Describe Something you Bought That was Difficult to Use at First- IELTS Cue Card

Describe something you bought that was difficult to use at first.

You should say:

• what was it
• When you bought it
• What does it do
• Explain how difficult it is to be used?

Sample Answer 1

Recently, we celebrated my father’s sixtieth birthday, and all of us had a gala time. However, since the parlour and saloons are closed due to the lockdown and risk of transmission of the Coronavirus, I decided to gift my father with a trimmer so that his hair cutting and beard trimming woes would be solved.

The model of the trimmer is Braun 9-in-1 All-in-one Trimmer 5 MGK5280 and it got ravishing reviews online. It is a rechargeable all-in-one wet & dry trimmer and is said to have an unmatched cutting performance compared to the previous generations of beard trimmers from the same company. Along with the main machine with lifetime sharp blades, 4 different types of combs and nine different attachments perfect for trimming of beard, hair, ear and nose hair. The instrument also has an auto-sensing motor that adapts to any beard type and gives a good trimming experience. Apart from these features, we also received a free Gillette Fusion5 ProGlide razor and a travel pouch.

My father was very excited to hear all these features and began boasting about the phenomenal gift to my mother. But, the problem began when he went on to use it. With the various settings and number of attachments, he was perplexed about which one to use for what purpose. After a long hour of experimenting with the machine as the manual given was not detailed, he came to me for help. Unaware of the uses, I had to check out some videos on Youtube to figure out the uses and explain the uses to my father. So, he used it the next day, and I was relieved that he got the desired results.

Sample Answer 2

With a stagnant revolution that the technology has been putting forth, it is taking a bit more time to understand the latest gadgets these days. Something similar happened with me when I purchased my firs Macbook six months back.

All these years, I have been working relentlessly on a Windows laptop. From the shortcuts to diving deep into the settings and configuring the same, I can say that I am a pro at handling a Windows operating system. However, considering that a Macbook runs on a completely different OS – iOS – it took me some time to get used to its functionality.

At first, I was delighted to purchase this laptop as it had been a long-time wish that I wanted to fulfill desperately. However, the moment I started using it, difficulties came in front one after the other. To begin with, I couldn’t create an Apple ID on the laptop either. To watch videos or listen to music, I had to use AirPlay, which was extremely unfamiliar and new to me. And then, unlike a Windows laptop, this Macbook had Safari as its browser, which took even more time for me to comprehend.

Fortunately, one of my friends is a tech-savvy and an old Apple user. Without further ado, I contacted him and he sorted out all of my issues in a fraction of a minute. Now that I use it regularly, I have gotten used to its features. So, things have settled down for me.

Conclusion :

However, initially, I had great trouble in understanding how it works.

Vocabulary

• Gala

Meaning: a public entertainment marking a special occasion
Eg: The Duchess was absent at the gala last night.

• Woes

Meaning: bad troubles causing much suffering
Eg: Finally, all their woes ended with the advent of electricity.

• Ravishing

Meaning: delightful; entrancing
Eg: She looked ravishing in the red dress.

• Phenomenal

Meaning:  unusually great; much more or much better
Eg: The opera was phenomenal and it brought tears to everyone’s eyes.

• Perplexed

Meaning:  to cause someone to be confused or uncertain over something that is not understood
Eg: The station master seemed perplexed to hear the whistle of the train.

Part 3 Follow Up Questions

1. What type of products are difficult to use at first?

Usually, various products are assembled for the use of a general populace. The level of difficulty in handling products, varies based on the understanding and knowledge that individuals possess. For example, while a young person can easily handle any electronic device with ease, an elderly person will have difficulty in understanding the functioning as he is not acclimated to the uses. But, in most cases, people find it difficult to use products with many settings and additional attachments. So, to make the useability of products easier, the manufacturers provide a manual nowadays.

2. Do you think it is necessary to follow the fashion and use the latest products?

It is not necessary to ape a group of people in the name of fashion. One should always go after things that will be useful to them without just following a trend. But, with the advancement of technology, products and services are updated on a daily basis. So, in my opinion, one should understand one’s needs and choose the products and services accordingly without following the herd aimlessly.

3. Do you believe that some products are over publicized?

Yes. In the era of social media and advertisements, there are a lot of products that are sold on the basis of hype created by marketing strategists. Through advertisements all over the place and companies competing with one another to sell their products, some products come into the limelight without being of any value to the general public and are sold out immediately. This is mostly true for makeup products, clothes and certain food items.

4. Which do you think is better, buying things online or buying things in real shops?

As the saying goes, every coin has two sides, and it is valid for the two modes of shopping. While online shopping has gained popularity in the past few years, people from the old generation trust more on offline shopping as they can check the quality of the products before buying. But, according to me, online shopping has more advantages as one can compare the variety of goods in a few clicks and avail huge discounts. Apart from these, this mode is also environment and user-friendly as it saves fuel and time.

5. How do people pay for things they buy online?

With the booming popularity of online shopping, many new modes of payment have also been introduced. The most common ways are through online payments using credit cards or debit cards. Secondly, different applications like Google Pay, Paytm, Phonepe, etc. have been developed for this purpose. Moreover, there is an option of cash payment when the goods are delivered. So, one can choose any of these payment methods according to their preference.

Vocabulary

• Acclimated

Meaning: adapted to a new altitude, climate, environment, or situation
Eg: Dinosaurs could not acclimate to the changing conditions and perished.

• Ape

Meaning: to imitate, often in a mocking way
Eg: The students used to ape their Maths teacher.

• Hype

Meaning: to advertise or praise something a lot in newspapers, on television, online, etc. in order to make people excited about it and want to buy
Eg: The producers created a hype around the product to make profit.

• Limelight

Meaning:  the center of public attention
Eg: The writer never came into the limelight to protect her privacy.

• Booming

Meaning:  increasing or becoming successful and producing a lot of money very quickly
Eg: Tourism is a booming industry that got hit by the pandemic and lockdown.