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

Describe a piece of electronic equipment that you find useful.

You should say:

• what it is
• how you learned to use it
• how long you have had it

and explain why you find this piece of electronic equipment useful.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you're going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

Model Answer 1:
Sometimes, I think that if this particular electronic equipment were invented during the middle ages or little later, it surely would have been considered as one of the 7th wonders of the old world by replacing one of the existing ones. Today, I would like to talk about a piece of wonderful electronic equipment which I think deserves a lot more credit than we are ready to give.

This electronic equipment is called the mighty “vacuum cleaner”. Of course, we might not just call it “mighty” because we are probably too much used to working with it, but if we can just manage our world for a week without a vacuum cleaner, I am sure that we would gladly change your mind about putting the word “mighty” before a vacuum cleaner.

Anyway, so what is exactly so special about a vacuum cleaner? Well, we can answer this question by simply saying that this incredible equipment helps me clean my home and office, and all other places between them, and put them in order through the mechanism of an air pump and a suction device inside it. Now, even though, we have this equipment at our home since the time I can remember about things, but I didn’t really learn to use it until after I had started high school. Of course, for that, I will have to thank my elder sister since it was her who taught me how to switch it on and manoeuvre it on the floor and carpet to suck the dirt off them. By the way, unlike other vacuum cleaners, the one we have at home is lightweight and rather easy to operate on all kinds of surfaces.

Anyway, I find this electronic equipment really useful, mainly because it helps me and my family keep our home dirt-free and clean without using too much of our efforts and time. The equipment is useful also because it helps us save a significant amount of money since we don’t have to hire any cleaning person to clean our home.

Sample Answer 2:
This is an interesting topic. My immediate thought is that I don’t use all that much electronic equipment, but I do use a lot of rather commonplace technology; a phone; a laptop; ‘white goods’ like refrigerators and washing machines, but I think they’d be quite boring to talk about. But, I can think of something I find really useful and could be a bit more interesting than usual. 

Well, the piece of equipment is a GPS (global positioning satellite) watch. If I wear it whilst out running, it tracks various bits of information. It will tell me how long I’ve run, what pace, what distance, the elevation and other useful things. It can buzz on my wrist after every mile too. When I get back home after my run, I simply connect the watch to my laptop, and through some magic of technology, it uploads my run onto a software programme called Strava. This means I can see a map of where I’ve run, compare that day’s run with previous attempts at that route, and even see who else has done the same run if they use Strava too. 

How did I learn to use it? Last January, my running club had organised a three-month winter challenge, we were put in teams and had to commit to doing so many runs each week of a certain distance. Rather reluctantly, I went to my local running shop. They recommended a ‘cheap and cheerful’ starter watch and set it all up for me. All I had to do at first was push a button to start the watch when I set out, and push the same button again to stop!

In a few weeks, I started to play around with other buttons on the watch and discovered it can do more fancy things! I am still learning how to use it properly, and it is rather trial and error, but now I can see the benefits of this nifty bit of kit I’m much more motivated to invest time in working out its finer features! I’ve now had the watch for just about 6 months.

Why do I find this GPS watch useful? Well, it’s been really unexpected, but I love that I now have a record of all my runs. Even if I feel I’ve had a bad day running, being able to see the overall distance I’ve covered, or the elevation builds my confidence. I was surprised at how many miles I actually covered each week. True, they are slow miles, but they add up all the same. It also has made running much more fun. I can see if friends have done the same run like me, and there is even a feature on Strava that allows me to identify other runners I pass en route, so you can see how your runs compare with theirs. This unexpected bit of technology has really revolutionised my running. It makes me want to try harder, so I’m not caught out slacking. 

[ Written by - Lucy Marris (2016): Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam) ]

Model Answer 3:

Introduction: 
In this modern era of technology, we are surrounded by electronic gadgets and devices that make our lives easier and more efficient. One such device that I find extremely useful is my smartwatch. For this topic, I will talk about this device.

What it is:
My smartwatch is a wearable electronic device that looks like a regular watch but has advanced features and functions beyond telling time. It has a touchscreen display and is designed to be synced with my smartphone.

How you learned to use it: 
I learned how to use my smartwatch by reading the instruction manual and watching online tutorials. It was relatively easy to set up and connect to my phone. It has many features that took me time to learn but I eventually learned all the features this smartphone has.

How long you have had it: 
I have been using my smartwatch for about a year now. I purchased it online after reading positive reviews about its features and performance. Since I walk or run almost every single day, it has proven to be a very useful device so far. 

And explain why you find this piece of electronic equipment useful:
There are several reasons why I find my smartwatch useful. Firstly, it allows me to stay connected to my smartphone without having to constantly check it. I can receive notifications, check my emails and messages, and make phone calls directly from my wrist. Secondly, it has a number of health-related features such as a heart rate monitor, pedometer, and sleep tracker that help me stay on top of my fitness goals. Finally, it has a stylish design that complements my outfit and can be customized with various watch faces and bands to suit my personal style.

