Skip to main content

Situation or time when you helped someone

IELTS Cue Card Question 16 With Model Answer:

Describe a situation (or a time) when you helped someone.

You should say:
  • what the situation was
  • who you helped
  • how you helped
and explain how you felt after helping him/her.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you're going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]


Model Answer 1:
As human beings, we are living in a society from an ancient age and need others help to move on in both our personal and social life. It would have been too difficult if there were no friends or helping hands to support in moments of stress, disasters and unfavourable situations.

I am 19 years old and live with my parents on the 8th floor of a rented apartment in Mumbai, a renowned town in India. My parents are service holders and rarely find enough time to stay at home. But I have to be at my home after finishing my college. The classes begin at 8: 00 am and ends at 2:00 pm. In an afternoon, I woke up from sleep hearing hue and cry outside of our flat. I opened the windows and found that many of the apartment block tenants are gathering in the open space and shouting loudly. It was an earthquake, a natural disaster that has suddenly hit the locality.  

All the apartment buildings were moving and everything inside our flat started moving from here and there. I just took my cell phone and rushed to get down too lest I get trapped inside the building as it is seen in the news. But when I rushed towards the downstairs, I saw that a sexagenarian old woman was also trying to get down. She used to live with her older son’s family in the opposite apartment of us and had a very good relationship with my parents. She frequently visited our home. I addressed her as grandma like her other grandsons and daughters addressed her.

She was also trying to get down fearing the destructive consequences of the earthquake but could not walk faster on the staircase like the other people as she was weak and old. I was at her back and I also could not move for her slow movement. Suddenly I thought what if I help her to get down with me? Although the entire apartment building was trembling, there were chances to get trapped inside if I do not get off the building quickly.

Then I grabbed the old grandma’s hand and told her that I will take her down. So, she agreed to my plan and allowed me to carry her to the downstairs. My heart was beating faster when the waves of earthquakes were hitting the buildings. It was like a perfect nightmare to me. I do not know how I got down grabbing one hand of the grandma.

When we came out of the building, everyone came to help us and took to a safer distance of the buildings. Fortunately, nothing much happened that day but it panicked the tenants of the multistoried apartments. But I felt a deep sense of comfort inside me as I have brought the grandma out of the building. I could have avoided her and get out by myself but that would make me guilty, at least to myself. Although I risked my life for the non-relative grandma, it was truly a pleasure and the pleasant feelings are inexpressible in words.



Alternative Answer 2: 
Thank you for the topic as it would allow me to tell you a story that I feel very proud of. I was in my 10th grade when the event took place.

I was returning home from my school and on my way back to home I noticed that a 10 to 12 years old child was on top of a large tree. At first, it looked very usual and there were many people in a nearby park. It was almost evening and I became curious about the boy and his adventure. I went nearer and then noticed that the boy was trapped between the knot of two branches of that tree and he was literally hanging there. I saw a cat then which was also in a dangerous position on the edge of another branch. Anytime the branch could have broken and both the boy and cat would be in jeopardy. The boy got trapped while trying to help the cat and he must have been a very brave kid.

The boy was so scared and surprised that he forgot to shout for help. I went very close and put down my school bag. I asked him his name and assured him that I will help him and he has nothing to worry about. In reality, I was worried. I should have called someone adult and ask for his help but considering the boy’s condition, I could not leave him. I shouted very loudly for help and to men came nearer. I explained them the situation very quickly and told them to stay there so that I could climb the tree and help the boy and the cat. At that time the boy started crying and I consoled him saying that he is very brave and everything is going to be fine. When I attempted to climb the tree, one of the two men forbade me and instead, he climbed the tree and asked me to stay there. Time was passing very slowly and I quickly decided to go to a nearby house to bring further help. They came with us with two large mattresses and they kept them just below the position where the boy was hanging. The man who climbed the tree successfully rescued the boy and within few minutes the cat jumped off from the tree as it saw the mattress and we were relieved from a great anxiety.

The boy thanked us all and other people also congratulated me for the courage I showed. My feeling about the whole event was very complex. It started with anxiety and then I was worried, horrified and finally relieved and happy. I congratulated the boy about his heroism and effort to save the cat. Though the cat was nowhere to be seen at that time, I am sure it was also silently appreciating our effort. In my opinion, it was a wise decision for me to call for help though I was determined to climb the tree to rescue them in case no one was nearby.

Popular posts from this blog

Describe your family

IELTS Cue Card Question 44 With Model Answer:  Describe your family. You should say:  how many members your family has what they do how close you are and explain why your family is important to you. [You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you're going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.] Model Answer 1: My family is incredibly important to me, and I'm fortunate to have a loving and close-knit family. We have a total of four family members, including my parents, my younger sister, and myself. I am so glad that I have got this topic as it would allow me to talk about something that I love so much. My father is a software engineer, and he works for a reputable IT company. He's always been my role model when it comes to hard work and dedication. His job involves creating computer programs and solving complex technical issues. Despite his busy schedule, he always finds time to h

Person in your family who you most admire

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 10 With Model Answer: Describe the person in your family who you most admire. You should say: what his/her relationship is with you what he/she has done in your life what he/she does now and explain why you admire this person the most. [You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 minutes. You have one minute to think about what you're going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.] Model Answer 1: My mother is the person in my family whom I most admire. She is not only my mother but also my role model and best friend. I would like to thank you for this excellent topic that enables me to talk about the person I love and admire the most. My mother has done many things in my life that have made me admire her. Firstly, she has always been there for me, no matter what. Whenever I am going through a difficult time, she listens to me and offers advice or support. Additionally, my mother has always encouraged me to pu

Describe a shop that recently opened in your hometown

IELTS Cue Card/Candidate Task Card 348 with Model Answer: Describe a shop that recently opened in your hometown/area. You should say: what type of shop it is what type of people go there what it sells and explain whether you will shop there or not. [You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you're going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.] Model Answer 1: I live in a rather small town. So, whenever there is a new opening of anything or any new activities in my little old town, I come to know about them one way or another. Today, I would like to talk about one such new opening of a new shop in my area. It is a “super shop” (some people would prefer to call it a “grocery store”), a self-service store, offering a wide variety of food and household items, organized into different departments. They named the shop “At your service” which has an opening hour from 7 am to 11 pm. I would consider

A person who has interesting ideas or opinions

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card  366  with Model Answer: Describe a person who has interesting ideas or opinions. You should say: who this person is how you know this person what interesting ideas/opinions he/she gives and explain why you think that this person has interesting ideas/opinions. [You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.] Model Answer 1: We all have our own ideas and opinions. However, not all of us are interested to share them with others. But, some people are never afraid to share their ideas or opinions with others, be them normal or radical. Today, I would like to talk about one such person who never seemed to be short of any ideas or opinions! He seemed to be just a regular guy. I met him rather casually at a book shop when I was trying to buy a storybook for one of my little cousins. He started the conversation with