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Written by IELTS Mentor

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

Describe one of the most popular TV shows in your country.

You should say:

• what type of TV shows it is
• what it is about
• what you like/dislike about it

and explain why it is so popular in your country.

Model Answer 1:
I have a soft corner for those TV programmes which try to focus on the life of the country people like us. One such TV show is called “Trailer Park Boys”, which I really enjoy watching, and today I would like to talk about that here.

They are called the “Trailer Park Boys” for a reason, and the reason is that they are foul-mouthed, violent, often drunk, and even more often at least a little stoned (“stoned” is Canadian slang for being “high” or “wasted”).

Be them as they may be, but they also may just be Canada’s all-time most successful export. Of course, people, who are not really that much fond of this “mockumentary” (yes, it is indeed called “mockumentary instead of “documentary”) television series, they will most likely disagree with me on that “most successful export” part, but I just don’t have any other way to put it here because this is one of the funniest, in its purest form, programmes I have ever seen on TV.

Anyway, to introduce this TV show a little, it focuses on the misadventures of a group of outrageous trailer park residents (these are the temporary mobile homes which are mostly used by poor people in the USA and Canada), some of whom are ex-convicts, living in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Created and directed by Mike Clattenburg. The comedy mockumentary stars Mike Smith (Bubbles), Robb Wells (Ricky) and John Paul Tremblay (Julian).  

There are so many things about this show which make it really interesting but what I like the most about this show is that the casts in it don’t only try to entertain their audience but also themselves in real-time.

This show is so popular in my country primarily because it is an absolute laugh-fest and its titular characters are endlessly entertaining. It is so popular also because the show dared to go outside of the Canadian mainstream comedies, and that too in a very masterful manner, in order to entertain its audience.

Sample Answer 2:
‘Far from the line’ is a very popular TV show in our country among more than 20 million viewers who enjoy this show a lot. In a recent online poll, this TV programme was selected as the second most popular TV show of all time in our country.

This is an investigative news story programme that deals with the crime and unlawful activities in our society as well as important events in history. Some of the episodes deal with the details and facts on notorious events of history. Other episodes introduce social unjust and crimes happening around us. It also alerts us about the types of crimes common in our country and notifies us about the corruptions. Sometimes, this programme interviews famous lawyers, politicians, law-enforcing members, witnesses and victims to give more details about a crime. Finally, some episodes present the backgrounds of a murder or a heinous crime that got media attention. Thus the topic of this programme has a great variety but the objective remains the same-  aware people. To unveil a crime and to aware people is the main reason this programme is aired and this is a successful TV programme so far.

I like the way this programme is presented and the news presenters, anchors and investigators are quite brilliant and the composition of different events in this programme is actually remarkable. I like the idea of informing people about law, crime, criminals and social unjust. In my opinion, this programme is quite helpful to inform citizens about the type of crimes they should be more cautious about.  It also explains the basic laws, civil rights and how to inform authority in case anyone has information about a probable crime or unjust. The way this programme is presented and the variations and exciting facts the programme-makers can bring in each new episode is really praiseworthy and the main reason for its popularity. People in my country love programmes that educate people and are entertaining at the same time. The programme ‘Far from the line’ is a perfect blend of important news, messages, excitement and entertainment and this, in my opinion, is the mantra of its popularity.

Sample Answer 3:
The television shows are one of the important sources of entertainment in Australia. A large number of viewers enjoy television shows.
'Underbelly' was one of the shows that gained huge popularity across the country. Now I will discuss the show in detail and would like to thank you for the time you allowed me to talk about this topic.

'Underbelly' is a crime drama series. The series has been made based on some true stories of the Australian underworld. All of the events shown in the series were adapted from real-life facts. Hence, the series gained fame among the viewers. A total of six series has been aired so far and another series is on a card for broadcast in 2017. For its huge popularity in Australia, decisions were made to remake a US series over the same theme. But the stories would be different. They will deal with the US gangsters.

