IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 347 with Model Answer:
[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.]
Here are some other ways to talk about this same topic:
1. Deciding on a major subject in college was a big decision for me, but my dad interfered with that. He wanted me to take physics as a major, while I preferred chemistry. I had to disagree with him this time, and later I apologised to him and tried to explain why I love chemistry and why I have taken it.
2. We shifted to Mumbai earlier this year, and I had some disagreement with my parents over the selection of the colour of our new house. My mother wanted to have blue in the base, while I suggested some other colours like green or white in the living room and also suggested the orange colour for the kitchen. But she was unwilling to pay attention to my suggestions.
3. I do agree that marriage makes life complete, and so my parents wanted me to get married to the person they selected. But I focused on my studies and wanted to complete my post-graduation before marriage. The matter created a disagreement between the other family members, including my parents.
4. My father suffers from diabetes and follows an unhealthy routine. So, I wanted to take him to a doctor, but he refused. I tried to make him understand the complexities his diabetes may cause, but he disagreed on the issue. Later, I invited the doctor to my home, which made my father dissatisfied with me and also disagreed to meet the doctor. However, the doctor neutralised the situation.
5. Jim is my younger brother and wastes his time by gossiping with friends for at least 5-6 hours a day. So, I asked him to develop some good habits like reading and exercising in his regular life. He disagreed and advised me not to interfere in his private life.
Describe a decision made by someone in your family that you disagreed with.
You should say:- who made this decision
- what it was
- how you expressed your disagreement
[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 have been blessed to have a very understanding and supportive family around me. However, there had been a few occasions in the past when I had to disagree with some of their decisions. Today, I would like to talk about one such decision of my family that I disagreed with.
During my early university days, I was so passionate about owning a motorbike, mostly because I grew up riding on an old motorbike with my old but very “active” grandpa. Actually, my grandpa and I had such a loving and warm relationship that whenever he needed to visit any place with his motorbike, I was his “natural” company. But, unfortunately, my grandfather died one day, with nobody to take care of his old motorbike, when I was still a high-school boy.
I have been blessed to have a very understanding and supportive family around me. However, there had been a few occasions in the past when I had to disagree with some of their decisions. Today, I would like to talk about one such decision of my family that I disagreed with.
During my early university days, I was so passionate about owning a motorbike, mostly because I grew up riding on an old motorbike with my old but very “active” grandpa. Actually, my grandpa and I had such a loving and warm relationship that whenever he needed to visit any place with his motorbike, I was his “natural” company. But, unfortunately, my grandfather died one day, with nobody to take care of his old motorbike, when I was still a high-school boy.
By the way, I really loved the old motorbike of my grandfather. So, whenever my parents tried to “get rid of that old motorbike or sell it to someone, I would have staunchly opposed the idea. But, after buying my own motorbike, when I was still a university student, the issue of “getting rid” of the old motorbike revisited us once again, as finding a suitable spot to “park” my newly-bought motorbike became difficult.
In fact, we were living in a small flat back then, and the only suitable and “secured” place for my motorbike was under “the stairs” of our small flat. But the little spot was already occupied by my grandfather’s motorbike. So, my father decided to sell the old motorbike to make room for the new one, no matter how much I disagreed with the decision, even though I don’t blame my parents for it. After all, they didn’t have any other option at that time.
Anyway, I disagreed with the decision, primarily because that old motorbike had a really fun history and emotional value for me. I also disagreed with it because it was a very strong and old “machine”, and I wanted to “preserve” it as an old “antique” in order to share its story with my own family and kids in the future.
In fact, we were living in a small flat back then, and the only suitable and “secured” place for my motorbike was under “the stairs” of our small flat. But the little spot was already occupied by my grandfather’s motorbike. So, my father decided to sell the old motorbike to make room for the new one, no matter how much I disagreed with the decision, even though I don’t blame my parents for it. After all, they didn’t have any other option at that time.
Anyway, I disagreed with the decision, primarily because that old motorbike had a really fun history and emotional value for me. I also disagreed with it because it was a very strong and old “machine”, and I wanted to “preserve” it as an old “antique” in order to share its story with my own family and kids in the future.
Sample Answer 2:
Thank you for this opportunity to let me talk about this topic. I live in a joint family in Haryana, a state in the northern part of India and recently, I experienced a situation when I had to disagree with a decision made by a family member. An uncle made a decision which I could not agree with. I will describe the event here in brief.
My uncle said that any female member of our family is not allowed to work outside. Although some of our female members were highly educated, my uncle, the senior-most member of our joint family, imposed a barrier for them to do any job.
I politely opposed my uncle’s opinion and decision. I appreciated his concern about the safety of the women, but not letting them get involved in any productive activities is not a wise decision. So, I opposed the idea instantly in the family meeting. There was a mixed reaction when I opposed the idea.
We live in a modern age, and not allowing females to work outside points that we are wasting half of our human resources. Security is not a concerning issue anymore in the country, and many of the women are representing our country. If the females of my family do not pursue their careers and dream jobs, they will lag behind in the race. And so, I strongly disagreed with the decision that my uncle made.
Idea generation for this Cue Card topic:
"Describe a decision made by someone in your family that you disagreed with."Here are some other ways to talk about this same topic:
1. Deciding on a major subject in college was a big decision for me, but my dad interfered with that. He wanted me to take physics as a major, while I preferred chemistry. I had to disagree with him this time, and later I apologised to him and tried to explain why I love chemistry and why I have taken it.
2. We shifted to Mumbai earlier this year, and I had some disagreement with my parents over the selection of the colour of our new house. My mother wanted to have blue in the base, while I suggested some other colours like green or white in the living room and also suggested the orange colour for the kitchen. But she was unwilling to pay attention to my suggestions.
3. I do agree that marriage makes life complete, and so my parents wanted me to get married to the person they selected. But I focused on my studies and wanted to complete my post-graduation before marriage. The matter created a disagreement between the other family members, including my parents.
4. My father suffers from diabetes and follows an unhealthy routine. So, I wanted to take him to a doctor, but he refused. I tried to make him understand the complexities his diabetes may cause, but he disagreed on the issue. Later, I invited the doctor to my home, which made my father dissatisfied with me and also disagreed to meet the doctor. However, the doctor neutralised the situation.
5. Jim is my younger brother and wastes his time by gossiping with friends for at least 5-6 hours a day. So, I asked him to develop some good habits like reading and exercising in his regular life. He disagreed and advised me not to interfere in his private life.