Describe a person who solved a problem in a smart way – IELTS cue card topic
Table of Contents
This is the topic for IELTS speaking test part 2 or cue card section. I have included some sample answers followed by the vocabulary used in each of the sample answers. I have also included some follow-up questions and their answers. Do let me know of you want me to write more sample answers on this topic.
Describe a person who solved a problem in a smart way with bullet points
- Who this person is
- What the problem was
- How he/she solved it
- And explain why you think he/ she did it in a smart way
Sample answer 1: Describe a person who solved a problem in a smart way – Powerpoint presentation
Problems are a part of life. Everyone runs into problems at some point. These problems could be professional, personal, or financial in nature. Many a time, we are able to solve these issues on our own. But sometimes, we might have to ask for some help. Today, I would like to speak about a situation in which I got stuck and one of my friends bailed me out of it.
This person was Usman. He was not only my classmate in my engineering college, but he was also my roommate for the final year of my stay in the university hostel. While both of us were pursuing our mechanical engineering, he was also a proficient computer programmer. He was so tech-savvy that he would solve any computer-related problems in minutes.
It was during our mid-term exam in the final year, that I was scheduled to make a presentation in the college auditorium. I worked on the slides for more than 2 days since the head of the department would grade my presentation. But at the very last minute, when I checked my slides, I had lost all the data. I got so upset and was trembling in nervousness and was absolutely clueless about what to do next.
Usman noticed my anxiety and soon came rushing to me. When he inquired about the reason for my apprehension, I quickly explained to him my situation. He told me to relax and offered me some water. Also, he assured me that he can fix the issue in no time, which he did. He pulled a backup from the master drive and restored the presentation. When he was done restoring my presentation, I felt so elated that I was literally dancing in the hall.
In hindsight, now when I think of that incident and had Usman not helped me, I would have gone to my principal sir, and would have asked for an extension. Also, I would have wasted my days rebuilding the slides. The way Usman helped me was a clear indicator of his intelligence, quick thinking, and presence of mind.
Vocabulary used in the above sample answer
- Anxiety – A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.
- Apprehension – Anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen.
- Tech-savvy – Someone who is really good with technology or gadgets.
- Trembling – Shaking or quivering, typically as a result of anxiety, excitement, or frailty.
- Pursue – Continue or proceed along a path or route.
- Intelligence – Used as a synonym for smart. It means the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
Sample answer 2: Describe a person who solved a problem in a smart way – Mom’s cooking skills
In my household, my mom is the go-to person for anything and everything. Especially in my case, whenever I find myself in a complicated situation, I usually make a quick dash to my mom if she is around me. The same thing is true for my siblings as well. There have been countless times when my cousin would call my mom and ask for her suggestions. She is a natural problem solver. And I would like to talk about one such incident where she completely ameliorated the situation.
This particular incident took place around 6 months ago. In this case, the groom and his family were coming to see my sister for the first time. My sister was really excited to meet the boy who is her fiance now but was a prospect then. My sister had planned the entire evening to entertain the guests. One of her plans was to serve the visitors fritters and a cocktail of cold lemon tea and iced mint tea for brunch. At the last minute, when my mother tasted the fritters, she found them to be saliferous.
Even though my sister is good when it comes to culinary skills, she is just a novice in comparison to my mom. My mom quickly cooked some vegetable sandwiches with the help of our neighbor. My mom swiftly explained the situation to my sister, who until now was completely ignorant about the whole incident. Until my mom assured her that she has amended the situation and things will be fine for her, she was feeling a bit uneasy.
After the guests left, my mom explained and mentored my sister that in the future if she oversalts fritters, the quickest replacement viand would be a vegetable sandwich. The reasons that she gave were that sandwiches require absolutely minimal cooking and are a quick replacement for kitchen mishaps. I realized that such a solution is a symbol of intelligence and problem-solving skills.
Vocabulary used in the above sample answer
- complicated – involving complications.
- dash – run or travel somewhere in a great hurry.
- countless – too many to be counted
- sibling – brother or sister.
- ameliorated – turn a bad situation into a better one.
- groom – a just married man
- Fiance – a man to whom someone is engaged to be married.
- saliferous – containing a large proportion of salt.
- brunch – a late morning meal eaten instead of breakfast and lunch.
- fritters- It’s something like a samosa or pakora.
- culinary skills – skills related to cooking.
- novice – someone who is new or raw.
- Ignorant – not knowing or unaware of.
- mishaps – an unlucky accident.
- viand – a dish
Sample answer 3: Describe a person who solved a problem in a smart way – A home renovation project
We all need some help when we find ourselves in a messy situation. It is possible that most of the time we might be able to navigate ourselves out of the rough waters, but in those occasional situations, we all need some external help and support. I have run into troubles a couple of times in the past, and whenever I am clueless about a solution, I seek my father’s guidance. Here I am going to talk about one such situation when my dad advised me out of a troublesome situation.
To briefly introduce my dad, he was born in a lower-middle-class family. The financial situation of the family back then when he was a child was more of a hand-to-mouth situation. He did his schooling at a government school which was also not resourceful. All these life experiences only meant that problem-solving and improvising skills were inculcated in him at a very young age.
Coming back to the situation, when I took a home renovation project in my small-scale landscaping company, the painter misjudged the colour mixture and ruined the whole batch of colour. The owner of the house requested a baby pink colour on the outer walls while the painter prepared a dark pink colour. He tried to amend the situation by adding more white to it, but things were not turning out as per his expectations.
When I came to know about the situation, I made a quick phone call to my dad. He asked my painter to mix a little bit of blue and yellow along with white. Now, even though I knew my dad is an improviser, I was a bit skeptical about his suggestions to turn the ruined batch of colour into a desired one. I was astonished by the outcome and quickly thanked my dad.
Had it not been for my dad’s help, I would have discarded the ruined batch and purchased a new one. That would have incurred huge losses for the company which was in the infancy stage back then. The only reason why I made some profit in that project was attributed to my dad’s intelligence.
Vocabulary used in the above sample answer
- messy situation – in trouble or in a bad situation.
- navigate – find a way through.
- out of rough waters – out of problem.
- clueless – no idea of what’s going on.
- improviser – someone who finds a solution with available resources.
- Skeptical – having doubts or being doubtful.
- discarded – rejected or thrown out.
- attribute – caused by someone or something
Followup questions for the speaking topic describe a person who solved a problem in a smart way
Do you think children are born smart or do they learn to become smart?
I believe nobody is intelligent or dumb by birth. Knowledge and experience make a person clever. That said, with the boom in technology, kids these days have access to so many resources to learn new skills which makes them smarter than the previous generation.
How do children become smart at school?
Intelligence is a combination of knowledge and experience. The school not only provides the right environment and culture for learning but also provides mentors in the form of teachers who will inculcate problem-solving skills and other life skills from a tender age.
Why are some people well-rounded and others only good at one thing?
I would say one of the reasons for such a thing would be a person’s interest. The other reason that I could think of right now would be the availability of resources. A person born into a well-to-do family will have the means to pursue more than one passion.
Why does modern society need talent of all kinds?
Today’s day and age have only added to the challenges that a person faces in life. The skills that were mandatory for a person to learn a few years ago have not gone obsolete yet. In addition to those skills, individuals have to learn skills that are relevant to today’s day and age, for example, being tech-savvy is a must these days.
How can we assist youngsters in realizing their potential?
One of the best ways to mentor youth these days is by deliberately putting them in chaotic situations and letting them find their way on their own. If they try to tread lightly, the difficulty level should be raised. In order to make them more competitive, there could be some rewards if they make it out of the chaotic situation.
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