IELTS Cue Card Sample 94 – Describe a film or a TV programme
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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.
Describe a film or a TV programme which has made a strong impression on you.
You should say:
- what kind of film or TV programme it was (e.g. comedy, romantic etc.)
- when you saw this film or TV programme
- what the film or TV programme was about
and explain why this film or TV programme made such an impression on you.
[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 don’t really get to spend much time watching TV programs mainly because I remain busy with other priorities in life. But, sometimes, I do enjoy watching different kind of comedy shows and documentaries because they make me “think” differently. Today, I would like to talk about one such comedy show which made a great impression on me.
I watched the program about a couple of years ago in the absence of my family who were out on a visit to see a “terminally” ill relative of them. Coincidently, the comedy show was also about an “elderly” ill person, with “limited” mobility, who wanted to find his “love” for the last time before dying.
But the problem was, of course, no woman was willing to put up with the old man because he had a very “tight fist”. In other words, he was a very “stingy” man with no intention whatsoever to spend any money on others, even if it meant spending on his “wife”! In fact, he was so “stingy” that he even liked to “sleep” on his money sometimes due to his fear of getting them stolen by others. Anyway, finally, one elderly lady became kind enough to marry him on one condition. And the condition was, the old guy would need to stop sleeping with his money. The guy happily agreed. But, after the marriage, the guy still kept sleeping with his money. The wife saw it and angrily reminded about his “promise”. The guy very calmly answered that “he was not sleeping with his money any more, rather the money was sleeping with him!” Needless to say, that was the moment when I simply burst out in laughter!
I really liked the comedy show mainly because it did highlight on a very natural human instinct which “pushes” people to go to any length, even if it is “lying” or “cheating”, in order to find “love” regardless of age or sex. It also made me realize the fact once again that even though sometimes “money” is what helps us “buy” love, it pushes us away too.
Sample Answer 2:
There are just “some movies”, and then there are some “great” movies – movies which leave a lasting impression on us for a long time to come. Today, I would like to talk about one such great movie that I watched about 10 years ago, but is still very much fresh in my mind.
The name of that movie is “Life is Beautiful”. Released in the year 1997, this “drama-comedy” movie, no doubt, is one of the most beautiful movies ever made because of the messages that it tries to convey. Of course, some people would like to call this movie a “tragi-comedy” also. But, whatever type of movie we prefer to call it, the truth is, it is one of the best movies ever that has managed to combine wartime human tragedy with humour in such perfect proportion.
Based on the horrific story and immense suffering of the Nazi concentration camp, this Italian movie shows how a Jewish man falls in love with a non-Jewish woman, marries her, has a kid, and is then taken as a prisoner in the concentration camp along with his wife and kid. But the ways he tries to protect his kid from the horrors of the genocide and makes his wife and kid smile and laughs is truly magnificent and beyond any words, and is truly what so perfectly resonates the message of “life is beautiful”.
In fact, this movie is profound and so realistically made that one can go on forever describing the “creativity” of this movie, but he or she most certainly won’t be able to capture its beauty through just some writing.
After watching this movie, I felt like it provided me with something that everyone – in one form or another – needs, which is “Hope”. And if we all could just take a little bit of that hope and love that this movie was trying to spread, this world of ours would be a much, much better place for us to live in. After all, love and hope indeed are what triumph in the end.
Sample Answer 3:
Nowadays, I do not watch TV much, but when I was a student, I used to watch television a lot. I liked many TV programs and watched them regularly during that time. The TV program that made a strong impression on me was a documentary that I watched on the Discovery Channel.
The TV program was called “The sacrifice of genius” and it was a serial that had 10 episodes in total. I watched every episode and enjoyed them thoroughly. This was mainly a documentary serial which emphasised the sacrifice the famous and genius scientists like Marie Curie, Thomas Edison and 8 other scientists made in their life.
I watched the TV program during the third term of my university years. In our local time, the program was broadcast at 9.00 pm every Thursday. It showed the life and work of the famous scientists and the sacrifices they made for others to make the world a better place. These stories were presented in a fascinating way and each episode was made painstakingly. I got the impression that I was actually watching those great scientists and their works in person!
I have learned so many things about the lives of these scientists and the sacrifices they made. Those sacrifices were unbelievable and after watching this program, I could not stop thinking about those famous scientists and their supreme dedication.
