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Exam that was quite important to you

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 221 with Model Answer:

Describe an exam that was quite important to you.

You should say:
  • what exam it was
  • how old you were when you sat for that exam
  • how long it took
and explain why it was an important exam for you.

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

Model Answer 1:
I am a student of graduate level and passing my third phase of this level in the University of Malaya. I am studying economics here and recently attended on my year ending exam. It was an important exam for me as the failure on the exam will not allow me to get promoted to the next phase.

Bachelor of economics is one of the most sought subjects in the University of Malaya and I am studying the course here for last four years. My final year is going on and by the end of this year, I will complete the course. This course is a bit tougher than the other bachelor course as the course deals with the fundamentals of economics. The course is divided into several phases and the topics turn tougher with the passing of one year or phase. So, in my third phase, it was a bit difficult for me to cross the barriers of the course. The course – Econometrics, was a bit tougher than the other courses and thus the university authority scheduled the course at the last day of the exam. Even, there was a day off for preparation of the course.

Now I am 22 years old and when I appeared on the course last December, I was 21. This is the average age for the Malaysian people to study in the universities. In my early days, people used to admit their kids into elementary schools when they were six or seven years old but now the scenario has been changed. Most of the people admit their kids at an early age when they are four or five. In fact, the citizens of Malaysia are tryi9ng to cope with the advancement of the world and thus they are admitting their children into schools and other educational institutions at an early age so that they could cope up with the changes of the modern life. Often I ponder about the issue and if I could sit for the exam again now, I could have done better on the score. With the passing of time, people become experienced and their mental faculty enriches and expands. So, if I could have sat again for the Econometrics now, I could have answered the questions in more productive manner.

Generally, the bachelor exams are held for four hours at a stretch and Econometrics was not an exception here. The exam was held for four long hours. Since my preparation for the course was not up to the mark, it was difficult for me to answer all the questions. Some of the questions were out of our syllabus and the students created chaos for sometimes with the invigilator present at the exam hall. When the authority acknowledged their mistake and assured that they would provide the marks against the questions, the situation came under control. The exam began again. The exam began at 12.00 pm and ended at 4.00 pm. The entire hours were struggling to me. It appeared that the theory of relativity started working for me. Frequently I was watching my wristwatch and it appeared that time was not passing. Actually, it happens to everyone when they want the time to pass. At that moment, everything turns slower and the moments are irritating.

The Econometrics exam was important for me in several aspects. Firstly, it was the last exam of the year and if I fail in the exam, I have to retake the course again with my junior batch. This was really a shocking event for me that I would attend the exam with my juniors. Moreover, the failure on the exam will delay my promotion to the next and final level of the graduation. As a result, everything with me will be delayed. If I am late to complete my graduation, I will not be able to start my career early. Currently, the employment situation in Malaysia is good but it takes considerable times to establish someone into any specific position. So, I, in fact, was in a hurry to complete my bachelor of Economics. I did not have spare time with me to spend for the betterment of the course. I was trying to complete my academic activities as early as possible and thus the exam was of great importance to me.



Sample Answer 2:
It was a written exam against the position of a sales executive for a multinational company. I was one of the shortlisted candidates for the position. The authority asked me to attend the formal written test. This is an interesting matter to describe. Thank you for the cue card topic. Here, I will describe what I did there.

The exam aimed to select the right candidate for the position. And hence, the exam was completely different from the ordinary exam those are held in educational institutions. It aimed to bring out the best of the bests. So, the questions were difficult and the candidates had to prove their worth through the exam. Considering all the matters, it was important for me. My failure would have discarded me from the candidature of this position.

I was 25 years old then. It was about my survival. In fact, after completing my graduation from the local college here in Indonesia, I had to seek options for a living. Though I belonged to a solvent family, my parents wanted me to be independent in everything and even for my living. They wanted me to earn my livelihood and asked me to seek jobs suitable for me. Accordingly, I was in search of jobs. It was the second job for me and I worked as a sales executive for a computer anti-virus selling company.

The duration of the written test was one and a half hour. In this time, I had to solve a good number of problems. The questions were about my analytical ability, test on general knowledge and creating some strategic plans to increase the sales for the company. I had also answered some other types of questions such as my future planning with the company and how I can contribute to the development of this company if I am appointed to a higher position gradually. Each of the questions had distinctive marks. Interestingly, the pass mark was above 60. So, if I needed to score over 60 to get selected for this written exam.

This was an important exam for me considering various aspects. Actually, I needed the job badly. Before applying for the job, I quit my first job and was seeking the other one. I left the previous job on some grounds. In fact, I was unable to reach the monthly sales target while the employer deducted a certain amount from my monthly salary. To be true, it was one of the key causes to give up the former job. The time between quitting the job and getting the invitation for this interview was critical for me. If I turned in to failure in the exam, I did not know how I had to survive. Luckily, I got the job.

Idea generation for this Cue Card topic: 

"Describe an exam that was quite important to you." 

Exams are not something people often look forward to. But exams are always important and people who attend them remain tensed until the result is published. So, the importance of exams cannot be ignored. The cue card wants to know about an important exam from the candidate and here are some additional hints for them to begin the answer smoothly.

1. I am completing my dentistry at a local medical college in Islamabad, Pakistan. Recently, I have been promoted to the next level of the course but I had to attend an oral exam before the final promotion. In fact, slight mistake in the exam could have brought disaster for me. luckily, I have passed the exam with success.

2. Recruitment process always requires some sort of tests and I appeared in a test for the post of Digital Marketing Executive for a multinational builder. It was an important exam for me. Actually, I had been looking for a job for past two months and it was kind of blessing for me to get the invitation in this exam. I am waiting for the result.

3. Last month, I have crossed my graduation from the college here in Paris. The last exam was highly important for me because I have been struggling with the exam for past two semesters. It was Linguistics which I felt irritated with. I could not pass two times in this exam and my semester got lengthy. So, I was worried to some extent.

4. Participating in an open-book exam was a different experience for me and the exam was important too. In fact, based on the exam result, the teacher said that the grade will be added to the final making at the semester end. So, I could not neglect the importance of the exam. But I could not answer well because it is hard to find out the answers and write them on the answer sheet.

5. I was asked about some problem-solving issues during an interview. The interviewer told that I would get the job if I could solve the problem. So, it was related to my honour and dignity. Though it took around 30 minutes, I solved the problem and got the job. I am now the senior marketing executive for a multinational brand here in Melbourne.

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