The series is about crime stories of the Australian underworld. A good number of things happen in the underworld but not all of them are made public. The range of such events varies from simple corruption to murder. The show mostly focuses on the issues that may appear attractive to the audiences. The first series was made based on a book about Australian underworld. The book was written by two brave journalists of the country who did not fear to expose the real events. The title was borrowed from another series compilation of the same name and authors. The entire series has been made based on books and novels by different authors published at different times. Each of the books was based on specific gangsters and their activities.

I like the series for some reasons. First of all, they are about the real-life events of the gangsters. Usually, people have some usual notions about the life of gangsters – how they live, how they deal with people, how they commit crimes and more. Hence, the series is really interesting. Besides, the series also showed how the gangsters survived in different situations. The interesting part was their imprisonment. The capturing scenes and desperate gunfights also attracted me. in fact, it was their attempt to survive from the situations and being captured by the law enforcers. Besides, I like it most as there were variations on each of the seasons. Dealing with the drug smugglers and outlaws, manhunt etc. appeared really exciting to me.

'Underbelly' is popular in Australia for various reasons. The topmost influential cause behind its popularity is the real-life issues. Usually, people in the country are busy with their respective tasks and have less time to spend on their entertainment. The time they get is merely enough to derive pleasure from indoor and outdoor activities. So, television shows are the only ways to be entertained and this show is really an excellent one. The plots are attractive and thrilling as well. The manhunt, infiltration of law enforcers in the gangs, dealing with gang members, murders of police, Mafia activities and their revenge etc. everything has been portrayed as they are in real-life. Hence, the series gained its attraction among the nationwide audiences.

More Ideas to talk about this Cue Card topic:

Cue Card Topic: Describe one of the most popular TV shows in your country.

1. Among the television shows that I watch, I love The Vietnam War the most. This is a 10-part documentary and is broadcasted in Vietnam. This is a series and the overall length is roughly 18 hours. The documentary is about the Vietnam War that shows some archival footages of the war. I like it because it created a sense of thrill among the viewers and it was one of the most opposed topics in the country. However, it gained popularity for its special appeal to many people who wanted to know about the War events.

2. I am fond of sport-adventure television shows and Sasuke is one of my favourite ones. The show is about completing an obstacle course. There are four stages and the contestants are to cross the barriers in order to reach the prize. I like the programme because of its innovative obstacles. Often I laugh at the contestants when they fail to cross the barriers for some silly reasons. The show is popular in Japan because people want to get entertainment through TV shows.
 
3. Honestly speaking, Big Boss is an extraordinary show that draws my attention, like thousand other audiences, in India. The programme shows how the contestants win cash prizes and try not to get eliminated. They need votes from the audience to remain on the track. I love this particular show as it demonstrates how the participants survive through the series in the locked state. The show is also popular in India because of its thrill and audiences are highly interested to know about the final result after the climax.

4. Presently, learning a language has become easier and I love to watch a German show which many people use to learn the language. In fact, Tatort is one of the highly interesting shows that are about crimes. This suspenseful show had been running for long. I love the show because of its nature – it holds the attention through a series of events that occurred in the socio-political scenarios. The show is also popular among the Germans as each of the episodes has a different storyline and particularly different accents. 

5. Among various shows in China, I am most fond of ‘Fighter of the Destiny'. This production is adapted from a novel of the same name. The programme is about a mystical meteor crashing on the planet. And the storyline revolves around a wide number of events. The show is about love, illness, legacy and more. I am in love with the show for its dramatic nature. The show is also popular among the Chinese people because some of the episodes of the show reflect some of the special events that take place in almost everyone’s life in China.
 

Part 3 – Two-way discussion:

Q. How popular is watching television in your country?

Q. Tell me about the types of program that are generally on television in your country.

Q. In your opinion which one is better- state or private television?

Q. What negative influences television can have on children?

Q. Do you think TV programmes are gaining more popularity these days?

Q. What type of television programmes can create controversy among people?

• IELTS Cue Card
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