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

Describe an experience when you spent some time with a child.

You should say:

• when it was
• who the child was
• why you spent some time with this child

and explain what you did and how you felt.

[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:

I love children, but loving them and spending some time with them aren’t necessarily the same things. So, when I was asked to look after “Liam”, the little 5 years old son of my friend, about a few months ago because his parents were going to visit a relative at a hospital, I was looking for an “exit”.

But, my friends were being stubborn and assured me that I would do just fine with their little boy since they were going to be away only for a few hours. So, despite my reluctance, I finally agreed to look after Liam while desperately hoping that he would cooperate with me.

By the way, Liam was a typical 5-year-old boy, who was full of life, and who loved to have fun as much as possible whether he was alone or with his friends. But, I was neither a friend nor any close relative to him, so he just didn’t quite know how to relate to me.

Thinking of this rather uncomfortable situation, I asked the little boy whether he would like to spend his time at home or go outside with me. The boy naturally opted to choose the latter option since the little boy very much liked outdoors. So, I took him to a nearby park where he would be able to play and swing with other children of his age. Once he got exhausted by playing with the other children, I asked him whether he wanted to walk with me a little at the park or visit a shop to grab some of his favourite ice creams. Not to mention, of course, Liam wanted to enjoy ice creams. By the time, he finished his ice cream, it was already getting dark. So we decided to go back to my friend’s place.

Anyway, after spending the time with the little boy, I felt relieved because I didn’t really have to try too hard to keep him happy. Besides, I also felt that little children could be way more reasonable and rational (if treated rightly) than we would like to give them credit for.

Sample Answer 2:

My elder sister came to my home with her family members suddenly two or three months ago and I was really happy to see her little boy of four years old. She came to pay a visit to me and my family members. And so, she brought all the family members including her husband and children. It was a gala event for me to have the kids, especially the little one. This is an interesting cue card topic for me. I would like to thank you for this nice topic.

The child was my nephew. Though the baby was only four, he started to talk like the adult people. Moreover, he was smart and intelligent. And he asked some interesting questions which I failed to answer. His inquisitiveness was an admiring issue to me. I have never seen such a baby talk like this. So, I shared all my knowledge with the baby to satisfy his hunger of curiosity.   

I spent time with this child for some reasons. I am often unable to spend time with my family members for the nature of my job. I am a travel guide and remain busy round the week. It is really inconvenient for me to manage time for my family and let alone the relatives. When I get them at my home, it was a joyous event for me and I tried to enjoy their company, especially the child.

We did lots of things together. Watching cartoon is one of the remarkable matter. The little boy knew all the names of the cartoon characters and stories. The baby also had some mock fights with me. We took bath together in rain in the next day and had also made much more fun stuff. It was a great experience.

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

Topic: Talk about the time when you spent some time with a child.

1. Last month, I went to attend a marriage ceremony and met with a little child of my friend. He was a baby boy named Seoul. I liked the boy very much for his gentle nature. Usually, children of his age are not that much gentle and spend time in different activities. But Seoul was not similar to them. I talked with him and he also paid attention like an active listener. The boy appeared matured to me in this little age which is positive indeed.

2. Spending time with children is something I enjoy a lot. Recently I had the chance to spend time with a small cute girl. She came to visit us with her parents. Her dad is my brother’s colleague - they work in the same positions at a manufacturing company here in Jakarta. The child had none else to talk to and somehow picked me as his friend, children instinct I would call it! It was a nice baby of eight years old. I talked about various issues with the girl and finally made a good friendship with her.

3. I went to visit Harry at his home and had to wait for him. I noticed a child there with whom I spent an hour. It was the baby of Harry’s sister. She came to visit them at the same time. Since I had nothing to do, I waited for Harry. And at this time, I passed some moments with the baby. The baby wanted to play video games, and I let her use my mobile phone for that purpose.

4. Visiting a museum is interesting and I had a wonderful experience there. I went to visit the history museum in Paris last Monday and suddenly had to spend about 15 minutes with a  baby. Her mother, my college mate asked me to look after her for a few minutes and she went to the restroom. It was a different experience for me. Actually, I did not know how to look after the infant. So, I kept talking to the child nervously. By this time, my friend came back and I was relieved!        

5. Last October, I went to Bali in Indonesia for some relaxation purposes. There I met with my friend Johnny and his family. I had spent sometimes with his little daughter. In fact, I have not seen the daughter since after her birth. So, I spent around half an hour with the little lady. I talked about different issues and wanted to know her favourites. It was an interesting experience for me.

• IELTS Cue Card
• Candidate Task Card

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