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

BAND 9.0 SAMPLE ANSWER:
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 is 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 which 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.

USEFUL VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS FOR IELTS SPEAKING:

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

Bonus cue card:

Also check :

• IELTS Speaking tips
• IELTS Cue cards
• Linking words for IELTS Speaking
• IELTS Speaking recent actual test
• Sports Vocabulary IELTS
• Work Vocabulary IELTS
• Idioms for IELTS Speaking