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Written by IELTS Mentor

IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.

Describe your favourite singer or musician.

You should say:

• who this singer/musician is
• what type of songs/music he/she sings/composes
• what type of people listen to his / her songs/music

and explain why he/she is your favourite singer/musician.

Sample Answer 1:
I have a number of favourite singers who always force me to evaluate and re-evaluate their musical works because of their unique, and sometimes, extraordinary musical appeal, but one particular singer, who has always puzzled me with his musical talent, is John Lennon for many years.  

John Lennon, arguably one of the best singers of all time who changed the trajectory of “rock and roll” music forever, is not only a singer but also a “reformist”. Lennon was “rebellious” in nature, and almost all of his songs reflected that particular aspect of his characteristics. He didn’t like war, political corruption along with many other contemporary social “ills”, and his songs also just followed suit. Even though this great singer was a “social reformer”, he didn’t forget to express love, friendship, intellectual keenness and sense of humour in his songs in a rather unique manner. Anyway, all kinds of people, including young or old, professionals or working-class people, regular persons or intellectuals, male or female with a bit “rebel” in them, love to listen to his music. Having said that, however, only “philanthropists” people actually appreciate his musical talents as the way they should be.

John Lennon is my favourite singer mainly because makes me care for the people and society around me. He is my favourite singer also because no other singer like Lennon has ever been able to mix “acerbic” with intellectual humour before. Besides, I feel like each and every song of John Lennon carries some kind of “secret” meanings. On top of that, unlike many other singers, John Lennon used to write and compose many of his songs by himself, and as a result, many of his songs have become real “masterpiece”. Finally, John Lennon is my favourite singer also because of his different vocal techniques from song to song.

Model Answer 2:
Bryan Adams is my favourite singer and I like his songs very much. His full name is Bryan Guy Adams and he was born around 1959 in Canada. Besides his identity as a singer, he is also a producer, actor, activist and photographer.

He is a very successful and renowned singer around the world for the last three decades. Though rock music lovers mostly like his songs, a vast number of people whose first preference of music falls into other categories, also like him a lot. He is mainly a vocalist and song player but he can play a number of musical instruments including guitar, piano, bass guitar, harmonica and dobro. He is basically a rock singer and undoubtedly he is one of the best rock singers over a long time.

His music touches the hearts of millions of people around the world and though he is mainly a rock singer, he has fans of different ages and of different music choices. His vocal, musical performance and lyrics make him an enviable and admirable singer.

I like him mostly because of his distinguishable and remarkable vocal. He is the leader of rock songs of his time. The lyrics and music are extraordinary and whenever I listen to his songs, it gives me sensational feelings. Many of his songs have become parts of my life and memory. He is such a singer who can amuse me with most of his songs. Because of the rich lyrics and pleasant voice, he has become my most favourite singer.

Sample Answer 3:
I love listening to music from Celine Dion. In fact, I am in love with her songs. She is a Canadian singer and her full name is Céline Marie Claudette Dion. She was born in 1968. She had a struggling career and now she is one of the most famous singers in the world. This is a nice candidate task card for me and I will explain about her here.  

Celine Dion is a pop singer and prefers melodious songs. But her songs are also influenced by several genres like rock, classical, gospel etc. Nonetheless, she is famous all over the world for her lucid voice and singing style. She is a singer who sings in several languages including French, Chinese, English, Italian, Latin, Japanese, and Spanish. She is also considered the most influential and popular voice in the history of pop music. She is also popular for her vocal performance in the theme track of the Titanic movie - My Heart Will Go On. Her popularity is skyrocketing and she won five Grammy Awards for her outstanding performance. She turned into the second best-selling female singer in the USA. She was also honoured for selling over 50 million albums in Europe in 2003.

Celine Dion is popular among people who have crossed their 20s. In fact, to realize the meaning of her song lyrics, a listener needs to be of a certain age. Her songs are not associated with musical noise only and they have some special inner meaning. Accordingly, she has become a popular singer and I am also a fan of her for some reasons. The most important thing about being her fan is her voice. It attracts me. Besides, her devotion to her musical career also requires attention. All such reasons have made her so favourite to me.

Part 3: Details Discussion

Discussion Topic: The role of singers/musicians

Q. 1) Do singers and musicians play an important role in a country? [Why/ Why not?]
Answer: Well, we may not all understand each other’s language because of belonging to different countries and language groups, but we all understand at least one language, and that language is called “the language of music”. So, no wonder that singers and musicians play an important role in a country, especially, when they introduce the culture, customs, traditions and lifestyles of a particular country to the international community. Besides, they also help build the economy of a country stronger by creating job opportunities in the music industry as a whole. 

Q. 2) How can singers influence young people in society?
Answer: Singers have a great ability to influence young people because nothing else seems to stimulate the minds and bodies of the young people as meaningfully as the sweet sounds of their music. After all, music provides us with a way to express our feelings and emotions, but it is even more so when it comes to young people because of their tender age. Now, while no one can deny these facts above, probably the most important contributing factor of the singers is that they, the singers, are actually regarded as the “role models” for many young people.  

Q. 3) Do singers always have positive influences? [Why/Why not?] 
Answer: No, I don’t think that singers always have positive influences on our life, especially, when some of them go “out of line or traditions” to pick up a certain type of lifestyle that stirs up controversy among the general mass. For example, some singers, performing hip hop, techno or “R & B” type of music, get involved with drugs, gangsterism and triads sometimes, which is certainly not good for our society. After all, these negative behaviours are easily picked up by the young people who tend to consider them as their "idols" or "role models". 

Discussion topic: The importance of music

Q. 4) Is all kinds of music important for a country? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: Well, it all depends on what purposes the music serves in the greater scheme of things. For example, if a certain type of genre of music is used to either preserve or revive the tradition or culture of a country in a meaningful way, then there is no doubt that such music ought to be considered important for a country. On the other hand, if that music is used to divide the country or create confusion/hatred among its citizens, then there is no reason for this type of music to be considered important in one way or another. 

Q. 5) Are the types of music people listen to today much different from their grandparents' era? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: Well, whether we like to accept it or not, the reality is that time changes, and so do the people's choices and expectations with it. Therefore, it is only natural that what our grandparents had liked half a century ago, be it the music or some kind of fashion style, doesn’t necessarily mean that they would also be preferred by the subsequent generations. After all, the lyrics of the music and the associated musical instruments have changed very drastically over the years in order to accommodate the taste and preferences of a new generation of music lovers, so the music has to sound different today than in our grandparents’ era.  

Q. 6) Which type of music is more important for a country - traditional music or international music? [Why?]
Answer: Well, I have nothing against international music, but I would definitely like to suggest that traditional music is more important for a country since they go a long way to preserve the traditions, culture and customs of a country. Besides, since traditional music is more close to the heart of people, it can easily make them passionate and motivated to accomplish something noble and good for the greater benefit of their society and country. So, it is important that we nurture traditional music more and more to help our county become stronger culturally as well as economically.
 

Similar Cue Card Topics

Your ability to talk about this Cue Card would enable you to talk about the following Cue Cards as well:

1. Describe a famous singer from our country.
2. Describe a singer you really like.
3. Describe someone you would like to meet someday.
4. Describe a successful actor/ singer or writer you know.

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