IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 678 with Model Answer

Describe something special you brought home from a holiday

: You should say

what it was
where you got it
how much it cost
and explain why you think it is special

: Model Answer

Knives are often dangerous for us if we do not know how to handle them and if we have the know-how to use a knife perfectly, it can make the impossible to possible. I brought a set of six knives of different sizes, shapes and designs for my home use

Now, I live in New Delhi in India. Earlier, my family consisted of my parents and siblings, used to live in an extended family with many other relatives. But after the death of my grandparents, everyone formed their own. In my family, my mom was in deep trouble for cooking. She was unskilled in preparing the food ingredients like vegetables before cooking; especially cutting them into pieces and cleaning was a great difficulty for her. She was used to cut the food ingredients and other crops with knives instead of large choppers, and here in our New Delhi apartment, we did not have a single vegetable knife. So, when I went in a holiday last week, my mom asked me to bring some knives for home use. She was seriously having trouble for the absence of the knives. Cooking became a great problem at our place

I went to Nepal for a three-day long trip with my college mates. When my mom came to know about my plan, she asked me to bring a set of Gurkha knife for her kitchen use. She recommended the Nepali knives as those were the best for common use. Thereby, I did not forget her requirement and once I landed in Nepal, I started looking for the knives. One of my mates told me that the knives are available on some street markets. He also said that he had bought knives for his home in his last trip. After his advice, both of us started seeking the knives. Finally, we got the knives in a small street shop. There were six knives in a knife set. The sizes and sharpness of the knives were different. The largest knife was 18 inch with the handle while the blade was 12 inches, and the smallest one was six inches only with its entire body including the blade and handle

The knives were a bit pricey as those are made by original khukuri knives. The knives were made of pure steel and the handles were made by solid wood. The entire set cost me around 2500 rupees. Though it appears a bit pricey comparing the knives available in India, I think the price is reasonable. Most of the knives available in India are not up to the standard and often the blades get broken or blunt after some frequent use. Besides, the steels are too thin that someone could easily break down the blade by applying some minor pressures. Moreover, the sellers claim the knives to be imported and charge more than the usual price but in fact, those knives are made locally. So, I think it is better to pay a bit more to have the standard quality product. When I told mom that the price of the set was Rs 2500, she was not surprised and instead she said that I was lucky to have the knives in this cheaper rate

The knives are special for different reasons. Firstly, they were made with the finest quality of steel. The steels were heavy and unbreakable. The blades of the knives were too sharp and do not needed to sharpen them regularly. The sellers also said that the knives are of a life-time guarantee. Nothing will happen with them in a lifetime. I also liked the weight of the knives. Each of the knives was moderately heavy based on their size and shapes. It is said that simplicity is the best art. The knives were simple. None of them had any designs on the blades or on the handle. The handles were made of rock solid woods and riveted with the knife body. The seller also advised me to use the knives carefully as accidents may occur easily with the knives. But mom seems to be happy with them and she skillfully works with the knives. She adores them much and I am also amazed by their quality and sharpness