Cue Card Sample
Cue Card # 259 - Describe something which is produced in your country
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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.
Describe something which is produced in your country (e.g. food, a handicraft item, or a car).
You should say:
- what it is
- what it is used for
- how it is made/produced
and explain why your country produces it.
Model Answer 1:
People in Bangladesh, my native country, engage in producing different kinds of things for their livelihoods, ranging from food products to clothing items to electronics. However, today, I would like to talk about a handicraft item which arguably is indigenous to Bangladesh only.
This product is called “Nakshi Kantha”. The term “Nakshi” has been derived from the word “Naksha” which means an array of colourful patterns and designs, and “Kantha” means “patched cloth”, which is a kind of quilt, on which many gorgeous looking “Naksha” is made.
Anyway, this “Nakshi Kantha” lineage can be traced back to a time when rural women in greater Bangla (including today’s Bangladesh and parts of today’s India) engaged in this form of craft, not necessarily because they wanted to create some kind of 'art', but out of daily need. Nakshi Kantha essentially is a heritage product of Bangladesh, however, they are also prized by many Europeans and Americans today because of their stunning looks.
Even though in the beginning, the sole purpose of the Nakshi Kantha was to be used only as a quilt, but, with the passage of time, they became so popular that it was incorporated into many things, including everyday wear, such as the sari (a single piece of unstitched drape or garment which is used by the women in the Indian subcontinent), Kurtis (a loose collarless shirt which is worn in many regions of South Asia), tablecloths and decorative wall hangings. However, even though, these "Kanthas" are used for multi-purposes today, they serve primarily as bed pallets and light wraps. The small Kanthas are used as swaddling clothes for babies in rural areas of Bangladesh also. And, these “special” quilts are made by putting three to seven layers of colourful saris one over another and then sew them with the simple running stitch.
Bangladesh produces this particular handicraft item because the country wants to preserve it as a national heritage. Besides, they don’t only help employ a substantial number of unskilled women workers in my country, but also help earn a significant amount of foreign currency since these Kanthas are adored by many foreigners.
Model Answer 2:
We, as a nation, produce many different products which we use as consumers or export to other countries. Among those products, sports items are very famous. We produce fine quality game products like football, cricket bats, stumps and jersey. Our cricket bats are used by many cricket playing nations as well as in many big events of ICC. For this topic, I am going to talk about the cricket bat that is made in our country and used worldwide.
Cricket bats are used by batsmen (or batters) to score runs in a cricket match. A batter hits the ball with his or her bat and adds runs to the scoreboard.
The cricket bats are made from fine quality wood, and professional and experienced people work in this industry besides manual labourers. The wood is first selected, collected and dried to get rid of water from it. Then the wood is cut into recommended pieces to make the bat. After the appearance is given to the wood, the bat is then shaped and fine-tuned to produce a good quality bat. Some mechanical help is needed to give the bats good shapes and to make them flawless. After that, the bats are covered with grippers and stickers. Thus the final product is ready to be used.
Cricket is a popular game in our country, and the materials and expertise which are required to produce those bats are also available in our country. Many people have acquired the knowledge and expertise to produce these quality bats, and as they have high demands both in our country and in other cricket playing countries, our country makes them in plenty.
Part 3 – Two-way discussion:
Food Production:
Q. What are some of the main food products ("foods") that a country should produce?
Answer: Since rice is the staple food for more than half of the world’s total population, and since around 35% of the world’s total population heavily rely on wheat food products for the majority of their calories intake, then it is safe to conclude that a country should try to produce more and more rice grains along with wheat products. Of course, the problem is that not every country has enough suitable or fertile lands to cultivate these two (rice and wheat) staple foods, and if that is actually the case, they should try to produce other food products which complement rice and wheat. They should also try to grow a diverse range of fruits and vegetables.
Q. Why do many countries still import important food items?
Answer: Well, it would be just great if all the countries around the world were able to produce all the important food items for their own consumption. But that would just be wishful thinking because, unfortunately, the climate, land structures and hostile terrains of many countries just don’t allow them to do so despite their best intention and efforts. And that’s precisely the reason many countries around the world still import important food items from other countries. Let’s just say, such practice is purely a matter of survival for many countries.
Q. Do you think it's important that a country is self-sufficient in food?
Answer: Yes, I think that it is a matter of utmost importance that a country should try its best to become self-sufficient in food, not only because it would meet the needs of its own citizens, but also the demands and needs of other countries around the world which just don’t have enough resources to do so on their own. Besides, being self-sufficient in food production would also allow a country to dodge undue political pressure and influence in many cases from other “dominating nations”.
Other Products /International Trade:
Q. Do you think the globalisation of industry and commerce is a good thing? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: If we consider the effects of globalization of industry and commerce with an objective mind, we will find that it is a good thing in a greater scheme of things. One of the main advantages of globalization is that it allows greater access to new markets while also developing new products at the same time. And developing new products also means creating new revenue streams for all kinds of businesses. Besides, it also helps connect the world with each other by sharing new knowledge, information, technologies and cultural practices on a grandeur scale.
Q. Do you think every country should make everything it needs or should it import most of the things?
Answer: I don’t think that any country should either try to make everything it needs or import most of the things it needs, because that’s just not possible on a practical level. After all, no single country in our world has all the resources, tools and technologies to produce or make everything it needs. In the same way, a country can’t possibly import everything it needs because that would prove out to be too costly of an affair unless, of course, that country is filthy rich with an insane amount of revenue generation and resources.
Q. What are the disadvantages of a country producing everything it needs?
Answer: In my humble opinion, a country may face a few challenges if it tries to produce everything it needs (considering that it is even a “reality” in this globalized world). The first disadvantage, of course, such thing would almost inevitably increase production cost and the market price of the products because it would need to import a lot of raw materials from other countries. The second challenge is that the country would put some undue pressure on its natural resources and environments which certainly is not good for the country’s existence in the long run.
Similar Cue Card Topics
Your ability to talk about this Cue Card would enable you to talk about the following Cue Cards as well:
- Describe something that your country exports.
- Describe something produced or grown in your country.
- Describe an important crop or export item in your country.
- Describe a valuable product produced in your country.
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