IELTS Speaking Cue Card

In my childhood, I visited my grandmother’s place, which is situated in a village, during summer vacation almost every year. Those visits were the times when I had some of my best days that I dote on to this day. I would like to talk about the first time I went to the village.

About 10 years ago, when I was just 12 years old, my grandparents moved from the city where we were all living together to their hometown, a village called Ramapur. It is about 250 kilometers from my hometown of Pune. I was glum when they left but my father promised to take me there during the summer holidays. I am glad to say, come the summer after I finished my seventh grade, he kept his promise, and we went together to see my grandparents. 

As I entered the village, I realized it was much more beautiful than I expected. My grandparents’ home was an old brick-built house with large doors and an open center. I immediately fell in love with it. The next few days, I went on to explore the place. It was so alluring with stunning crop and fruit fields spanning many acres of land. Furthermore, there was a lotus pond which attracted tourists from nearby places as well. I made some friends there with whom I had lots of fun playing games.

It was one of the best places I have ever been to as the experience left me with many memories. The games I played with my friends near the mango tree situated behind my grandparents' house and going for swimming trips to the nearby lake early in the morning created some indelible moments. I feel nostalgic talking about it right now. I think I should visit the place again soon and meet my friends there.

 

Vocabulary:

1. Dote on - cherish
2. Glum - sad
3. Alluring - charming
4. Indelible - memorable

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Part 3 Follow Up - Questions & Answers

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1. Do young people enjoy living in the countryside?

I think most young people now-a-days like living in the city because of the differences in facilities that can be accessed in cities and countryside. For instance, the countryside may not have huge fancy restaurants where young people often like to arrange gatherings at while in cities, there are many such places.

2. Do old people prefer to live in the countryside or in the city?

In my view, old people love living in the countryside as it is often seen as a place to relax after retirement. It has a calm environment with fresh air and relatively undisturbed neighborhoods which in cities are mostly buzzing with people and traffic.

3. Why do many people move from small towns to big cities?

One of the reasons that people move from small town places to big cities is the search for better career prospects. More often than not, options for work in small towns are limited whereas cities have a wide range of opportunities for various skills and people come looking for exactly such opportunities. Besides, facilities like schools and colleges for children are also better in cities so people often migrate to cities.

4. How has life changed in the countryside in your country?

In India, countryside is gradually mirroring the lifestyle that cities have with opening of large malls, construction of corporate buildings etc. They are rapidly developing in order to provide residents with better opportunities. Transportation also has developed over the last few years with better connectivity with other locations.