the bride and groom wear?
TRAVEL
Do you like to travel?
What kind of places have you visited in your life?
Which place would you really like to visit? Why?
Whats the best place youve ever visited?
COMPUTERS
Do you think computers help society?
Do you think computers are bad for health?
How do you think computers have changed the world?
INTERNET
Do you use the Internet much during the day?
What do you usually do on the Internet?
What are some advantages of the Internet?
What are some disadvantages?
Do people in your country use the Internet a lot?
Do you do any shopping on the Internet?
EMAIL
Do you send and receive email regularly?
Who do you usually communicate with?
How often do you check your email?
Do you think writing email has strengthened or weakened peoples writing skills?
What are some disadvantages of email?
FRIEND

Describe a friend.
How long have you known each other?
What do usually do together?
What do you like the most about him / her?
How often do you see each other?
PLACE
Describe a place you like to go.
Why is this place special to you?
When did you first visit this place?
Where is this place located?
What language is spoken here? Do you speak this language?
SMOKING
What do you feel about smoking in public places?
Do you think smoking should be banned in peoples homes?
MARRIAGE
What is the attitude toward marriage in your country?
Do most young people plan on getting married in your country?
What are some of the advantages of marriage?
What are some of the disadvantages?
Is the divorce rate high in your country?
Do you think people should be allowed to get divorced?
HOBBIES
Do you have any hobbies?
What are some of your hobbies?
When did you first develop tis hobby?
What are some of the advantages of having a hobby?
How much time do you spend on your hobby?
FILMS
Do you enjoy watching movies?
Whats your favourite film?
Who are your favourite actors?
How often do you watch films?
SHOPPING
Do you enjoy shopping?
How do you feel about shopping?
Do you like shopping on the Internet?
Do you have any favourite stores?
What dont you like about shopping?
Which is the most popular place to shop in your hometown?
SPORTS
Do you like sports?
Do you enjoy watching sports?
Do you enjoy participating in any sports?
Which sports are most popular in your country?
Whats your favourite sport/
When did you first become interested in sports?
How often do you participate in sports?
What equipment do you need for your favourite sport?
FOOD
What are some of your favourite foods?

What foods are popular in your country?

What are some of the famous dishes of your country?
Do you enjoy cooking?
FESTIVAL
Whats the most important festival in your country?
How do people celebrate this festival?
What special food is associated with this festival?
What special activities are associated with this festival?
What do you enjoy most about this festival?
Do you think festivals are important for a society?
TELEVISION
Do you watch television a lot?
What do you usually watch on television?
How many hours of television do you usually watch?
What are the most popular shows in your country?
What kind of shows do you like to watch?
What are some advantages of television?
What are someof the disadvantages of television?
What did you last watch on television?
Why do you think certain TV shows are so popular?
TOURISM
Which places would you recommend to a visitor to your country?
Do a lot of tourists visit your country?
What do they usually do there?
How has tourism changed your country?
Is your country expensive for most tourists?
What are some famous landmarks in your country?
DAILY ROUTINE
Describe your daily routine.
What do you usually do?
What do you do on the weekend?
What is you typical weekday like?
Does your life change much from week to week?
Do you have any free time during the week?
YOUR COUNTRY
Which country are you from?
Where is this country located?
Which part of the country do most people live in?
What are the main industries in your country?
Is it easy to travel around your country?
CLOTHES
What type of clothes do you like to wear?
What kind of clothes do people in your country usually wear?
How important is fashion to you?
What kind of clothes do you dislike?
Do you think people behave differently in different kinds of clothes?
What kind of clothes do people wear to work in your country?
Are clothes expensive in your country?
GOING OUT
Do you like going out or staying at home?

What do you like to do when you go out?

How often do you go out?
Do people in your country go our a lot?
How and where do people in your country usually socialize?
What kind of entertainment is popular in your country?
GAMES
Do you enjoy playing any games?
What kind of games do you play?
Do you think adults should play games?
What do children learn from games?
What kind of games did you play when you were a child?
What games are popular in your country today?
What kind of games were popular when you were young?
Do you think mental games like chess are good for you?
COLOURS
Do you have a favourite colour?
What are your countrys colours?
Do you think colours affect our moods?
Can you learn anything about a person from the colours he / she likes?
Do you like the same colours now as you did when you were a child?
MUSIC
Do you like music?
What kind of music do you like?
When do you usually listen to music?
What kind of music did you like when you were younger?
What kind of music is popular in your country?
Do you play any musical instruments?
Do you wish you could play any musical instruments?
Which is your favourite instrument?
Task 1:
Lets talk about your home town or village.
What kind of place is it?
Whats the most interesting part of your town/village?
What kind of jobs do the people in your town/village do?
Would you say its a good place to live? (Why?)
Lets move on to talk about accommodation.
Tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in?
How long have you lived there?
What do you like about living there?
What sort of accommodation would you most like to live in?
Task2:
Describe something you own which is very important to you.
You should say:
where you got it from
how long you have had it
what you use it for
and explain why it is important to you.
Rounding off questions
Is it valuable in terms of money?
Would it be easy to replace?

