An extracurricular activity you have had

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 466 with Model Answer:

Describe an extracurricular activity you have had when you were in school.

You should say:

• what it was
• what you had to do
• how it was helpful to you

and explain what you liked the most 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 1:

This is an excellent topic, and I'd like to thank you for that. As a young high-school student, I was one of the contributors and members of our school magazine, which I believe was an excellent extracurricular activity for me. The school magazine was an affair of the students, and we used to publish it quarterly.

I used to write some short stories, poems, and interesting facts about different animals, persons and places for the magazine. This was my contribution to the magazine as a writer. I also used to collect different content - written by students of our school - and then send them to the moderators (who were mostly our teachers and seniors). Our headmaster was the president of our school magazine committee, and I was a senior member of it. Initially, the circulation of the magazine was restricted to the students of our school, but later we took it to several other schools in our district, and it was a herculean job!

Regular contribution to the school magazine has surely improved my writing skills and style. It also taught me how to cooperate with a team, conduct meetings and invite ideas. Besides, due to my involvement in it, I had been able to build up a great relationship with my teachers. So it was immensely helpful to me.

To be honest, I liked most parts of my involvement in this activity except for the time when I had to explain to someone why his or her writing was not approved or published. On the contrary, holding a fresh copy of the school magazine that just came out of the press was perhaps the most fulfilling experience of all. I really liked to look and skim through some of the pages sitting at the press office, and it was a priceless experience as a young student.



Sample Answer 2:

Introduction:
During my school days, I participated in various extracurricular activities, which helped me to develop my personality and skills. Among all those activities, one that I enjoyed the most was the debate club. For this topic, I would like to talk about this activity.

What it was:
The debate club was a school-based activity that was conducted once a week for an hour. It was open to all students, and everyone could participate regardless of their grade or stream. The club had a few senior students who were appointed as moderators and guided the participants on various aspects of "debate".

What you had to do:
During the debate club, we had to prepare our arguments on a given topic, which were usually social or political issues. We had to research and collect data to support our arguments, and then present them in a logical and convincing manner. The moderators provided us with feedback on our arguments, presentation skills, and overall performance.

How it was helpful to you:
Participating in the debate club was extremely helpful to me in various ways. Firstly, it helped me to improve my critical thinking and analytical skills. I learned to analyze different perspectives and arguments and also to present my views effectively. Secondly, it helped me to improve my public speaking skills. I became more confident and articulate in my speech, and also learned to communicate my ideas effectively.

And explain what you liked the most about it:
What I liked the most about the debate club was the opportunity it provided to interact and learn from my peers. It was fascinating to hear the diverse perspectives and arguments from my classmates and friends. Moreover, the debates often sparked healthy discussions and debates outside of the club, which further enhanced our understanding of social and political issues.