When a family member asked for your help

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 415 with Model Answer:

Describe a time when a family member asked for your help.

You should say:

• when it was
  
• who asked for your help
• how you helped
  

and explain how you felt about it.

[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.]

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Model Answer:

Out of three daughters of her, I am presumably the “least” favourite of my mother, probably because I very seldom extend my helping hands to her in maintaining the house. But, it is not exactly entirely my fault since she asks for my help only on some very rare occasions, and that too only for very small things, like moving the couch pillows from one place to another or close the doors of our kitchen cabinets.

But, about a year ago, my mother surprised me by asking for my help, and a big help in that, in order to prepare some delicious Italian cuisines for some special guests. Initially, I thought that my mother was just joking with me or testing my “sincerity” to her since she very well knew that my mid-term examination was going to be held very soon. But, then I realized that she was dead serious about needing my help as she thought that she wouldn’t be able to finish the dishes on time.

Of course, I tried to tell her that I didn’t have any clue whatsoever about the foreign dishes, that she was preparing, but then she told me that I was smart enough to follow her instructions and also that I was going to do just fine. So, I got on with the action inside the kitchen and started to follow the instructions of my “head chef”, that is my dear mother, and mixing the chopped food items in a big bowl before stirring them upside down. Not sure exactly how long my “kitchen saga” had continued, but my mother sure looked like she had conquered the Mount Everest as she managed to prepare the dish just the way she preferred.

Anyway, after helping my mother prepare some of her favourite dishes, I felt really happy and proud. Besides, it was the first time that I realized that my mother had all sorts of confidence in me whether I was trying to get a scholarship at my university or preparing some delicious international cuisines.