IELTS Cue Card: Describe an experience when you played an indoor game with others
IELTS Cue Card: Describe an experience when you played an indoor game with others
Describe an experience when you played an indoor game with others.
You should say:
- What you played
- Who you played it with
- Why you played it
And how you felt about it.
Part 3:
- What indoor games do children like to play nowadays?
- What qualities should a team leader have?
- Is teamwork important?
- What do you think of people spending too much time playing computer games?
Part 2 — Sample Answer:
I was never an outdoorsy kid and vastly preferred paying video games and board games too.
Unlike many video games, which can be played solo, board games require at least one other participant. Monopoly is no exception. It was one of my favorites because it combined strategy and lighthearted fun.
One of the last times I played Monopoly was with a best friend from school. He had a reputation for being a sore loser, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and play with him anyway.
We started the game and it seemed to proceed as normal, until his luck nosedived and he started to lose. It was obvious he was becoming visibly upset, having gotten too invested in the game. In spite of this I tried to enjoy it without antagonizing him.
His facial expression quickly contorted further and he did something I’d never seen him do before: flip the board. All the pieces went flying and it was clear the game was over.
It took a few moments for it to sink in. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Without saying a word he stormed off, leaving me to clean up the mess he’d made.
A few days later I saw him in school again. He sheepishly apologized for what happened and suggested we try to find different non-competitive activities to do together instead.
Vocabulary and idioms for this answer:
Outdoorsy (adjective)
Someone that is outdoorsy really enjoys outdoor activities like camping and walking.
Example: He was really outdoorsy and loved backpacking, hiking, and mountain climbing.
Lighthearted (adjective)
Something that’s happy and not serious.
Example: It was a fairly light-heated conversation.
Sore loser (adjective)
Someone that becomes upset or angry when they lose a game or competition.
Example: Don’t be such a sore loser. I beat you three times because I’ve been playing this game a lot longer than you.
Give the benefit of the doubt (idiom)
If you give someone the benefit of the doubt, you act as if their behavior is honest or correct, even though you aren’t certain it is.
Example: Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt before we start accusing him. There may be a good explanation for the missing money.
Nosedived (verb)
If something nosedives, it suddenly and quickly decreases. It can be someone’s luck, a price, or any other amount of something or number.
Example: House prices nosedived in the economic recession.
In spite of this (idiom)
It’s a phrase used for referring to a fact that makes something else surprising.
Example: In spite of his injury, he’s going to play football this weekend.
Antagonize (verb)
If you antagonize someone, you make them dislike you because they feel angry with you.
Example: She always antagonized her coworkers and they hated her.
Facial expression (noun)
The feelings expressed on a person’s face because of how their facial muscles have moved.
Example: Her facial expression clearly showed she was unhappy even if she didn’t say anything.
Contorted (adjective)
If something is contorted, it means it’s twisted or bent in a way that doesn’t seem natural.
Example: His face was contorted in anger.
Sink in (phrasal verb)
If something sinks in, it’s completely understood.
Example: She had to repeat her words several times before they finally sank in.
Couldn’t believe my eyes (idiom)
It’s a phrase that’s used for saying that someone is very surprised by something they’ve seen.
Example: I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw my dog return home after being lost for two weeks.
Stormed off (idiom)
If you storm off, you go somewhere very quickly because you’re angry or upset.
Example: Mary stormed off because nobody was listening to her in the meeting.
Sheepishly (adverb)
If you do something sheepishly, it means you’re ashamed or embarrassed about what you’re doing.
Example: Mary came back sheepishly when she realized she’d overreacted.
Part 3 — Sample Answers:
What indoor games do children like to play nowadays?
I’d say the trend has changed from board games like chess to video games because they’ve become more sophisticated and more fun to play.
It used to be the case that video game consoles, and the games themselves, were prohibitively expensive, sums that were far out of reach for most people. However that’s not the case nowadays. Almost everybody has a phone that can double as a gaming console and it’s common to see people playing some mindless game during their commute to work.
I think some people think that video games are a solitary activity, but there are plenty where the players work together in a team to achieve a common objective. I know of a few people who have made good friends with other players, sometimes even meeting up in real life. I think that’s really amazing and would have been almost unimaginable just a decade or so ago.
Vocabulary and idioms for this answer:
Out of reach (idiom)
It’s used for saying that someone cannot have something or do something because they don’t have enough money or skill.
Example: There were many times when I thought my dream of having a cat was out of reach.
Double (adjective)
Something that has two different uses or features.
Example: The city’s plan should have the double benefit of reducing traffic and protecting the environment.
Mindless (adjective)
If something is mindless, it means it doesn’t need a lot of mental effort. It can also be something stupid and pointless.
Example A: People waste a lot of time doing mindless things.
Example B: The movie is full of mindless violence
Example C: It’s fairly mindless work. I don’t have to think a lot when I’m doing it.
Solitary activity (adjective)
A solitary activity is one that you do alone.
Example: People often like solitary activities, such as walking alone in the park or playing computer games.
Or so (phrase)
It’s a phrase that’s used after an amount of money, time, or some other number to show that the amount isn’t exact, or is approximate.
Example: They raised $200 or so for charity.
What qualities should a team leader have?
I think there’s many, but perhaps the key one is empathy. A good leader should be experienced enough to be able to understand the daily struggles that many employees face. They should be able to put themselves in their employees’ shoes.
I think if they’re unable to be empathetic, they may treat employees unfairly and overwhelm them with too much work.
I’d say also kindness is a key leadership quality and goes hand in hand with empathy. Not all team members will have a good day, and some will show up to work cranky or miserable. Many people would instinctively mirror this gloomy behavior, but responding to it kindly can turn their mood around.