I find my smartwatch to be a useful and practical piece of electronic equipment that helps me stay connected and on top of my health and fitness goals.

Sample Answer 4: 
Presently, it is almost impossible to do without a laptop for an undergraduate student like me. So, recently I have bought a Dell Inspiron 17 7000 Series Laptop for my ordinary use of the money my dad gave am and the savings from my part-time job at a bar.  

This a highly useful electronic device for me. It helps me in great ways. The outlook and design of the laptop are extremely beautiful and the operating system has been improved. This is a great piece for gaming as well. The design of this laptop comes with forged aluminium. Moreover, the laptop screen does not irritate eyes and the backlit keyboard helps to work in lower lighting condition. The touch display is made with Corning Gorilla Glass and it has made it stronger than the other brands with a smooth touchscreen. The excellent sound quality truly impresses me when I listen to music on this machine.  

I was in trouble while using the laptop in the primary stage due to my ignorance on how to use a touchscreen. But gradually I developed skills and find it interesting to work by touching the screen. Besides, I was not familiar with the backlit keyboard and now it seems interesting. I can work even in dark. No chances for frequent mistakes while working in a darker room. The large display is another blessing for me. Earlier, I used a desktop which had a 14-inch CRT monitor. So, everything appeared smaller in size and shape. But the experience has changed completely with the 17-inch display. Though I was unable to smoothly operate the laptop for the first two or three days, I have learnt everything within a very short time.  

I have been using the laptop for around one and a half months. By this time, I have been habituated to use it randomly. Even I am taking the laptop at my classes for presentations. A few months ago I asked my dad to buy me a desktop computer because my existing computer could not provide me with the required level of performances. It was too slow to run and even took an unusually long time to open the word processor. If I got connected to the internet, the situations turned worst. The machine turned non-responsive. Considering all the issues, I decided to buy a new computer for me. Surprisingly, I found that the price of the Dell laptop I just bought was within my budget and thus I bought this laptop from Dell and it was the latest model. Though it comes with a warranty for three years, I am careful in its use.

This laptop I recently bought is highly useful for me. Most of the times, I watch movies on it. The screen resolution is the top standard and comes with perfect sound quality. Moreover, I no longer have to worry about the backup time as it has a good charging backup (up to around 7 hours). So, the tensions to save the documents frequently are gone. The lightweight of this piece is also helpful for me. I can carry it easily on my shoulder if I have any presentations in the class. Considering all such aspects, this is a very helpful electronic equipment for me.
 

More Ideas to talk about this Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card topic:

Topic: Describe a piece of electronic equipment that you find useful.

1. The application of television is useful indeed. In fact, almost every home in the world today have a television set. I learned to use it from my mom. And I have been using it since an early age of my life. This is a highly useful piece of electronic equipment because it entertains us. in fact, television is the source of entertainment and information for many of the people in the world. They use television for numerous reasons.

2. Life would have been harder if there were no mobile phones, and to be more specific, it is iPhone. I have learned to use an iPhone all by myself. I bought the phone using my own bucks. And I have been using the phone for over the last five years. I think an iPhone is an interesting and highly useful electronic device as it helps to meet all the necessary needs of the present days. The photos taken using the phone are wonderful. The apps and other services are adorable indeed and the interface is splendid! So, I find it useful to me.

3. The invention of the digital camera has brought a sense of relief to everyone related to photography. I came to know about photography in a learning school. I have been using a digital camera for about the past three years. This is a really useful electronic device because of its advantage. Earlier, people needed to change the film rolls and now there are no such issues. You can take as much picture as you want or need. Besides, the image quality is also increased in such cameras while photo editing also is simple.

4. Electric oven helps to make foods warm and best for people like me who are engaged with work all the time. Learning to operate the device was not a big deal to me, and I learned it within a short time. I have been using the oven for a couple of years. An electric oven is a very useful device because it helps to keep the foods warm and fresh. In fact, this is not possible to cook every day and electric ovens help to warm the refrigerated foods. This is a blessing for all.   

5. Can you imagine how the world would be without a photocopy machine? A large chunk of daily activities will be stopped across the world for the want of a machine. I learned to use the machine at my office and have been using for the last three years. I know how to use it and have used it so many times in my office. This is a really useful electronic equipment because it helps to copy necessary documents within a very short time. In fact, the device is helpful for everyone and especially for students like me is badly in need of such an electronic device.
 

Part 3 – Two-way discussion/ Detail discussion:

Discussion Topic: Technology and housework:

Q. What kinds of machine are used for housework in modern homes in your country?
Q. How have these machines benefited people? Are there any negative effects of using them?
Q. Do you think all new homes will be equipped with household machines in the future? Why?

Discussion Topic: Technology in the workplace:

Q. What kinds of equipment do most workers need to use in offices today?
Q. How have developments in technology affected employment in your country?
Q. Some people think that technology has brought more stress than benefits to employed people nowadays. Would you agree or disagree? Why?

Click here for the answer to these part 3 Questions.

• IELTS Cue Card
• Candidate Task Card
• Speaking Part 2

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