Cue Card 2020 #5: Describe a person who has apologized to you

You should say:

• Who this person is?
• When this happened?
• What this person said for apologizing?
• Explain how you felt about the apology?

Model Answer:

• Knowingly or unknowingly we all do some wrong things in life for which we feel sorry within ourselves.
• Sometimes we hurt another person or someone else hurts our feelings.
• Whenever I realize my mistake, I don’t hesitate to feel sorry immediately.
• Here, I would like to talk about my friend, Rohan, who apologized to me for spilling ink on my assignment.
• Rohan is my best friend.
• He is 20 years old and he is not tall, but looks very handsome.
• He has dark curly hair and a dimple on his cheek, which looks very nice when he smiles.
• It so happened, that two days before our pre-board exams of +2, we had to submit our physics assignment.
• We both had prepared our assignments with great effort and were very happy with the end result.
• Rohan had bought a new ink-pen, and was trying to write his name on the cover page of the assignment.
• But, there was some problem with the pen.
• In an effort to start writing with the pen, he shook it hard and the whole ink fell on my assignment, which was also lying there.
• I was on the verge of tears.
• All my hard work was wasted.
• He also felt bad and said sorry to me.
• I could see from his face expressions that he was really sorry.
• But, my heart was sinking.
• I knew it was not his fault, so I forgave him.
• But I also knew that I would have to write my assignment all over again.
• Rohan stayed up with me the whole night and helped me in preparing my assignment all over again.
• It would not have been possible without his help.
• The next day we both submitted our assignments and got very good grades from our teacher.
• Saying sorry cannot undo the harm, but it can definitely make you feel less bad about things.
• My friend tried to cover up for his mistake by first saying sorry and then helping me.
• Even today we are the best of friends.

Follow ups

1. Is it important to say sorry?
   Yes, it is important to say sorry, because it makes you feel less guilty and you can tell the other person that you realize your mistake and would not do such a thing in the future.
2. In what situations do people say sorry?
   People say sorry when they do something wrong knowingly or unknowingly, and when they realize their mistake. They also say sorry when they want to clear any misunderstanding with their friend or family member.
3. Why do some people hate to say sorry?
   Some people hate to say sorry because they have an ego and they think that they would be belittled if they say sorry. Sometimes they don’t realize their mistake. Sometimes they think that the other person is at fault and he should say sorry.
4. In what situations should we apologize immediately?
   We should apologize immediately when we realize our mistake, or when we don’t want any misunderstanding to happen, or when we don’t want our friendship to be broken, or when we want our relationship with the other person to be even stronger. For example, in a crowded place, when we unintentionally bang into someone or when I forget to switch off my phone and it rings and disturbs the whole class, I don’t waste any time in saying sorry.
5. When do people say thank you?
   People say thank you when someone does something for them or gives them a gift or wishes them on festivals and special occasions. People thank other people for their help or service, for example, a waiter in a restaurant, to the attendants at the fuel pumps, etc.
6. When was the last time you found it hard to accept an apology?
   The last time I found it hard to accept an apology was when my 10 year-old cousin, damaged my laptop and I lost all my important documents. I was very dejected, but could not do anything about it. My cousin said sorry to me so many times, but I remember I did not talk to him properly for two weeks and I have never let him touch my things again.

Other Sample

Describe a person who has apologized to you

You should say:

• when it was
• who the person was
• why this person apologized
• and explain how you felt about it.

Band 8 Sample

Well I think that we all tend to make some mistakes in life now and then, sometimes intentionally, and sometimes unintentionally, but we usually regret them afterwards. I always try to apologize for what I do wrong, and of course, I expect the same from others.

So last month, my friend borrowed my car for the day and he knows very well that I’m very possessive about my car. I asked him to take good care of it as I know he is not a very good driver, and in fact, this is the reason why his father doesn’t buy him his own car.

But he promised me to drive it very cautiously and safely, however when he returned it in the evening he sounded very low and he told me that someone hit the car from the rear when he was stuck in a traffic-jam and that caused him to hit the car in front of him. He was feeling very guilty for not taking care of the car and he apologized repeatedly for his negligence, and he assured me that he would get it repaired the first thing the next morning.

I did feel sorry for him though, but at the same time very sad as my car was damaged, but somewhere in my mind I knew that this was not his fault. Normally, I easily lose my temper but it was because of his sincere apology that I couldn’t stay mad at him for very long.

So the next day, he went with me to the mechanic and luckily the damage was not so bad or expensive to fix. He apologized again and assured me that he’d be more vigilant in the future. We are still good friends and I feel that receiving an apology and forgiving someone is the best way to maintain and make relationships stronger.

Vocabulary highlights:

• intentionally – to do something with a plan or a purpose
• possessive – to have strong feelings about something you own or have
• cautiously – carefully
• negligence – not giving enough care or attention
• lose my temper – to get angry
• sincere – honest feeling
• vigilant – to be careful or very attentive about something