Cue Card Sample
A time when you had to take care of a baby - Cue Card # 604
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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.
Describe a time when you had to take care of a baby.
You should say:
- when it was
- who the baby was
- what you did
and explain how you felt about taking care of this baby.
[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:
I love babies; I like to hug them, play with them, carry them as well as spoil them. But, when it comes to taking care of a baby, I never thought that I could ever pull it off. But, that’s exactly what I did about a year ago when my aunt left her “bundle of joy” (my baby “cousin”) for me to take care of because she needed to go out for a few hours.
Anyway, I knew that I needed to be “extra” careful in making sure that he wasn’t crying. And, to do so, I was holding and carrying him very gently. Of course, this is what my aunt instructed me in order to make him fall asleep. But the problem was I wasn’t succeeding. So, I took him in front of a TV and we watched some cartoons even though I wasn’t too sure that he was “old” enough to enjoy cartoons!
This far, he was behaving like a “good” boy. But, then came the real challenge when he started to cry, but all I could do at that time was to try to “talk” to him with some “funny” faces in order to distract him. But, unfortunately, I wasn’t making much of an impression on my baby cousin so that he could actually stop crying. Then I suddenly remembered that he was probably hungry, and he needed his baby “feeder”, and as soon as I gave him his “feeder”, he got busy “nourishing” himself from it until he fell asleep. Fortunately, he slept until my aunt returned.
Well, initially, I was a bit nervous about taking care of my “baby cousin”, but as time progressed, I actually started to enjoy the “responsibility”. In fact, it was really interesting to see how that little “wonder baby” tried to “communicate” with me with some “funny sounds” from time to time except, of course, the problem was that this “poor” cousin could not understand what I told him! Besides, I also felt good that I could actually help my aunt when nobody was around to help her.
Model Answer 2:
I am one of those persons who love babies and yet do not know how to take care of a baby. This topic reminds me of a time when taking care of my nephew came on my shoulder. I would like to thank you for this opportunity to let me talk about my experience of looking after this baby.
It would be around six months ago when I had to stay home the whole day with my nephew, Ethan, who was merely 3 years old. Usually, my nephew is very adorable and gentle in nature but when he cries out loud, I find it hard to do anything to console him and bring him back to his normal jolly state. When Ethan's parents are around and he begins to cry, I keep my distance as my previous experience has taught me that anything I do makes things worse!
Ethan's parents had to go out for the whole day and there was none except me to look after the baby. Ethan was a good boy most of the day and he caused me no trouble about which I was afraid of. I fed him twice the meal his mom prepared beforehand, changed his diaper and dress, caressed him, tried to make him happy by acting and making different sounds and was very cautious to make sure he was comfortable. He slept for a couple of hours, and during that time, I sat beside him and read a book.
At first, I was intimidated because I did not want to take full responsibility for the baby while his parents were away. However, as time passed, I started to feel confident that he would be okay with me and at a time, I started feeling happy to be with him. That day I realised that looking after a baby is not as frightening as I thought it would be, but it takes a great deal of effort to make sure the baby is okay.
I actually enjoyed being with Ethan and the way he played, laughed and hugged me was something totally new to me.
Model Answer 3:
Thank you for the opportunity to let me talk about my experience of looking after a baby. It reminds me of an event when my closest friend Bella had to visit her hometown to see a sick relative. It would be approximately two years ago and coincidently, her husband was out of town at that time. So she requested me to look after her daughter - Irene.
When Bella requested me to look after Irene for a couple of days, I told her that I would be glad to babysit her little Irene. Irene was six years old then and a very nice girl. I asked Bella to bring some of Irene's favourite clothes and toys, just to make her feel at home at my place. You know, kids may feel nervous in a totally new environment, and I thought her belongings would soothe her and make her feel more at ease.
I prepared breakfast and lunch for her and took her out for dinner. As she had classes, I had to drop her at her school in the morning and pick her up in the evening as well. I tried my best to cheer her up so that she would not miss her parents much. She stayed three days at my place and I even took her to a children's park nearby, which is open to the public and adored by many children.
