The IELTS cue card is often deemed as the most interesting aspect of IELTS, as it allows the candidate to speak fluently on a randomly given topic for about 2-3 minutes. This part takes place in the IELTS speaking section that assesses how well a candidate can communicate in English. Therefore, to help you practice each and every possible topic that can emerge under the sun, here is another IELTS cue card example in the form of “Describe a Thing You Cannot Live Without”
Mobile Phone: Describe a Thing You Cannot Live Without
Introduction
There are many things that I use daily which are essential to me and I cannot live without. But to answer your question the one thing that instantly comes to my mind is my mobile phone. I can’t spend half of my day without my mobile phone.
What is it?
A thing that I cannot live without is my mobile phone. It is a Redmi 9i from the company Redmi. It is royal blue with a 13-megapixel camera and 48-hour battery backup. This phone is close to my heart as I purchased this from my first salary. It was a gift that I gave to myself after receiving my first payment. It has been three years since I bought this phone and it functions without any problem to date.
How often do you use it?
To be very honest I use my phone almost all the time. I mostly use my phone to send and receive text messages and connect with people over social media. It also helps me when I need it to look up things I don’t know about on Google. I also use my phone to click pictures and record videos. In a way, it helps me capture those memories forever. Apart from these, my mobile phone plays a very important role in my official use. I receive all my official calls and texts on my phone. When I’m away from my office I can always operate through my phone and get the work done. My mobile is also used for recreational purposes by me. I use it to watch movies and listen to songs and podcasts.
What will you do without it?
Without it, I think my life would be very difficult. My everyday work is tied to my phone. And I have gotten into a habit of always having my phone with me so trying to live without it will get difficult. My official life as well as my personal life will be disrupted. So I don’t think I will be able to do much without my mobile.
Conclusion
I must say I do realise that my obsession with my phone might be a little unhealthy but the world we are living in has digitalized itself. Even to buy something I will need my phone as the payments have gone cashless. So it is not possible to live without a mobile phone. But sometimes I feel that because of these mobile phones humans have forgotten each other.
Books: Describe a Thing You Cannot Live Without
Introduction
This is a very interesting question. To answer this I would like to say that the one thing I cannot live without is my books. I am a bibliophile and I read books every day. It is that one thing that I always carry around with me.
What is it?
As said above, I can’t live without my books. I first got into reading when I was 16 years old. My brother gifted me a book named ‘The Three Mistakes of My Life’ by an Indian author named Chetan Bhagat. I found my interest in reading books and since then I never stopped. Books are a way for me to express myself. I carry a book with me everywhere I go. My friends and family get worried sometimes saying that if I continue spending time only with my books I might start losing touch with the real world.
How often do you use it?
In the morning, when I wake up I freshen up and start reading a mindful book to commence my day on a positive note. During the day when I’m commuting somewhere,e I can always be seen reading a book on the bus or the metro. And at night before sleeping I make sure to read at least two pages to end my day on a mindful note. To answer your question I use my books very often.
What will you do without it?
I don’t think I will be able to survive without my books. I always carry a book around with me. One time I forgot to carry my book with me during my bus ride to my office and I got so bored I didn’t know what to do. Since that day I also started reading online books so even if I forget my physical copy, I always have my ebook with me. My book is the one thing I cannot live without.
Conclusion
To conclude, I cannot live without my books. They help me become the person I am today. With every book I read I gain a new perspective towards life. And an added benefit of always sticking to my book is I am not addicted to my phone like the rest of the world. I must admit sometimes I feel that I give less time to my surroundings and people around me like my family and my friends. I will try to read less and give some time to my family as well. But my books are the one thing I cannot live without.
My Pet Dog: Describe a Thing You Cannot Live Without
Introduction
I had never really given a thought to this topic that there can be a thing so essential one cannot live without. But now when I come to think of it I realise that there is an item so essential in everyone’s life that one cannot live without. Thank you for asking me this question as it made me think with a new perspective. To answer your question, the one thing in my life that I cannot live without is my pet dog, Kitty.
What is it?
