Describe a Foreign Country You Have Never Been To: IELTS Cue Card Sample 28

Sample Answer 1

Countless people around the world love to travel. A substantial number of people travel multiple times a year to new and exciting places. Although I am not as inclined towards travelling as some of my peers are, there are a few countries that I would like to visit atleast once in my lifetime. One such country is Japan, a country located in East Asia.

Japan is one of the most beautiful and developed countries in the world, if not the most developed. It is famous for its culture, traditional arts, and various world heritage sites. Japan is also renowned for renouncing its right to declare war. The public service system in Japan is a model for the whole world to learn from, and this is a country where the government puts substantial emphasis on the welfare of its citizens.

When I visit the country, I will participate in the plethora of activities tourists usually embark on here. From visiting heritage sites to trying out delicious Japanese food, that is famous worldwide. Cuisines like Udon, Ramen, and Sushi are some of the food items that are so popular that nearly every country tries to emulate these dishes. Japan is also well known for its folk music and instruments like koto and shamisen. Japanese architecture is also a popular tourist attraction, and places like the Ritsurin Garden and the Shrines of Ise are classic models of Japanese architecture.

One of the main reasons for my interest in visiting Japan is the different food and cuisines. Since I love trying different types of food, Japanese cuisine is one of the top items on my food bucket list. I would also like to witness other aspects of Japanese culture and experience urban life in Japan for a few days.

Sample Answer 2

There are so many countries that I have not had a chance to visit, but one of those that I would like to visit in my upcoming trip in Myanmar.

It is located in South East Asia. The country is like Thailand 25 years ago, before shopping malls and fast-food chains expanded. Thus it remains rustic and traditional compared to the modern world.

The people here are said to be friendly; they are willing to go out of their way to show you around, and they are very keen on practicing their English skills. Myanmar is famous for its ancient city named Bagan, with more than 3,000 temples that date back to the 11th century. I would particularly love to see the Shwedagon Pagoda. It is considered to be the greatest and most sacred Buddhist temple in the country. The entire structure, which dates back 2,500 years, is covered with hundreds of gold plates.

Since the country has just been opened up to the outside world, it still keeps the originality of its culture. That’s why I want to go there – to experience the country and the people before globalization ruins everything.

Sample Audio

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Vocabulary

• Fast-food chain: A network of restaurants like McDonald’s, which you can find in many different places, serving food such as burgers and fries.
• Rustic: Simple and typical of the countryside.
  Eg: The old church in the small village had a rustic appearance.
• Go out of their way to: To make a special effort to do something.
  Eg: The teacher went out of her way to help the students, giving free classes before the exams.
• Show someone around: To be a guide for somebody when they visit a new place and to show them what is interesting.
  Eg: We were shown around the school by one of the students.
• Sacred: Connected with a god, and considered to be holy.
  Eg: In Islam, Mecca is a sacred city.
• Opened up: Possible to be visited.
  Eg: The railways opened up many remote parts of the country.
• Globalization: The process by which places become similar to each other all over the world.
  Eg: You can now buy burgers in fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s all over the world, as a result of globalization.

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