Item IELTS Speaking Part 2 Cue Card Questions with Answers

1. What it is?
   My country India is known for its rich traditions and cultures, and today I am going to talk about an Indian classical musical instrument called the sarangi. This instrument dates to the Mughal era, and can often be heard in the Indian desert state of Rajasthan.
2. How it is made?
   The sarangi is a string instrument that is played with a bow made of horsehair. The main body is carved from a single piece of cedarwood, and if I remember correctly, camel or buffalo bone is used for the neck of the instrument. An original sarangi costs around 1,20,000 Indian rupees however street vendors sell cheaper versions for a few thousand rupees.
3. When you first encountered it?
   The first time I heard it was in the Golden Fort in Jaisalmer over a decade ago. A group of gypsies was passing by my guesthouse and I suddenly heard this dirge outside the windows. It sounded like someone mourning or wailing, but in a beautiful way. I was astonished to see this rustic instrument. My local friend told me it was called a sarangi. I asked the gypsies if they’d be willing to be recorded on video because I wanted to save the moment for posterity. And I did! I still have that video clip – a sarangi playing against the backdrop of a vast, golden desert.
4. And explain why you like it or dislike it?
   Oh, there’s nothing to dislike about this fantastical instrument! I love it because the sound takes me to another time and place when life was simpler. I often listen to fusion music where the sound of the sarangi is prominent. Shubha Mudgal is one of my favorite artists who uses the sarangi often in her songs. She has a raspy, guttural voice which goes so well with this moody instrument.

1. When this happened?
   In my life, I’ve had to wait for a lot of things but this time I am going to talk about a time when I waited for my Dad to return from Singapore. This was when I was 5 years old, and living with my family in Mumbai. Papa used to travel quite often to Singapore on work, and his flight back to Mumbai always landed in the dead of the night. So, the 5-year-old me actually kept vigil until three am!
2. What you waited for?
   I knew that he was going to get me a Lego playset, and I had asked him to get me a castle with knights in armor, horses, and fortresses. I had seen it in a brochure so I knew this design was available. I strictly warned him not to bring me a doll set or tea cups, I would simply throw them away. I wondered if he would keep his word and get me that LEGO castle set.
3. Why it was special?
   It was special because I loved staying awake all night, my heart pounding and waiting for the bell to ring. Those were life’s little pleasures when there were no mobile phones, not even a landline at our home. I heard the sound of the taxi dropping him off, and my mother and I rushed down to help him carry his suitcases. Once in the hall, I ravaged through his bags and saw the massive LEGO castle set. There were four little men with helmets, a white horse, and even a crane and water mill!
4. And Describe your feelings while waiting
   I was wide awake that night right until 3 am and kept looking out of the window. Everytime a plane flew in the sky, I would imagine it was Papa’s plane. My mother asked me to get to bed at once, and said I could wake up in the morning and check out my gifts but I would have none of it! I was a stubborn kid, and just continued to sit at the window. I miss my father so much today as he is no more and will always cherish these moments spent waiting for him. It was not just the LEGO that I waited for, it was him too.

1. What it was?
   I bought myself a TV when I arrived in London. It is quite compact, only about 25 inches across. It has a black finish and looks quite sleek on the wall in my dorm.
2. When and where you bought it?
   I bought it a few days after I moved to London. I was shopping in Oxford Street when I saw a sale on in the big electronics store whilst I was looking for some headphones. I asked the assistant if he could give me a demonstration and he was happy to do that.
3. and explain why you bought it.
   I had bought a few things from home to make my room a little more comfortable and homely but I soon realised I might get a bit bored without a TV. Most of the other students have their own TV which makes sense when you want a bit of privacy or want to watch something different. I hadn’t planned to buy one so I only had a small budget. Fortunately, due to the sale and the discount, the TV was a bargain and I picked it up for about £200 but for me that is still really expensive. It has been a godsend, I watch Netflix series and music channels so I never get bored.

I am going to talk about the time I bought an iPad. An iPad is the latest gadget from Apple, I had wanted one for a while as it would really help me with my school work. In addition, you can use it to send emails, watch videos and use social media. I had been saving money for the best part of a year when it was my birthday and I was able to really top up my savings. I was over the moon!

Not long after my birthday, I went to the shopping centre so that I could look at the latest models and compare the functions. I spent ages trying them out and decided on one particular style and colour. I paid about £250 in total for it, that included a 2-year guarantee. When I got home from the shopping trip, I had to wait while the iPad charged up and then I turned it on and started using it.

Looking back now, it has really helped me to be more independent and get on with my studying without needing to use the family laptop. In my spare time, I enjoy using the iPad for internet shopping, online gaming and using internet search engines for homework research. I think the device was good value for money as I use it every day and it is completely portable as it is small and light.

