Skip to main content

Describe your experience of a stressful event

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 361 with Model Answer:

Describe your experience of a stressful event.

You should say:
  • what the situation was
  • what you did
  • how other people might have behaved in this situation
and explain how you felt about it later.

[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:
I think we would hardly find a person who hasn’t gone through some stressful situations at some point in his or her life. I am no exception either, as I have also experienced a number of stressful events in life, and I am about to talk about one of them here today.

It was on a fine August morning about 5 years ago, when I was about to go to my job, which I had just started a couple of months earlier. As it was my new job, I made it my habit to arrive at my office well ahead of the schedule. However, on that fine morning, I wanted to arrive at my office even earlier because my company “Chairman” was visiting to meet us, especially the new company recruits like us, from the corporate headquarter, and I just didn’t want to be late on my first meeting with him.

So, as usual, I took a direct bus to my office that morning also. Everything was going well until I suddenly noticed that all the traffics were being rerouted to another road because of some kind of emergency road construction service works. Initially, I thought that it was not such a big deal, but as I was falling behind my schedule to arrive at my office on time, because of huge traffic ahead of me, I started to take stress on me. I even tried to call my office to inform them about the possible delay with my arrival, but my supervisor wasn’t very pleased with the news, no matter how hard I tried to convince him, by getting very frustrated at one point, that it was not my fault.

Well, I have a feeling that other people might have behaved the same in such a situation.

Anyway, later on, I felt that I shouldn’t have gotten so frustrated with my supervisor as he was also trying to do his job. I also realized that my supervisor was only wishing well for me because he also didn’t want me to be late for my first meeting with our company chairman.


Sample Answer 2:
Having a nasty quarrel with my husband last month was a highly stressful event for me. I was unable to control my temper and it was one of the most nerve-racking events for me in a long time.

He started the fiasco and I protested the attitude he was showing. I was not silent as well and the situations turned from bad to worse and from worse to the worst! Finally, after two days, we both admitted our guilts and then everything went back to normalcy. But I experienced a very stressful two days that was one of the worst I have ever experienced.

When I was blamed for something I knew nothing about, I tried to control my temper. But later with the heated debate, I lost my patience and got involved in the quarrel. We usually do not quarrel and that's why when we do, it makes me very frustrated and mad. I was angry with my husband and me.

I think quarrels and heated arguments in a relationship, especially among couples, are not so rare. But certainly, it is different for different couples. Many people I know, I believe, would have reacted the same way that I did. And obviously, a few very intelligent and sensible women I know who might have handled it better than I did.

Since we rarely have quarrelled in our seven years of married life, I feel so dejected and sad whenever I get involved in an argument or altercation with my husband. This time the aftermath of the quarrel was even longer- whole two days, and that's why I felt more depressed and unhappy.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Describe a place you would like to visit

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card   457   with Model Answer: Describe a place you would like to visit. You should say: what type of place it is when you plan to visit there what you plan to see and/or do there and explain why you would like to visit this place.  [ Instruction:  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: I'd like to visit many different countries and places if the time and situation allow me to do so. I feel a great lust to wander around to different places with diverse landscapes, cultures, foods, lifestyles, people and architectural variations. However, Geneva, which is a global city, a financial centre, and a global centre for diplomacy due to the presence of numerous international organizations, is the place where I would like to visit. It is a city in Switzerland surrounded by the Alps and the Jura m...

Describe a city, town or village you know well

IELTS Cue Card Question 139 with Model Answer: Describe a city, town or village you know well. You should say: where it is what it looks like what kind of people live there and say if you think it is a good place to live or not, and why? [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: Singapore is one of the most fabulous and desired tourist destinations in the world and often termed as the Lion City. This is a global city as the majority of the populations are from different countries.

Describe a piece of furniture in your house or flat

IELTS Cue Card Question 65 With Model Answer:  Describe a piece of furniture in your house or flat. You should say:  what it is what you use it for how often you use it And explain what is special about 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 live with my parents in a small flat in Bakal, a town in Satkinsky District of Chelyabinsk Oblast under Russia. Being a small apartment, we have less furniture and I have a desk of my own. My desk is made of fine wood and has versatile applications. This is a four-legged desk and requires less space in my room. It is placed on a corner and beside the window of the room so that it cannot create any trouble during the movements in the room. The desk was customised according to the needs of my father (he is a writer by profession) about five or six years ago, and my old...

Describe your favourite social media

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card   533   with Model Answer: Describe your favourite social media platform/site/app. You should say: what it is what you use it for how long you have been using it and explain why this is your favourite social media platform/site/app. [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: Introduction: Oh, this one should be easy as I am an avid social media user. Though I do not like to waste my time browsing different social media platforms hour after hour, I like to use two or three of them to remain connected to my friends, family to others who are my online friends. Thank you for this nice topic. What it is: My favourite social media platform is Instagram. It is a photo and video-sharing app that allows users to share their life experiences through pictures and short clips. It also enables us to see what ot...