IELTS Cue Card # 245 – Something you or someone you know collects
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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.
Describe something you or someone you know collects.
You should say:
- what it is
- how long you or this person collects it
- how the collection is stored
and explain why you or that person enjoys collecting it.
Model Answer 1:
About 20 years ago, when there wasn’t much use of the internet where I lived, I used to write letters to foreign students to make “pen friends” or “pen pals”. One such pen pal, I had from Malaysia, had sent me a beautiful postcard. But, I was so impressed with the look of that postcard that eventually I made it one of my most favourite hobbies to collect beautiful postcards.
Yes, I am just hooked to collecting postcards (some would like to call them “view cards” as well) from all over the world. Oh, in case if you were wondering about what a postcard or view card really is, it is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically having a photograph or other illustration on one side, which is intended for writing and mailing without an envelope.
Of course, these postcards can have non-rectangular shapes as well. But, whatever their sizes really are, I consider them to be some of the coolest things in this world because of their rare historical and emotional values. Anyway, in the last 20 years or so, I have collected so many postcards from all eras, countries and cultures, and have tried to organize and store them as best as I can. But, most of them are kept in large picture albums since that’s where they can maintain their original looks. Then, I have kept some of them in a few large boxes as well since they didn’t really fit in a picture album that well because of their varied sizes.
Well, I enjoy collecting postcards, primarily because they offer me a perfect glimpse of the past which otherwise couldn’t be captured. Besides, they also help me understand the cultures, lifestyles and traditions of people around the world who I probably would never be able to meet. Finally, I like to collect them because they bring so many famous and beautiful landscapes and natural sceneries of the world into light. In fact, I would probably never know that our world is such a beautiful place if I didn’t see these postcards.
Sample Answer 2:
I would like to talk about an interesting hobby that one of my friends has. The name of this friend is (…say a name…), and he/she collects coins and banknotes from different countries. To my surprise, he/she has already collected more than five thousand coins and paper money from more than 80 countries. Many of those currencies are no longer in use and they have become antique pieces.
As far as I know, he/she is collecting coins and currency notes for more than a decade. I still remember him/her telling stories about how he/she has managed to collect a coin of 200 years old from his/her visit to an antique shop. The passion for collecting coins and notes grew in him/her when he/she was a high school student. As he/she had a good collection, we all knew about him/her in school. A few years ago, there was an exhibition in our city, and his/her coins and notes were exhibited in a gallery room. That was so a great experience for me, and this friend of mine must have been so proud of it.
I am not sure how he collects all those currencies and notes, but I have heard that he/she often had to travel far away to participate in auctions in order to collect coins. The last time saw his/her collection, which was around five years ago, those were stored in some notebook like albums, and he/she had made an index in order to arrange those coins based on their origins.
Collecting something is a passion for many, and it has some educational values as well. I am sure this friend of mine is really passionate about collecting coins and banknotes from different ages and countries. He must be very enthusiastic about collecting them.
Similar Cue Card Topics
Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would enable you to talk about the following Cue Card Topics as well:
- Describe an interesting hobby you know about.
- Describe a hobby you or one of your family members has.
- Describe something that one of your family members collects.
- Describe something you want to collect in the future.