You should say What the decision was? When you made the decision? How long did it take you to make the decision? And explain why it was a difficult decision to make?
Note: 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 Answers and follow up questions to describe a difficult decision that you once made IELTS cue card:
Model Answer 1:
Introduction: Well, taking decisions is part of our routine life and we take many minor as well as major decisions during our lifetime.
What the decision was? Here I am going to talk about a decision that was not an easy one for me to take and it was the decision of the choice of stream of study after completing 10th class.
When you made the decision? I vividly remember when I completed the 10th class I had to choose one field for my higher study.
Explain why it was a difficult decision to make? My inclination was towards the commerce stream because I wanted to study business but my parents were compelling me to join the non-medical stream.
They had their own justification because they knew about the opportunities and prospects in the field of non-medical but rather than going against my parents’ decision, I decided to do a bit of research before I took my final decision.
I checked out some blogs where students had shared their experiences about their decisions related to their higher studies and their consequences. However, from that information, I was not in a position to draw any conclusion.
At this time, I approached my school teacher, she had taught me for more than 10 years and she was well aware of my capabilities, strengths and weaknesses. She too recommended me to go for business studies as I can do well in it.
In fact, a few of my friends are already in Canada for their higher studies and they too made me realize the potential of business studies. If in case I decide to move to Canada in future.
She consulted and convinced my parents to let me join commerce because it is very difficult to perform well in academics without interest.
Conclusion: Finally, my parents agreed and I took this difficult decision but overall it was the time when I took a lot of time to take a decision.
Model Answer 2:
Introduction:
I think each decision is difficult in its own way because we gain something and lose something when we make any decision.
And in today’s world, I think making decisions is all the more difficult because of the increasing number of choices.
One of the most crucial and difficult decisions of my life was when I had to decide which stream to opt for during my senior secondary education.
What was the decision? and When you made the decision?
I made the decision around three years ago after graduating from high school.
How long did it take you to make the decision?
It took me nearly one month to make the decision.
And explain why it was a difficult decision to make?
I was confused because I didn’t know what each stream entailed.
During childhood, I never had a fixed dream job like others.
Somedays, I wanted to become a doctor, then there was a phase I wanted to become an astronaut.
There was also a time; I wanted to become an actor.
Some of my close friends were taking non-medical.
So, I was also afraid that if I opted for some other stream, I would lose my friends.
Every person I asked for advice gave me a different perspective.
That was also a mistake I made; I asked too many people.
Now, when I ask for advice, I only ask a few of my friends and my parents.
Ultimately, my parents helped me make the decision.
They asked me to take a 2-day exam, which tested my aptitude for different fields.
After the test, they told me that I should consider only two things, my gut feeling and the results of the test.
I should ignore everyone else’s advice, and after making the decision, I should not regret the decision.
Conclusion:
Ultimately, I opted for commerce, and I am really glad that I made that choice.
IELTS Speaking Part 3 : Follow up Questions
Here some examples of follow up questions that you may asked during your speaking part 3 by examiner related to cue card “describe a difficult decision that you once made”.
1. What decisions do people generally make in their daily life? We are always making decisions in our life. People make decisions about small things like what to eat, what to wear when to do something, and what to watch. Our whole life is nothing but the millions of decisions we take every day.
2. Which is easier, making a decision by oneself or making a decision after a group discussion? It is definitely easier to make a decision after a group discussion because we have the advantage of knowing different perspectives on the issue. However, I also believe that we should not get influenced by others and listen to our gut feelings when finally making decisions.
3. Why are many young people unwilling to listen to their parent’s advice? I think many young people think that their parent’s thinking might be outdated for today’s time. Also, in general, young people, by nature, have a problem listening to figures of authority.
4. Why do middle-aged people tend to second guess their decision? I think second-guessing has nothing to do with age. We all tend to second guess our decisions when it’s a difficult decision and when we are not confident about the decision. I think the best way to avoid second-guessing or rethinking the decision is to limit the choices and discuss it with close friends and family members.
Describe a difficult decision that you once made IELTS cue card
Introduction: Well, taking decisions is part of our routine life and we take many minor as well as major decisions during our lifetime. What the decision was? Here I am going to talk about a decision that was not an easy one for me to take and it was the decision of the choice of stream of study after completing 10th class. When you made the decision? I vividly remember when I completed the 10th class I had to choose one field for my higher study. Explain why it was a difficult decision to make? My inclination was towards the commerce stream because I wanted to study business but my parents were compelling me to join the non-medical stream. They had their own justification because they knew about the opportunities and prospects in the field of non-medical but rather than going against my parents’ decision, I decided to do a bit of research before I took my final decision. I checked out some blogs where students had shared their experiences about their decisions related to their higher studies and their consequences. However, from that information, I was not in a position to draw any conclusion. At this time, I approached my school teacher, she had taught me for more than 10 years and she was well aware of my capabilities, strengths and weaknesses. She too recommended me to go for business studies as I can do well in it. In fact, a few of my friends are already in Canada for their higher studies and they too made me realize the potential of business studies. If in case I decide to move to Canada in future. She consulted and convinced my parents to let me join commerce because it is very difficult to perform well in academics without interest. Conclusion: Finally, my parents agreed and I took this difficult decision but overall it was the time when I took a lot of time to take a decision.
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