IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card

Describe a TV documentary you watched that was particularly interesting

: You should say

what the documentary was about
why you decided to watch it
what you learnt during the documentary
and explain why the TV documentary was particularly interesting

: Sample Answer

A plate of yummy food can remove the tiredness of the day. In fact, we eat, we live and this is true for all living being. But recently I had seen a documentary about food and their processing that shocked me heavily and it was one of the most interesting TV documentaries I have ever seen

People take food for several reasons, and the most prominent of them is their craving to the food or they want a comfort for their hunger. But my idea of taking food for comfort has been changed after watching the Food Inc., a documentary on the food habits, food processing and how the large corporations cheating with innocent people. Actually, the documentary unfolded some blind parts of the food industry across the world. Food habits and tastes have been changed with the course of time and to meet the growing needs, the food producing corporations are following numerous irrational ways and having their profits

Generally, before watching any movie or documentary, I like to do some homework on them such as I analyse rating, read reviews etc. to know if they are worth watching. Accordingly, I found that Food, Inc., a documentary by Robert Kenner, has been nominated for some prestigious awards in the USA. Moreover, the teaser of the documentary also attracted me. So, I started watching this documentary and came to know about a large number of confidential issues regarding food business. In fact, staying healthy is not enough today, we should be also careful about our food selection. The food items that we take from the superstores and chain shops are entirely unhealthy for us. At the same time, the food producers are damaging the environment. Such issues were highly confidential until Mr. Kenner unveiled them on screen through his documentary. Watching the documentary film was a nice experience for me

Food, Inc. taught me a wide number of things and I try to follow them in my own lifestyle. Basically, the documentary is an analysis of the existing food markets – how these food items are grown, how the corporations are abusing the environment, food, animals and people engaged in the food processing, how they are cheating the consumers and more other intriguing issues. The advertisements of different food products show that the foods items are hand picked directly from the farms. But in reality, they are not, the foods are ‘manufactured’ in factories. Has anyone ever thought how the seasonal vegetables are available all around the year or how they are found in plenty during off-seasons? No, we do not think about such issues. We are not allowed to! The food industry owners do not want us to know these secrets lest they fail in the business. Moreover, the filmmaker had to remain careful about legal issues against him, the production company and channel that would broadcast it while making this documentary

Food, Inc. has taught me some good and valuable lessons. I think it is good to be healthy but at the same time, we should be careful about foods we eat. There are three segments of the documentary and each of the parts revealed some highly sought information for the audiences that the food producers never wanted to expose in public. The entire productions process, especially in the case of meat, it is inhumane and disastrous to the environment. Besides, the large-scale productions of grains, green vegetables and fruits are also not sustainable. The majority of the vegetables and fruits are preserved with toxic chemicals harmful to human health. The advertisements create an appealing impression like the foods and grains are gathered from a large ranch filled with green plants. But the inner scenario is completely different and there are no links at all with the large farms or greeneries. I loved the documentary for its bold expression of unethical activities from the food industry owners