This program has helped me judge life from a different perspective. I realised that working hard to bring something important for others can be more meaningful than our personal achievements like wealth and fame. I later searched for more details of those scientists and other famous people and learned about their life and work. I was actually inspired by this program and started learning deeply about the people who made the world a place where we no longer need to live in the darkness and do not have to compete with the wild animals to collect our food.
Model Answer 4:
My favourite television program is an old series which was produced during the ’80s in America. The title of this serial was “MacGyver” and it was an action TV series. MacGyver was produced for about 5 consecutive seasons, and it was considered as one of the top-rated TV series in its era.
RCTI was the local television station in Indonesia that broadcasted the programme. The TV series was usually played once a week for about one hour, and I remember that it was played on Friday night at 7.00 pm. So as a teenager during that time, I would have sat in front of the television from 6.45 pm and waited for the programme to start. On the very next day, my friends and I would discuss what had happened in it, how cool and exciting the episode was and how smart and talented Mr MacGyver was.
The unique thing about it is that the main character, MacGyver, did not like to use a gun. Instead of using rifles, that we see many heroes do, he used his creativity in creating tools to fight his enemies. I remembered that in one of the episodes, where he was locked by his enemy in a garage, he found some tools, that are used to open the gate of the garage, he escaped from this place.
I believed I learned some positive things from this series. I learned that we should be encouraged to use our creativity rather than using our physical power and weapons. I believe that MacGyver had influenced so many teenagers during my era and I hope that it would be remade in the future.
[‘Model Answer 3’ is written by – Darwin Lesmana]
Part 3 – Details Discussion
Discussion Topics: People’s cinema-going habits nowadays
Q. Do you think the cinema has increased or decreased in popularity in recent years?
Answer: I believe that more people, these days, enjoy movies than ever before, thanks to the advancement of technology and the accessibility of the internet. However, when it comes to the number of people who actually visit a theatre to enjoy a cinema, I am afraid the number is declining, at least in our country. This is because the cinema halls have failed to keep their promises to show quality movies and people have smart TVs, mobile phones and the internet connection to watch a movie at home at their convenience.
Q. In your opinion, will this trend continue into the future?
Answer: I truly believe that the trend will continue in the future. On the one hand, more and more people will subscribe to online movie streaming services like Netflix, and Amazon Prime to enjoy movies and TV series at home, and contrary to this, the number of viewers who would be visiting a cinema hall to enjoy movies will keep on decreasing.
Discussion Topics: Making a film or TV drama of real/fictional events
Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of making films of real-life events?
Answer: Movies based on real-life events have some distinctive advantages like a ready plot, a compelling storyline and the possibility of being widely accepted by the audience. Casting actors and actresses for such movies are also comparatively easier as the characters are already known.
On the contrary, such films have some serious drawbacks. To start with, the story is already known to people and that is why the producer has to work hard to make it enjoyable and entertaining. In the process, if the story deviates from the truth, it would be highly criticised. So it is a dilemma to produce such movies entertaining and keeping original at the same time.
Q. How important do you think it is for a film-maker to remain true to the original story?
Answer: I believe filmmakers should keep the originality of the story in a film if this is based on a historical figure or an event that is sensitive and important. For instance, a filmmaker can not just alter an event that happened during World War II just to make it more entertaining.
However, if this is based on a fictional character, mythology or fiction book, some changes and modifications should be made to make the film more entertaining and enjoyable.
Discussion Topics: Censorship and the freedom of the film-maker/TV producer
Q. Should films and television be censored or should we be free to choose what we see?
Answer: As long as the films and TV programmes do not hurt the religious and cultural feelings of audiences, create confusion and chaos, and promote anti-social and anti-national themes, they should be available for all to watch and enjoy. Having said that, I also believe that censorship in a country is always a good idea to keep a balance on the type of content and programmes people in this country enjoy.
Q. How do you think censorship laws will change in the next 20 years?
Answer: I am quite convinced that censorship laws will become more relaxed or slacked after two decades or so than they are now. I believe in it because in the last ten years or so, I have noticed that censorship laws have been made relaxed to let viewers enjoy programmes or movies that were unimaginable to be released in the past. The shift to more relaxed censorship laws is mainly because society is embracing the freedom of speech and creativity over secretiveness and conservatism.
Similar Cue Card topics that you should be able to answer as well:
- Describe a TV programme that you watched and would like to watch again
- Describe a radio or TV program that you like.
- Describe a famous TV program in your country.
- Describe a TV program that you watched and did not like.
- Describe a TV program you have recently watched.
- Describe a comedy show that you watched.