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HomeIELTS SpeakingSpeaking Part 2Cue Card 2020 #16: Describe a difficult challenge that you completed/met

Cue Card 2020 #16: Describe a difficult challenge that you completed/met

You should say:

  • What was the challenge?
  • When and where did you complete/met it?
  • Why was it difficult?
  • How you felt about it?

Model Answer:

  • I think life would be very boring without challenges.
  • Challenges not only make life more exciting but also more meaningful.
  • Today I am going to talk about an assignment in school which challenged me.
  • The assignment was quite daunting for me, as it involved a group presentation.
  • And I am very afraid of public speaking.
  • I am very comfortable when talking with my friends but when I have to talk in front of strangers I choke.
  • And for that assignment, I had to talk 10 minutes on the environment.
  • I was really worried and so I went to my uncle who regularly gives speeches in public for advice.
  • He told me that the key to a good speech is mastery over the subject matter.
  • So, I spent one whole week memorizing the content.
  • The next thing he told me to do was to divide the topic in different sections.
  • I divided my presentation into five halves of 2 minutes each.
  • The first half was for introducing the topic and the last half for concluding the topic.
  • The remaining three halves were for the main content.
  • After breaking the speech into sections, I felt a lot more confident.
  • My friends also knew about my fear of public speaking and so every evening they used to come to my home and help me prepare.
  • Slowly, I started feeling that it was doable.
  • I was nervous but I wasn’t worried anymore.
  • When finally, the day of the presentation arrived, I not only gave the whole presentation but also received an A grade for it.
  • My teacher told me that I did a really good job and she actually asked me if I had prior experience of public speaking.
  • That is the day I realized that rather than fearing challenges we should welcome them.

Follow ups

  1. Do you think parents should give challenges to children?
    Yes, I really believe parents should regularly give challenges to their children. I think it makes children confident and better prepared for adult live, which is full of challenges.
  2. What is the most challenging thing for kids?
    I think there are many things which are challenging for kids and it’s hard to single out one. I would say making friends is challenging for some, public speaking is challenging for some and for some calculations in mathematics are very challenging. It varies from person to person.
  3. Can parents reduce the challenges kids have? How?
    I think they can, but they shouldn’t. If they try to reduce challenges, their child will not become independent. What parents should do I feel is to make children understand that challenges help us improve and we should not fear but face them head on.
  4. What challenges do you think children might have to face up to?
    I think the major challenge children today face is the challenge of making friends and fitting in. Besides that, I feel there is challenge of balancing academics with physical activity. There are a very few children who are able to excel at both physical education and academics nowadays.

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