Details

Written by IELTS Mentor

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

Describe an interesting story that you heard or read about in the news.

You should say:

• when you heard or read about the story
• what the story was about
• why the story was in the news

and explain why you thought the story was interesting.

Model Answer 1:
Thank you very much to let me talk about this cue card topic. The story that I am going to talk about is a fascinating story on how an eight year’s old kid saved more than 500 people from possible fatal casualty. I read this story a year ago in a daily newspaper.

This story was published in a popular newspaper that I used to read every day at that time and it was featured as a story of bravery and exemplary one.

An eight years old boy was playing with some other kids in the evening near a rail junction and suddenly noticed that a part of the rail track was severely damaged. While other kids ignored that and returned to their houses, this particular boy was different and he went home and persuaded his father that something bad is going to happen. He came back to the train junction with his father and took a great deal of hassle to convince the rail officers to actually go to visit the damage. They officers were reluctant to do so and thought it was a child’s imagination or lack of comprehension. But the boy was adamant and with his father, they were able to finally convince them that something terrible might happen if they do not take prompt actions. When all of them saw the severe damage on the rail track, it was almost the time for a passenger rail to pass this junction using this particular rail track. It was evening and very few people were in the station. The railway authority understood that repairing the harmed railroad was impossible. They immediately informed the nearby station and warned them so that the train does not leave that junction.

Next day many rail supervisors and employees visited the place and they were amazed by the bravery the boy showed to save people from an approaching peril.  
I followed the news story and next day it made the headline of every local newspaper. As far I remember the boy was given many gifts by the rail authorities as well as the local administration.

The story was an exemplary one to remind us how a small sacrifice and bravery can save others. The eight years old boy showed his utmost intelligence, heroism and prompt actions to save people from unforeseeable dangers. The event was so touchy that it went viral in a day and that hit the headline of many newspapers. I did not watch TV that time, but I am sure that was also in TV news.

From the very nature of this event, we can understand that we revere the good news and we are not used to the bad news only. The great courage of a small kid saved the lives of many and that was an indeed worth news story to let the people of the whole country know and feel proud of.

Sample Answer 2:
A very recent story has shocked the world, I think, and this is the unwanted event of catching fire to an iPhone 7 plus. In fact, this was a heartbreaking news for the iPhone lovers across the world and this is for the first time that the brand has experienced such an undesired situation.

While reading a newspaper, I came to know about the news. I was reading the newspaper yesterday like the other days and then suddenly a news on the Technology page attracted my attention. Usually, I read the newspaper early hours in the morning before moving to my office, and I came to know about the event then. Since I am tech-lover, I do not miss any updates about technological advancements. As part of gathering the updates, I take a careful look at the page. Accordingly, I came to know about the story that appears interesting to me.  

The story was about the demerits of lithium-ion batteries and how it catches fire. The report read that earlier the events of fire happened with the device of Samsung and now it is happening with the devices of tech-giant Apple Inc. It was the very first event with the Apple devices. At present, Apple devices are the symbol of status. Having an iPhone or Apple device increase the social status a lot. But everything has its demerits. The latest iPhone had caught fire and got completely damaged while it was in charge. The girl, who own that phone, immediately recorded video of the event and spread that on Twitter. The video went viral immediately after it was on the social networking platform. Later, the Apple Inc. authority had made contact with her and replaced the damaged phone. The authority also assured her to look into the matter deeply.   

I think the story was in the news for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was an accident which can result in more detrimental impacts. The girl has been saved as she was away from the charging phone. If she was near the phone while it caught fire, she could have been injured to some extent. This is a precautionary measure for everyone. People having such smartphones should be careful while charging them. On the other side, this is also a warning for the smartphone manufacturers. Previously, Samsung had to stop one of its smartphone production last year as that had defects with the battery. The similar types of batteries have been included with the latest model of iPhone. Hence, the manufacturer should be careful about the issue lest they also have to be defeated in the competition.   

This appeared an interesting news story to me. The video shows how the phone caught fire and making a weird noise. The girl was smart and brave enough to record video of the event. If there were someone else, definitely it would have been hard to handle the situation so smoothly. By the same time, she has ensured another iPhone 7 plus from the Apple Inc. authority and also confirmed their assurance so that the other users do not fall in such troubles. In fact, I was planning to purchase an iPhone 7 plus after a few days. But I changed my mind and planning to get something different. It has become perilous to buy iPhone 7 plus for the risks of catching fire on the phone.

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 news story you recently watched on TV.
2. Describe a news item that you read recently.
3. Describe a news show you often watch.
4. Describe a story or news item that you read in a newspaper.

• Prev
• Next