A place where you used to play when you were a child

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 499 with Model Answer:

Describe a place where you used to play when you were a child.

You should say:

• where it was
• with whom you played there
• what type of games or sports you played there

and explain how you feel about this place now.

[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:
Thank you for choosing this interesting topic for me. I would be more than happy to talk about a place where I used to play as a child. It is something that I am willing to do again and again because it takes me back to some of my best memories.

Now, the place, I want to talk about, was nothing but just a regular playground which was neither too small nor big. It was an open space, so anybody could visit it at any time without any restrictions. There were a number of other open spaces like this in our small town, but what made this “playground” significantly different from the others was that it was fully covered with green grass – grass that felt so soft and fluffy to the touch. Besides, this open space didn’t have very many residences close to it, meaning we didn’t really have to worry about annoying the neighbours with excessive noises when playing any kind of sports or just running and shouting.

By the way, talking about sports, we mostly used to play either soccer or hockey with my friends and other neighbourhood kids, depending on our moods, and the type of ongoing, international sports tournaments. But, no matter what types of sports we were playing there, we always made sure that we were going back to our respective homes before sunset. After all, this place was located on the outskirt of our hometown, a bit far away from most of our homes, and it would get awfully quiet and dark (because of a limited number of residences and plenty of trees nearby, with no lights or electricity) after the sunset.

Now, coming to how I really feel about this place at this point of my life, after 15 plus years, I think that it is more than just a place or playground to me because this is where I enjoyed lots of special moments with my friends. I also wish that we were a bit gentler to those beautiful green grass during those happy childhood years to protect mother nature in our own neighbourhood.

Model Answer 2:

Introduction:
Childhood memories are always special and nostalgic. In my childhood, I used to spend most of my time playing outside with my friends. One of my favourite places to play was a park near my house. For this topic, I am going to describe this place which was perhaps my favourite place in my childhood - which still feels magical to me!

Where it was:
The park was located just a few blocks away from my house. It was a small park with a playground, a basketball court, and a small pond. It is still there, and whenever I cross that park, it brings back many childhood memories.

With whom you played there:
I used to play with my childhood friends from the neighbourhood. We would meet up in the park every day after school and spend hours playing different games and sports. There was no limit on what we used to do there. Even meaningless and aimless shouting and running felt something special.

What type of games or sports you played there:
We played all sorts of games and sports in the park. We played basketball, soccer, cricket, hide-and-seek, and many other games. Sometimes we even created our own games to play.

Explain how you feel about this place now:
Even though I have grown up and moved away from my childhood neighbourhood, I still have fond memories of that park. Whenever I go back to visit, I always make it a point to stop by and take a walk through the park. It brings back happy memories of carefree days spent playing with friends. The park has gone through some changes over the years, but it still holds a special place in my heart as the place where I spent many happy hours playing as a child.