Describe a time you taught something new to a young person

Zuhana

4 min read

Updated On Jul 31, 2024

The article provides two sample responses for the IELTS Cue Card topic 'Describe a time you taught a young person how to do a thing' detailing teaching experiences and offers vocabulary like 'interpreter' and 'calligraphy' to enhance answers.

Sample Answer 1
Sample Answer 2

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You will have exactly one minute to prepare and speak on topics like ‘Describe a time you taught something new to a young person’. To help you prepare, we have put together cue card answers created by our IELTS experts. These answers will give you an opportunity to share one of your experiences of a time you taught something new to a young person and guide you to learn how to communicate clearly and successfully. Hence, you can now learn how to answer IELTS Cue Card topics by looking at the given sample answers!

If you want to learn some idioms that will improve your answers for IELTS Speaking Part 2 as well as your IELTS Speaking score, check this video given below!

Describe a time you taught a young person how to do a thing.

You should say:

what you taught;
whom you taught it to;
why you taught it to this person;
and explain how you felt about it.

Sample Answer 1

Teaching a person younger than oneself can be a learning experience in itself. While the teacher has the privilege of sharing their knowledge, they also learn some things from their student. One summer, while my cousin and I were spending the vacation at our grandmother’s house, she sought my help with her Mathematics and English holiday homework. The topics for both subjects were pretty simple. Therefore I was confident that I would not have any trouble teaching her.

We started with the mathematics homework, and from the very beginning, she floundered in understanding the concepts and solving the questions by herself. Although it was no secret that she struggled with Maths, I was unable to assess her condition. After several attempts, I started losing patience and was almost frustrated. I even assumed that she might have the same problems with the English homework, especially grammar. However, she was quick to prove me wrong. As we moved from one chapter to another, I could see her command of the language and overall proficiency. Not only did she finish the homework efficiently, but her answers were also flawless.

The most remarkable piece of the English homework was her essay on “A day on the moon”. Out of three issues, she chose the one that needed her to narrate an extraordinary scenario in simple words. I was a teacher in this incident, and my cousin was the student, yet I believe I learned a crucial lesson. Elders often judge children based on a single event, especially their academic performance. Nevertheless, we fail to understand that although every subject is essential, every child is unique and special. Being weak in one subject does not mean the child fails to perform well in all other subjects. Nurturing individual interests can take a child a long way in their life.

Sample Answer 2

Given below is an audio recording of the sample answer for the topic – Describe a time you taught a young person how to do a thing. As you listen to it, you can refer to the transcriptions below for more clarity on the IELTS Speaking test.

As an English teacher and an interpreter, I sometimes take on the role of a tour guide. So when I have friends coming for a visit, I’ll take them to some of the most famous places in my city.

Just last month, a friend of mine who comes from a different part of my country brought his kids here. They were all excited to see my city and were particularly interested in historical places, which they’d all read about in textbooks but hadn’t had the chance to visit in person.

On the first day I took them to ABC, which is the first university of my country. The place is situated in the centre of our capital, its architecture typical of the feudal times, looking very distinct from the modern buildings in its surroundings.

At the entrance we noticed people in traditional clothing offering calligraphy service. My friend decided to ask for some ‘lucky phrases’ to bring home.

Passing the gate, we started walking down the main path and arrived at a temple where people can wish for luck before exams. There were also stone turtle steles lining the walls. It is said that if you touch their heads luck will come to you during your exams. But in recent years these heads have been touched so much that they are now off-limits. I specifically warned them not to do that.

Vocabulary

Check out some IELTS Vocabulary to use while answering the cue card - Describe a time you taught something new to a young person - and make sure to impress your IELTS examiner.

Interpreter: a person who interprets, especially one who translates speech orally or into sign language
Eg: Meera earned her living as an interpreter.
Feudal: according to, resembling, or denoting the system of feudalism
Eg: John’s view of patriotism was more than old-fashioned and was positively feudal
Calligraphy: the art of producing decorative handwriting or lettering with a pen or brush.
Eg: Rose was interested in calligraphy.
Specifically: in a way that is exact and clear; precisely.
Eg: The panelists specifically questioned me about my career choices.
Off-limits: out of bounds
Eg: If an area is out of limit, then you’re not supposed to cross it.