Describe a course that impressed you a lot IELTS Cue Card

To score in this IELTS speaking: describe a course that impressed you a lot; you can write real-time stories from your part-time/full-time courses or any summer camps you attended during school days.

You should say
What was the course about?
Where did you take the course?
What did you do during the course?
And explain why it impressed you a lot?

Once you see the topic, you will get one or two minutes to prepare your speech in the IELTS Speaking cue card.

Describe a course that impressed you a lot IELTS cue card: Model answers and follow up questions

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Here, you shall read four model answers and follow up questions related to describe a course that impressed you a lot.

Model Answer 1:

Introduction:
Any course is basically to acquire knowledge and skills. But certain courses provide something extra. It gives you the freedom to think out of the box, experiment and learn the skills. I’m fortunate enough to indulge myself in one such course, namely, a Master’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice Administration.

What was the course about?
The course is about the present criminal justice system in India and how to prevent crime and improve safety and security amongst all. 

Where did you take the course?

• I was searching for a unique course that would give me an awareness of the Indian criminal justice system.
• I came to know about the Criminology course offered at the University of Madras.
• After applying for the course, I had to take up the entrance test.
• Then, I joined the full-time course at the University of Madras, which gave me an unparalleled experience.

What did you do during the course?

• I was a part of the international conference, where I met professors from different countries, retired civil servants, judges and a lot of dignitaries.
• We had 10+ field visits to the State Human Rights Commission, Metropolitan Court, TN Police Academy, police station, etc.
• As a part of the course, I underwent two internship programs: Chintadripet police station and Human Rights Advocacy and Research Foundation (HRF).
• Apart from that, I studied various subjects like Victimology, Sociology, Psychology, Human Rights, the Indian Penal Code, and so on.

Why did it impress you a lot?

• Since the entire course is related to our daily life, whatever I learned could be retained.
• This course opened new avenues for me in the development sector, corporate security, law, etc.
• Moreover, it changed many misconceptions about gender, society, and various forms of discrimination.
• Above all, I made good friends at the end of this course. 

Model Answer 2:

Introduction:
Nowadays, institutions offer various courses with different programs, and exercises at discount prices to attract students. When I searched for a digital marketing course, I found an online course that offered the syllabus, timings, and a voucher to redeem. Later, I joined that course and found it useful. 

What was the course about?
This course talks about the latest digital marketing, including its tools, techniques and real-time incidents as examples. The tutor is an ex-Googler, having nearly 15 years of experience. He taught us about digital marketing, various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc., followed by effective SEO tools to optimise the content. 

Where did you take the course?  
While I was surfing through the internet for the best digital marketing courses online, I came across Internshala. Since I know that company and the website, I was convinced by their programs and the cost. Moreover, the enrolling process was hassle-free. I had to submit nothing as proof. After that I didn’t look further for other courses. 

What did you do during the course?
Since it is an online course, I had to access their web portal every day and download the training videos. After each session, there was an assessment conducted online to test my knowledge and understanding. Interestingly, the assessment contains scores where it shows how many scores I have secured. During the session, the tutor advises us to try the SEO tools on our blogs or websites. So I tried a couple of times, and it worked. After completing all sessions and assessments, I got my certificate for digital marketing. 

Why did it impress you a lot?
The most intriguing thing is that the content is very clear and easy to grasp. The tutor also explained each topic in detail, so I did not have questions to ask. Adding to that, I took the assessment seriously and secured almost 80% overall. Thus, after course completion, I had the confidence to run my blog without much guidance.

Model Answer 3:

Introduction:
I recently attended a course for English language to take my grammar and vocabulary skills from average to extraordinary. It was a face-to-face learning program offered by LearnYourEnglish. As we can see, hundreds of courses for English come and go every month, but this one course impressed me a lot. 

What was the course about?
This course is about English language proficiency, focusing on writing and speaking. Through constant training, the students will learn how to communicate their ideas and thoughts professionally. The course involves 30% theory and 70% practicals. On a typical day, the student must attend the lessons and immediately apply them through writing tasks and group discussions.

Where did you take the course?
I heard about this course from one of my colleagues. Long back, I told my friends and colleagues to suggest a good English course for me. Then I moved to a different company, started my new role and forgot the whole English course topic. After some time, I got a call from my old colleague. She told me about an English course offered by LearnYourEnglish Academy, and it’s one of the best. I immediately inquired about the course and academy and enrolled for the next batch. That’s how I took this course.

