Cue Card Sample
Your experience of teaching a friend or family member - Cue Card # 612
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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.
Describe your experience of teaching a friend or family member.
You should say:
- whom you taught
- when it was
- what subject you taught
and explain how you felt about teaching this friend or family member.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Model Answer 1:
Since my childhood, I have developed a tremendous admiration for teaching. I have always felt that the teaching profession is highly rewarding and challenging at the same time. But, I got a first-hand experience of how rewarding or challenging it really was only after I was forced to embark on a mission of formally teaching my little niece.
It was about 5 years ago, and I just started my new job as a Jr. Software Engineer at a small software firm in my country. Of course, I was lucky that my job had given me a nice, personal laptop so that I could work on it at home from time to time except, of course, the problem was my little 8 years old niece (whom I loved so much, by the way) also liked that laptop, and she also wanted to learn to work on a computer. I tried to dissuade her from using my laptop mainly because I never thought of myself as a “good teacher”. But, she was just too stubborn, and I was left with no other choice than to teach her.
So, the computer lesson began, and to my pleasant surprise, I found out that my niece was rather smart in learning basic things like turning on and off a computer, opening a particular software and composing documents. She even learned things like rearranging application windows, drawing pictures, and playing games after teaching her only a few times. I also taught her how to protect folders, do some basic maths, send emails and search for anything on the internet apart from giving her some ideas on what a computer is really capable of accomplishing.
Anyway, I felt really good and a bit proud of myself also as I managed to teach my little niece about some complex (supposed to be complex for a child, I thought) computer lessons without much effort and hassle. In fact, up until those computer lessons, I never thought that I could teach someone with such ease. Besides, it was after these computer lessons that I realized that we should never underestimate the abilities of children which I did previously.
Model Answer 2:
I have always believed that teaching a friend or family member is a rewarding experience, and it allows for the sharing of knowledge and the opportunity to help someone grow while also making the relationship stronger. One particular instance that stands out in my memory is when I taught my younger sister how to play the guitar. For this excellent topic, I would share that experience with you.
It happened a few years ago during the summer break when my sister expressed her interest in learning to play the guitar. As someone who has been playing the guitar for several years, I was excited to share my passion with her and help her get started on her musical journey.
We decided to have our lessons in the evenings after dinner, as it was a time when both of us were free from other commitments. I started by teaching her the basics, such as how to hold the guitar, the names of the strings, and some basic chords. I also introduced her to simple strumming patterns and basic music theory concepts.
At first, my sister found it challenging to coordinate her fingers and produce clear notes, but I encouraged her to practice regularly and assured her that it would get easier with time. As the weeks went by, I could see my sister making steady progress. Her fingers became more agile, and she started to play simple songs with confidence.
Teaching my sister was a fulfilling experience for me. Not only did it strengthen our bond as siblings, but it also allowed me to share something that I am passionate about with someone I care about. Seeing her progress and knowing that I played a part in her musical journey filled me with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Sample Answer 3:
I now realise how difficult it is to become a good teacher who is equally successful in teaching pupils and being their idol. For that dilemma, I always wanted to be in any profession except for teaching. However, life is full of surprises and when I was a sophomore at my university, I had to agree to teach one of my younger cousins, John, for his university admission.
I was terrified of the proposal while John was convinced he would be better prepared with my help. I would like to thank you for the time to let me share my experience of teaching my cousin.
I got admitted to one of the best engineering universities in our country and my major was civil engineering. After John completed his 12th grades, he wanted to get admitted to this very university and thought that I would be a great help. It was 2018 and I was in my third term then. The entrance exam is quite competitive and more than 60 students contest for a single seat.
John’s parents first approached me so that I help their son with his admission test preparation, but I humbly declined their request. However, when my cousin himself talked to me and expressed his belief about how I could make his dream come true, I could not say no to him.
For the next three months or so, I helped him with maths, physics and chemistry. I would say that teaching John was a magnificent experience and this changed my perspective towards the teaching profession. He was a talented and attentive learner and his success in the admission test gave me a sense of fulfilment.
Similar cue card/ candidate task card topics that you should be able to talk about if you can speak about the topic "Describe an experience of teaching your friend or family member":
1. Describe when you had to do something even though you did not want to.
2. Describe the experience of teaching something to someone.
3. Describe a recent success you have had.
4. Describe a time when you could not say no to someone you like.
5. Describe an event that changed your perspective about something.
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