I’ve had both good team leaders and bad team leaders. In every case it was inordinately harder to leave a job when I had a good relationship with my manager. However, moving on to better prospects was a walk in the park when the manager could be likened to an angry dragon!
Vocabulary and idioms for this answer:
Key (adjective)
Something that’s key is very important and has a lot of influence on other people or things.
Example: She was a key figure in the art world.
Empathy (noun)
Empathy is the ability to understand how someone else feels, usually because you’ve experienced a similar situation, and you can put yourself in their shoes.
Example: Mary had a lot of empathy for Robert when he said his dog had died.
Put themselves in their employees’ shoes (idiom)
If you put yourself in someone’s shoes, it means you can imagine what it’s like to be someone else.
Example: Put yourself in my shoes — it was a really scary experience.
Hand in hand (idiom)
If something goes hand in hand, it means two things are closely connected or related.
Example: Cookies and milk go hand in hand.
Show up (phrasal verb)
If you appear or arrive somewhere, you are said to show up there.
Example: Tom showed up at my door to apologize for his rude remarks.
Cranky (adjective)
Someone that’s cranky is in a bad mood or irritable.
Example: He’s been cranky all day. He needs to take a nap now so that he’s not cranky at his birthday party.
Mirror (verb)
If you copy someone or you’re very similar to them in some way, you could be said to be mirroring them.
Example: Her on-screen romances seemed to mirror her experiences in her private life.
Inordinately (adverb)
In a way that is much more than usual or expected.
Example: She was inordinately fond of her pets.
Walk in the park (idiom)
Something that’s really easy to do is a walk in the park.
Example: I’ve been running marathons for years, so this 5K run will be a walk in the park for me.
Likened to (phrasal verb)
If someone or something is similar to someone or something else, they can be liked to each other.
Example: The human body can be likened to a machine.
Is teamwork important?
It depends on the situation.
In cases where the activity is more of a solitary activity, no, for self explanatory reasons.
When an objective can only be achieved as part of a team, yes. In this case it’s important for everybody to pull their weight and do their best, but at the same time they may need to make sacrifices or share the limelight with others.
A lot of sports are team sports, and if all the team members don’t pull together as one cohesive unit, they’re all but guaranteed to lose the game.
I think introverts like myself would generally shy away from team activities, and gravitate towards solitary activities that require less cooperation and interaction with others.
Vocabulary and idioms for this answer:
Self explanatory (adjective)
Something that’s self-explanatory is easy to understand without any explanation. Usually it’s easily understood from the information that’s already given and doesn’t need any further explanation.
Example: The instructions she gave were very self explanatory.
Pull their weight (idiom)
If someone pulls their weight they work as hard as other people in the same group.
Example: Other team members complained to their boss that Sarah wasn’t pulling her weight.
Limelight (noun)
The limelight is the attention that’s paid to someone, usually by the public. Often it’s because they’re famous or because they have done something very unusual or exciting. The word comes from the kind of brilliant white light that was in the past used to illuminate actors and actresses that were performing on stage.
Example: Tony became the CEO and was thrust into the limelight.
Pull together (pull together)
If people pull together, they work together to achieve something.
Example: Everyone pulled together during the flood to make sure everyone was safe.
Cohesive (adjective)
If something can be described as being cohesive, the parts fit well together to create one single thing.
Example: The group wasn’t cohesive. They were in competition with each other all the time.
All but guaranteed (phrase)
If something is all but guaranteed, it means it’s as close to being guaranteed as it can be without actually being guaranteed. Another way to say this is it’s virtually guaranteed.
Example: It was all but guaranteed we’d make it home before midnight, but sometimes the bus is late.
Shy away (phrasal verb)
If you shy away from something, you avoid it because you dislike, fear, or don’t feel confident about it.
Example: She always shied away from doing presentations at work because she didn’t like speaking in front of other people.
Gravitate towards (phrasal verb)
If you gravitate toward something, you are attracted to it and go towards it.
Example: People tend to gravitate toward the kitchen at parties.
What do you think of people spending too much time playing computer games?
Personally I don’t have a problem with it. I think everyone should be able to choose how they spend their time and if they opt to play computer games to a degree that some might consider excessive, so be it.
I suppose there is a line that could be drawn, past which the games may have a negative impact on other activities that are essential, such as working, studying, exercising, or maintaining personal hygiene. But absent such problems I don’t see a problem.
Personally I used to play a lot more video games than I do now. I noticed that it was having a negative impact on my studies and so I made a decision to cut out gaming for a while until I had more time to devote to it. That time never came and to be honest, I don’t really miss them.
Vocabulary and idioms for this answer:
Opt (verb)
If you opt for something, you choose it. In particular you might choose it instead of something else.
Example: Mary opted to retire early.
To a degree (idiom)
It’s a phrase that means partly.
Example: To some degree I think he’s right, but there are other factors that affect the situation.
So be it (idiom)
It’s used to say that you accept a situation as it exists, but you’re not happy about it.
Example: If she wants to spend all her money on clothes, so be it!
Draw a line (idiom)
To draw a line means to set a boundary, indicating what you’re unwilling or unable to do.
Example: He’s going to draw a line at repainting the whole house.
Cut out (phrasal verb)
If you cut something out you stop doing something and remove it from your life. It usually refers to something unhealthy or harmful.
Example: I’m trying to cut out chocolate completely.
How long will these questions be valid?
At least until the end of April 2020.
Three times a year the British Council changes many of the topics and questions they ask. Sometimes they decide to keep a topic for another four months, but oftentimes they decide to replace it. This one is very likely to be replaced with a new topic at the beginning of May 2020, but it won't be known for sure until then.
Just to let you know, there are 49 possible part 2/3 topics on the current exam. Sometimes there are more, sometimes there are less, and this number changes when the British Council updates the questions.
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February 24, 2020
