Describe an important technological advancement in your country.
You should say:
- what it is
- how it has happened
- how long it took
and explain what effect it has had on the people in your country.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you’re going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Model Answer 1:
Like many countries, my country has also gone through a number of important technological advancements. But, today, I would like to talk about technological advancement which has made travel and transport within our own country really fast and comfortable.
Talking about domestic air travel or airline industry here. Even before 30 years or so, my country had only a few passenger aircraft in its airline fleet to carry its citizens internally from one part of our country to another.
Of course, the need for a domestic airline industry wasn’t that great either because most people in my country back then considered flying or travelling in an aeroplane as some matter of “luxury”. Besides the airfare was so costly that only a handful of very rich and “aristocratic” people could afford to fly a domestic aeroplane.
But, things slowly started to change for better when a group of brave and visionary entrepreneurs decided that they were going to make air travel easily accessible to the common people of my country instead of just some very rich people. So, they slowly but surely started to add more and more passenger aircraft in their fleets of domestic airlines in order to operate among the major cities of my country.
And because of this very bold initiative of theirs, the number of domestic flights increased from just 2 per week to more than 100 flights per day within just one year or so. Not only that but also, the cost of flying a domestic airline became so affordable that even a person with minimum income can now travel to the farthest point of my country without breaking his or her pocket.
Well, the effect of this domestic airline industry has so far had a tremendous impact on the local tourism industry of our country as people now can easily travel to their preferred location or destinations literally in minutes. Besides, this technological advancement has made the executives and normal workers alike more productive and efficient in getting more things done by saving time.
Sample Answer 2:
The wide-spread use of the internet and the availability of cheap and advanced mobile devices have made eCommerce very popular in our country. eCommerce, in my opinion, is so far the most important technological advancement in our country which has redefined the selling and purchasing of goods and services.
With the popularity of the Internet and computer technology, the opportunity for the booming of eCommerce business occurred around 10-12 years ago in our country. In fact, it happened as soon as the concept of eCommerce business was accepted globally. A huge number of Internet users, a great potential for business owners, availability and facility of online payment, quick and safe shipment facilities, development of Information Technology sector in our country and above all people’s spontaneous participation have contributed towards the advancement of eCommerce technology. Facebook is quite popular in our country and the concept of Facebook commerce or F-commerce has also become popular as thousands of store owners have started selling products through Facebook stores or Facebook pages. F-commerce is another form of eCommerce or electronic commerce which is also gaining its popularity.
Technological advancement is ever-changing, and it does not have a finish line. Thus we cannot say for sure that eCommerce technology is fully developed and requires no further advancement. However, the advancement that has already happened in this field took more than 10 years in our country. I can still recall the days when eCommerce was in its early stage and only a very small number of people actually knew about it. However, the total number of online merchants, customers, and online transactions per day is quite huge now.
Advancement of eCommerce technology has had an ample effect on the mass people, online store owners and on the overall trade and business in our country. There are scarcely any businesses here that do not have some shorts of online presence. The eCommerce is no longer an option, it has become a must. The way people purchase their daily necessities and the way merchants reach to the customers have changed dramatically.
Without an online presence, businesses cannot stay in competition these days. Many small business owners have tapped into the eCommerce world and gained brand popularity and have enhanced their business opportunities to a large extent. Stores are no longer restricted to a physical location with fixed business hours. Online stores are now open 24/7 and reach people anywhere in the country or beyond the borders. The number of online shops is rapidly increasing and those stores have gained their popularity among the citizens of our country. In many cases, those stores do not have a particular physical shop and this has all been possible only because of the advancement of eCommerce technology. People no longer need to visit a shop to purchase a product. They can virtually order any product from anywhere and get it delivered in a few hours. The purchase, payment and delivery are all connected via secured connections and it is a revolutionary way of selling and purchasing products and services.
Sample Answer 3:
Technology is the key to the development of a nation. India has significantly advanced in this arena especially sectors like nuclear and space science. I am glad to have the opportunity to discuss the issue and I would like to thank you for this nice cue card topic.
