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Describe a useful plant you know about

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 340 with Model Answer:

Describe a useful plant you know about.

You should say:
  • what it is
  • where it is available
  • what it looks like
and explain how this plant is useful.

[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:

Tulsi (also known as holy basil) is one of the most common plants in India and it is used for various purposes. It is also known as the queen of herbs and popular for its healing characteristics. This is a kind of herbal plant that offers many benefits. Tulsi is a sacred plant in Hindu belief and many people in my country have this plant at their home. I think this is a great cue card topic for me and I will answer the remaining questions happily. Thank you for the opportunity to let me talk about this useful plant.

Tulsi is available across all the regions in India. Due to its sacredness in Hindu belief and medical benefits, a higher percentage of Indian homes have them. This plant needs plenty of natural light, air and water to grow. Some city dwellers grow this plant in their balconies as well.

Tulsi or basil is a small green plant and their leaves look bright green. they can grow in pots as well. The leaves are small and are adorable to look at. Four types of Tulsi are available across India and each of them has different herbal qualities.

Basil leaves are often used to produce herbal tea which is popular among many tea lovers. Another type of basil is used to extract oil to produce herbal toiletries. Tulsi oil is beneficial to control insects while its leaf juice is effective to cure respiratory disorders, coughs, common colds and fever. Often Tulsi is referred to be used during indigestion or preventing insomnia. So, it appears that the plant is really useful for people.


Sample Answer 2:

Talking about a plant is not an easy task as there are literally many plants available around us and picking just one among these many options is indeed hard. But, I'd feel comfortable with the question as I just know a useful plant that I am going to talk about. This beneficial plant is called "feverfew", which seemed very strange to me when I first heard the name. I will talk about this beneficial plant for this cue card topic.

This plant is also known as "bachelor’s button", a strange name indeed! Some like to call it "featherfew" and many others "featherfoil".  The plant has great medical values and it is frequently used to remove arthritis or headaches. Besides, it is also applied for treating fever and I think the name "feverfew" has emerged from its fever battling quality.

Well, this is mostly a medicinal plant and is native to Asia Minor and the Balkans, but is now common throughout the world. A large number of such plants are found in the European continents. Some parts of the USA also have these plants to some limited extent. Besides, the plant is also seen in a few places in the African region. 

The plant looks beautiful especially when flowers bloom. Its flowers look like a mini version of the sunflower to me. But some people find more similarities with daisies than sunflowers. The plant is truly gorgeous to look at and they are often planted for beautification purposes.

The feverfew plant is useful in different ways. First of all, the plant has some herbal properties that help treat different health issues including fever. Any herbal plant is treated with great care due to its benefits to human and this plant is not an exception. Besides, the beauty of this flower is celestial. Every time I look at these beautiful flowers, I feel like they are so refreshing and extraordinary. 


Cue Card Answer 3:

Thank you for this interesting topic. In Canada, a large number of plants are available and many of them are useful and important for many reasons. "Wild Leek" or "Ramp" is one of them and is useful in several ways.

The Ramp plant mostly grows in marshy areas, across the woodlands of eastern Canada and in some parts of the USA. Recently, commercial cultivation of the plant has also begun in many places due to its demand among the vegetarians. Besides, the herbal benefits of this plant are also notable.

This plant is vibrant green and is a wild onion type species which is widespread across Canada. Wild Leek or Ramp leaves are identical to onion leaves. The size of the plant is average, much like an opinion plant, and all the varieties of this plant are of green colour.

Interestingly, this is an edible plant which is mostly used for preparing salads and juice and is preferred by many vegetarians. The white lower leaf stalks, as well as the broad green leaves of this plant, are edible. The juice that is prepared from the plant is healthy and nutritious. Many people even use it to prepare their favourite soups. This plant contains fibre, vitamins, and minerals. It has important medicinal values as well. Some people eat the plant as a spring tonic, for colds and croup. They also use the warm juice for earaches. From all these perspectives, this is an important plant.




Idea generation for this Cue Card topic:  

"Describe a useful plant you know about." 

Here are a few other ways to answer the same cue card topic. These hints have been given to help you generate ideas for this topic.

1. Drinking tea is beneficial for our health. In fact, almost everyone in my country like to drink a cup of tea at least once a day. Thus tea plant, which grows in plenty in our country, is important and useful. This is a small plant and needs good care to grow. Besides, the plants grow well in the African region and some parts of Asian belt including Sri Lanka, China among others. Ths plant needs enough sunlight, rainfall and hilly areas to grow.

2. "Yarrow" is considered a herbal plant for its amazing quality to stop bleeding. This is a nice looking small flower plant with clusters of flowers. The umbrella-like flowers are formed in clusters. This plant is beneficial to remedy colds, prevent diarrhoea and even stomach ulcers. It is available across North America.

3. Everyone adores "Lavender" for its medicinal benefits. The plant is useful to decorate residential houses, party centres and they look stunning in the garden. Lavender is mostly used for its health benefits and works great as an anti-depressant. The lavender oil is used by many as a skincare item.

4. I love spinach. This is an edible vegetable plant and available across Central Asia. It contains some of the essential vitamins needed for the human body. People prefer this plant as it helps boost the cardiovascular system and improves the eyesight. Cholesterol is a big problem in the present day and spinach helps control the rising cholesterol level.

5. Have you ever wondered why "Lady Ferns" are used to decorating home? The answer is simple. Lady Ferns have some decorative values. It is used for treating some health issues as well. This plant looks beautiful.

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