For many students who are preparing for the IELTS exam, the cue card section is quite hard. This task is a vital part of the speaking task. In this, learners have to talk about the topic. To tackle the task, they need several skills to develop. Seeking cue cards for IELTS speaking guidance? Also, want to achieve good marks in it? Then, the following article is for you. It provides all the details about this task. In addition, it contains different tips as well that aid you in scoring your desired marks. So, without wasting time, let’s first start knowing the meaning of cue cards in the IELTS test.
What Is Cue Card in the IELTS Exam?
Before looking for the tips for acing the cue card, it is vital to first understand the meaning of it. In the IELTS exam, a cue card is a paper that contains a topic that students have to talk about. Along with the title, it consists of four different questions to describe the topic well. However, you did not get the option to change it. Also, after getting it within one minute, you have to start speaking about it. In addition, it is advisable for you to keep a pen and paper by your side while giving this task. In that, mention the points you want to say about the given task and organize it in a good manner. It helps you in covering, the asked questions and getting good marks in it.
It was all about the cue card. In simple words, it is a paper containing a topic and four questions related to it. However, cue card in the IELTS exam is not as simple as it looks. It is far more than that. Want to know more about it? Let’s first read the tasks included in the speaking section.
Different Tasks Involved in the IELTS Speaking Section
It is well-known to everyone that cue cards are part of the IELTS speaking section. This comes in the second task. Well, before moving to it, let’s read the sections included in the following part. It further aids you in preparing well for the test.
Introduction
As its name states, it is an introduction section between the student and the examiner. In this task, the test taker asks a few questions to learners about themselves and their hobbies. Through this, they determine how well aspirants represent themselves. In addition, the duration of it ranges between 4-5 minutes.
Individual Long Run
It is a task where you get the cue card in the IELTS exam. As stated above, it contains a task and three to four related questions. Also, before speaking, you get one minute, for preparation. After that, you have to talk non-stop about the given topic for two minutes. The following section is also known as the individual long run.
Two-way Discussion
In this task, the examiner asked you some questions related to the topic you speak in the second task. Through this, you can share the ideas that you forgot to mention in the previous part. In addition, the duration of the following section ranges between 4-5 minutes.
It was all about the different tasks included in the IELTS speaking section. On the basis of these, the marks of the speaking section are determined. In addition, it plays a vital role in the band score. So, it is why students want to achieve good marks in this task. Moving further, let’s know the marking system of the IELTS cue card.
Marking Criteria of Cue Card in IELTS Exam
The speaking section of the IELTS exam ranges between 11 and 15 minutes. During this time, the examiner checks the speaking skills of the learners in English. However, for the cue card section, some marking criteria are set. Want to know, what are they? Read the mentioned points.
- Through coherence and fluency, the examiner determines the speaking skills of the learners. In this, they check how well they can talk about the given topic without pausing and repeating views.
- Lexical resources in simple words are English vocabulary. In this, the test taker determines the range of words students use to describe the topic. Also, whether they match the sentences or not.
- Pronunciation is one of the vital things in the speaking section. Through this, the examiner determines if the learner is able to speak the word in the correct form. In this, they check sound, rhythm, intonation, and more in their language.
- Grammatical range analyses the structure used by learners in their speech. It includes a correct form of tenses, sentence format, and parts of speech. In addition, it also determines the arrangements of views on the given topic.
These are the basis on which cue cards for IELTS marks are given. It is vital for students to understand these things, as it aids them in scoring good marks. Moving further, let’s know some tips to ace the section.
Tips for Acing the IELTS Cue Card Section
If you are preparing for the cue card section, it is vital to undertake some tips. As with practice, strategies also help in getting good marks on the test. Moving forward, let’s go through it:
- The first thing, before starting the cue card is to understand the topic and its questions. To do so, carefully read the cue card topic and give instructions.
- Before speaking about the topic, utilize the preparation time. In this, arrange your thoughts about the given theme. Think about what you want to talk about and how you want to represent it.
- As stated above, the cue card consists of some questions. Use them in arranging your thoughts about the topic. In addition, it helps you in providing a structure for your speech.
- Without hesitation, speak with full confidence. Also, maintain a natural voice tone. In addition, have constant eye contact with the examiner while speaking. It helps you in reflecting your confidence.
- Last but not least, practice as much as you can. For this, there are several options available both online and offline. You can use mock tests, samples, and more for test preparation.
These are the tips that you can use to ace the cue card task. In addition, implementing this will help you score good marks in the following section.
Conclusion
The cue card task is an essential section of the IELTS test. In addition, it is also one of the difficult ones. In this, students have to speak on the given topic. On the basis of this, the examiner determines their English skills. For scoring good marks in this, with practice, it is vital to know about the syllabus of IELTSÂ for this section. It further helps in better test preparation. Furthermore, here the following article was all about IELTS cue cards. Hope after reading it, you get all the information. Apart from that, if you need any guidance, feel free to contact IELTS experts and score your desired marks.