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Written by IELTS Mentor

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

Describe an exciting competition or sporting event you have witnessed.

You should say:

• what the competition or sporting event was
• when and where it took place
• who won the competition or the sporting event

and explain why it was so exciting.

Model Answer 1:
I am a great fan of cricket, which is passionately called by many people as the “gentleman’s game”, and I try to watch it whenever I get an opportunity. So, I would like to go ahead and talk about an exciting cricket competition which I witnessed about a few years ago.

This competition took place at Edgbaston Cricket Stadium when I was visiting a very close friend of mine in that city on a long holiday. But little did I know that Australian cricket team was also touring England in order to play a 3 One Day cricket match tournaments, and one of the matches was scheduled to be held at Edgbaston Stadium just when I was visiting my friend there.

Not to mention, I didn’t want to miss that cricket match since I was very much aware of the dimension of cricketing rivalry between Australia and England. Anyway, England, batting first, amassed a 300 plus runs from their stipulated 50 overs, and so, it was expected that the host country was going to win the match rather easily since they had a very strong bowling line up with some really great fast bowlers.

But, things changed quickly in favour of Australia when a couple of their batsmen played some destructive innings to take the match away from England. Of course, England also fought back very strongly as they managed to drag the match until the last over, and it was at that time that things got very tense for both the team. In fact, Australia needed only 7 runs in their last over, but England bowled brilliantly to restrict the tourist below 300, giving the England team a well-deserved victory in the end.  

Well, the competition was exciting, mainly because it was full of so many attacks and counter-attacks that the fans actually had to wait until the last ball of the match. It was exciting also because the fans at the stadium cheered for both the teams pretty much equally without supporting one team over the other.

Model Answer 2:
Ooh, this is an interesting topic, because I can instantly think of the most exciting contest I’ve ever witnessed, but I have a feeling it isn’t quite the sort of example you might have been thinking of when you came up with the topic.  I hope you’ll agree it’s a reasonable spectacle to talk about though.  It was a battle for life or death, literally, and I was so caught up in watching it at the time I could hardly breathe, so surely you will want to hear about it too.

The competition was in the natural world.  It was a battle for territory, between two mighty creatures. I was going to say ‘insects’ but strictly speaking, that isn’t correct, they were two arachnids. One was a very venomous and aggressive scorpion, and the other a massive furry type of tarantula called a baboon spider.

I was working on a conservation project in South Africa, and after a communal meal with others in the camp where I was staying, I made my way back to my tent using a head torch to light my way. I knew there was a baboon spider living in a burrow near to where I was camping. It might sound a bit strange, but I was quite fascinated by this spider. I had learned that if you caught a moth (easy as they would crowd around the light of my head torch) then you could use it to tempt out the spider. I would do this by holding the moth with my outstretched fingers just outside the burrow’s entrance, and then, after a few seconds, the baboon spider sensing the movement would emerge and grab the moth and drag it back into the earth to eat. People who know me at home in England would be astonished that I did this as actually, I’m quite scared of spiders in my house. However, this tarantula was different, so large, solid and furry solid it was almost like a mammal, and it moved in a predictable way, basically just staying in its burrow, just emerging at night to snatch unlucky prey that attracted its attention on passing by.

Anyway, I had got into the habit of taking a moth back with me after supper, so I could feed the spider as I went past. On this particular evening though as I caught sight of the burrow in the beam of my torch I saw the strangest thing. The great spider was out of its burrow – really unusual as they spend almost the entire time in their underground lairs – and it appeared to be somersaulting! As I watched I saw to my dismay that it was intertwined with a really dangerous scorpion of similar size. I could tell the scorpion was a deadly one, because it had a huge venom-filled sting and relatively small pincers (I looked it up in a book later and it is one of the most lethal species in the continent!). The two were fighting ferociously, tumbling about in the orange earth and short scrub grass. I called over a friend to come and witness it too. It was astonishing to watch, the scorpion kept trying to sting the spider’s abdomen, but the spider was so big its legs kept the scorpion away. Over the next few minutes though, the spider began to tire. It was very sad to watch, the scorpion was victorious. The spider was left dying just a few inches from the burrow, and the scorpion entered the hole and took possession of it for itself. I carried on watching with my friend, the scorpion began to use the burrow as a base to hunt, lying in wait and then emerging to grab termites that were passing by. I felt so sad as I had lost my spider friend, but I also felt I’d witnessed something really remarkable. These, to us, small creatures, were mighty titans when in battle with one another, and I had, had absolutely no idea how their fight would end.

So this competition was between a scorpion and a tarantula. It took place on the plains of South Africa in the dark of night and the scorpion was triumphant. It was horrifying, but exciting to watch because it was a battle to the death and silly as it sounds, I felt like I ‘knew’ one of the competitors. Witnessing it gave me a renewed appreciation of the natural world and its wonders. What a remarkable place we inhabit, and what extraordinary creatures live alongside us the world over!

[ Written by - Lucy Marris:  Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam) ]

Sample Answer 3: 
I love to watch sports than participating in it. Whenever I get a chance, I do not miss the events. Recently I became the witness of an interesting horse racing competition in Singapore. I am really glad to have a discussion on the issue. 

Horse racing is an exciting sporting event. Usually, horses are deployed in a racing track while they are run by jockeys. The horse jockeys try to cover a distance with the respective horse. Many of the viewers place their bets on the horses they think will win. In fact, betting is the greatest attraction of this sports. But there are some other audiences like me who come only to enjoy the sports and be the part of the excitement. The race usually takes place at the day and evening times with the participation of a number of racing horses. The fastest horse wins the race. 

I enjoyed the sport at the Singapore Racecourse. This is a great place for horse racing and comes with different features. The racing ground is wide enough to hold a notable number of horse and riders on the race track. During the race, the entire racing venue burst into excitement. The spectators cheer up the preferred horses and riders. Almost everyone present at the venue shouts at the top of the voice and pray for their success. This is really an incredible view to enjoy. I went in the evening, right before the start of a race. Though it had some highly attractive bets, I resisted myself from placing the bets. In fact, I know it is really difficult to get rid of the gamble if it is set in the mind. After the entrance, I took my seat and enjoyed the thrilling sport. 

There were 12 participants altogether in the race. Each of the horses had different names. One of the horse, named Thunderbolt, won the race. It was really unimaginable that this horse will be the winner. In fact, the horse did not have a better performance at the beginning of the race. The majority of the spectators placed their bets on some other horses and among them, the Stallion was a prominent one. In fact, the horse won few other races as well in the past week. Besides, the rider was also an expert and had nice coordination with Stallion. But the scenario changed in the last lap. Thunderbolt moved ahead with great speed. And it happened suddenly. 

The race was really exciting for some reasons. Actually, I have never seen such races before my eyes. My visit to Singapore has brought the chance to observe the race. Before entering into the racing ground, I heard a huge noised coming out of the ground. So, I entered there with the intention to stay for a few minutes and observe the situations. But I could not move from my seat due to the attraction of the sport. The entire sport was filled with thrills and excitement. People were shouting loud in groups to inspire their respective horses and riders. The supports of Thunderbolt were excited than anyone else in the ground and gallery as the horse won the race. The horse race was thrilling indeed for me. 

Part 3 – Two-way discussion:

Q.  What are the best ways to keep fit? What do you do to keep fit?

Q.  Are you good at sport?

Q.  What sports do you play?

Q.  What is the most popular sport in your country?

Q.  What is the most popular form of exercise in your country?

Q.  How can we encourage young people to stay healthy?

Q.  Should governments intervene to force people to be healthier?

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