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Describe a particular event in which you were successful

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 320 with Model Answer:

Describe a particular event in which you were successful, e.g. an exam, sports event etc.

You should say:
  • what type of event it was
  • when and where it happened
  • what preparation of yours was involved in it
and explain how you felt about achieving success in it.

[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 was granted admission at the University of Tokyo last year as an international student with a full bright scholarship, and it was a great achievement for me. In fact, I am the only member in the family to get a chance to do my higher study outside of our country. I applied to various universities in many different countries, and finally my hard work was paid off. This is a nice topic for me to talk about.

The beginning of the event was in my home country a few months ago. After completing my bachelor degree and a diploma, I was seeking for a chance for a higher study abroad. Accordingly, I started choosing universities and going through their application processes. It took many days, effort and patience for me. I even got a bit frustrated initially when no university was replying to my emails. But with some perseverance and dedication, finally, I was selected by the University of Tokyo, which was a great success as it also included a scholarship which is considered prestigious by many.

Since I was an international student applying from abroad, the procedures were a bit relaxed for me. I did not have to appear on the admission test. Rather, I applied with the required documents that the university authority wanted from me. I sent the scanned and attested copies and they also made some investigations with the help of their local agents.

Honestly, it was a great success for me. I was not quite positive that I would be able to get admitted to such a large and renowned university. It was like a dream come true. All my family members were also happy and they celebrated the event as well. In fact, my father was the happiest person in the family and prayed for my overall success. I also felt glad when everyone congratulated me.



Model Answer 2:
I must say that this is an excellent topic. And, I would like to thank you for allowing me to talk about one of my successes in an event or competition.

Well, to begin with, I never thought that I would be able to take part in a table tennis tournament and become a winner at my university in Singapore. In fact, I did not have any prior plan to participate in the tournament, but I, as well as some of my friends, thought that I should try my skills and luck. Earlier, I had some experience of playing table tennis with my friends and they thought that I was good at it, but my skill was never put to a test in a serious tournament! In fact, this time it was the peer pressure that forced me to actively take part in the competition as I was advised by my friends to try my skills and luck. Surprisingly, I won a prize in the tournament, and it is something that I still cherish.

The tournament was organized by our university in Singapore three years ago, and it was the annual indoor sports programme of the university that lasted for two days. On the third day, it was the prize-giving ceremony. There were several matches and a good number of students took part in those competitions. However, the excitement of the spectators was noteworthy and probably the most important aspect of this tournament.

I did not get enough time to prepare for the competition apart from playing a couple of friendly matches with my friends. And it was hard for me to beat the competitors who were basically much better prepared than me.

When my name was announced as a winner at the table tennis competition, I felt really glad. Since my performance at the competition was good enough to be one of the winners, it was not a surprise to me and my friends. But it was definitely good news.

 

Idea generation for this Cue Card topic:  

"Describe a particular event in which you were successful, e.g. an exam, sports event etc." 

Life is full of challenges and we need to face those challenges as part of our life. But not everyone becomes the winner.

This candidate task card topic wants to know about a challenge or a particular event in which you were a victor. A few potential hints here will give the candidates some ideas to develop their own thoughts to answer the questions.

1. Appearing on a really difficult written test for being selected for a job where hundreds of others competed is difficult in every sense. Luckily I was able to cross such a barrier a few months ago. I stood 4th in the written exam for the position of Junior Executive. It was a big success for me as it allowed me to start a lucrative job.

2. I never really liked to participate in sporting events as it goes against my introverted nature. But with the inspiration of my friends in college, I took part in a chess competition. Surprisingly, I defeated three of my powerful opponents and won a prize. I still cannot believe that I did such an outstanding task. It is still inspiring for me.

3. Singing was something I have always felt passionate about but never could do in public. But I had to sing at a family event that took place a few months ago. It was the marriage ceremony of my elder brother. Everyone was enjoying the marriage event, and I sang a nice wedding song there. Everyone praised me highly and it made me feel proud and gave me a much-needed boost in my confidence to practice singing even more seriously.

4. I have always been a good cricketer, but I did not have much confidence in my ability that I would be able to score a century in a cricket tournament. But I became the man of the match just for that at the inter-college cricket completion that was held in our city last year. I was the highest scorer (I scored unbeaten 146) in the match and I consider it a big success. Due to my score, my team won the match. It was another important achievement for me.

5. This topic reminds me of a science project in my college. In it, I made a robot that could work as programmed using solar energy. Initially, a teacher dumped the idea to present it at the annual science competition. Later, he inspired me to move with the idea and finally, it was a success. I still feel very proud about it. I want to complete my higher studies in robotics and I believe that my success in this competition had somewhat shaped my mind about that.

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