Cue Card Sample
Describe a language you would like to learn - Cue Card # 597
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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.
Describe a language you would like to learn.
You should say:
- what it is and how you plan to learn it
- where it is spoken
- how it will help you
and explain why you want to learn this language.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Model Answer 1:
Learning a different language always helps, especially, if someone wants to improve his/her career and wants to learn about the culture and traditions of another country. However, here I want to talk about one particular language, which, I'd really like to learn, is called “Mandarin”.
Mandarin, the language of about 1.5 billion people all over the world, is mostly spoken by people in Southeast Asian countries, including mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Macau. It is also spoken by many Chinese expatriates who are living in the USA, Canada, Australia and many European countries.
Even though learning Mandarin can be a quite challenging task, especially for an English-speaking person like me, I think that I can still learn it easily if I stick to my plans. And, my plan includes practising alone with my textbooks that are written in Mandarin, and meeting a few Mandarin-speaking friends both online and offline. I also plan to enrol in a Mandarin learning school. I am also planning to see more Chinese movies in order to understand the different tones and pronunciation methods of the Mandarin language.
Besides, after already learning a few basic facts about Mandarine, such as how learning 1000 commonly used characters would help me recognize 90% of the characters in Chinese newspapers, and how straightforward is Chinese grammar, now I am confident more than ever that I can easily learn this complex language. Finally, I am also planning to memorize some basic and simple Chinese vocabulary in order to become fluent quickly.
Anyway, there are a couple of reasons why I want to learn this language. First, it would allow me to learn about the great culture of Chinese people in more detail, and in an objective manner. By the way, I also just love to learn about different countries and cultures in order to keep myself informed. Secondly, it would also allow me to avail myself of better career opportunities in the future as more and more Chinese companies are becoming attractive places for working for professionals all over the world, including the USA.
Sample Answer 2:
Oh! This is a great topic, and thanks for the opportunity to let me talk about it. I would like to learn the Italian language soon, which I believe would help me to a great extent. I live in Sri Lanka, and I have recently been awarded a scholarship at an Italian university. So I have to travel to Italy soon.
I am planning to learn Italian from any recognized language teaching centre in my country. In fact, I am searching for such an institution where I can learn the language. Moreover, I will take some help from online resources to hone my skills in it.
The Italian language is also known as the lingua Italiana. Italian is a "Romance language" that is widely used in some parts of the world including Italy, San Mario, Switzerland, Malta, and Albania. Besides, it is also spoken in the USA by Italian migrants. Since I am going to Italy, I need to have a good command of the language. I believe, learning Italian would give me a competitive advantage once I am there.
It will also help me communicate with people, particularly with my classmates and teachers, at the university. Moreover, I will need to take a couple of courses in the Italian language, and if I do not know the language, I will not be able to do well in those subjects. Hence, knowing the language will be a huge advantage for me. On top of that, learning the language would help me understand many aspects of Italian culture and tradition.
Model Answer 3:
To be honest with you, I've always been intrigued by the German language and culture, so learning German has been on my bucket list for quite some time now. After looking at this topic, I instantly thought that I would share my desire to learn this language with you. So thank you for the time and opportunity to let me talk about it.
My plan to learn German involves a combination of self-study using online resources, language exchange programmes, and perhaps enrolling in a formal language course at some point.
German is primarily spoken in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and parts of Belgium and Luxembourg. Learning German will open up exciting opportunities for travel and cultural immersion in these countries. Additionally, it will allow me to connect with native German speakers, both professionally and personally.
I would like to learn this language primarily because I have a deep passion for learning this language and learning more about the rich German culture. Moreover, I believe that proficiency in German can also enhance my career prospects, especially in fields such as business, international relations, and academia. Many multinational companies operate in German-speaking countries, and knowing the language can give me a competitive edge in the job market.
Moreover, learning German appeals to me because of its rich literary tradition and contributions to philosophy, science, and the arts. Being able to read German literature, watch German films, and engage with German-speaking communities will provide me with a deeper understanding of European culture and history. I believe that mastering German will not only broaden my horizons but also enrich my life in numerous ways.
