Describe an exciting experience in your life – IELTS Speaking Cue Card Sample 69

IELTS Speaking Actual Tests with Answers (March-June 2021) | eBook

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Sample Answer

It was almost 8 years since I competed in an English Speaking Contest, standing on a big stage in front of a hundred-strong crowd to deliver one of the best speeches I’ve ever given with the support of my friends. That was something you can never forget in your whole life and the most magnificent moment, bar none, of my high school highlights.

Never did it cross my mind that one day I would be on stage talking about the thing I treasured most in my life – my family and friends or just be qualified enough to represent the entire school compete at such competition. If it hadn’t been for my English teacher’s constant encouragement, I wouldn’t have participated in the contest in the first place. Students were free to choose their topics and were asked to present it in front of a panel of judges and audience. It sounded intimidating for so many reasons, but I had managed to subdue my anxiety and learned to believe in myself. Preparation for D-day was tough for everyone, both emotionally and physically. We kept practicing nonstop for 4 hours straight, every single day; me trying to perfect my pronunciation and acquire that American accent, my friends singing their heart out Miley Cyrus’s song “True Friend” since we wanted to kick our performance up the notch by featuring some musical element. Our hard work had finally paid off with us bringing home the Champion Cup as well as Best Performance Award. It brought me to tears as I realized at that moment it wouldn’t have mattered if we hadn’t won because we already won when we got over ourselves, stepped out of our comfort zone and kept going till the end. That was our true victory. Until now, the lesson I’ve learnt 8 years ago still has its own value and will always be there to remind me of those good old days.

Vocabulary

• Deliver a speech: give a speech
  Eg: The Vice President delivered a speech on Republic Day. 
• Magnificent (a): extremely attractive and impressive
  Eg: Burj Khalifa is a magnificent piece of architecture. 
• Bar none: with no exceptions
  Eg: Amitabh Bachchan is the most talented actor, Bar none. 
• Cross one’s mind: to come into your thoughts as a possibility
  Eg: The idea of adopting a pet never crossed my mind. 
• Represent (v): act or speak officially for somebody
  Eg: Saina Nehwal represented India in the Olympics. 
• In the first place: in the beginning
  Eg: We should have never gone to Delhi in the first place. 
• Panel of judges:   a group of persons selected to act as a team to judge a contest
  Eg: Rose was one among the panel of judges to shortlist the winners. 
• Intimidating (a): frightening in a way that makes a person feel less confident
  Eg: Meera can be very intimidating when she’s angry. 
• Subdue(v): calm or control your feelings
  Eg: When John was not shortlisted for the post of HR, he subdued himself. 
• Sing one’s heart out: to sing with vigor or intensity
  Eg: On her wedding day, Rose sang her heart out and thanked her parents for everything. 
• Kick something up the notch: to do something with vigor or intensity
  Eg: Mary was late to office. So she asked the driver to kick his speed up a notch. 
• Pay off: yield good results, succeed
  Eg: John’s hard work paid off when he got an immense profit in his business. 
• Bring someone to tears: to bring someone to the point of crying
  Eg: During the graduation ceremony, the speech by the dean moved everyone to tears. 
• Step out of comfort zone: do things that you
  Eg: If he wants to be successful, he must step out of his comfort zone and start working hard.

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