The cue card
Describe a useful skill that you have learnt.
You should say:
- what the skill is
- when and how you learnt it
- how often you use it
and explain why you think this skill is useful.
You have one minute to make notes, then speak for one to two minutes.
Band 8–9 sample answer
Written by Abroadway as a model of natural, high-band speaking (not an official IELTS sample).
A skill I'm genuinely glad I picked up is cooking. It may not sound particularly impressive, but until I was twenty, I honestly couldn't do much more than boil an egg, because my mother and grandmother ran the kitchen at home and rarely let anyone else near the stove.
That changed when I spent a semester as an exchange student in Seoul. I was sharing a flat with three other students, from Vietnam, Germany and Kenya, and eating out every day quickly became far too expensive. For the first couple of weeks I survived on instant noodles, which was pretty grim. Eventually I swallowed my pride and phoned my mother, and she started giving me step-by-step instructions over video calls: how to fry onions slowly until they turn golden, when to add the spices, and how to tell when a dal is properly cooked. My flatmates were curious about the smells coming from the kitchen, so we started taking turns to cook for each other, and I picked up a few of their dishes too. By the end of the semester, I could make a decent chicken curry, a Vietnamese noodle soup and a passable German potato salad.
These days I cook almost every day, even though I'm back home in Bangladesh. At weekends I often take over the kitchen entirely and give my mother a break, which she seems to appreciate enormously.
As for why it's useful, the most obvious reason is that it saves money and it's far healthier than living on takeaways. But I think it's taught me other things as well, like planning ahead, being patient and improvising when an ingredient is missing. It's also a wonderful way of connecting with people; there's something about sharing a meal you've made yourself that breaks down barriers far more quickly than conversation alone.
Useful phrases from this answer
- picked up
- learnt something informally, without formal lessons
- swallowed my pride
- did something embarrassing because it was necessary
- step-by-step instructions
- directions explained one stage at a time
- a passable
- acceptable but not excellent
- breaks down barriers
- helps people feel closer and more comfortable with each other
- a good command of
- a high level of skill in, especially a language
- become ingrained
- become a fixed habit that is hard to change
- a wealth of experience
- a lot of useful experience
Part 3 follow-up questions and answers
What skills do young people need to find a good job today?
Beyond a relevant qualification, I'd say employers increasingly look for communication skills, both spoken and written, because almost every job involves explaining ideas clearly to colleagues or clients. In Bangladesh, a good command of English is still a major advantage, especially in multinational companies and the export sector. Digital literacy is another essential; even jobs that aren't technical now require confidence with spreadsheets, online tools and data. Then there are softer qualities such as adaptability and teamwork. Many graduates have strong academic results but struggle in interviews or group tasks, so I think those interpersonal abilities often make the real difference between two otherwise similar candidates.
Are practical skills more important than academic knowledge?
I don't think one is inherently more important; they complement each other. Academic knowledge gives you the theory and the ability to think critically, which is vital in fields like medicine or engineering, where you need to understand why something works, not just how. Practical skills, on the other hand, are what allow you to apply that knowledge in real situations. A doctor who knows every textbook by heart but can't talk calmly to a frightened patient isn't much use. If anything, I'd argue that our education system has traditionally overvalued memorisation, so a greater emphasis on hands-on learning would help students become more employable.
Is it better to learn a new skill from a teacher or from online videos?
It depends largely on the skill and the learner. For straightforward, self-contained tasks, like fixing a dripping tap or learning a spreadsheet formula, online videos are ideal: they're free, you can pause and replay them, and you can learn at your own pace. However, for more complex skills, such as playing an instrument or driving, I think a teacher is far more valuable, because they can spot mistakes you aren't aware of and correct bad habits before they become ingrained. A teacher also provides motivation and accountability, which videos can't. Perhaps the best approach is a combination, using videos to supplement regular lessons.
Which skills do you think will be most valuable in the future?
I suspect the most valuable skills will be the ones machines find hardest to replicate. As artificial intelligence takes over routine tasks, such as basic data entry or even writing simple reports, human qualities like creativity, empathy and complex problem-solving are likely to become more prized. Caring professions, for example, depend on emotional understanding that's difficult to automate. At the same time, people will need enough technical knowledge to work alongside these technologies rather than be replaced by them. Above all, though, I'd say the ability to keep learning will matter most, because the specific tools we use today may well be obsolete in ten years.
Should older workers be retrained when their skills become out of date?
Yes, I strongly believe they should, both for their own sake and for the economy. Older workers often have a wealth of experience and judgement that younger employees lack, so it seems wasteful simply to push them aside because they're unfamiliar with new software. Retraining an existing employee can also be cheaper than recruiting someone entirely new. Admittedly, there can be challenges; some older people lack confidence with technology or feel embarrassed about being beginners again. But with patient, well-designed courses, ideally paid for by employers or the government, most people can adapt. It's also a matter of fairness: people shouldn't be discarded after decades of loyal work.
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