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

Describe a place where you like to go to often.

You should say:

• where the place is
• how you get there
• what it looks like

and explain why you like this place and often go there.

Model Answer 1:

I like to go to many different places depending on my mood. Today, however, I’m going to tell you about a special place near to where I live. I will explain where it is and how I get there. I will try and describe what it looks like and explain why I like the location so much.

I am lucky, although I live in a city, from my house I can walk to the edges of the Peak District, which is a beautiful national park just a few miles from the city centre. To get to the national park I have to walk from my house down some local roads, and up a steep hill past some allotments. After about a mile or so striding out away from the urban areas, I get to a lovely bit of woodland which has a public footpath you can follow onwards and upwards. It can be a bit of a scramble towards the end of the path as it is very steep indeed, but eventually, you leave the woodland and are on the edge of open farmland. Another footpath crosses some sheep-filled fields, and finally, you are on the moors of the Peak District. It is really spectacular.

The Peak District can be a really wild place, with its vast expanses of open moorland. You are high up, and it is quite exposed so it can be very windy and cold even in the summer. There are rocky outcrops and strange configurations of stones that have been weathered by centuries of wind and rain to create dramatic shapes. Some boulders are in piles, and there are steep vertical cliffs too. The area attracts lots of people who like walking, climbing and bouldering because of its unique and beautiful landscape. Everywhere is dark wet peat underfoot and lots of heathers. This is a low growing plant that flowers at the end of the summer turning the whole landscape purple. The park covers a huge area, I think around 555 square miles, so the terrain differs from area to area, of course, I am biased, but I believe I live near the most remarkably beautiful part.

I love this place because if ever I am feeling down, or a bit enclosed, in just an hours walk I can find myself in a deserted but picturesque place, where the elements are more extreme. In winter rain and wind can batter you, but in summer the sky seems to go on forever. Every day is different up there, and every hour of every day too. The area is so huge, that often you can have it all to yourself, of course, there are other walkers about, but you can quickly disappear in the vastness of the space. The people who live in Sheffield, like me, are very proud that we are so near to the Peak District National Park, and it is no surprise it became the United Kingdom's first national park on 17 April 1951. A birthday that should be celebrated I think!

[ Written by - Lucy Marris: Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam) ]

Model Answer 2:

I am not really a very outgoing person. Therefore, I don’t exactly like to go to many places, unless I have a very valid reason to do so, especially, if I have to travel to a distant place. However, one distant place, which I really like to visit often, is my grandparent’s house.

Now, I don’t really know many people who dislike going to their grandparent’s house, but I think that I like it a bit more than most others because I grew up there. As I have just mentioned, my grandparent’s house is a long-distance trip from where I live. In fact, I need to travel about 12/14 hours by train, but a bit longer if I travel by bus. But, whether I travel by bus or train, the excitement is the same, especially, as soon as, I leave the city vicinity, in which, I live.

Anyway, my grandparents live in beautiful countryside which is not even remotely as crowded as the city, in which, I live. Like many other countrysides, it also has many beautiful trees and a number of big green valleys. The place also has a lot of fertile farmlands where the farmers cultivate and grow different kinds of crops throughout the year. If anyone roams around my grandparent’s place, he or she will get to see some beautiful ponds and lakes, from which, water is being channelled through the drain in order to irrigate the farmlands around them. By the way, there aren’t many paved streets at my grandparent’s place, but it is modern enough to have many shops and retail stores in it, from where people can buy different kinds of things to meet their daily needs.

Anyway, I like my grandparent’s place and often visit there because it is very peaceful and quiet. Besides, the natural love and compassion of my relatives there are just too good to miss. The natural beauty of this place, along with the clear view of its blue sky without getting blocked by some high rising buildings, is also something that keeps drawing me close to my grandparent’s place. 

Sample Answer 3:

I like to visit my hometown more than visiting any other place. After I finished school, I came to the capital of your country and did my graduation here. Later on, I have started my job and since then have been staying here. Whenever I get vacations, I plan to visit my hometown.

To go there, I need to purchase advance bus ticket 2-3 days prior to the departure. I mostly go there by bus. Alternatively, I can go to my hometown on a train. The bus journey takes around 4-5 hours and the train journey takes 1-2 hours more than the bus journey. After reaching our hometown station, I usually pick a shared taxi that drops me near my home.

My hometown is a small urban area which is full of beauty and wonder. Green trees, fresh air and serene environment make it an ideal place to live in. My hometown is just beside a river and has less density of population than the capital city. The houses and shopping centres are not cramped and have their own urban charms. My hometown is a special place for me as I have spent my childhood there. There are three tourist attractions are there and the place is renowned for traditional foods and customs. Roads are clean and people are educated there. Anyone who visits this place will find it attractive.

Tips for answering this cue card topic:

This cue card topic gives you a wide range of things that you can talk about. For example, you can talk about your hometown, grandparent’s house, a city you like, a movie theatre, a shopping mall, a place near the sea, amusement park etc. Since this cue card topic is about a place you like to go, you should first mention the place and the things of attraction there. Then mention how frequently you go there, what you do there, who is there, how this is a special place for you and your reason for liking this place.

If you pick a town or city where you lived or where your relatives still live, mention the place as well as the people there as you mainly go there to meet them and in this circumstance, the people are more important to you than the place itself.

If you mention a place like the shopping mall, movie theatre, recreational place, sports zone etc. mention the activity offered there and the kind of things you do there.

Finally, mention why this place is important to you. Is it because you enjoy staying there or the people who live there are the persons you care about. Good and convincing finishing is required for the final question ‘why you like this place’ and you should add all the convincing reasons you have for liking this particular place.

 Similar Cue card topics:

1.  Describe a place you often go to.
2.  Describe your hometown.
3.  Describe a place you would like to live in.
4.  Describe a recreation place you visited.
5.  Describe one of your favourite places.
6.  Describe a city you really like to visit.
 

• IELTS Cue Card
• IELTS Speaking
• Candidate Task Card

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