Cool.
Hey! Welcome back, everyone!
I'm Jay for IELTS daily,
and today we're going to continue to answer some questions
from part two of the IELTS speaking exam.
So let's get this party started!
So, we're back again.
We're going to be answering some questions here, and I'm here with Chris.
Hey, Jay!
How are you going?
I've got another difficult question for you.
Are you ready?
No!
Ok.
I'm going to send the question to your iPad.
And this question is...
You're going to have one minute to prepare just like in the test,
and the question is on the screen now.
Describe a time when you manage to achieve a goal.
You should say what the goal was,
and how you achieved the goal.
How did you feel after you achieved the goal?,
and explain what was difficult about achieving this goal.
I would love it if you could explain your thoughts and ideas to the students as you're writing.
Your minute starts now.
Off you go.
All right.
So a goal...
I think the goal that I'm going to talk about today
is when I finally made the basketball team.
The year before,
in year six,
I went out for the team and didn't make it.
And I was devastated.
I was so sad,
I cried.
I went home to my mom and dad,
and they had to console me,
but then butter me up and tell me that. everything was ok.
And so the whole next year,
the whole summer, I practiced.
Practiced, practiced, practiced.
Went out to the local basketball court and got much better.
So then,
the next year,
when I went out for the team,
I made the team and I actually became the starting point guard.
So that was a really awesome experience for me.
Your minute is up.
All right,
so today, I'm going to be talking about a goal that I achieved.
This goal was simply making the basketball team in year seven.
So the previous year, in year six,
I went out for the team and I didn't make it.
I did not have the skills to make the team and I was cut from the team.
This devastated me.
I went home
crying to my mom and dad,
and they were really...
they were really supportive of me,
but they always instilled hard work in me.
They said,
"Look, if you want to make the team,"
you need to practice and work harder at it.
So the whole next summer,
when there was no school,
I practiced, and practiced and, practiced out at the local hoop, and the local court,
and increased my skills to the point where
when I went to trial for the team in year seven,
I made the team.
And not only did I make the team that I became the starting point guard,
so that was a really cool,
amazing experience.
You know,
working hard towards something
when you weren't able to achieve it previously
is something that's really, I find to be really rewarding and fulfilling.
And that year that I made the team,
I felt so great because
previously there was something that I wasn't good at,
and I was able to work at it and get better.
And making the team was just icing on the cake.
And I... that's it.
Very great!
You spoke for about one minute and twenty,
maybe just a little bit more.
I'm going to talk about some of the things that you said
because you gave some really good language, and
you said, "I was cut".
Yes.
What does that mean?
So, I wasn't really cut with a sharp instrument.
I was removed from the team basically.
So when you try out for a team,
you... obviously,
not everyone can make a team.
And they have to say no to some of the players that aren't good enough.
And I was one of those players who weren't good enough.
So they said,
"No thank you, maybe next year",
and that's what being cut means.
Could you say I was dropped from the team as well?
I guess you could,
but there's a slight difference.
Because if you say you're dropped from something,
that implies that you were on the team, to begin with.
I see.
So,
maybe I was on the team and I did something bad,
then they could drop me from the team.
But by being cut from it, I was...
it was I was trying to make the team.
Amazing.
You said, "This devasted me".
Could you explain a little bit more about the word devastated?
Yeah,
I'm using this word to describe my feelings,
and I would say that it's very similar to just extremely distraught or upset.
As I mentioned in my response,
I was crying.
I was just,
I guess,
devastated, it can be used as a word to really really show how upset I was.
Just saying I was upset is one thing,
but if I want to show that I'm really really upset, than I would,
I'm going to use a word like devastated.
Super.
You gave some other pieces of language which we won't talk about but
I'll go over them.
They instilled hard work in me, the whole next summer, out at the local hoop.
Maybe you can explain "out at the local hoop".
So, obviously, I don't have a basketball court at my home.
So I would... every day
I'm pretty sure it was pretty much every day
of the summer when I didn't have anything to do,
I would take my basketball,
and I would walk to the local park, and
at the park there was a basketball court and I would play there.
And we just because sometimes colloquially say "the hoop",
when we're referencing a basketball court.
I liked the way that you say "I would",
"I would, I would",
It means I used to.
So you can say I used to play or I would play.
That's really good.
You said it was a cool,
amazing experience,
and at the very end, you topped it off.
You gave an excellent idiom.
Can you remember what that idiom was?
Oh, did I say "Icing on the cake?"?
You certainly did. "Icing on the cake",
What does that mean?
It just means that
an already good situation has been made even better.
Super. So you could have a really great week
and at the end of the week, you win the lottery.
That was the icing on the cake of your great week.
Absolutely, Chris.
Good! And that's it for me.
Now... So tune in next time and we'll answer a few more questions for you.
Thanks a lot for watching.
See you!