1. When and where did it happen?
   I am going to talk about a bracelet I bought at a flea market two years ago, in Strasbourg, France.
2. Who did you go with?
   I was there visiting one of my closest friends, Gina, and we went to the market together. The weather was supposed to be rainy, but it ended up being a very beautiful sunny day. It was therefore an impromptu visit to the market, and we were very grateful we had gone there, as we made great memories that day.
3. What did you buy?
   There were myriad of stalls that sold all kinds of goods, such as lamps, gardening decorations, flowers, kitchen items, candles, jewellery, and more. One stall in particular, however, caught our eyes. There were beautiful bracelets and necklaces made out of recycled and natural materials. We could choose the beads we wanted one by one to make our own custom bracelet, and that definitely was our cup of tea. We have an appreciation for sustainable merchandise, and those bracelets seemed like the perfect souvenir for us. We designed bracelets for each other, and when we put them on, we decided to keep wearing them indefinitely, so that we never lost sight of how meaningful our friendship truly was.
4. and how did you feel about it later?
   We were so excited about those bracelets when we purchased them. A few days after that, we had an even deeper appreciation of those bracelets. It reinforced our belief that it was definitely the right call to purchase those. To this day, I look at those bracelets and I am reminded of how fortunate I am to have Gina for a friend.

1. What piece of furniture is it?
   I am going to talk about a piece of furniture in my flat. It is my dresser and my favourite piece of furniture, because it is the very first piece I bought.
2. Where is it located?
   It is located in the living room area of my flat. It is a multi-purpose piece I used on a daily basis. It is situated right by the living room’s door.
3. What does it look like?
   It is a dresser with four large drawers, and six smaller ones on the right-hand side. It’s a wooden dresser I purchased at an antique store, so it looks quite old. I personally love that kind of look for furniture, and I enjoy the dresser’s texture. If you run fingers on it, you can feel etches which give it so much personality. If this dresser could talk! The handles on each of the drawers is a different colour. This actually helps with categorising items and remembering where they are.
4. And what do you use it for?
   I use this dresser for so many purposes. Before I purchased it, I had many storage issues, and I used to get bent out of shape because of that. In one of the big drawers, I like to place blankets for colder days. I put and chargers or cables in one of the small drawers. In another one of those, I store stationery. Other drawers are for notebooks and journals. The flat surface is used for displaying and pictures of collectibles I have. I placed a cloth on the surface to keep the items more stable and to add some colour to it.

1. What type of bag is it you want?
   I am going to talk about a type of bag I have been meaning to buy for quite sometime. It comes in different colours, and there was one beautiful pastel blue backpack, which I would have loved to own. Unfortunately, I had missed the boat on that one, as it was discontinued. I do, however, love all of the designs to pieces, and would love to own just about any bag from that brand.
2. Where would you buy it from?
   The brand is Cath Kidston. It is very popular here in the United Kingdom, and the quality is excellent. It would be an absolute dream to go to a Cath Kidston shop in person and pick out a bag there. I feel my excitement would be on another level.
3. How pricy will it be?
   The prices are not as high as other brands, but for someone in my financial situation that would mean living beyond my means. Perhaps someday, when I earn a better salary, I will feel more comfortable purchasing one.
4. And why do you want to own this bag?
   I am not usually one to follow the crowd, but for some reason, the designs on those bags are very appealing to me. They are very simple yet colourful and bursting with personality, the choices of colour schemes are incredible and extremely organic. I sincerely enjoy their designs and I also think it’s nice to treat yourself every once in a while. I am very accustomed to only spending on practical items, rather than on expensive or trendy ones. When I am tempted to buy an expensive product, I usually wait and see if I think about it later. If I do, it proves I truly want it, and if I don’t, then I’ve saved myself some money!

1. What item was it?
   I am going to talk about a lost item I found and was able to return to its owner. It was a brown leather wallet, with an embroidered red flower in the middle.
2. Where and how did you find the item?
   I was in the park, having a picnic with some friends. We had found a quiet spot under the shade of a beautiful, large tree. When we finished, I helped my friends pack up. I looked around to ensure nothing was left behind, and, from behind the tree I spotted the wallet. I wasn’t sure what it was at first, so I approached it to take a closer look at it. It was almost hidden in the grass, so it was lucky I had found it!
3. What did you do when you found it?
   I knew that I had to try and return it to its owner. I decided to open the wallet and look for a piece of identification, like a driver’s licence. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any. I did find some cash and a few receipts. I decided to take a shot in the dark and look for the most recent receipt I could find, so I could return the wallet to the latest business that person had been to. I finally found one from a coffee shop! I looked up the address on my phone, and we started to make our way there. We were worried we were too late by the time we made it there, however, as luck would have it, the next person to walk into the coffee shop was the owner! He was out of breath as he approached the cashier and inquired about his wallet. We joined the conversation and confirmed his description of the wallet matched what we had. He was beyond grateful when we returned it to him, and he treated us all to coffee!

1. What it was?
   I bought a pair of high heeled shoes, golden colour, made of very small sequins. They look glamorous and attractive, but wearing them for more than ten minutes made my feet swollen and it was even worse if I stood for more than five minutes while wearning them.
2. When and where you bought it?
   I bought them roughly fifteen years ago, on a sale while I was on holidays. They looked beautiful and their price was a real bargain. I had always dreamt of having a similar pair and they were worth the money, so I purchased them with every intention of wearing them.
3. Why you never used it?
   Unfortunately, only after the purchase, I realised that their golden colour didn’t go well with casual clothes so they are difficult to match with everyday attires. Being high heeled also made them very uncomfortable for daily use. Last, but not least, the sequins are handmade sewed, they are fragile and can deteriorate if the shoes are worn too much. I lost interest in them after a few days since I couldn’t use them on any occasion.
4. And what you did with it?
   Initially, I had kept them in my wardrobe, waiting for a special occasion to wear them. However, after I while, I packed them back in the original box and placed them in the storage room of my house. May be in the future, I will put them Facebook Marketplace on sale.