Describe a skill that was difficult for you to learn.
You should say:
- what skill it was
- when you learned it
- why you learned it
and explain why it was difficult for you to learn.
[Instruction: 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:
Learning a new skill is never really easy. But, it can be even more difficult if you are trying to do it on your own, just as it was when I tried to learn to ride a bicycle for the first time about 20 years ago from now.
Back then, I was still studying in elementary school. But, for some reason, I just didn’t think that riding a bicycle was a “thing” for me. I guess, my height (well, I was a bit shorter back then for my age, compared to the height of other children) probably had something to do with it.
But, things changed soon when I found one of my cousins, studying in the same class with me, had learned to ride a bicycle while also ridiculing me for my inability to do the same at the same time. And it was at that time that I became really adamant about learning to ride a bicycle by hook or by hook, no matter how long it had taken me. In other words, it was the “sheer competitiveness” of my mind that had encouraged me to learn that skill.
So, fast forward, I asked my parents to buy me a bicycle that would be easy to ride. Initially, I tried to learn the new skill on my own, but I failed, miserably, to say the least, and also felt very embarrassed. Later on, my father and uncle had helped me for a good few weeks, and only then was I able to learn how to ride a bicycle.
So, in the end, even though, it was a success for me, it didn’t come easy, primarily because I was a bit too short to reach the paddle of my bicycle. Besides, I couldn’t initially give all to learning that new skill, also because I was afraid that I would injure myself somehow in the process. Finally, it was difficult also because I struggled to maintain a good body balance while trying to sit firmly on the seat of that bicycle.