Cue Card # 4: Important skill you learned when you were a child

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card # 4

Describe an important skill you learned when you were a child.

You should say:

• what you learned
• how long it took you to learn it
• who helped you learn it

and explain how this skill helped you in your life.

[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 1:
This is a great topic and I would like to thank you for the opportunity to let me talk about a skill I learned in my childhood. We possibly learn the most important life skills in our childhood including how to talk, how to avoid danger, how to read, how to write, how to swim, how to walk and so on.

For this cue card topic, I would like to talk about the numeration skill that I acquired when I was a child. In my childhood, I learnt about digits, how they are used for representing numbers, and how they create basic mathematical equations. The numeration skill is thus a very important skill that I mastered at an early stage.

To answer the question – ‘how long it took me to learn’, I would like to say that I am still uncovering the advanced skills of mathematics. I am still learning many mathematical equations and their usage in science, but I can say that the seeds of learning this skill were planted in my childhood and it advanced throughout my academic years.

My parents were my first teachers. They taught me how to count, add, subtract, divide, multiply and solve some basic math problems. Later, different teachers helped me a lot throughout my life to enhance my skill.

I believe numeration is a fundamental skill in learning mathematics. Mathematics is all around us and to understand the world we live in we need to appreciate the magic of mathematical equations. This skill helped me to learn several other subjects more deeply including physics, chemistry, statistics, algorithm, data structure, programming, economics and so on. It is often said that we live in a world which is represented by numbers. In this regard, it has helped me read and understand many books written by famous scientists, mathematicians, and researchers. Besides, I still use numeration every single day- ranging from ‘planning my weekly budget’ to ‘solving intricate programming problems’ in my professional life.

I consider it one of the most important skills in life and I am happy that I had been able to learn it quite adequately in my childhood. The credit goes to my parents, teachers, classmates, and many writers whose books I read in my childhood. I believe this skill would be useful for the rest of my life.

Model Answer 2:

Introduction:
We learn throughout our life and this endeavour for learning new skills and trying to discover and invent new things makes us superior. However, I often ponder that we learn the most important life skills in our childhood. Today, I would like to talk about one such skill that I learned in my childhood that has been proven useful over and over again in my life.

What you learned:
I learnt to swim when I was just six years old. My father used to take me to a nearby swimming pool where he taught me this important skill. I am grateful that my father took the time and effort to teach me to learn swimming when I was much younger.

How long it took you to learn it:
It did not take me long to learn this skill. As my father told me, I was a natural when it comes to swimming. According to his testimony and some of my memories, I learnt the basics of swimming in just two weeks. But that was just the beginning and I mastered this skill over the next few years or so.

Who helped you learn it:
As I have already told you, my father taught me this important skill. Sometimes, a swimming instructor or a fellow swimmer offered some important tips to me, but the credit for my learning to swim goes solely to my father.

And explain how this skill helped you in your life:
This has been proven to be a valuable and life-saving skill that I learned in my childhood. Without learning to swim, I could have downed at least three different times! Moreover, I taught this skill to many of my relatives and it was also satisfying to pass on the skill to others. Once, I saved a teenage girl when she was almost drowning at a tourist spot near a seabeach. It was an out-of-this-world experience for me as I felt that I had done something truly heroic. So, I believe everyone should learn this skill sooner than later.

Following is a list of important skills that we learn in our childhood. For this cue card topic, you can pick one and describe how you learnt this skill in your childhood, who taught you this, how long it took you to learn it, and how it has helped you later in your life.

There are some essential skills that we basically learn in our childhood, and then master throughout our life. These skills are also considered vital to be successful in life. This is why parents are often encouraged to emphasize instilling these skills in their younger children. They are –

A) Communication Skill
B) Critical Thinking Skill
C) Self-Contol Skill
D) Focus Skill
E) Cooperation Skills
F) Taking Challenges Skills

A few other crucial skills that we learn in our childhood also include:

A) Social Skills
B) Writing Skills
C) Math Skills
D) Science
E) Creative Arts
F) Technology
G) Language Skill
H) Walking, Running, Climbing, and Talking.

Finally, we would also like to list a few important skills that make us better persons in life if they are learned in our childhood. They are –

A) Decision-making Skill
B) Time management Skill
C) Meal Preparation Skill
D) Money Management Skills
E) Cleaning & Personal Hygiene Skills