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

Describe an important email you wrote to someone.

You should say:

• when it was
• whom you sent this email
• what it was about 

and explain why this email was so important.

[Instruction: 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:

Introduction:
Writing an important email is an essential skill that most of us use in our daily lives. Recently, I had to write an important email to my professor, Dr. Rachel, which was very important for my academic career.

When it was:
I wrote this email a few weeks ago when I was working on my research paper. I had some doubts and needed guidance from my professor to proceed further.

Whom you sent this email: 
I sent this email to my professor, Dr. Rachel, who is an experienced academician in the field of political science. She is known for her research work and has guided many students to excel in their respective fields.

What it was about:
In my email, I explained my doubts and requested her to provide me with some guidance to proceed with my research paper. I shared my progress so far and asked her for her valuable feedback on my work. I also asked her if she could spare some time for a one-on-one meeting to discuss my research paper in detail.

And explain why this email was so important:
This email was essential for me because I was stuck with my research paper, and I needed guidance from an expert to proceed further. Dr. Rachel's feedback was crucial for me to improve my work and make it more relevant. Her insights and suggestions helped me to see the research topic from different perspectives, which made my research paper more comprehensive and insightful. Additionally, her guidance helped me to boost my confidence and prepare for my final submission.

Model Answer 2:
I frequently write emails in order to communicate with my family, friends and relatives. Of course, most of these emails are [/were] pretty normal in terms of their contents and substances. But, today, I would like to talk about an email which I thought was very important.

I wrote it about 3 years ago when I was a final-year university student. At that time, one of my younger cousins also wanted to study at my university since it is one of the best and most prestigious universities in my country, especially, when it comes to studying engineering. But, the problem was that my poor cousin didn’t really meet the standard academic requirements at that time which would allow him to secure admission at my university. Of course, he was also quite aware of his rather “mediocre”, past academic performance, but he would still hope to get admission at that university because he was a good athlete.

In other words, he wanted to get admission in the “sports” quota even though I told him not to have such a high hope in securing that admission because, after all, the competition to study at my university was very high. But, I still held my hope and applied to the university, on behalf of my cousin, only to find out that he – my cousin that is – wasn’t after all eligible to study at my university. So, I just wrote him an email, later on, explaining to him as best and objectively as I possibly could. After all, I didn’t really want him to feel sad and heartbroken. 

Now, even though I wasn’t sure how he exactly reacted to my email, I was sure about one thing - it was an important email because it would motivate him (or “force” him, rather) to decide on his next course of actions, as far as his academic future is concerned. It was an important email also because it would encourage him to try even harder and become more competitive, in order to pursue his academic dream as well as his dream career.

Model Answer 3:

Introduction:
The email is definitely a marvellous invention and has revolutionalised the way we communicate. Its use is ubiquitous, and the modern world would cease to exist without this technology. To give an example, more than 400 billion (yes that's correct) emails are sent every day, and an average office worker receives more than 120 emails a day excluding spam emails. This topic reminds me of a very important email that I wrote to someone a couple of months ago. 

When it was:
This important email that I'm talking about was sent by me in mid-October, six months ago - to be exact. After much consideration, I started writing this email at around 11:00 at night and it took me no less than an hour to finish writing it and then hit the "send" button. 

Whom you sent this email:
I wrote this email to my younger sister - Bella, who was struggling to decide whether to pursue her higher education in our homeland or take the opportunity that she has been offered at a prestigious UK university. 

What it was about:
Before telling you what it was about, I think I should first explain why I wrote this email instead of talking to her in person. Well, the first reason was that I was living in a faraway city from our hometown at that time, and the second reason was that I thought writing to her would allow me to express my thoughts and opinions in a more organised manner. Well, I wrote to pursued her to take the opportunity to complete her higher education in the UK and not to worry about our parents at all. I also assured her that as soon as she moves to the UK for her education, I'd move to our hometown to stay with our parents. 

And explain why this email was so important:
I think it was an important email because it helped me unload some of my burning thoughts about my plans, my parents and my younger sister's academic career. I was already hesitant about whether to live close to my parents or continue a job in a distant city. When my sister was indecisive about her plans, I helped her take the best course of action for her future while also taking on some responsibilities for my family.

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