It’s my pet dog, Kitty. When I was 12 years old, I was returning from school when I saw a puppy crying in a corner in front of my house. It was raining that day and I think he got lost. When I got closer to him I saw that he was really scared. I tried to pet him carefully to make him comfortable with my presence. Within a few minutes, he got comfortable with me. I waited there with him for some time for his mother to come. But the weather was getting bad and it was forecasted to rain heavily for a few days. I decided to take him home with me. My father was thrilled upon seeing a puppy with me but my mother wasn’t particularly happy upon his arrival. She was worried about all the mess it would create around the house. We decided to keep him till his mother came but it never came and Kitty ended up becoming the fourth member of our family.
How often do you use it?
Kitty has lived with us for 9 years now. Every time I leave for work Kitty becomes sad. My mother says he waits for me the whole day on the balcony. And in the evening when I come back home Kitty is the first person who greets me. He comes to the door wagging his tail and starts licking me all over my face. In these few years, Kitty has become a very important part of our family. My mother who wasn’t happy with its arrival now treats him like his own son. Kitty is the one thing I cannot live without. Every time we leave Kitty at home, alone while we go out to attend some function or run some errands, it waits for us by the door. We also try to come back home as soon as possible.
What will you do without it?
Unfortunately, the thing I cannot live without got infected by a fatal disease common in dogs called ‘heartworms’.Kitty was diagnosed with this disease a few years ago after we brought it home. It got the disease from its mother. Kitty is under medication now but the doctor said that it’s a fatal disease in dogs and Kitty won’t last long as its entire heart is infected with heartworms. It pains my heart sometimes when I think of the day Kitty will leave us. We are all attached to it a lot. The thought shatters me but I know Kitty is suffering right now and passing away will end her suffering. I don’t know what I would do without the one thing I cannot live without anymore.
Conclusion
Through Kitty, I have learnt to accept that nothing is permanent in this world. I will continue getting Kitty treated but the day it will express to me with its eyes that it doesn’t want to suffer anymore, I will let it go.
Follow-up questions: Describe a Thing You Cannot Live Without
1. What is the one common thing that people cannot live?
The one common thing that people cannot live without nowadays is smartphones. People of all ages can be seen holding one anywhere they go. Even people of old age are addicted to mobile a lot. Since digitalization smartphones have also become a necessity. Apart from this people also rely heavily on air-conditioners, especially during the summer season.ACs can be found even in cars nowadays. Because of global warming, there has been a drastic change in weather resulting in really hot summers. Thus making people depend highly on air-conditioning.
2. What are some negative consequences of highly depending upon things?
One of the major consequences of being highly dependent upon things is that when one loses it, he/she doesn’t know how to get through without it. For example, my friend who’s highly addicted to her social media accidentally forgot the password to her account. She got into a frenzy and called everyone for help. She was able to retrieve her account back but the frenzies I saw her in made me realise what can happen to people who rely highly on certain things.
3. Do you think the things people rely on are replaceable?
Yes. I think that the things people rely on are highly replaceable. For example, My friend who was highly addicted to her phone lost it the other day. She filed a complaint about the phone and didn’t even wait for a day or two. She immediately went to the store and got herself a new phone. So to answer your question things people cannot live without are replaceable.
4. Is it good that people rely so much on inanimate things?
The answer to this question is highly subjective. It depends on the thing a person is obsessed with. For example, an IT person being obsessed with his computer is understandable but a teenager who is highly addicted to his phone is not.
5. Do you think the current generation puts their wants before their needs?
Yes, the current generation puts its wants first before its needs. They tend to buy things that will satisfy their desire. A teenager doesn’t need a costly phone but he will buy it irrespective of the cost because that’s what he desires. Additionally, social media has a great influence on teenagers and it has hyped everything that a teenager will not need but he does end up spending on it.
Neha Sharma is an IELTS faculty with a decade of experience in teaching IELTS. She holds a PhD in English from Stanford University, USA. Excelling in tailoring her teaching to individual student needs, she has helped over 50,000 students achieve their target scores. Actively involved in research, she ensures that her methods remain effective and innovative.