India has advanced in nuclear technology and space science. Regarding nuclear technology, achievements are significant. In fact, nuclear is a great source of electricity for the country. There are 21 active nuclear reactors are in operation across India and all the sources produce a combined amount of over 30,000 GWh of electricity. To meet the increasing demands of electricity, six more nuclear reactor constructions are underway. The progress of India in space science is also noteworthy. Indian Space Research Organization, better known as ISRO is the space authority for the country. It was formed in 1969 and since then it has undertaken a huge amount of activities to explore the space. Already a couple of satellites have been launched to space and they are in good condition.
But the beginning of the technological advancements was not smooth. They experienced a huge number of negative impacts especially the establishment of nuclear reactors in different parts of India had to face huge protests from the public regarding the detrimental impacts of nuclear reactors. Despite being the fourth-largest source of electricity in India, the people were against the installation of the nuclear power plant. Even the state government of West Bengal also denied the plea for installing a plant under its region. Moreover, public interest litigation was also filed against the Indian Government. On the other side, space research had to face fewer challenges like nuclear reactors. Rather the ISRO had some favours from the State. It has launched a large number of communication satellites to space and still is planning for some improved satellites and launch vehicles.
The beginning of both nuclear and space research was not smooth for the country. They had to experience hardship and struggle. Advancements were not made overnight. Establishment of nuclear power plants was the most challenging task for the government. The mitigation of the legal suits was really troublesome. Besides, failure in sending satellites was the most common issue for the ISRO. Initially, it had to launch satellites with external help. With gradual attempts, it has become a self-reliant entity. Besides, in some of the parts of the country, nuclear power plants are still believed to be harmful to the environment and ecology. Hence, the attempts to install some other nuclear power plants are still on the card – not being implemented.
With the advancement of nuclear and space research, the people of India are having many benefits than the other Asian countries. First of all, the communication system has been improved. With the launch of numerous communication satellites, the overall communication system has been improved. Now the people of India can communicate with the global population within a second. Besides, with the use of nuclear power, electricity is generated and thus the people are enjoying continuous electricity. Moreover, the production level has also increased to a great extent. The remote parts of the country have come under the electricity and the internet and the overall living standards of the Indians have improved. As a result, people are enjoying the benefits of the technological advancement of the country.
More Ideas to talk about this Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card topic:
Topic: Describe an important technological advancement in your country.
1. Well, this is a great topic to discuss. The widespread use of online newspapers is a great movement for my country, Vietnam. Earlier, it was not so much prevalent. People used to read printed newspapers. And with the of time, people have become attracted to online newspapers gradually. The transition took around five to seven years. As a result, a good number of online news portals have appeared while the printed versions have their online presence. People can now have up-to-the-minute news and information at their home.
2. The acceptance of mobile phone apps is a great technological advancement for the people of Sri Lanka. Though it began globally a long ago, the technology hit the country later. And the change took around five years to happen. In fact, the use of mobile phone apps has brought a revolution in the country. They use the apps for different purposes. Most of the people use different gaming and entertaining apps and others to pass their leisure hours. They also use navigation apps to move across the country too.
3. In most places in Singapore, people rely on washing machines. In fact, the practice of using machines for cleaning purposes has been going on for long. It took over 15 years to grab the technology completely to clean clothes using a machine. This has had a great impact on the people as many of them are highly busy with their respective tasks. So, they have less time to complete the cleaning process. As a result, they can apply the spare time for other productive purposes.
4. I did not have an idea that the smart television would be so much popular here in India. Earlier, people used to enjoy shows on CRT TV. And now, people are fond of smart television sets for their special benefits. The change in television technology is relatively new – it happened during the last couple of years. With improved technology, people now can enjoy different types of contents on television. They can browse the internet as well on the large screen which is a great way to enjoy TV shows and events.
5. At present, music is greatly enjoyed by people and with the invention of the digital piano, composing music has become easier than ever before. The technology appeared in the 1980s in the USA and since then, there had been tremendous changes in the music industry. People now love listening to music composed on a digital piano. Moreover, the instrument has become popular and a symbol of status for many citizens. Thereby, people are fond of digital pianos and even version for the children of the instrument is available. Now, this is considered as a great technological device for music.
Part 3 – Two-way discussion:
Q. What are the differences between life in the past and at the present?
Q. What are the impacts of electrical equipment on human’s life in the past ten years?
Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of computer and internet?
Q. Do you have a mobile phone? What are its advantages?
Q. What role does technological development play in people’s lives?
Q. How will technology develop in the future?