The cue card
Describe a wild animal that you find interesting.
You should say:
- what animal it is
- where it lives
- how you learnt about it
and explain why you find it interesting.
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).
The wild animal I find most fascinating is the octopus. It might seem like a strange choice, since it isn't cute or majestic like a tiger, but the more I've learnt about it, the more remarkable it seems.
Octopuses live in oceans all over the world, from warm, shallow coral reefs to the cold, dark seabed. Most species are fairly solitary, and they usually make a den in a crack between rocks or even inside an empty shell, coming out mainly to hunt crabs and other shellfish.
I first learnt about them about four years ago, during the pandemic, when my younger brother and I were watching nature documentaries almost every night. One episode followed an octopus that collected two halves of a coconut shell, carried them awkwardly across the seabed, and then hid inside them when a predator came near. I remember both of us just staring at the screen in disbelief. After that, I got slightly obsessed and read everything I could find. Then, last year, I visited an aquarium in Singapore while I was on holiday with my parents, and I spent about half an hour watching one octopus squeeze itself through a gap that looked far too small for its body.
As for why it interests me so much, it's mainly its intelligence, which seems to have developed in a completely different way from ours. A large part of its nervous system is in its arms, so each arm can explore and react almost independently. It can also change both the colour and the texture of its skin in a fraction of a second to blend into its surroundings. On top of that, it has three hearts and blue blood, which sounds like something out of science fiction. I suppose it fascinates me because it reminds me that intelligence can take forms we'd never expect.
Useful phrases from this answer
- slightly obsessed
- very interested in something and thinking about it a lot
- in a fraction of a second
- extremely quickly
- blend into its surroundings
- look so similar to the area around it that it is hard to see
- spark children's natural curiosity
- make children want to find out more
- raise awareness
- help more people know about and understand a problem
- only on paper
- officially, but not in real life
- alternative livelihoods
- other ways for people to earn a living
- a long-term investment
- something that costs money now but brings benefits in the future
Part 3 follow-up questions and answers
Why do many children enjoy learning about animals?
I think it's largely because animals spark children's natural curiosity. They're colourful, they move in surprising ways, and many of them can do things humans can't, like fly or breathe underwater, so they seem almost magical to a young child. Animals also feature heavily in the stories and cartoons children grow up with, so they feel familiar and friendly. Another reason might be that children find it easy to empathise with animals; they often see pets as friends or even as members of the family. And from a parent's point of view, learning about animals is a wonderful gateway to science, because it introduces ideas like habitats and food chains in a fun way.
Are zoos a good way to protect endangered animals?
To some extent, yes, but only if they're well run. The best zoos take part in breeding programmes for endangered species, and in some cases animals bred in captivity have been successfully returned to the wild. Zoos can also raise awareness, because seeing a real animal tends to make people care more than reading about it. However, many zoos, particularly poorly funded ones, keep animals in small, bare enclosures where they're clearly stressed, and that does little for conservation. I'd argue zoos should be one part of the solution, but protecting animals in their natural habitats has to remain the main priority, since an animal that only survives behind glass isn't really saved.
Why are so many wild animals in danger today?
The biggest threat, I think, is the loss of habitat. As human populations grow, forests are cleared for farming, housing and roads, and wetlands are drained, so animals simply have nowhere left to live. Pollution is another serious problem, especially plastic in the oceans and chemicals in rivers. Then there's illegal hunting and the wildlife trade, which targets animals for their skins or horns, or sells them as exotic pets. Climate change is adding to the pressure as well, because it's altering habitats faster than many species can adapt. What makes it so difficult is that these threats often combine, so a species that might survive one pressure is overwhelmed by several at once.
What can be done to protect wildlife habitats such as forests and wetlands?
I'd say the first step is legal protection, by turning important areas into national parks or reserves and actually enforcing the rules there, rather than leaving them protected only on paper. But protection works best when local communities are involved and benefit from it. If people living near a forest depend on cutting wood for their income, they need alternative livelihoods, such as eco-tourism or sustainable fishing, otherwise they'll naturally resist conservation. Restoring damaged habitats can help too, for example by replanting mangroves along the coast, which also protects villages from storms. On a larger scale, consumers can reduce demand for products linked to deforestation.
Should governments spend money on protecting animals when many people also need help?
It's a difficult question, but I'd argue it isn't really a choice between the two. Protecting wildlife and ecosystems often benefits people directly as well. Forests help regulate water supplies, wetlands reduce flooding, and mangroves shield coastal communities from cyclones, so conservation can be a way of protecting human lives and livelihoods. That said, I understand why people in poorer communities might feel frustrated if they see money spent on animals while they struggle to afford food or healthcare. So I think governments should prioritise urgent human needs, but they should also treat conservation as a long-term investment rather than a luxury, and try to design projects that benefit both.
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