Sample topics and questions

Do you think children should study art in school?
Answer: Art is like food for the soul, and that’s why children can benefit a lot from learning at school. To start with, through learning art children can draw their “creativities” out in the light by painting some interesting art pieces or by acting in a certain way in drama class. Learning art may also increase patience and determination in children because it takes a long time and efforts to learn and understand this subject. Finally, it also promotes teamwork and problem-solving skills as the children learn to collaborate and compete with each other in order to do well in art classes.

Cue card Describe a book
Books play an essential role in every student’s/ person’s life because books providing knowledge of the outside world, introduce them to a world of imagination, improving their reading, writing and speaking skills, and boosting memory and intelligence.
I like to read motivational, story and investigation related books.
Today, I would like to talk about a crime and investigation related book.
When you read it? and What kind of book it is?
The book name is crime and punishment.
It is a novel \NTitten by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly instalments during 1866. It is a murder storybook that is told from a murder’s point of view.
People did work and study from home. Due to the pandemic, everyone stayed at home last year. At that time, I had much free time, so to utilize the free time, I started to read a different kinds of books.
As I said earlier, I like investigation and crime-related books, so I downloaded some books online, and crime and punishment were one of these books.
What is about?
Book explain a murder’s point of view, behaviour, emotions before and after the murder.
The novel’s first masterpiece is a psychological analysis of a person, who thinks that he is an extraordinary/ very unusual person able to take on the spiritual(relating to soul or human spirit as opposed to material or physical things) responsibility of using evil means to achieve.
And explain why you think it is exciting?
I am keen to know different types of behaviour, and this book helped me to let know the unique feeling and emotions of murder, so that’s why I think it is an exciting book.

Due to my unstable nature, I did not have a close contact with literature or literary books and recently I have read the story of Romeo and Juliet.

I heard about the long before but could not manage time to read about it entirely. As a result, I did not have the right idea about Romeo and Juliet. The characters are the historic creation of British playwright, William Shakespeare. Basically, this is a drama and also found in the form of a storybook. It is a tragedy and tells the story of a young couple who had to die for their familial reasons. The plot source is controversial and it is anticipated that the plot is derived from an Italian tale or narrative poem with the name - The Tragicall History of Romeus and Juliet, published in the 15th century.
In my summer vacation, I came to my grandparent’s house in Corsica and being the younger one I have no one to be with me as all of the relatives and cousins are my elders. So, I thought that I should keep attention on my studies and if I feel bored, I should go for a walk. During the second day walk on the island, I found the book in a second-hand bookselling store. It was the compilation of all the writings of Shakespeare and I bought the books at a reasonable cost. Then, instead of wandering on the roads, I started reading the book in my room allotted in the grandparent’s house. I did not feel interested in travelling across the island as I have visited it many times in my early childhood andpreferred reading the stories of Shakespeare.
I have heard about the story many times from many people but unfortunately, I did not feel any interest in reading the story. When I was in my senior high school, some of the students staged the drama based on the story, invited me with all others to enjoy the show, but even then I could not manage time to be there at the right time. When I had reached, the show was over. As a result, I actually could not read or watch the show. So, when I got the chance to read the book, I did not want to miss that.
Model Answer 1:
IELTS Cue Card # 175 - Describe a book you want to read in the future

Written by IELTS Mentor

IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.

Describe a book you want to read in the future.

You should say:

what book it is

when you plan to read it

if you would like to read other books by the same author

and explain why you want to read this book.
Model Answer 1:
I have heard a lot about one of the legendary authors of all time, who is famously known as William Shakespeare, but, unfortunately, I am yet to read many of his books. Of course, it is not like I have read books of all famous writers in the world, but this gentleman deserves an extra bit of attention from all the book lovers around the world, simply because he is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist.

The book, I want to read by this author, is called The “Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”, which is often shortened to Hamlet. The book is a tragedy, which was written by this legendary English poet, sometime between 1599 and 1601.

By the way, it also happens to be Shakespeare's longest play with 30,557 words. And, the book tells about a revenge story, based on a popular legend, where the ghost of a murdered king comes to haunt the living with tragic consequences. Of course, in the story, the ghost doesn’t take the revenge himself, but rather he asks his own son, Hamlet, to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. At the end of the story, a fight breaks out where the King, Queen, Hamlet's opponent and Hamlet himself are all killed.
I am not only planning to read this particular book in the next few months but also another book called “The Merchant of Venice” by this same author.
Well, I want to read this book, mainly because I want to learn a little more about 16th century England and Europe as a whole. I want to read this book also because it is considered to be one of the greatest tragedies, ever written, as well as the greatest play of England’s national poet, who pretty much changed the landscape of English literature forever. Finally, I want to read this book also because it will further enrich my English language skills, I believe.

Model Answer 2:

The book I want to read in the future is "Fools Die" which was written by the famous author Mario Puzo. He is a highly acclaimed writer and widely known for his crime saga Godfather. I have read almost all of the books written by this talented author except 2 or 3, including "Fools Die". The fiction novel "Fools Die" was first published in the year 1978 and the plot encircles the worlds of gambling, film industry and publishing.

I am yet to read this book mostly because this book was not available in the market and library when I wanted to borrow or buy it. Hopefully, I will read this book within a couple of months. First, I will try to get a paperback version of this book and if this is not possible, I will download a digital copy of it to read in on my ebook reader.

I would definitely read any other books I have not read written by the same author. Since the writer is not in this world anymore, we won't have any new book written by him but I would like to read any book I have not read by this author if I have missed one that I am unaware of.
I have loved and thoroughly enjoyed all the books by this author, and he is a gifted storyteller who can easily keep readers awake till tale at night with his uncanny storytelling ability and mastery. Though I have not read this book 'Fools Die', I am sure it would be another great book that I would enjoy very much. I read the summary of this book and that seemed a very interesting story indeed. No other writer has been able to tell stories of Mafia families and the crime world like this writer did.
The book, I want to read by this author, is called The “Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”, which is often shortened to Hamlet. The book is a tragedy, which was written by this legendary English poet, sometime between 1599 and 1601.
By the way, it also happens to be Shakespeare's longest play with 30,557 words. And, the book tells about a revenge story, based on a popular legend, where the ghost of a murdered king comes to haunt the living with tragic consequences. Of course, in the story, the ghost doesn’t take the revenge himself, but rather he asks his own son, Hamlet, to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. At the end of the story, a fight breaks out where the King, Queen, Hamlet's opponent and Hamlet himself are all killed.

I am not only planning to read this particular book in the next few months but also another book called “The Merchant of Venice” by this same author.

Well, I want to read this book, mainly because I want to learn a little more about 16th century England and Europe as a whole. I want to read this book also because it is considered to be one of the greatest tragedies, ever written, as well as the greatest play of England’s national poet, who pretty much changed the landscape of English literature forever. Finally, I want to read this book also because it will further enrich my English language skills, I believe.
Do people read more nowadays?
I think that’s tough to say, but all in all I would guess that people today read less than people in the past did. Take someone like my mom for example. In the past, she was a very avid reader, and would finish at least a few books every week. These days, she still reads occasionally, but with all of the great TV shows available to stream instantly, she actually spends a lot more time watching TV. So, I think people today read less because of the wide availability of other sources of entertainment, like TV
.What is one example of traditional literature in your country?