Part 3 Two-way discussion

Lets consider first of all how peoples values have changed.
What kind of things give status to people in your country?
Have things changed since your parents time?
Finally, lets talk about the role of advertising.
Do you think advertising influences what people buy?
1. What is the meaning of your name?
2. Does your name affect your personality?
3. Tell me something about your hometown.
4. What are the differences in accent between your hometown and Hanoi?
5. What is the character of the people like in your hometown?
6. What is people's favourite food in the region where you live?
7. Do you think that people have enough time for leisure now?
8. Are there any historic monuments in your region?
9. Describe your Job? How do you spend your typical day?
10. Tell me something about the Hue Festival.
11. How have weddings changed in recent years?
12. Tell me something about the <Holi> Festival. <change with the festival name of your country>
13. Describe a traditional wedding ceremony.
14. Name a person whom you admire? Why? What influence does he / she has on your life? Would you like
to become like him / her in future?
15. Are there any traditions concerning the birth of a baby?
16. How do you like <The test city> Compare it to your hometown. How did you get to this place?
17. What place do you like best in Hanoi?
18. What places in Delhi should a foreigner visit?
19. What places would you recommend a visitor to go to in your region/hometown?
20. If you had the choice, where would you choose to live in India?
21. Which parts of India would you recommend a foreigner to visit?
22. Tell me something about your family.
23. Which is your favourite colour?
24. Do you think colours influence our life? How?
25. Which is the best place you've been to in India?
26. Who does most of the household chores in your family?
27. Are the traditional sexual roles within the family changing?
28. Why is the divorce rate increasing so rapidly? Is it a problem?
29. What is your opinion of the planning family policy?
30. How do you discipline your child?
31. Is it acceptable for couples to live together without marrying?
32. If you had the choice, would you have a son or a daughter?
33. Are you going to bring your child up any differently to the way your parents did?
34. What hopes do you have for your child? (if you are married)
35. Do women still have too heavy a burden in their day to day life?
36. Is the increasing influence of the West largely a positive or negative thing?
37. Are you looking forward to anything in particular in Australia / UK / USA ?
38. What do you do in your leisure time?
39. What will you do if you fail the IELTS?
40. Who should bear the responsibility for payment of tuition fees?
41. What can be done to improve education in rural areas?
42. Have recent changes affected your job in any way?
43. Do you agree with private education? Why?
44. What can be done to close the gap between urban and rural areas?
45. If you had the power, what changes would you carry out within education?
46. Describe a typical working day for you
47. How do you see yourself in ten years time?
48. If you had the opportunity to change your job, what would you do instead?

49. If you had one million dollars, what would you do with it?
50. If you could start your life again, would you do anything differently?
51. What ambitions do you have?
52. Which country/place would you most like to visit?
53. What changes do you think India will see in the next few years?
54. Will any possible future changes affect your job in any way?
55. How do you think you will cope abroad?
56. How does it feel to go abroad for the first time?
57. Are you looking forward to anything in particular in Australia / UK / USA ?
58. What do you do in your leisure time?
59. What will you do if you fail the IELTS?
60. Why are you giveing IELTS? What course / job do you intend to pursue after IELTS.?
An adventurous person
Describe an adventurous person who you know.
You should say:
who the person is
how you know this person
what this person does that is adventurous
and explain why you think this person likes to take risks.
A childhood friend
Describe a friend you had when you were a child
You should say:
how you first met
how long you were friends
what you used to do together
and explain why you liked this person.
An old person
Describe an old person you admire.
You should say:
who this person is
how long you have known him/her
what qualities he/she has
and say why you admire him/her

A good cook
Describe someone you know who is good at cooking.
You should say:
who this person is
how you know him or her
what kinds of food they cook
and explain why this person is good at cooking
Places
A house or apartment
Talk about a house or an apartment you would like to live in.
You should say
what it would look like
how big it would be
where it would be located
And explain why you would like to live there
see lesson for sample answer and helpful vocabulary

