Cue Card # 65: Describe your favourite colour

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card # 65

Describe your favourite colour.

You should say:

• what colour it is
• has it always been your favourite colour
• is there any special meaning of this colour

and explain why this is your favourite colour.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

Model Answer:

Describing my favourite has always been a challenging task for me. In fact, I have preferred to see different objects in different colours instead of just blindly choosing one particular colour over others. But, for the purpose of discussing this topic, I would like to say that I have always liked “purple” colour a bit more than other colours.

So, again, I think that “purple” is my favourite colour, which is made by mixing red and blue light colour in equal intensity. Therefore, purple is essentially a secondary colour, but some people would also be tempted to call it similar to “violet”, even though violet is a “real” colour with its own and single wavelength on the electromagnetic spectrum.

Anyway, when I say that purple is my favourite colour, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I like everything in purple. Rather, it just looks good on many things that I prefer. For example, I like to buy purple grapes because they look just perfect to me in that particular colour. However, I haven’t always considered purple as my favourite colour because, in the past, I have also preferred maroon and navy blue.

So, is there any special meaning of “purple” colour? Perhaps, there indeed is, because, in ancient times, Roman magistrates used to wear purple. It also became the imperial colour, worn by the rulers of the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, and later, by Roman Catholic bishops as well. Similarly in Japan, this particular colour is still traditionally associated with the emperor and aristocracy. So, I guess it is fair to assume that purple is generally associated with royalty and wealth.

Anyway, purple is my favourite colour, primarily because it is more interesting and visible than the other primary colours. I like this colour also because it has some calming effects on my mind and nerves, unlike many other colours, which disturb my vision on a bright day. Finally, I also like this colour because it can offer some more unique and complex shades if seen in proper lights.