Cue Card Sample

IELTS Cue Card Sample 430 - Describe a historical city you have been to

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

Describe a historical city you have been to.

You should say:

  • what city it was
  • when you went to this city
  • what you did there

and explain why you think it was a historical city that was worth visiting.


 

Model Answer 1:
There are so many historical cities in this world which I have always wanted to visit but have managed to visit only a couple of them so far. Rome is the name of one of those cities, about which I would like to describe here.

Now, everybody knows where Rome is, and how this “eternal” city brims with ancient history. From the Colosseum to the port of Ostia Antica to majestic Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel, the city of Rome, also the capital city of Italy, has it all to lure the visitors from all over the world. Even though the city of Rome is thought to have been founded at around 750 BC, the site has been inhabited much longer, as long as 28 centuries, some say.

Known for its stunning architecture, with the Colleseum, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain, Rome was first the centre of the Roman Republic, then of the Roman Empire, and it became the capital of the Christian world in the 4th century.  By the way, I visited this historical city about a few years ago at the invitation of a good friend of mine, who teaches at a university there. Thankfully, it was my teacher friend, who told me so much about the extraordinarily rich history of Rome, which captivated my mind.

Anyway, after arriving in Rome, I went to see the coliseum. Then, later on, I rented a bike and started to ride in the old part of Rome, which is really huge in my opinion, to see the traditional life of the locals. Of course, among other things, I didn’t forget to try some of the most delicious Italian cuisines either.

Anyway, this historical city was worth visiting, it was just not full of history but also art and stunning architecture which swept across entire Europe for thousands of years. It was also worth visiting because it is this historical city which helped Christianity, the religion of the largest number of population of the world, grow during its heyday.


 

Sample Answer 2:
This is an interesting topic to talk about and I would like to thank you for the opportunity to  let me talk about a historical city I have been to. I love to travel, experience exotic food and learn about different traditions and customs. Alexandria was a very important port city in Egypt and this is the historical city I would like to talk about.

Alexandria was founded in 331 BC in Egypt by Alexander the Great and this is one of the most significant historical city in world history. It is now the second-largest city and the largest seaport in Egypt. After its foundation, it became an important centre for the Hellenistic civilisation. The Roman and the Byzantine ruled Egypt for about a thousand years and then the Muslim conquested it in 641 AD. Alexandria was the second most powerful city in the ancient time and the Lighthouse of Alexandria, Great library, Necropolis and other historic significances of this city make it an important historic city of all time.

I visited this city in 2012 when I was in my 4th semester at my university. It was a study excursion that our university arranged for interested students. Along with a group of 15 students, three teachers also went with us on this excursion. In fact, this was quite a memorable tour for me.

Visiting Alexandria was quite a remarkable experience for me. I love to travel and being in a city which bears evidence of the world history was something  extraordinary. We went to the Temple of Taposiris Magna, roamed the streets in Alexandria, visited Kom El Shoqafa and many other historic places. On our 4th day in this city, we were introduced to a group of university students and we had a  great chance to learn about many aspects of Egypt. On the 6th day, we completed an assessment that one of our teachers gave us. At night, we often walked the streets and enjoyed the nightlife. We also saw the Pompey's Pillar which is one of the best known ancient monuments standing in Alexandria and we did so the day before we left Alexandria.


 

Sample Answer 3:
During the last summer vacation, I along with my family members, made a trip to Athens in Greece, a historical city in this European continent. Despite being a historical city, it is now filled with numerous tourist destinations. It was a wonderful trip for me. This is really interesting to describe the trip. I would like to thank you for this opportunity to let me talk about a historic city I have been to.
 
Athens is located in Greece and in fact, this is the capital city of the country. I made a family trip from France to Athens. This was planned a couple of weeks before and it was done to know the city. The city of Athens was the epicentre of Ancient Greece. A large number of civilisations have dominated in the city. There are some most visiting places still remind the golden days of the city. I have visited all the notable places and came to know about the pride of the city. In fact, I came to know about lots of historical information about the city.

I went to Athens during my last summer vacation. Actually, it is really difficult for a student like me to manage time to make a trip. So, it is not possible for me to move with my family every time. It is only the vacations when I can manage times to move from one place to another with the purpose of travelling. Besides, when it is with the family, there are some restrictions imposed. But I did not have to take such troubles in this visit. Though I went with my family, I moved alone in different parts of this historical city. The most interesting issue about the visit is that it was not the season for visit. So, there were fewer crowds and I was able to know the history of the city closely.

I did many things there. Mostly I was engaged with sightseeing. There are many places to see and enjoy nature. Besides, the sunset scenes on the beaches were the other finest things that I enjoyed most while my trip to this city. Food is another interesting thing here. Besides, I visited different historical sites and museums, enjoyed a concert and cultural event at the Technopolis. I also liked walking alone on the sandy beaches and shopping. In fact, shopping was the other interesting thing for me for there were a huge collection of products at the shopping centres and stores. Besides, the coffee shops at the shopping grounds were adorable as well.

Earlier, Athens was the centre of all types of activities and now the scenarios are not changed at all. This is the centre of domination of arts, philosophy, culture, music, learning, commercial activities and so on for the Greeks. The history of this city dates back around over 3000 years. Besides, the presence of this city is also found in some historical literature. The city developed for its connection with the sea. Further, this is the city that is linked with numerous philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. Athens had and still possess an influential impact on the politics of the European continent and owns an enriched life in terms of politics, economics, industrial and maritime aspects. For all such impacts, it has become a cosmopolitan city but still, it bears its ancient and historical legacies. So, I think this is a historical city.

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