How did I feel? Well- it was a new experience for me and honestly speaking, I was a bit nervous at the beginning as I had no prior experience of looking after babies. But Irene was a sweet child and we had a great time together. I even missed her after she left my house. She gave me a nice pot plant as a gesture of gratitude after a few days and mentioned to her mom that she had a great time at my home.
Model Answer 4:
Thank you so much for the topic that asks me to talk about an event when I took care of a baby. Well, I vividly recall a time when I had to take care of a baby during a family gathering last summer, and here, I will share this experience with you.
It was my cousin's daughter, Emma, who was just a few months old at the time. The event was a family reunion, and my cousin, who was busy with some last-minute arrangements, asked me to look after Emma for a while.
I took on the responsibility with a mix of excitement and nervousness. Holding little Emma in my arms, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at how fragile and precious she seemed. As the youngest member of our family, she was adored by everyone, and I was determined to ensure her safety and well-being.
Throughout the afternoon, I attended to Emma's needs with great care and attention. I fed her, changed her diapers, and rocked her gently to sleep when she grew tired. Despite my initial apprehension, I found myself quickly adapting to the tasks of caring for a baby, thanks in part to the guidance and support of other family members.
As I spent time with Emma, I felt a profound sense of responsibility and tenderness towards her. There was something incredibly heartwarming about the way she looked up at me with her bright, curious eyes, completely trusting me to take care of her. Each smile and coo she shared filled me with a deep sense of joy and fulfilment, and I cherished every moment spent in her company.
Taking care of Emma was a truly rewarding experience that left a lasting impression on me. It reminded me of the importance of patience, compassion, and attentiveness when caring for others, especially those who are most vulnerable. By the end of the day, I felt grateful for the opportunity to bond with Emma and contribute to her well-being.
More Ideas to talk about this Cue Card topic:
Cue Card Topic: Describe a time when you had to take care of a baby.
1. Recently, I went to Munich to meet my maternal uncle and aunt who both are doctors. Suddenly, they had to go to their office and that's why they asked me to take care of the baby boy who was two years old at that time. I looked after the baby and it was a fabulous and new experience for me. I never knew I would love spending time with a baby so much!
2. I went to a party with my mom and had to look after a baby. In fact, she was a cute little girl and her mother was the host and went to greet other guests. So, she asked me to take care of the baby for a few minutes. It was an interesting experience.
3. Taking care of babies is hard and I realized it when my neighbour, Mr Robin, asked me to look after his baby for half an hour the other day. We live in the same apartment block in Sydney, and that day he went to do some grocery shopping. I had a difficult time to fulfil the continuous demands of his baby when I was alone with him. I was tired by the time his father returned and rescued me!
4. My maternal uncle came to visit our house last summer with his family and my mom asked me to look after their baby of five years old. It was a nice event indeed. The baby was decent and loved reading books. He was quite smart and I liked spending time with him.
5. Meeting with Evan was an interesting experience. He is three years old and lives in the opposite house of mine. His parents came to visit us and I was told to take care of the baby. We both had a great time together and I did things for him that I would normally avoid with anyone else. That day I realised how we become children when we are surrounded by them!
6. Aunt Sally was terribly busy on Christmas day last year. So, she asked me to take care of her baby girl while she prepared dinner for the whole family. I was a paying guest at her home in Spain. And taking care of the baby was great fun for me. The baby was cute and amiable and she listened to my instructions and I enjoyed being with her.
7. Last week, I went to meet my sister and she requested me to accompany her baby in her absence. She planned to go shopping with her friends. Since I had spare time, I looked after her baby boy. It was a great experience and we both had a pleasant time together. We watched an animated movie and prepared a meal all by ourselves.
8. In my office, one of my colleagues brought her baby one day. Though I am not very fond of babies, she asked me to look after the baby for a while so that she could finish her presentation with the boss. I took charge of taking care of the baby for an hour or so, and I must confess it was not as bad an experience as I always thought it would be!
If you can talk about the cue card topic "Describe a time when you had to take care of a baby.", you should be able to answer the following topics as well:
1. Describe a time when you spent some time with a baby.
2. Describe a guest who stayed at your house.
3. Describe a time when you had to offer a favour to a friend.
4. Describe a time when you looked after someone other than your friend or family.
5. Describe something unusual you did recently.
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