[7+] Describe a difficult thing you did IELTS Cue-Card

In Describe a difficult thing you did IELTS Speaking cue card, you will be asked to speak about a difficult task that you did. You should say:

☑️ What it was? ☑️ How did you complete it? ☑️ Why it was difficult? ☑️ How you felt about doing it?

NOTE – You have one minute to think about what you are going to say, then you’ll have to talk about the topic for one-to-two minutes. A paper and a pencil will be given so that you can make some notes if you wish.

For easier understanding, I have divided this IELTS Speaking Cue Card into three parts – Introduction, Questions, and Conclusion.

Introduction

Well, I have done many things in my life which I found rather difficult at first but once I got into them, they were as easy as pie.

So today, I would love to describe one such real life story when I conquered my fear.

What it was?

The thing that I would like to talk about is Swimming!

For all my life I was apprehensive of diving into the water, but recently I realized that swimming is an important life-skill that I should learn.
I also thought it would be good exercise and help me become physically stronger.

How did you complete it?

My initial training experiences were indeed scary, however, I did complete the course…Thanks to my wonderful mentor. On the first day, after I put up my bathing suit in the locker room, I stood timidly by the side of the pool waiting for the teacher and other students to show up.

Sooner than I imagined, however, things began to feel “right” and the trembling was gone. The teacher had me put on brightly coloured water wings to help me stay afloat…and that’s how I learned Swimming.

Why it was difficult?

Things were not quite that easy for me! Every time when I had close contact with water, my aquaphobia kicked in.

Actually, I heard a lot of traumatic stories in my childhood like – My uncle nearly drowned as a child in a badly supervised swimming lesson; my mother told me she had been dangled over a bridge once. These experiences made Swimming even more difficult for me.

How you felt about doing it?

And after learning it…I was as happy as Larry. The most soothing part was that now nobody would dare to call me a nervous adult.

I was confident and felt like floating on the water is more comforting than ever.

Conclusion

In the end, I just have to say that .. Learning to swim was not easy for me in fact it was a Herculean task, but in the end my persistence paid off.

Not only did I learn how to swim, but I also learned to never say never. Now, whenever I am faced with a difficult thing I stand like a rock.

Follow-ups

Following are the probable set of IELTS Speaking Part-3 follow up questions that could be asked in Describe a difficult thing you did cue card:

What kinds of jobs require people to be confident?

From a personal standpoint, almost every job requires a certain degree of conviction. For instance, people who are into public speaking such as Politicians, Media spokespersons etc. they ought to be confident in their conduct. Furthermore, Confidence is the bread and butter of sales people; after all a confident sales pitch could make or break their careers.

On what occasions should children be encouraged? How?

I think children needs an uplift in situations when they feel hesitant in doing something which is often fruitful. Let me tell you by example, Glossophobia, or a fear of public speaking, is a very commonly found in children. Hence, a word of encouragement in that scenario would make children free of panic and fear.

How do you help children stay focused?

That’s an interesting question.. because Children often struggle to pay attention. But the good thing is they have “THE ADULTS” who can help them overcome continuous drumbeat of distractions. For example, we can remove unnecessary clutter and visual experiences from their rooms so that they could concentrate well. Secondly, Memory games help hone that focus for kids in a fun way; such as Chess, Sudoko, Scrabble really help to stay focused.

What challenges do young people face today?

Broadly speaking, the millennials face two kinds of challenges – Physical and Mental! The youngsters are most vulnerable to Stress, Depression, Drug abuse, Bullying and Cyber addiction. They go through, and are expected to cope with hormonal changes, puberty, social and parental forces, work and school pressures, and the list is endless.

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I hope it gives you some realistic idea on how to carry a conversation around Describe a difficult thing you did IELTS Cue card topic. However, it is strongly advised not to reproduce the same answer during the exam, as it may be used by many of our readers on the site. You should rather reformulate and personalise your answer.

If you still have any doubts, post them in the comments.

ALL THE BEST !