IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 344 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.]
Model Answer 1:
There is an “unwritten” rule in my own “book of the law” which says that if you have an appointment, you must try your best to keep it. But, the problem is, I couldn’t follow my own rule sometimes from my end because the other parties either had to cancel an appointment or change its schedule.
It was about a few years ago, when I was suffering from some chronic abdominal pain, and I needed to see a specialist gastroenterology doctor. But the problem was that getting an appointment with a good doctor was never an easy thing because there were just too many patients waiting to see the same doctor. Besides, my office schedules also made it a bit difficult for me to see the doctors according to their own schedules.
1. A few months ago, my father wanted to have a routine checkup with his doctor. Accordingly, I took an appointment, but suddenly, before the scheduled date, the doctor's secretary called me. He told me that the doctor has to go out of the city on the appointed day and requested me to meet him the day before. It was a big trouble to reschedule everything, but at last, I managed and took my father to see the doctor.
2. Last month, I had an appointment with my supervisor to discuss some important issues about our sales target and achievements so far. Experiencing some difficulties in his schedule, my supervisor asked me to reschedule the appointment for Monday, a week earlier than the stipulated date. Accordingly, I had to change all my plans and keep the appointment with my supervisor.
3. Attending an official meeting is sometimes boring, and if the schedule is put ahead of the date, the situation turns worse. I experienced a similar event last month. A meeting was set to be held on the 29th of last month, but that was rescheduled on the 26th, as the Chairman of the company was busy on the 29th of last month.
4. I am fond of my immediate supervisor in the office for his innovative approaches, but this time I was in trouble for his sudden decision. He had set a team meeting with some other staff at the end of this month and informed everyone. I also had set my schedule accordingly. But the unexpected change in schedule made things difficult for me.
5. My daughter's school authority issued me a letter to meet them. They wanted to have some discussions with me about her class performance. But later, they issued another letter apologising that they were unable to meet on the day that they had told and now had set another date ahead of the earlier day.
Describe an appointment that was put ahead of schedule.
You should say:- what type of appointment it was
- when it was
- why it was brought forward
[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:
There is an “unwritten” rule in my own “book of the law” which says that if you have an appointment, you must try your best to keep it. But, the problem is, I couldn’t follow my own rule sometimes from my end because the other parties either had to cancel an appointment or change its schedule.
It was about a few years ago, when I was suffering from some chronic abdominal pain, and I needed to see a specialist gastroenterology doctor. But the problem was that getting an appointment with a good doctor was never an easy thing because there were just too many patients waiting to see the same doctor. Besides, my office schedules also made it a bit difficult for me to see the doctors according to their own schedules.
However, after making some phone calls and visiting some hospitals, I finally managed to make an appointment with a very qualified gastroenterologist. I even informed my immediate supervisor about my doctor’s appointment in order to get his permission in advance. The appointment was set for 5 pm on a Thursday evening. I even made a list of the problems which I was having in order to share them with the doctor. So, I was really ready to see my doctor. But, the evening before, on Wednesday, I received a call from the doctor’s assistant and got a message which said that I would need to see the doctor at 3 pm, instead of 5 pm, the next day.
When asked about the reason for the rescheduling, the assistant told me that the doctor would need to attend an “important” family matter around 5 pm on the same day.
After getting the message about the schedule change, I initially felt a bit disappointed as I would need to reschedule some of my own work assignments at the office. I also wasn’t very happy about it as I would also need to inform my supervisor again about the new appointment schedule. However, I also felt a little relief of the fact at the same time that my appointment wasn’t at least cancelled.
Sample Answer 2:
After getting the message about the schedule change, I initially felt a bit disappointed as I would need to reschedule some of my own work assignments at the office. I also wasn’t very happy about it as I would also need to inform my supervisor again about the new appointment schedule. However, I also felt a little relief of the fact at the same time that my appointment wasn’t at least cancelled.
Sample Answer 2:
I had an appointment with a professor at Dortmund University in Dortmund, Germany, and it was about taking his interview on his current research. I had to take it before the scheduled time for some reason, and managing everything was challenging for me. Somehow, I managed everything, and I was proud to be able to conduct it smoothly.
I took the interview in March last year, though it was set to be held at the end of April, almost a month later. I also planned to publish the interview on the Science and Technology page of a local newspaper, marking the 60th birthday of the professor. So, I had to manage the time to take the interview at his workplace. Had the interview taken place at the scheduled time, I think it would have been better for me to handle everything without making any rush.
The schedule was brought ahead of time as the professor had to attend an international conference in the Netherlands in April. So, the professor called me one day and requested me to schedule it a month earlier.
I understood the situation and knew that I had to interview the professor before he left for the conference. So, despite a hurry and lack of preparation, I took the challenge and did everything within a short period of time. I was later very proud of my work when the interview was a success.
Idea generation for this Cue Card topic:
"Describe an appointment that was put ahead of the schedule."1. A few months ago, my father wanted to have a routine checkup with his doctor. Accordingly, I took an appointment, but suddenly, before the scheduled date, the doctor's secretary called me. He told me that the doctor has to go out of the city on the appointed day and requested me to meet him the day before. It was a big trouble to reschedule everything, but at last, I managed and took my father to see the doctor.
2. Last month, I had an appointment with my supervisor to discuss some important issues about our sales target and achievements so far. Experiencing some difficulties in his schedule, my supervisor asked me to reschedule the appointment for Monday, a week earlier than the stipulated date. Accordingly, I had to change all my plans and keep the appointment with my supervisor.
3. Attending an official meeting is sometimes boring, and if the schedule is put ahead of the date, the situation turns worse. I experienced a similar event last month. A meeting was set to be held on the 29th of last month, but that was rescheduled on the 26th, as the Chairman of the company was busy on the 29th of last month.
4. I am fond of my immediate supervisor in the office for his innovative approaches, but this time I was in trouble for his sudden decision. He had set a team meeting with some other staff at the end of this month and informed everyone. I also had set my schedule accordingly. But the unexpected change in schedule made things difficult for me.
5. My daughter's school authority issued me a letter to meet them. They wanted to have some discussions with me about her class performance. But later, they issued another letter apologising that they were unable to meet on the day that they had told and now had set another date ahead of the earlier day.