Describe an old object which your family has kept for a long time

IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card

Describe an old object which your family has kept for a long time.

You should say
What the object is?
Where your family got it from?
How long it has been in your family?

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 an old object which your family has kept for a long time with IELTS cue card:

Model Answer 1:

Introduction:

It is a prevalent tradition to preserve things that belong to forefathers as their remembrance and shows respect. Certain items such as furniture, jewelry, vehicles, and others kept for this purpose here I would talk about a piece of jewelry that our family is keeping.

Where your family got it from? and How long has it been in your family? 

It is a precious gold necklace that my mother received from my grandmother, which belongs to my great grandmother. It is a ritual in our family that mother-in-law gifts the chain as a part of the legacy to their daughter-in-Law. One day my mother will also forward it to my daughter-in-law. As I said, it is a gold necklace it is quite expensive. It has a unique antique design, and such kind of chains are extremely rare because of hand carving. Along with gold, there are white pearls and rectangle rubies, which makes it even more attractive.

My mother takes great care of this necklace, keeps it safe, and wears it only on extraordinary occasions. She always receives excellent compliments whenever she wears it.

Conclusion
.
We had photographs of my great grandmother, grandmother, and my mother wearing the same necklace. It is undoubtedly precious because of gold, but it is even more precious because of the emotion attached to it. I hope my family will preserve this precious ornament for the generation to come.

Model Answer 2:

Introduction:

  • Well, there are many things in our house that we use for different purposes. Some of these things are new, and some are old. 
  • Today, I will talk about an old object that my family has kept for a long time, and that is “spinning wheel”. 

Where your family got it from?

  • It is my grand mother’s spinning wheel. Her mother gave it to her on her marriage. 
  • She used to spin it two to three hours daily and used the thread that was made from fibres to make clothes. 
  • Unfortunately, she died five years ago, but my mother keeps it very safely. 
  • It is a wooden spinning wheel. Its colour is dark brown with white flowers on it. There is one thread on the wheel that connects it to another part. 

How long has it been in your family? 

  • It is about 50 years old. We buy many new things, but no one can replace it. 
  • It still increases the beauty of the living room. 
  • When we lived in a village, it was placed in grandmother’s room, but ten years ago we moved to the city from the village, and my mother specially made a glass and wood box from a carpenter in the living room and placed the spinning wheel in it, so that everyone can see it. 

Conclusion

  • It is very close to my family, and it would be a great honour for my family and me if we keep it at home for the rest of our life. 

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 an old object which your family has kept for a long time”.

1. Which do you think are better, old things or new things?
Well, it is very difficult to answer this question. In some ways old things are better, such as jewelry of the old times has better designs, some of which cannot be replicated now. As far as the technological gadgets are concerned, new things are far better than the old ones.

2. As well as family photographs, what are some other things that people keep in their family for a long time?
Apart from family photographs, some people keep the old jewelry for a long time. Some people like to collect old coins, a hobby called numismatics.

3. In your culture, what sorts of things do people often pass down from generation to generation? (Why?)
In my culture people pass down Jewellery from generation to generation. Some articles of clothing are also passed from generation to generation. For example, I have a stole, which has a traditional Punjabi embroidery done by my great grandmother. Now I take this stole on special functions in the family and every time I receive compliments.

4. Why do you think people keep these things?
People keep these things as memories of the past. These things also symbolize our traditions and culture. They hold nostalgic memories of the past.

5. What are the benefits (= what is the value/what is the importance) of keeping some old things in the family?
Old things are invaluable. Their worth cannot be calculated. They bring back nostalgic memories of past. They make us re-live those times.

6. Do you think it’s good to recall the past?
Yes, I think it is good to recall the past. That is way digging into the family history has become a very popular pastime. However, it should not become an obsession. One should not go out of the way, and waste a lot of money on searching for the past.

Some cue-cards you may like :

Credits :

Image : Photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash

Our Editorial Staff at IELTS Rewind provides exclusive tips, tricks, and IELTS material to help enhance your band score. They are an integral part of our team, dedicated to your IELTS success.


Leave a Comment

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp