Sample topics and questions

Describe a positive change in your life
What the change was about
When it happened
Details of the change happened and how it affected you later in life
Possible Answer 3:
The positive change that I would like to talk about is ‘I started playing outdoor games instead of playing computer games’. After I got my first personal computer when I was only 9 years old or so, I started learning many things. Besides that, I started playing computer games. As computer games are addictive I found that I was playing the games whenever I had spare times. This addiction barred me from playing outdoor games like cricket, football etc.

I found myself very much attracted to computer games and I preferred to play the games at home instead of going to open spaces or fields to participate in outdoor games that involve physical exercises. Not that computer games are all so bad, but playing them all the time someone has got is not a good thing especially for kids. I found that I was spending more times at home than being outside. After my parents noticed that, they discussed with me about that and explained to me the importance of outdoor activities. They gave me strict restriction that I would only be able to play computer games for an hour daily and in the evening I’d have to go outside to play with my friends.

This was obviously a very positive change for me. I’m not against computer games but I feel that if there are more important things to do, then we should not spend time on computer games only.

This change affected me very positively. I became a good cricket player, later on, I started maintaining my times more prudently and I am sure this change has affected me positively in terms of physical and mental health.

Sample Answer 4:
Changes are inevitable parts of human life. Transformation, changes, hopes and challenges make our life exciting and worth living. Some changes are unexpected while some are long-expected and meant to bring something good for us. Often changes define who we are and put us in situations we either find very challenging or favourable. This cue card topic reminds me of an important part of my life when a change brought something positive in my life.

The change was related to the migration from our hometown to the capital city in our country when I was 14 years old. This was quite a big change for my family, and particularly for me. I had to leave my school, friends, relatives, known places and start living in a place where I had no friends, no one to visit and no known place for playing or outing. Initially, this was quite a frustrating experience for me. After my father got me admitted in a school there, my life became even tougher. However, this did not last for a long.

My new school was quite remarkable and it is still one of the best high schools in our country. I made new friends very quickly and my teachers were very helpful. I made a few friends in school and playmates in my neighbourhood and my parents used to take me outside every weekend.

My transitional period was over and I started feeling totally in peace again. Nevertheless, my result in my new school was not promising at all and my parents were worried about it. Being in a small town, it was not that much hard for me to become the top-scorer in the class. But this was not the case in my new school. While I was the top-scorer in my previous school, I could not secure even the top-ten position in my new school. After the first term exam result, I started studying harder, visit the library more and read a reference book more than ever. I even shrink my time for playing computer games and took part in outdoor games like football. Ultimately, all those changes and activity helped me study more, learn more and remain healthy. I found that some of the health-related problems that I used to have are no longer bothering me. This inspired me to study even harder and spend as much time as possible to recover my old top-scorer image to my parents.

My parents took me to places where I have observed so many news things for the first time in my life and those experiences enhanced my way of thinking and I could feel a silent transformation inside me. The school library had a huge collection of books and I read many of the books from my 'to-read' list. I was the third-best scorer in the final exam and over the time I started doing even better.

Why was this change important and how has it affected my later life? Well- I guess I had been able to give you an impression that when I moved to this city, I had to find a way to adapt myself to the changing circumstances and take challenges. The outcome was quite positive and it had taught me to take challenges in my life. These days, whenever I face any new challenge, I remind myself those days and prepare myself for the inevitable. On top of that, this change made me stronger. It was truly a heart-rending even to leave my school, friends and playmates. But finally, I coped with it and learned that we have to go on and grab the opportunities, face the challenges and bring out the best of ourselves to keep pace with the rhythm of the life. Apart from that, being in a new school where I had to face more competition, I studied harder and learned even more. My fresh and inquisitive mind learned so many new things in a large city which would have been quite impossible without moving to this city.

At this stage of my life, I still think about this change and find it fascinating and inspiring, especially, the way I had been able to handle it. It was indeed a very significant change that brought positive outcomes in my life.