Describe a time when you were surprised to meet a friend IELTS cue card

IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card

Describe a time when you were surprised to meet a friend.

You should say:
Where it was?
Who you met?
When was it?
Why were you surprised?

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 time when you were surprised to meet a friend IELTS cue card:

Model Answer 1:

Introduction: 
Well, the world is so small, and it is not surprising that sometimes we meet others unexpectedly. 

Where it was?
I have quite a few experiences, and at this very moment, I would like to share my recent experience of being at a shopping mall, where I came across my old school days friend. 

Who you met? and When was it? 
Actually, last Sunday I was at a shopping mall to do a bit of shopping. When I was at a store of the sports shoe brand Nike, I heard a familiar voice, I turned around, and to my surprise, he was my old days’ friend Karan. I called him and he too immediately recognized me. 

Why were you surprised? 
We both got surprised to see each other, and we were happy at the same time to meet after such a long period of time. We gave a tight hug to each other, and at this point, we decided to spend some. together. We went to a cafeteria to sit and had a cup of coffee together with some snacks. 

Over the cups of coffee, we recalled the memories of our school days especially, the good time we had at school with our friends, playing games, making fun of our teachers, and making other mischiefs. Karan told me that how difficult it was for him to initially adjust in Canada. It took him a while but, after that, he made many friends there, and now he loves Canada. 

In fact, he also suggested me to take the IELTS exam and move to Canada for my further study as Canadian Institutes are recognized all over the world for quality education. Now it was the time to say good bye but, before that, we clicked few photographs to keep the memories of this surprise meet and also shared on social media account surprise surprise our other friends as well. 

Conclusion: 
I also shared my personal contact with my friend so that we could remain in touch afterward as well. Overall, it was a time when I unexpectedly or surprisingly met my friend and together we had a lot of fun. 

Model Answer 2:

Introduction

• I have very few friends, and we are very close to each other.
• So, it is not often I get surprised.

Where it was? and When was it? and Who you met?

• However, last year, I got a big surprise when I met one of my friends in Chandigarh at Rose Garden.
• I went to Rose Garden with my family last summer.
• We were all sitting on a mat, which we had laid out on the grass, and were enjoying a picnic lunch.
• Suddenly, I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder.
• I turned around, and I was surprised to see one of my closest friends Siddharth.

Why were you surprised?

• I knew he was in also in Chandigarh, but I never expected to see him at Rose Garden.
• He told me that he came to know my whereabouts through the photos which I had uploaded on Instagram. • He was doing some shopping at a mall very close to Rose Garden.
• So, he decided to surprise me.
• He called my sister to find out where exactly we were in Rose Garden.
• So, actually, everyone else knew he was coming, except me.
• It was a big surprise for me.
• My sister also photographed my reaction when I turned around to see him.
• After the big shock, he also joined us for the picnic.
• Then, I spent some time at the mall with him.
• Not surprisingly, we could only do window shopping.

Conclusion

• He still sometimes brings it up by saying that remember the time I surprised you at Rose Garden.
• I am looking for an opportunity to surprise him like he surprised me.
• But he is expecting it, so it would be very hard to do so.

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 time when you were surprised to meet a friend”.

1. Why do friends meet up?
I think there are various reasons. The first is to just spend some time together because for most people doing things together is more fun than doing things alone. Secondly, I think it is just to talk, share, and get advice on matters and so on.

2. Are there any meetings that people need to plan in advance?
Yes, there are many meetings that people plan in advance like a doctor’s appointment. In case of friends also, it is better to take an appointment because the other person might be busy with work.

3. Are there any jobs related to unexpected things?
I think there are companies that help people plan surprise parties. So that may be a job related to unexpected things. I can’t think of anything else besides that at the moment. In research also, many findings have been unexpected – gravity, for example.

4. Do unexpected things lead to progress on our society?
Yes, for sure. Like I said before, scientific discoveries happen by chance. The biggest discovery I can think of was of the microwave. It was discovered by the scientists while working on something completely unrelated, and now we can’t imagine a kitchen without a microwave.

Some useful vocabulary

whereabouts
Meaning: the place where someone or something is.
Example: He told me that he came to know my whereabouts through the photos which I had uploaded on Instagram

Some cue-cards you may like :

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• Describe an occasion when you wasted your time
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Credits :

Image : “Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash”