IELTS Cue Card Sample 95 - Describe something you own which is very important to you


Describe something you own which is very important to you.

You should say:

  • where you got it from
  • how long you have it
  • what you use it for

and explain why it is so important to you.


Model Answer 1:
Not sure, how much of an “importance” one should attach to owning a “motorcycle” on a scale of “owning important things”, but I consider my motorcycle to be very important to me because I have always felt like it is a “part of me” since the day I bought it, or “owned” it for hundreds of reasons, seriously.

I have always loved riding a motorcycle since my early childhood, and even wanted to “own” one since then, but my parents didn’t quite feel comfortable with the “adrenaline rush” or a “pre-teen” boy like me. So, I had to wait for at least another 10 years or so before I could actually “own” my “dream” two-wheeled “road warrior”, courtesy to the goodwill of my parents who didn’t hesitate to spend a “handsome” amount of cash to “spoil” their university-going, only “male” child.

Anyway, since then, I have been “driving” (more like “torturing”) my shiny black motorcycle for almost 5 years, without any major complain, in order to travel back and forth from my home to work, visiting my families and friends who are living far away from me, and carrying my younger sisters occasionally to the nearby shopping mall. I also take the help of my “ever-dependable” vehicle to run for different kinds of errands frequently in order to help my family. Finally, if I don’t mention how I drag my “roadster” to take me to a lake, by weathering very “rough” road conditions sometimes, against its will so that I can do some “fishing”, I would not do a complete injustice on my motorcycle.

My motorcycle is very important to me mainly because of the “versatilities” and flexibilities, it provides, in taking me to different destinations in different kinds of weather conditions. It is important to me also because it saves me a lot in my travel cost, considering how frequently I travel to different places. Finally, the “cool” feeling of walking into a restaurant or an upscale office, with a helmet under my arm while also having a “swagger” at the same time, is just “unbeatable” and “priceless”.


Sample Answer 2:
The desktop computer I own is very important to me. I spend almost 6-7 hours on this computer which is even higher than the time I spend with my friends! My father bought me this computer 3 years ago when I got admitted to the university. I have done some configuration upgrades, but the main parts of the computer have remained almost the same as they were when I purchased it.

I browse the internet on this computer and thus get lots of help related to my studies and assignments. I maintain social networking, update my blogs, play video games, watch movies, listen to music, learn and practice the graphics designing and programming and many more things on this computer. This computer has become an inevitable part of my life and I can hardly think of a day without this computer. The references and helps I get from the internet regarding my studies are unmatched. This saves a lot of time and helps me do better in the exams as well.

This computer is the main source of information and entertainment for me. I send important emails and check incoming emails which help me do important communications. Every time I am confused about something, I just search it online.  The result is gratifying and it helps me learn more. In short, this is the most necessary tool that I own.


Rounding off questions:

Q. Is it valuable in terms of money?
Answer: Indirectly, yes, it saves money and it has a resell value. Let's say, if I sell this computer right away, I can get a good sum of money. Besides, the knowledge I can gather from using it is priceless. If I use an internet cafe to send and check my emails, play games or download something, it would cost me. However, owning this computer saves me this amount.

Q. Would it be easy to replace?
Answer: If you ask me if I can get a new computer, or perhaps a laptop, and replace the existing one, I would say, it's doable for me. However, if you tell me not to use it any longer, I am sure it would make my life harder!


Part 3 – Two-way discussion:

Let’s consider first of all how people’s values have changed.

Q. What kind of things give status to people in your country?
Answer: Well, the innocent-sounding word "status" is, in fact, hard to define and it varies from person to person. Generally speaking, a large house in a posh area, a corporate job with higher remuneration, luxurious cars, well-decorated house, higher education and a foreign degree, fame and expensive electronic gadgets are some common symbols of status in our country. To some people, material gains are more important than morality to have social status while very few people consider otherwise. 

Q. Have things changed since your parents’ time?
Answer: I think it has not changed significantly and earthly possessions and money were determining factors for having social status during my parent's time as well. However, they also considered someone's character and morality for social status than we do today.

Q. Are people in modern time more focused on their career than the past?
Answer: Yes, people these days are more concerned and focused on their career development than ever before. Increasing population and competition, our declination towards material gains and loosely family ties have fueled this. In the past, someone used to put his family and morality well above his career. However, this is often not the case in today's world. It is not entirely our's fault. Without being career conscious it would be hard for any of us to sustain in the modern workplace.

Finally, let’s talk about the role of advertising.

Q. Do you think advertising influences what people buy?
Answer: I think advertisements have a great magnetism on us as consumers. We are surrounded by advertisements and consciously and unconsciously these adverts influence our choices to buy a product. For instance, if a customer is given four perfumes of different brands and is asked to buy one, he would go for the brand he has heard about or seen on an advert. We want to buy something we have heard about and this is where the advertisers tap into. We even end up buying things that we do not need only because advertisements lure us to do so!

Q. What makes us buy things we do not need? Why is so?
Answer: We live in a materialistic world where we have plenty of options. The emergence of the throwaway society has further fueled our habit of buying more than we actually need. We are never happy and with the frequent release of new and improved electronics and household items, we are tempted to buy things we could do without just fine.

Q. Should advertisers be allowed to track our online activities?
Answer: This is an interesting question to deal with. As a consumer and a regular user of the internet, I believe our privacy is at stake and advertisers should not be allowed to track our every online activity to leverage their advert campaigns. However, from the advertisers perspective, they find it quite natural to track our activities to offer us the most suitable products or services which will fit our demands. They believe it maintains the advertisement ecosystem. However, we should be wary of this tracking mechanism and avoid being targetted by following the safe-browsing policies. There should definitely be a boundary to restrict advertisers and brands to get our private data.


Similar Cue Card Topics:

  1. Describe the object you value most in your possession.
  2. Describe an important thing that you own.
  3. Describe an electronic device that you own.
  4. Describe the most useful device that you have.
  5. Describe something that you often use at home.
  6. Describe a valuable thing that you bought recently. 
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 4.05 (20 Votes)

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