Describe a gift you have received that was important to you.
You should say:
- who gave it to you and for what occasion
- what it looks like
- how you use it
and explain why it is important to you.
Model Answer 1:
On my 24th birthday, my uncle gave me a laptop as a birthday gift and this was one of the best gifts I have ever received. My uncle, Mr Roger, was a prominent businessman and had a partnership business with my father. I was very fond of him and he usually gives me utilitarian and expensive gifts. On my 24th birthday, he gave me a Dell laptop and indeed it was an important and inspiring gift for me. It was about a year ago and the laptop is still in good shape. I had very basic knowledge in computers and after I got this laptop from my uncle, I learned many things and I am still learning and that is very important for my higher studies as well as my career I presume.
This laptop was a black colour thin laptop with 16-inch display. It was less than a Kilo and I carry it in my bag and often use it in my bed as well as on my study table. I usually spend 2-3 hours daily on my laptop and that is very helpful for me to learn the graphics designing and Auto CAD software I am currently working on. I connect to the internet using this laptop and I can communicate with my friends and relatives easily.
This gift is very important for me. It was a present from a person whom I like very much as well as it gives me the opportunity to communicate and learn new things. In today’s world, the knowledge of computing is really vital and that’s why it is an important gift for me. Moreover, the laptop was quite handy for me. I could search the internet, get help for my studies and learn many new things from my laptop. From the utilitarian point of view, this was a very useful device for many years to me.
Sample Answer 2:
I love reading books. This is really a good habit and I am proud to have it. In fact, it was my grandpa who helped me developing the habit at an early age. With his wonderful gift on my birthday, I was inspired to reading many more books.
My grandpa died a couple of years ago. But he ignited the love for books on me. He presented me with the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes on my 12th birthday. In fact, it was the greatest gift ever I had in my life and it changed my life completely. Before having the present, I was like the other boys of my age, played with my local friends and passed my days with enjoyment. But once I got the Sherlock Holmes collection, my entire world changed. The books attracted me most than any other things.
There are six books of Sherlock Holmes in the collection. I loved the printing and illustrations of the books. There were 60 stories altogether in the books including the short stories as well. The hard-covered books won my heart for some reasons. First of all, I was not familiar with such books. In fact, I had never seen such books in my life before. The books looked fantastic and I fell in love with them at the first sight. I was amazed particularly for the book binding. They were very special and the leather cover made them look appealing. Even the books are still the same in shape and the leather remains spotless. I like the stamped front cover image where Sherlock Holmes is smoking a pipe with his usual hat.
I read the books for many times since I received them. But I was careful about the preservation of the books and for my cautious care, the books still look new. While reading the books, I developed a group of book readers. Often, many of them asked me to lend the Sherlock Holmes collection and I had lent them under certain conditions. I told them to be careful about the books while reading. I also told them to take the sole responsibilities if there are any damages found with the books during their reading. They agreed and carefully read the books. I also have read them for many times. Each of the times, every story appeared in a different dimension to me. I think it happened for my growing up with the age. There is no doubt that with the advancement of age, people become matured, it was similar for me. So, the stories were dissimilar to me in different times.
The books are important to me for many reasons. They are extremely entertaining. I become amazed at the observation power of Sherlock Holmes in each of the stories. His skills to solve mysterious cases entertains me greatly. Further, I also get ideas about many unknown factors from the books. Often I try to follow the observation method of Sherlock Holmes in my real-life situations. But the most important thing about the books is that they have taught me to be a book lover. With Sherlock Holmes, I grew up and learnt to love books. As a result, now I have a huge library in my 20s. The library is enriched with a good number of books from local and international writers. In fact, the books are important to me as they have mentored me to read books of varied interests.
Sample Answer 3:
My boyfriend, Bruno, recently has gifted me with a leather handbag and a box of chocolate marking the anniversary of our relationship. Those were really important gifts for me and I was amazed at the gift selection. In fact, he had never been so picky as he was this time. After receiving the gift, I was overwhelmed with joy that how much he cared for me. So, I thanked him a lot for the gifts. This is a nice cue card to answer. And it reminds me of the precious gift indeed.