Sample Answer 4:
For some incomprehensible reasons, I have always felt a passion for learning the Chinese language. The idea of learning this language is rooted back in my teenage days when one of my aunts learned this language and often explained how the grammar and punctuation of this language work. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to let me talk about this topic.
Though I have always wanted to learn this language, I have never given any serious thought to actually doing it, until a year ago. The aunt, I am talking about, works as a mechanical engineer in Beijing, China and came to visit us last year. I had a few conversations about her life in China, and at one time, we discussed the language she uses to communicate. She explained how learning a new language could help us widen our perceptions and accommodate us to understand a new culture. After she left our country, I saw an advertisement from one of our local universities. It was about a six-month course to learn a second or third language for university students.
As soon as I learned that they offer a Chinese language course, I became interested. Though I have not started the course yet, I am determined to take it next summer. The Chinese language has many varieties and I would specifically learn the standard Chinese language which is mainly spoken in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau. Standard Chinese is also called Mandarin and has some variations based on where it is spoken.
As I have already stated, I would take a six-month language course at a local university and hopefully, that would give me a good grip on the basics of the language. After that, I will surely take advantage of the online resources to further enhance my skills in the Chinese language. Besides, I will have some friends, hopefully, from the language course, who would be a good fit for me to practise the language even after the course is over. Furthermore, I will have video conferences with my aunt who now lives in China and practise Chinese whenever possible.
I will not learn this language for any particular reason or professional benefit. Rather, I would learn it from the sheer interest I feel in the language and Chinese culture. But, I believe that learning a foreign language always offers some hidden benefits. Though I am not sure, who knows, someday it might be proved to be a necessary skill!
More Ideas to talk about this Cue Card topic:
Cue Card Topic: Describe a language you would like to learn.
1. Recently, I have been to India, and have become interested in learning the Hindi language. The majority of the people in India use this language, and it sounds interesting to me. Learning the language would also help me better understand Bollywood movies, which I like to watch sometimes.
2. The Arabic language is really delightful in my view, and I would like to learn it. I would like to learn Arabic as it would help me communicate with my Arab clients (I have an export-import business there) and expand my business. Besides, I believe that learning a second language offers numerous other benefits including our understanding of a foreign culture and the history associated with this language.
3. Malay is a great language and it has around 10 dialects in Malaysia. I have a plan to learn the language as I am planning to migrate there with my family next year. It would be helpful for me to learn the language as most people use it in Malaysia.
4. I think the Spanish language has some special charms. This language is quite different from many other languages and Spanish speakers are found all over the world. Therefore, I have a plan to learn the language from a local language club here in Mumbai.
5. My recent trip to Sri Lanka has amazed me and I am mostly in love with the language of the state. They speak in a very special way and their tone is unique. Sinhala and Tamil are the most prominent languages there and I have decided to learn Tamil.
6. My husband lives in Iran for his professional needs and he wants to take me there soon. So, I need to learn the Persian language. In fact, Persian is one of the smartest and oldest languages, and I need to have a good command of it.
7. I don’t know why the Japanese language attracts me so much, but I think it is maybe because my ancestors are from Japan. So, I have set my mind to learn the language. Though it would be difficult for me to learn it, I will give it a try.
8. I have been granted a scholarship at a German university, and they have asked me to learn the German language properly. It is hard to find a suitable German language club for me here in Indonesia. But definitely, I will learn the language.
9. The number of French-speaking people is on the rise, and I have a plan to study in France in the future. So I think it would be better for me to know the language. I would like to learn the French language properly.
Your preparation for the cue card topic - "Describe a language you would like to learn" would help you talk about the following topics as well:
1. Describe the second language you have learned in school.
2. Describe something you would like to do in the future.
3. Describe a skill you have learned recently.
4. Describe something you want to do if you have some free time.
5. Describe something you have always wanted to do but have not done yet.
6. Describe an activity you are involved in.
7. Describe something you have recently done.
8. Describe an unusual activity you have recently taken up.
9. Describe a language you will learn in the future.
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