Travel
Describe a place that you would like to travel to.
You should say:
where you would like to go
how you would go there
who you would go with
and explain why you would like to go to this place.
A restaurant
Describe a restaurant you know.
You should say:
where this restaurant is
what type of food the restaurant serves
how often you go to this restaurant
and explain why you would recommend this restaurant.
A hotel
Describe a hotel you have stayed in.
You should say:
where it is
what facilities it has
when you stayed there
and say whether you would recommend it to a friend

A garden
Describe a garden you remember visiting.
You should say:
where it is
what it looks like
what people do there
and explain why you remember it.
Objects
A magazine
Describe a magazine you think is interesting
You should say:
how you know about this magazine
where you can buy it
what it contains
and explain why you think this magazine is interesting.
A photograph
Describe a photograph that you remember.
You should say:
when it was taken
who took it
what is in the photograph
and explain why you remember this photograph
A letter
Describe an important letter that you received.
You should say:
who wrote it
what the letter was about
how you felt about the letter
and explain why it was important.

Clothes
Describe your favourite item of clothing.
You should say:
what it is
when you bought it
why you bought it
and say why you like it so much.

Habits and likes/the present

Leisure time
Describe what you usually do in your leisure time.
You should say:
who you do this with
where you do it
how you do it
and explain why you like to spend your free time this way.
A skill
Describe a practical skill you have.
You should say:
what the skill is
how often you use it
who taught it to you
and explain why the skill is so practical
A television programme
Describe a television programme you watched and did not enjoy.
You should say:
what this programme was
where and when you watched it
what it was about
and explain why you did not enjoy it
Lesson with sample talk to listen to and help with vocabulary
A book
Describe a book you are reading
You should say
what the book is about
when you read it
how long you read it for
and explain what you like about the book
Plans/the future
A country
Describe a country you plan to visit.
You should say:
what the country is
when you plan to go there
who you would like to travel with
and explain why you would like to go there.
Shopping
Describe something special you want to buy in the future.
You should say:
what it is
what it is like
when you intend to buy it
and explain why you want to buy it.

Experiences/The past
A wedding
Describe a wedding you attended
You should say
when it was
who got married
what happened at the wedding
And explain whether it was a typical wedding ceremony
sample answer with advice on how to extend your answer

A decision
Describe an important decision that you made
You should say:
what the decision was
how you made your decision
what the results of the decision were
and explain why it was important.
A musical event
Describe a musical event in your country
You should say
What the event it is
Where it takes place
What kind of music is played
And you should explain why you enjoy it
Listen to a sample answer and get help with vocabulary
Try this exercise on spoken music vocabulary
A news story
Describe some interesting news that you have recently read about or heard about
You should say:
what the story was
who was involved in the story
where you read or heard about this story
and explain why this news story was interesting to you.
A sample version and help with vocabaulary
A decision
Describe an important decision that you made
You should say:
what the decision was
how you made your decision
what the results of the decision were
and explain why it was important.

DICAS
1. Expressing a Preference

I prefer A to B because...
If I have a choice, I will... (a real possibility)
If I had a choice, I would... (not a real possibility, just wishing)
For me, A is much more attractive / interesting / preferable than B because...
I would much rather do / have / eat / listen to / blah blah blah A than B...

2. Narrating

When I was a high school student, I went to Guizhou to visit some friends.

 After I graduated from high school, I ...

During my visit to Guizhou last year, I...
Last year during the Spring Festival, I went to Guizhou to visit some friends.
(Also use "Whenever" or "While")
3. Comparing and Contrasting

A is much better / worse than B.

A is not nearly as good as B.
A is not quite as important as B.
A is almost as tall as B, but not quite.
When I compare these two items, it's clear that...

4. Suggesting

Maybe, Perhaps, Possibly

One possibility that I can think of is...
Another idea to think about is...
5. Expressing Opinions

It seems to me that...
This is only my opinion but...
After a lot of thought, I have come to the conclusion that...
I've never thought about this question much before, but it seems to me that...

6. Justifying Opinions

The reason I believe this is...

The most important evidence supporting my belief is...
7. Speculating

I'm not sure what might happen, but one possibility is...
It's hard to predict the future, but I suppose it / we might...
8. Analyzing

There are several points to consider, first of which is...

We can break this question down into several parts. First...
Let's look at this step by step. To begin with...
9. Summarizing

Altogether, there were...

In the end, they had to...
When we consider all the factors...
Considering all of these ideas, maybe the best thing would be to...

10. Conversation Repair

Maybe I'm not making myself clear. I want to say that...

What I mean to say is...

 What I'm trying to say is...

Another way to put it is...