Describe a skill that was difficult for you to learn.
You should say When you learned it? Why you learned it? How you learned it? How you felt when you learned it?
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 skill that was difficult for you to learn IELTS cue card:
Model Answer 1:
Introduction: Well, some skills are quite essential to learn but can be quite difficult to acquire. Today I am going to talk about one such skill is driving, which I learned but found very difficult.
When you learned it? and Why you learned it? Actually, I had a great deal of fear on my mind towards driving. So that I could gain confidence, my father got me enrolled at a driving school. Mr. Singh was my driving instructor who was quite confident, friendly, and soft-spoken.
How you learned it? On my first day, he helped me to gain control over the steering. Though we were driving on the ground with no vehicle around, I was still scared and trembling, but my instructor motivated me to boost my confidence.
How you felt when you learned it? Once I got on the highway, Frankly speaking, every time a truck was coming from the other side, I was getting off the road in fear. This time my trainer got a little angry t! with me and said, you must keep the courage if you want to learn this skill.
Slowly and steadily, I got more and more comfortable with driving on the road in different conditions. I was feeling like that I have learnt to drive but then the most challenging part came which was to drive in the city centre the area with heavy traffic.
I got goosebumps to drive in this busy area. The car was hardly moving because of traffic, and my engine was going off again and again, but I kept the courage this time. Though I had a minor accident with an auto-rickshaw.
Conclusion: I learned a lot from my mistakes and the experience of Mr. Singh, and today, I can confidently drive a car, but it was not an easy skill to acquire for me.
Model Answer 2:
Introduction:
When I was young, my parents planned a vacation for Goa, a state famous for its picturesque beaches.
I was very excited to visit Goa and spend some time at the beach, as I had never visited one before.
When you learned it? and Why you learned it?
My parents also told me that they would allow me to Goa, only if I learnt swimming first.
However, I had a terrible time learning swimming.
Firstly, since my childhood, I have had a big fear of water.
I wanted to visit the beaches, but I was not planning on entering the water.
In fact, that’s the reason my dad planned the whole trip- he wanted me to get over my fear.
How you learned it?
Secondly, there was only one swimming pool in my city at that time.
And the swimming instructor there was strict and rude.
I knew I would get shouted at because I would be slow at learning.
So, I used to skip the swimming lessons without telling my parents.
I used to go play table tennis with my friends instead of going to the pool.
Then, one day my dad accompanied me to the pool to check on my progress.
My father saw that I hadn’t made any progress.
He got angry and told me that either I learned swimming or would cancel the whole trip.
After that day, I became serious about it.
It wasn’t easy, and on the first two to three days, I barely entered the water once.
But when the instructor came to know about my water phobia, he was really patient with me.
He let me learn it at my own pace.
He also allowed me to use the tube to float, even though he forbids everyone else from using it.
Slowly, as I got comfortable, he told me how to use my legs to stay afloat instead of the tube.
I don’t remember much, as it was quite some time ago, but I do remember it took me more than 3 months to learn swimming, while on average, people pick it up within 2-3 weeks.
How you felt when you learned it?
After learning, I felt amazing.
I hadn’t just learnt swimming; I had also conquered my fear of water.
Conclusion:
My parents were also very proud of me.
And because I learnt swimming, I had an amazing time in Goa.
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 skill that was difficult for you to learn”.
1. What skills do students need to master? Academically speaking, I think students need to master skills like reading, math, and speaking. Non academically, I think skills like cooking, money management, driving, and so on are skills that every student should possess. Also, in today’s world, everyone should try to have computer skills.
2. Is it hard for students to learn new skills? On the contrary, I feel it is easier for them to pick up new skills as they are young, and their minds can pick up and retain things better. That is why children are encouraged to learn many things like driving, swimming, foreign languages at a young age.
3. Is it hard for old people to learn new skills? I wouldn’t say it is hard for them either. But it is not as easy as it is for children or kids to pick up new things. Old people might not be able to remember things, so they might need to do things repeatedly for them to pick up on skills.
4. Is a good teacher very important for students learning experience? Why? Yes, absolutely. Teachers are not only responsible for teaching but also ensuring that children are motivated to learn things. Moreover, nowadays, children are very impatient and lose focus easily. If the teacher is not able to grab and hold on to their attention, he would not be able to teach anything.
Describe a skill that was difficult for you to learn IELTS cue card
Introduction: Well, some skills are quite essential to learn but can be quite difficult to acquire. Today I am going to talk about one such skill is driving, which I learned but found very difficult. When you learned it? and Why you learned it? Actually, I had a great deal of fear on my mind towards driving. So that I could gain confidence, my father got me enrolled at a driving school. Mr. Singh was my driving instructor who was quite confident, friendly, and soft-spoken. How you learned it? On my first day, he helped me to gain control over the steering. Though we were driving on the ground with no vehicle around, I was still scared and trembling, but my instructor motivated me to boost my confidence. How you felt when you learned it? Once I got on the highway, Frankly speaking, every time a truck was coming from the other side, I was getting off the road in fear. This time my trainer got a little angry t! with me and said, you must keep the courage if you want to learn this skill. Slowly and steadily, I got more and more comfortable with driving on the road in different conditions. I was feeling like that I have learnt to drive but then the most challenging part came which was to drive in the city centre the area with heavy traffic. I got goosebumps to drive in this busy area. The car was hardly moving because of traffic, and my engine was going off again and again, but I kept the courage this time. Though I had a minor accident with an auto-rickshaw. Conclusion: I learned a lot from my mistakes and the experience of Mr. Singh, and today, I can confidently drive a car, but it was not an easy skill to acquire for me.
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