What did you do during the course?
Right from day one, we were required to give a 1-minute speech about a topic. It can be anything like a favourite movie, a memorable moment, the  biggest risk, etc. Since it has 70% practical sessions, I had to do a group discussion, moderate a seminar, attend a mock interview, and so on. Besides that, I had to listen to podcasts and watch some interesting English movies. It is rather to understand what they are talking about. Since listening is the quickest way to learn any language, here they want us to listen to movies without subtitles, great leaders’ interviews, and TV series. 

Why did it impress you a lot?

Unlike other English courses, this course actually improved my speaking skills. The tutors were also encouraging and supportive. After a couple of weeks, I felt a difference in my writing as well. I used new vocabulary and sentence structures to describe something. In a way, it improved my communication skills far better than before. Thus, I’m satisfied with my performance and impressed a lot.

Model Answer 4:

Introduction:
A couple of years ago, I joined Volleyball coaching for two months at the government’s Sports Development Authority of India. It was fascinating to see many young talents at one place. The whole ambience itself looked like a bunch of sports fanatics. 

What was the course about?

• The course is simple. Training new students to learn volleyball professionally. 
• Later on, the best volleyball players will be taken to various tournaments. 
• The course involves morning and evening sessions, having 2 hours of practice each.
• The trainer will teach you the basics and workouts to do. 
• The t-shirt, shoes and knee caps must be available with the students.

Where did you take the course?
I took the course at the Sports Development Authority of India. During the summer holidays, I know that there will be many courses provided by private as well as government institutions. When I checked some of the resources, I came across that courses offered by the government have more value, so that’s how I landed in this course.

What did you do during the course?

• I had to reach the training place at 6.00 am with the jersey, shoes and knee caps.
• First is the warm-up session, where I need to run 10 rounds, followed by stretches and other exercises.
• Then I had to do some advanced training, mainly to jump high, to get better reach to the ball, block, etc.
• After that, I need to do a warm-up with volleyball and finally the match session.
• During the match session, we will analyse our shots, defence, etc., and improve in the subsequent training.

Why did it impress you a lot?

Team spirit is the first thing that impressed me a lot. Yes. We trained as a team and won as a team in many practice matches. The training was not only hard but also fun. We pulled each other’s legs and pranked them. On the other hand, we saw each other’s training and noticed their strengths and weaknesses. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience.

IELTS Speaking Test Part 3: Follow up Questions

For the cue card - ‘describe a course that impressed you a lot’ the examiner will ask follow-up questions in the IELTS Speaking Test part 3. Some of the questions are as follows:

1. Why do some people have a better memory?
Some people naturally have a better memory than others. It may be due to their genes or their food habits. On the other hand, some people develop a good memory through practice. They constantly indulge in mind games, puzzles, etc., to boost their memory. Since our human brain is complex and not fully researched, we would never know how one has good memory power. 

2. Which can help people remember things better, words or photos?
In my opinion, people remember photos better than words, because photos are colourful, attractive and easy to grasp, whereas words are easy to forget, misunderstood or misleading. However, people remember words when they are used for appreciating or insulting somebody.  

3. Can technology help people remember things better? How?
As per my understanding, technology can’t help people to remember things. Since it’s purely based on the human brain's capacity to retain information, the present technological advancements can’t help people to remember things better. On the contrary, technology diminishes memory power. It saves all the information and leaves nothing for humans to memorise. So, technology actually weakens the human's ability to recollect.

4. How can people improve their memory?
Through a balanced diet and physical activity like yoga and meditation, one can improve their memory to another level. To improve memory, there are separate asanas in yoga that have been proven successful for thousands of years. However, it did not emphasise the present generation. So, society as a whole must inculcate yoga and meditation among students to improve their memory power.

IELTS Speaking cue card topics:

Check out other speaking cue cards below.

• Describe a time you moved to a new home/school 
• Describe an old person you know and respect
• Describe a skill that was difficult for you to learn IELTS Cue Card 
• Describe a time when you changed your opinion IELTS Cue Card
• Describe your favourite movie
• Describe a bag you want to own
• Describe a time when you felt bored
• Describe a leisure activity near or on the sea

Conclusion

The IELTS Speaking test cue card - ‘describe a course that impressed you a lot’ is a commonly-asked question. So make use of new vocabulary and sentence structures while speaking that showcase your skills to the examiner.