Describe something you own which is very important to you

IELTS Cue Card Question 1:
Describe something you own which is very important to you.
You should say:
• where you got it from
• how long you have had it
• what you use it for
and explain why it is important to you.

[You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 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 have a huge collection of books of different tastes in my own library. I read them and thus have earned knowledge over different interesting issues. Those books are very important for me.

Although the books are of diversified categories, most of them are science fictions and novels of renowned authors. The books are highly important for me. I have bought around 80 per cent of the books while the remaining was given me as presents in different occasions by my parents, family members and friends. I have a hobby of collecting books of different genres. So, I have built a mini library inside my room. My parents inspired me on book reading when I was a kid of 9 years. Since then I was attracted to books and today in my 21, I am still collecting them. If I go abroad, I try to get books from the book stalls as they have a huge collection of books, especially the science fiction genre. I usually pass my leisure hours with the books. I go through the stories and get surprised after knowing the plots. The splendid events make me amazed and at times I try to make some adventures in my real life. 

Reading books is a matter of higher importance to me. I do not prefer wasting my moments other than reading the books. They give my joy and sometimes I feel sad too for the characters of the novels. It is said that books are the best friends and I have realized the saying after passing my precious moments with them. They have made me imagine the unseen and know the unknown. They are always with me and hope to keep them. If I consider the hobby in terms of money, it is invaluable. Money cannot buy the pleasures I have after reading the books. Moreover, it is impossible to replace with anything else for its unique features.

Model Answer 2:

My car is the first thing that popped up in my mind when I thought about my most important possession. In fact, I live with my parents and most of the essential properties like the house and the lawn are owned by my father. So I have very few personal belongings and out of those, my car (which is a Toyota RAV4 model) is most important to me.

I had to save money for about 2 years and take a loan from my father to purchase it. So I would say this is the first expensive belongings that I bought with my own money. I bought it from a local car showroom which is owned by one of our relatives. I thought buying the car from a known person would be a better idea in terms of the parts warranty and after sales service.

I bought this car in the first quarter of the last year. So I would say I own it for about a year and a half.

I use my car primarily for commuting different places I am obliged to go almost daily. For instance, I use it to reach my university and to the office where I work in the evening. I also use it to go different places like shopping malls, theatre, friends’ houses, library and stadium.

My life has become much easier after I bought this car. The comfort of owning a car and using it is far greater than struggling to get a seat in a public transportation. The public transportation in many developed countries is far better than ours. In our country, we have to wait a long to actually being able to get into a bus or a train. The time killed on the road inevitably is a waste of our valuable time. Finally, the lack of privacy and crowd on the public transportation often irritated me a lot. It was not unusual before I owned this car that I was completely exhausted just after I reached my university because of the hassle I had to take to get into a public bus.

As I own my car now, I can better manage my schedules. I can take a shortcut or diversion whenever I feel there is congestion ahead. I no longer need to kill long hours to ride a bus or a train. I can listen to music, news or even talk to my family members whenever I am travelling in my car. Thanks to the car and my dad for the loan- my life has become easier and I have more freedom than I used to have before I owned this car. 

Part 3 – Two-way discussion:

Q. What kind of things give status to people in your country? 

A. Different things are considered for a status in our country. Firstly, education is one of the most important factors. If you are uneducated, you will be unable to get a status. Money (regardless of legitimate or illegitimate) may bring a temporary status and that does not last longer. Social behaviour is another key to gaining status. A benevolent attitude is always desired by the surrounding people. If someone behaves kind to others, the status raises. Sometimes fame and popularity are also considered as status symbols in my country.  

Q. Have things changed since your parents’ time? 

A. Things have changed from my parents’ time. Earlier, communication was complicated, required much time but now we can reach the farthest corner of the globe within a few seconds. The traditional way of life has lost to some extent and we are having more competitions with the explosion of the overall population.

In terms of status, that has not changed that much. The symbols of status are still same that were in my father’s era. 

Q. Do you think advertising influences what people buy?

A. Advertising has a great impact on the human minds. It influences people and manipulates their ideas over any specific issues or products. For instance, if someone goes to buy any product like soap, cosmetics or something else from the nearby store, s/ he will prefer the one that was advertised on television. The advertised product will subconsciously appear on their mind. Therefore, it appears that advertisement influence people what they buy.