IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card # 191
Describe a time when you drove a vehicle for the first time in your life.
You should say:
- when it was
- what vehicle it was
- where it was
and explain how you felt about it.
[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:
I have always considered “driving” to be one of the most fun and enjoyable things to do. In fact, the idea of driving a car appealed to me so much, as a kid, that I actually pretended to be sitting behind the steering wheel and running fast as if I was actually driving a car. But, let’s not get carried out by that story now. Instead, let’s just talk about how I felt when I drove a vehicle for the first time.
Anyway, as I have already mentioned that I was very fascinated by the idea of driving a vehicle or car from an early age, but I didn’t actually get to drive one until after I hit my early 20s about 9/10 years ago. Of course, it was a training car, I was driving, which was neither old nor new. But, it was for sure an old model, 2-door, Japanese sedan which was probably called “Datsun” (if I remember it correctly).
Now, here it is worth mentioning that back then, I was living in a rather small town which didn’t have a driver’s training institute which could provide driving lessons to anybody. So, I actually had to travel about 30-odd kilometres in a bus, to the next big city, in order to get my driving lessons! But, I have no complaints about that at all because, after all, I didn’t only get to drive a car there for the first time, but also they did a very fine job in teaching me how to drive a car nicely and safely.
Of course, I am a fine driver now, but I would never forget the experience of driving a car for the first time while taking my driving lesson. Initially, I was a bit nervous, because of some obvious safety issues, but at the same time, I was a bit excited too. But, the experience, which I would treasure the most, about driving a car for the first time was that it actually made me feel like an “adult” or a real grown-up man for the very first time in my life.
Model Answer 2:
Introduction:
I am so grateful that I got this topic to talk about. I’d like to thank you first before I share my experience of riding a bicycle for the first time in my life when I was just 7 or 8 years old.
When it was & What vehicle it was:
I was just an elementary school kid back then, and I used to live in our hometown – which is a small but beautiful town in the Southern part of our country. When I was just 7 or 8 years old, one day, my paternal uncle – Morris, came to visit us. On the second day of his visit, he asked me if I would be interested to learn to ride a bicycle. My answer was, without a doubt, “yes”. He then took me outside to teach me the art and science of riding a bicycle.
Where it was:
When my uncle took me outside, it was mid-noon and there were scarcely any people or transportation on the road in front of our house. So he put me on the bicycle, gave me a little push and then I was on my own! Oh, my! that was something extraordinary.
And explain how you felt about it:
It is hard to share my experience of that event. I felt as if I suddenly had got a pair of wings and had been flying in the sky. It was such an amazing experience that I would never forget it. I could not believe that I was actually riding that bicycle that I always thought was very difficult to control. It gave me a huge boost in my confidence.
Cue Card Topic:
Describe a time when you drove a vehicle for the first time in your life.
You should say:
when it was
what vehicle it was
where it was
and explain how you felt about it.
More ideas to talk about this cue card topic:
Idea # 1:
I learned to ride a bicycle when I was in my early teen, and it was a great experience. Afterwards, I rode a couple of other vehicles, but nothing can beat the experience of driving a car for the first time in my life when I was 16 years old. I learned to ride a car in a driveway which remained mostly empty in the evening due to the introduction of a more convenient road. Riding a car for the first time gave me a feeling that nothing is impossible and that with little effort we can achieve many things in life. I felt that way, particularly because I always thought that driving a car was a tough job and when I did it myself, it felt incredible.
Idea # 2:
I knew how to drive a car as I learnt to drive it when I was 15 years old. But when my friend challenged me to drive a commercial lorry in his hometown about ten years ago, little did I know that I would be able to control that wild beast! I took more than 30 minutes to learn about the mechanical things of the lory from its original driver and then with sheer determination, drove it for at least two miles. I was a college student back then and it happened in one of my friend’s hometowns when I went to spend a couple of days to spend my vacation. I felt enthralled to be able to drive it as well as to surprise my friend and others with my ability.
Idea # 3:
I was in my grandparents’ house during summer vacation and rode on a motorbike for the first time in my life. I was barely 12 or 13 years old back then, and the idea of driving a motorbike just appalled me to my core! However, I could not muster enough courage to ask my uncle to teach me. But when he was away for a day, I asked my cousin, and he took the burden to teach me this skill. And, my! my! I could drive it like a professional in just a couple of hours. My cousin told me that I was a “natural”. But I guess my excellent bicycle riding skills helped me a lot. I felt very glad that I could learn to ride a motorbike so quickly, and riding a motorised two-wheeler was exciting.
Idea # 4:
I did not learn to swim before I turned 19 years old but I learned to drive a motorised boat when I was just 14 years old. The credit goes to one of my cousins who encouraged me to learn to navigate through the river in this beautiful-looking and fast water vehicle. I learned it in my cousin’s hometown where I went to spend my summer vacation back then. Being able to ride this boat was a fantastic experience, to say the least.
Following is a list of vehicles that you can pick and talk about for this topic.
1) A car
2) A bus
3) A boat
4) An aeroplane
5) A bicycle
6) A van
7) An ambulance
8) A scooter
9) A motorbike
10) A helicopter
11) A mountain bike
12) A tractor
13) A crane
14) A ship
15) A racing car
16) A go-kart
17) A trolly
18) A backhoe
19) A truck
20) A submarine
21) A hovercraft
22) A kayak
23) A quad bike