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

Describe an interesting animal you know about.

You should say:

• what animal it is
• what features this animal has
• if it is a common animal in your country

and explain why this is an interesting animal.

[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:
Well, there is no doubt that Australia, my home country, is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, not only because of its stunning green environment and landscape but also because of its unique animals in its animal kingdom. And, today I would like to talk about one such unique and interesting animal.

This animal is called “Koala”.  Also known as “Koala Bear”, this Australian “native bear” lives in the east coast and the southern region of Australia. This cuddly animal usually has brownish or grey fur. They also have white furs on certain parts of their bodies as well, like on their chest, legs, ears and neck.  These beautiful animals are well-known for their large round head, big furry ears and big black nose (with no fur). Having an average length of 67 to 82 centimetres and weight of about 6.5 kilograms to 12 kilograms, these adult koala bears can eat between 200 to 500 grams of leaves each day.

By the way, their main food is eucalyptus leaves even though, they may occasionally eat leaves from other native Australian trees as well. They don’t only eat the leaves of eucalyptus trees, but they also live in these trees. Koalas are largely sedentary animals (meaning they are kind of “lazy” and don’t really like to get involved in any kind of physical activities. So, that would naturally mean that they sleep too much. In fact, they can sleep up to 20 hours a day. Anyway, these beautiful and cuddly, but mostly asocial animals for the most part and with no tails, are not really that common in Australia since they live in only selected areas of Australia.

Anyway, I find Koalas really interesting, primarily because they look cute, and they look even cuter when they are terrified. Another intriguing fact about these kolas is that even though they look “lazy”, they can break into a gallop, moving at speeds of up to 30 kilometres (or 18 miles) per hour if necessary. Besides, very few animals in this world have such a strong sense of touch and smell like the baby koalas.

Sample Answer 2:
Bottlenose dolphins are quite interesting and for this candidate task card, I would like to talk about this animal. They have got their name due to the shape of their beak but interestingly they cannot smell! However, they have outstanding eyesight and hearing ability.

Dolphins are mammals like the human and they need to breathe air, unlike many other fishes and animals that live in the water. They breathe through the blowholes they have. Bottlenose dolphins usually live in groups.

Dolphins are not common in our country. They usually live in tropical waters and that ranges from Northern Japan to Australia and from Southern California to Chile. They are also found in the Indian Ocean from Indonesia to South Africa, Norway, Mexico, Mediterranean sea, black sea and the Hawaiian Islands.

From their appearance to distinctive features the are quite interesting. Their physiology and senses, intelligence level, relation to the human, history and their migration style make them a very unique and interesting animal.

Dolphins often work as a team to harvest fishes and they search for prey mainly using echolocation. They emit sounds, mainly clicking, and wait to listen to the return echoes to determine the location and shape of nearby items including potential prey. They have a high intelligence level and they use an artificial language which is quite remarkable for an animal. An adult bottlenose dolphin can live more than40 years and can jump up to 20 feet in the air. They jump in the air to communicate with other dolphins. The use of body language by the bottlenose dolphins is quite fascinating and it is being studied by many researchers. A study explains that mother dolphins teach the behavioural patterns to their offspring and this is another interesting fact about dolphins. Large sharks sometimes prey on the bottlenose dolphins, especially calves and the Dolphins also have the capability of defending them by charging the predators. It is very interesting to observe that some dolphins show curiosity towards humans.

I wish we have bottlenose dolphins in our country! Once I have been to Australia and spent hours in a waterpark where I saw dolphins for the first time in my life. After that, I did some online research to learn more about them. This is one of the most intelligent animals with many unique features and they are bound to draw our attention and curiosity.

Sample Answer 3:
In Australia, Kangaroos are found widespread. They are available across the country and most of the times they are seen in the farmlands.  

Kangaroo is a special type of animal for the country and comes with some special features. They belong to large foot-species. Despite being four-footed animals, they feel comfortable to use their legs to walk or run. They love to live in families and extremely cares for their kids and other family members. In fact, they are the largest marsupials living in the world and found in four different types – eastern grey kangaroo, western grey kangaroo, red kangaroo and antilopine kangaroo. Though they are of different categories, all of them have a magnificent look.  

Kangaroo has some noteworthy features. The most impressive feature is its walking, I believe. It can walk and jump like humans and in some cases, they are too fast than humans. Kangaroos are herbivorous animals. So, they completely rely on grasses. Besides, another feature of kangaroos is that they are able to pass long hours without drinking water. Interestingly, they are unable to move speedily with their four legs rather they are comfortable with their two legs. Kangaroos are unable to walk back which is another impressive aspect. However, Kangaroos may turn dangerous if they are attacked by humans or other animals. But ordinarily, they are cool enough and makes a friendly relation with humans.

Yes, Kangaroo is a common animal in Australia. In fact, this unofficially the national animal for us. The symbol of Kangaroo is found in almost everywhere and even it is present as an emblem on the coat of arms in Australia. Some of the national currencies also contain the Kangaroo symbol. Because of its availability everywhere, the animal has become a part of the national culture in Australia. Even some of the defence forces and the airline also use the symbol of Kangaroo with them. Besides, this is useful for the economy as well. Wild Kangaroos produce leather and other necessary materials for us. In some points, there are arguments that the meat produced from Kangaroo has some health benefits. So, the meat is also consumed frequently in line with the traditional meats.  

Kangaroos appear interesting to me for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they can jump to a height crossing their own length. For instance, if a Kangaroo is of 6 feet height, it can jump around 18 feet at a time. This happens for the strong legs. Besides, they are able to swim. I have seen some Kangaroos swimming which appeared interesting to me. Many of the wild animals are unable to swim and Kangaroos are their opposite in this matter. Though most of the Kangaroos live on grass, some are habituated in taking different types of foods other than grass. They love to spend time together in organised groups while their groups are known as ‘mob’.

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

Topic: Describe an interesting animal you know about.

1. The red squirrel is a small animal which is found in the UK. The squirrel has a distinctive feature – it changes the coat colour in different seasons. This is a common animal across the country and they are found in parks mostly. This is an interesting animal to me because it looks very charming when it changes the colour. Besides, I feel glad when I can catch one of them and feed them fruits.

2. The brown bear is an interesting animal in North America. This is a strong animal and one of the largest carnivorous. The bear has special types of claws that it uses for digging. This is a common animal in this region. To me, it appears as an interesting animal for its brown coat. The brown fur often looks different. And I am amazed at the muscles it owns inside the fur coat.

3. Camel is a wonderful animal. It has several features like it can live without water for a long time, it can run fast than other types of animals. Camel is common in Australia and mostly found in the desert regions. Camels are interesting because they can suit in the desert areas. They can live in a wild environment and do not worry about their habitations.

4. In China, the prevalence of monkey is notable. They are available across the country. Monkeys are popular in negative terms, and many would say they are notorious. They mostly steal foods and other necessaries. They steal foods with a twinkle of an eye. Monkeys appear interesting to me because they can take part in different types of activities. They can imitate humans, take foods like human and even quarrels with each other. All the matters have made monkeys interesting to me.

5. No other animal in Thailand is as popular as the elephant is. They are the largest mammals and has become a part of our culture in the country. An elephant looks great with its giant-like figure. But the eyes are smaller than it was supposed to be with the great physique. Elephants are available across the country and even there are parks for elephants too. Elephants are interesting as they love peace. They do not harm people rather they be like the family members.

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