It was a leather handbag and a moderate box filled with my favourite chocolates. The handbag was bought from a reputed handbag seller shop and was made with the finest leathers. It came with a nice belt to carry on the shoulder and several pockets too. So, I use the bag when I am attending any occasions. And I took the chocolates to my home and shared them with my siblings. They were happy too after having the chocolates. Every person of my family is aware of my relationship with Bruno, and they have accepted the matter positively. But if it was in some other families, I think the issue would not have been so easy to handle.
The gifts were important to me for many reasons. First of all, it was the representation of caring for me from Bruno. I needed a handbag for myself and was planning to get that. Moreover, I love chocolates very much. Bruno got the things that I needed most. But I did not have a single word with him about the necessities. In fact, this is the way of expression of love to the dear ones. I am thankful to Bruno for the gifts and thus the gifts were important to me.
Rounding off questions:
Q. Why do we like receiving gifts?
Answer: Well, receiving gifts help to uplift our mood. It also makes us feel special in most of the cases. Besides, receiving gifts also show how we are cared by the others. Overall, this is a joyous event for us. For all the reasons, we like to get presents.
Q. Can we sometimes hate a gift?
Answer: Uhhh… This is a critical question to answer. In most of the cases, people do not mind receiving gifts unless they are given by someone they really abhor or if the gift is intended for personal benefits. But there might be some occasions or particular types of gifts which may make the receiver feel sorry or may swell up a sense of discomfort or if they remind any unpleasant event, people may not prefer to have a gift.
Part 3 – Two-way discussion:
Let’s consider first of all how people’s values have changed.
Q. Do you enjoy giving and receiving gifts? Why or why not?
Answer: Yes, I do enjoy both receiving and giving gifts. When I receive gifts, I feel happy. It points that the people who send gifts to me are those who actually care for me. And they also provide me with the best things that I can use in my everyday life. So, I am happy with the gifts. And when I send gifts, I try to consider some of the specific issues and try to get the presents which would be preferable to the receivers. Being able to give something offers us a kind of pleasure that is incomparable.
Q. Who usually gives you gifts?
Answer: Usually, I receive gifts from my parents, siblings and obviously from my friends. Besides, when there are any social occasions and I invite my relatives, they also bring some sort of gifts for me. And I love those. I probably have got the highest number of gifts from my father.
Q. Who do you give gifts to?
Answer: Well, I usually give gifts to my parents, teachers, relatives, my friends, and my college mates. When I am invited to any event, I give gifts to the host. I have given the highest number of gifts to my parents and most of them were handmade items.
Q. In your country when do people usually give gifts?
Answer: People usually give gifts marking occasions like birthday, anniversary, graduation day and obviously they exchange gifts on the Christmas day. Apart from that, when someone invites others to visit his house, people usually buy some presents for the host and their children.
Q. What kinds of gifts do they give?
Answer: They exchange gifts which could be used in the daily life. Sometimes, they give gifts which look nice on the showcases. Toys, dresses, perfumes, chocolates, electronic devices, flowers, books and household appliances are the most common gift items in our country.
Q. Do you think gift-giving customs are different now than they were in the past? How?
Answer: Yes, the gift-giving customs have changed. Earlier, people used to visit shops to get the right type of gifts for their receivers. But now they rely on the e-commerce websites to get their gifts. Besides, in the past, people used to give some physical gifts and now they are moving for e-gifts like sending an e-card for someone’s birthday instead of sending some chocolates. Moreover, book as a gift item has lost its appeal and electronic gadgets have emerged as most common gift items these days.
Q. Do you think they will change in the future? How?
Answer: Uhhh… well, the things will change in future too. The emergence of the e-shops has made it easier for people to get or send the gifts on their doorsteps. People will start relying more and more on technology to send gifts on different occasions. Hence, the appeal of receiving or exchanging gifts might have a great fall.
Similar Cue Card Topics:
Your ability to talk about this Cue Card would enable you to talk about the following Cue Cards as well:
- Describe a gift you have received.
- Describe an occasion when you received a gift.
- Describe a gift you game to someone.
- Describe something useful you own.
- Describe something you often use.
- Describe a tool or device which you have.