Cue Card Sample
IELTS Cue Card Sample 62 - Describe your favourite season in your country
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- Last Updated: Thursday, 20 February 2020 12:12
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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.
Describe your favourite season in your country.
You should say:
- what it is and when it comes
- what the season is like
- changes that happen and things you like to do during this season
and explain why this is your favourite season.
Follow-up Questions:
1. Describe the seasons in your country.
2. What is the most comfortable season in your country?
3. What's the necessity of clothes in a particular season?
4. What are the seasons you have in your country but other countries do not?
Model Answer 1:
In Bangladesh, there are six seasons, each containing a period of two months of intensive period. While all the seasons in my country carry their distinct “flavours” and characteristics, "spring" undoubtedly is my most favourite season.
Spring runs from mid-February to mid-April in my country. This season is liked by all since there is no piercing heat or bone-chilling cold in this season or is there any rain at this time. It is the best season.
During this season, "nature" in my country flourishes as if it is wearing a green dress. The plants and flower trees in the fields are decorated with all kinds of beautiful flowers of all colours, offering all of them a new lease of fresh life. Besides, people in my think that this spring season is the period of abundance since the farmers finally get ready to harvest their crops and enjoy the fruits of their labour. Of course, the poets also get busy with writing their poems during this season. The poor are happy to have it as a relief from severe cold. Then, during this season, the sky remains cloudless. Flowers bloom everywhere, with their sweet smell spreading in all directions, and bees fly from one flower to another in order to pollinate. A breeze begins to blow. Sweet twitters of birds are heard, as well as the melodious voice of cuckoos in order to please our ear.
Anyway, this is my favourite season because I can actually do a lot of things and outdoor activities, including cycling, enjoying a picnic or travelling to a beautiful natural site, during this period. Besides, I also like to hang out with my friends late at night in order to enjoy the beautiful and clear night sky. The beauty of spring season makes forget about our sorrows and also allows us to enjoy the nature around us to the fullest. Finally, it is my favourite season also because it allows me to enjoy the perfect temperature, which is neither too hot nor too cold, no matter I stay inside my house of enjoying some outdoor activities.
Model Answer 2:
I come from the "United Kingdom" where talking about the weather is always a topic of conversation. That is because we have four different seasons, and each is special and beautiful in its own way. Each different time of year also has its own distinct weather. Today I’m going to tell you about my favourite season, when it is, why I like it and what changes it brings, as well as the things I like to do in this season.
So in the UK, our four seasons are spring, summer, autumn and winter. I like all of them in a way, but if I must choose, then I think my favourite must be autumn. Autumn is usually between around September and November each year, though it can shift a little if we have a long hot summer.
Factually, autumn is the time of year when the days start to get shorter again, the temperature cools and plants and trees start to shut down and prepare for winter. You might think this would be depressing, but I don’t think so. For me, autumn is something of a relief. I get terrible hay fever in the summer from pollen, and I’m not great in the heat, so I find the temperature much more comfortable in autumn and I can be a lot more active and do more things. The best thing about autumn is the way that the trees change colour. I’m lucky because I live near woodlands. As autumn begins the leaves on trees transform from green to rich oranges; vivid yellows; warm browns and blinding gold. If you have never seen a forest in autumn, it’s quite hard to imagine, but really and truly, at this time of year, if the autumn sun catches leaves as they blow off in the wind they can look like flames or pure gold. It is astonishingly beautiful.
I also like to be outside, in summer, everyone else has the same idea, but in the autumn there are still some mild days to be enjoyed and I like to wrap up warm and head off for long walks in the blustering wind and have the countryside all to myself. I like to look out for wildlife and interesting plants on my treks. Sometimes I’ll go walking or running with a friend and it feels like the whole place up on the hills belongs just to us.
So for me, autumn is special because of its beautiful colours; the lack of pollen to give me hay fever, the possibility of long country walks and being able to enjoy our wonderful British countryside all to myself!
Eventually autumn ends, and it becomes very dark and cold as we move into winter. I’m not so keen on that as there is very little daylight and it seems to go on forever. On the other hand, we have some great winter festivals: Halloween; Bonfire night and of course Christmas, so every season has its good points in my view!
[ Written by - Lucy Marris | Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam)]
Sample Answer 3:
My favourite season is the fall and I love everything about it. Usually, it starts at the end of May in our country and lasts till the middle of July. The weather condition in our country is the best during the fall and you won't feel the excessive heat of the summer or the cold wind of the winter. Nature arranges itself with the beautiful green and flowers are noticed all around the places.
I like the scenic beauty, charming weather, festivities and freshness of this season. This is a distinctive season and is known as the queen of seasons in our country. The newly grown green leaves of trees, the colourful flowers, the chirping of the birds and crisp and mild air of fall are some of the noticeable changes in our country. After the hot summer ends, the fall comes and people in our country love this season.
Fall is the season that marks the transition from summer into winter and the night falls later than winter. The farmers start harvesting seeds in this season and they become quite active during this season.
