IELTS Speaking Cue Card

I often make promises to my family and friends which I fulfil. I always try to keep the promises I make as I don’t think promises are meant to be broken. I would like to talk about a situation when I made a promise to my best friend, Alicia. 

We went to school together and lived on the same street when we were kids. We planned to pursue higher education in Canada together but woefully, I was not able to go at the same time as her. I applied for an education loan which did not get approved, and I felt dejected to inform her that I could not tag along with her. 

While she was dismayed about the hiccup in our plan, I promised her I would make it work and join her the next year. Ever since we were kids, we have always done things together, even went to the same college and worked at the same place. We had planned to pursue higher education overseas so it was important for me to keep my promise as it was a shared dream. 

Initially, it was tough trying to figure out how to successfully get my loan approved. Thankfully, Alicia advised me about various scholarship opportunities that she came across which I could get. I immediately started applying and fortunately got granted one and flew to Canada to stay with her. It was a lot of hardwork but it was all worth it.

 

Vocabulary:

 

1. Woefully – unfortunately
2. Dejected – dispirited
3. Dismay – distress caused by something unexpected

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Part 3 Follow Up - Questions & Answers

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1. Generally speaking, do Indian parents make promises to children?

Yes, I believe every parent makes promises to their kids, not just Indian parents. They make promises so as to encourage their children to complete a task or do well in their studies. Children tend to improve themselves when they know something is promised to them.

2. Do children also make promises to their parents?

Yes, promises are a lot like give and take. Parents when making promises to their kids, take promises from them in return. For instance, many parents promise to take their children out to an amusement park or a movie if they promise to be on their best behaviour and complete their homework. Not only that, but kids usually promise to make their parents proud by excelling in academics.

3. Do most people fulfil their promises?

Yes, a lot of people keep their promises. They do so in order to set a good example for their children and also it is the right thing to do. Fake promises only hurt others and it is best to be honest about certain things instead of giving false hopes. However, sometimes promises are broken because of some external reasons which are unavoidable.

4. How do you feel when others break their promises?

I feel disappointed when others break the promises that they made. It is not good to hurt someone with fake promises as the person would have some expectations of seeing those promises fulfilled. I felt dejected a lot of times because of broken promises.