IELTS Cue Card Sample 52 – Describe a memorable childhood experience
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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.
Describe a memorable childhood experience.
You should say:
- who was with you
- where it took place
- what you did
and explain why it is such a memorable childhood experience.
Model Answer 1:
Iran, my country, is a land of vast deserts, majestic mountains and verdant valleys with rushing streams, where we enjoy life to the fullest. I am really proud to have an opportunity to grow up in this country as a girl where I have gone through a lot of memorable experiences as a child. Today, I would like to share one such memorable experience here.
About 15 years ago, when I was a young child, there was a traditional family gathering at my home after a marriage ceremony. Many of my family members had gathered at my house to enjoy the “get-together” event and some of them were enjoying their little talks among each other while the others were enjoying playing “Iranian rummy” (card game) with each other in a group. The group, which was playing rummy, had 6 people in it, including my mother and aunt. By the way, as a child, I had always wanted to play that interesting card game, but my parents, especially my mother, never allowed me to learn it because I was too young to play that game. So, all I used to do was enjoy the game just by sitting close to the rummy players. However, knowing that my request to join the game with my mother would get flatly denied, I still requested her to let me play with them. And, that’s when I got the most surprising and pleasing response from my mother, as she actually allowed me to play the rummy with her for the first time, which made me feel like I was jumping in the moon with joy and happiness.
Anyway, it is one of the most memorable childhood experiences, primarily because it made me feel for the first time, that I was actually growing up as a girl. Besides, the experience also allowed me the opportunity to enjoy the game by actually playing it with others instead of enjoying it from distance. Besides, I would never forget the night when my mother looked at me with a very loving and motherly smile on her face after seeing me happy.
Sample Answer 2:
Childhood is a time when everything is magical and pleasant. The possibility and dreams are vast and things become happier in childhood. Everybody has childhood memories and among them some are pleasant and some are sad. I have various childhood memories and I would like to talk about my childhood memory related to my first day at school.
I was about 5 years old when my parents got me admitted to a local school. I had a fascination of going to school from 3-4 years as I recall and when my father finally announced that I’ll get admitted in the coming January, I felt like being in heaven.
I imagined the school would be a great place and I would have lots of friends and I would study there. On the day, my parents took me to the school that I saw in the past many times from outside but never entered. After entering the school, I find myself anxious about everything.
I was unsure what to do, who to talk to, what to do when the teachers would ask questions and many such things. After my father submitted some necessary papers and fees to the admission department, they gave me new books, a temporary Identity Card and a syllabus. I started feeling comfortable after I found that some of our neighbouring kids were already in this very school and they came to me and talked to me. This took place in my hometown where I grew up and I had been to this school for the next 4 years.
To my surprise, one of the teachers asked my parents to leave me and told me to attend the classes. I was not at all prepared to join the class but I found I had little choice over that. My parents spent a few times and advised me how to behave, how to listen to teachers and many more tips. After my parents abandoned me, I was frightened for a few moments and sat at a corner of the class. The teacher asked to come forward and introduce myself. I found I was unable to walk and talk. But in a few minutes, my hesitation got away and I was talking about myself.
The teacher appreciated me and some of the new classmates came forward and greeted me. I started enjoying the class and teachers and found that I started loving my school. Later on, I got admitted to college, university and many other places but the memory of the first day at primary school was totally different and I still remember the day evidently.
Tips for answering this cue card topic:
You are asked to talk about any event from your childhood which you still remember. This event does not have to be a big event like a sporting success or a visit to a famous place. You can talk about virtually anything that you think was interesting and you can describe comfortably.
Try to talk about something that you would be able to talk fluently. While in the phase of 1-2 minutes for the cue card, many things from your childhood might pop-up in your mind. But pick the thing that you would be able to talk in details.
Some of the common things that we usually remember from our childhood are presented in the following list, and this list is made to help you generate some ideas to talk about:
1. Your first day at school.
2. Your own birthday celebration that you enjoyed.
3. A fight with a friend!
4. A brave thing you did as a child.
5. An expected gift that you got.
6. Something interesting you did.
7. Something naughty you did.
8. A dangerous experience from your childhood.
Not necessarily you have to talk about an interesting and enjoyable thing from your childhood. You can talk about any negative experience you have had in your childhood; like, the death of a relative could be a memorable event that you can’t forget.
Try to make the description interesting and give the impression that you are reciting your memory. Being able to give much detail about the experience and making the topic interesting would help you get a good score.
If you can answer this cue card topic, you should also be able to talk about the following topics:
1. Describe one of the happy memories in your life.
2. Describe a memorable event of your life.
3. Describe a childhood friend.
4. Describe a celebration that you enjoyed.
5. Talk about your first day at school.
6. Describe a negative experience you had in your childhood.