I usually get a vacation at the beginning of the fall and visit my hometown. This is a perfect vacation for me as my hometown becomes even more beautiful. Because of geographical location and culture, we have 2-3 major festival during this time and people enjoys the festivals and weathers.
Tips for answering this Cue card topic:
When you are asked to talk about your favourite season, you should mention one of the seasons that you enjoy in your country. In some countries (for example, the USA) four seasons are prominent while in some Asian countries there are six seasons. Do not talk about a season which is not available in your country.
For this cue card, start by saying the name of your favourite season and then mention the months that this season usually lasts. Then mention the changes which are very prominent in this season and things people do during this season. Each season has its own speciality that makes it distinguishable. Mention this special feature of this season. Now move on to the activities you do during this season. Your activity and how you spent time during this season is closely related to the question of why you like this season over other seasons.
Give some reasons why you particularly like this season. For this you can mention some of the points listed below:
1. This is the most comfortable season in our country.
2. Nature appears like a queen in this season and nature shows all of her beauty during the time of this season.
3. People get vacations and enjoy this season.
4. Different activities are performed in my country during this season.
5. I get vacation and enjoy my stay at my village during this season.
6. After lengthy extreme weather, this season brings a comfortable temperature which I really enjoy.
7. No serious diseases outburst during this season.
8. People in my country mostly enjoy their activities during this season.
9. Our cultural and historical events somehow are related to this season and that’s why a festive mode stays during this season.
If you have already covered the changes appear in this season then you should give a conclusion and finish you speaking. If you have not given enough details of this season, this is the perfect time to give the details of this season.
Part 3: Details Discussion:
Q. Describe the seasons in your country.
Answer: I come from Greece so I'm going to tell you about the seasons there. There are four seasons in Greece- Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer and each one lasts three months. September, October and November constitute the autumn season, with basic characteristics the transition from hot to cool and mild weather. Winter starts in December and ends in February and the main features of this season are rain, cold weather and sometimes snowfall. Christmas and New Year are celebrated during the winter season and despite these adverse and unwanted weather conditions, there are many people who declare that this is their favourite period of the year. Spring and summer are the last two seasons of the year. Spring consists of March, April and May and the latter June, July and August fall in the summer season. In spring flowers and trees blossom and the temperature fluctuates between 15 and 25 degrees. Summer is identified by hot weather, many insects and of course the sun, sea and vacation.
Q. What is the most comfortable season in your country?
Answer: This question is kind of ambiguous for me and the answer, I believe, would differ from person to person. From my point of view, although I adore summer, I can't stand the overwhelming hot weather and mosquitoes, which I'm allergic to. Spring is also a lovely season, but during this season I suffer from blooming flowers and I am forced to take medication to dampen this harsh and unpleasant situation, causing many side effects. Winter is a favourite season of mine because Christmas and New Year are involved, but I can't stand the constant rainy and extremely cold weather. So, I would jump to the conclusion that autumn is the most comfortable season for me, because the weather is great, neither too cold nor too hot, there aren't many blooming flowers and mosquitoes and other types of insects. I believe many others in Greece would also agree that this is the most comfortable season.
Tip: Pay attention that the question is about the most comfortable season and not your favourite one. So you have to tell the examiner about the season that is convenient in your own country. The answer may vary because each country has different types of seasons with regards to weather conditions and climate.
Q. What's the necessity of clothes in a particular season?
Answer: It is commonly accepted that suitable clothes are worn to protect people from different weather conditions and to ensure comfort in various seasons. More precisely, in the winter people wear attires in order to remain warm and the most representative examples are sweaters, boots, coats, scarves, gloves and so on. In autumn and spring, people don't wear too heavy clothing because the weather is milder in comparison to winter. The summer is characterised by the hot and sunny weather in most places and people prefer to wear clothes such as shorts, t-shirts, sleeveless garments, sandals and caps. So I would infer that in each of the four seasons people need different types of clothes in order to be able to stand the various weather conditions without any problems.
Q. What are the seasons you have in your country but other countries do not.
Answer: That's a difficult question actually and requires knowledge about seasons in other countries too. The truth is I'm not knowledgeable about other countries' seasons, but I would try and answer that question using the information I have known so far. I think that in Africa seasons are much different than those of other countries. Africa has all the four seasons mentioned, but not in the same months. Summer, the so-called 'Calving Season', is considered to be from December to March and although is called 'summer', the highest temperature is 28C and the lowest 15C. Autumn, 'Green Season', starts in late March and ends in June. Winter, 'Jump Season', is from July through to August and despite it's called 'winter', most days people only need a t-shirt by lunchtime. Lastly, spring is the 'Dry season' and lasts three months, September, October and November. Interestingly some Asian countries like Bangladesh have six seasons. The summer season in Arabic countries are quite hot and their seasons are quite different than that of many European countries.
[Part three answers were written by Mary, UK, Economist with Main Field of Studies in Business Economics]
Some similar IELTS cue card topics:
1. Talk about a season in your country.
2. Describe a seasonal festival in your country.
3. Describe the season you like most.
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