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

Describe a common dress that females in your country wear.

You should say:

• what type of dress it is
• what it looks like
• if it is common in other countries

and explain whether you like this dress or not.

[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:

Choosing a common dress that females wear in Malaysia, my native country, certainly is a challenging thing since there are many ethnic groups, living in this great country, who have different cultures and different fashion ideas. Some ladies here like to wear long skirts/pants and head scarves while others like to wear “Kebaya”. Then some others like to wear “BajuKurung”, which is the subject topic of today’s discussion.

"BajuKurung" arguably is one of the most traditional and common dresses in Malaysia for the females today although its history goes back to as early as the 15th century. Interestingly enough, even though, bajukurung is the name for the attire for both men and women, in Malaysia, traditionally it is the female dress which is referred to as Bajukurung, while the male dress is referred to as bajumelayu. Anyway, talking about “BajuKurung” for the females, it is a loose-fitting full-length costume, consisting of a skirt and a tunic. The skirt is made from a long cloth with pleats on one side; the blouse is collarless, has long sleeves, and extends to between the hips and knees. It is sometimes made of imported silk from China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan or Turkey.

Of course, the modern-day bajukurung commonly uses lively colours and geometric patterns, which certainly adds a new dimension to the fashion appeal of this particular dress. By the way, BajuKurung is widely recognised as one of the most common and traditional female dresses in Malaysia, it is also used in other parts of South East Asia, such as Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and Thailand.

Anyway, in response to the question whether I really like this dress or not, I would rather jokingly say that it doesn’t really matter whether I like it or not as long as the ladies like it (**chuckling**)! But, on a serious note, yes, I do like this dress since women look really comfortable in them. Besides, in my rather “inexpert” opinion, this particular dress goes really well with the “lean” body structure of our Malaysian ladies.

Sample Answer 2:

Australia is a beautiful land of variations and women in this country enjoy some of the best facilities in terms of attires. They love to wear various types of dresses marking occasions but in their ordinary life, they prefer to be comfy in dresses. So, the majority of the Australian women wear lightweight dresses like tops, shirts, blouses and use either trousers made with soft fabrics or jeans pant. This is a nice candidate task card and the remaining answers are here.

Usually, the tops worn by the Australian women come with a full sleeve, half sleeve or sleeveless format. The tops are made with feather-light fabrics and comfortable to wear. When they are at home, usually they wear trousers in different styles and when they go out, they wear jeans or other formal pants with tops. But the colour combination is an important issue to consider. They try matching or adjusting the dress colour when they are out of the home.

The dress is not common in other countries. Due to the climatic settings, lifestyle and necessity, the women of Australia have become habituated with such dress. But the style is not followed in the other countries. Some of the countries have some sort of restrictions for dresses and particularly for the dresses worn by females.

Of course, I like the dress so much. In fact, as an Australian national and female, I also like wearing blouses and pants. The fabrics are soft, easily washable and last longer than any other dresses. The most important matter here is the design. The tops are available in a large number of designs and they are sold at a reasonable price too. Both the tops and pants fit the women and they can also customize in case of necessity.

Sample Answer 3:

Abaya is a very common dress for women in Qatar. In fact, Qatar is an Islamic country and wants its women to cover up following the rules of Islam and decency. Accordingly, the abaya is worn by almost all the women here and even I myself love wearing the dress. The lightweight dress is comfortable to wear and also enhances the beauties of the women. This is a nice cue card topic for me and I would like to thank you for the opportunity to let me talk about it. I will answer the remaining questions here.

An abaya is a long cloak and usually, it is found in black colour. This is worn over the other clothes to cover up the body. The women of my country may wear anything they want under the abaya but they have to use these clothing. Besides, the fabric and colour of abaya may vary and most of the times women take it by their own choices.    

No, this is not a common dress for females in other countries. In fact, Qatar is a bit conservative about the dress of its women. And there are some state laws to wear decent dresses for both the men and women. The clothes should cover the shoulder, knees, and could not be transparent. Besides, the dresses should also be comfortable and presentable to anywhere. As a result, abaya has become a usual dress for the women in my country while the women in different other countries do not follow such rules.

Of course, I am in favour of this dress. This is a nice attire for the women and also helps to remain safe from the dust and other unwanted matters. When I cover the body with the abaya, I feel comfortable indeed. Moreover, this is a smart dress and comes with proper ventilation. So, I love it the most.

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

Topic: Describe a common dress that females in your country wear.

1. The short coat is a common dress for females in the UK. It comes with a single piece of coat that covers through the hip. It looks special when a woman wears it and also makes her look attractive. This is not common in other countries. I like the dress so much for some reasons. The fabric used in the dress is comfortable and it is easily washable.

2. The leather jacket is the usual dress for women in the USA. They mostly use it during working hours. The jacket looks great and could be used either with pants or any formal wears. The jacket is also available in other parts of the world. Obviously, I like jackets. They come in different styles and size, and the prices are reasonable too. One can easily get them.

3. In Russia, traditionally women wear sarafan. This is a kind of jumper costume for women and girls. The dress is available in different colour and shape. But this is not available out of the country. I do not like the dress for some reasons. After wearing it, I feel my movements are blocked. In fact, I do not have enough space inside the dress to move my limbs.

4. Long sleeve shirts are common for women in Malaysia. They wear a shirt for various purposes. The shirt often comes with no pockets and are tucked in with formal pants. Sometimes, women wear it in a casual environment too. Such types of shirts are common in other countries too. I love the shirts because they are comfortable to wear. Besides, cleaning is not trouble here.

5. Majority of the women in India wear saree. This is long unstitched clothing and needs special skills to wear on. Saree is common in some other Asian countries. But I cannot prefer saree for some reasons. In fact, I am unable to maintain the heavy length of saree and wearing it appears troublesome to me. Moreover, I always need to be cautious after wearing saree. So, I do not prefer it.

6. Kimono is a traditional and formal wear for women in Japan. This is a long robe-like dress with several layers. It looks beautiful when a woman wears it. Usually, kimono is not available in other countries because of its complex wearing styles. Honestly speaking, I cannot prefer this dress for some reasons. I do not feel comfortable with it and my movement becomes limited.

7. Women in Saudi Arabia use Abaya and Shayla as their traditional dress, and obviously, they come in black colour. Abaya is an outer cloak while Shayla plays the role of a scarf. The dress is common in some other UAE countries too. I love to wear this dress for some particular reasons. It helps to protect us from the sun heat and also helps to cover my head and hair.

Your preparation for this cue card topic would help you talk about the following cue card topics as well:

1. Describe your favourite dress.
2. Describe a common dress type in your city/town.
3. Describe a traditional dress in your country.
4. Describe the type of dress you would like to wear.
5. Describe a costume of dress that people in a foreign country wear.

• IELTS Cue Card
• Candidate Task Card

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