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

Describe the most useful household appliance that you have

: You should say

What it is
How it works
How life would be without it
and explain why it is so important to you to you

: Sample Answer

Lots of household appliances are really useful to have, but today I’m going to tell you about the most useful appliance I have in my home. I’ll tell you what it is, how it works, and how life would be without it, and why it is so important to me

I didn’t have to think very long about which appliance to choose to talk about for this topic, for me it is easy. I picked the item I just could not live without. What is it? It’s a kettle. How it works? Well, I fill it with water from my tap – and I’m lucky, where I live in Yorkshire we have lovely soft water that boils quickly and tastes great – then I simply replace the kettle on its base, flick a switch and wait for the kettle to boil. There is an element within the kettle that gets hot from the electricity, and that’s what heats the water, I don’t really know how to explain it any more fully… We have a saying in our country ‘a watched kettle never boils’ I think that’s true! The more you impatiently watch a kettle waiting for it to come to the boil the longer it seems to take

The principle of a kettle is very simple, and it’s something that is easy to take for granted, but life without a kettle for me is unthinkable. I can think of three main reasons and all are important to me

Firstly, I have to start my day with a cup of strong tea, I can’t do anything or speak to anyone until I’ve had that first cuppa of the day. I like Yorkshire tea, made in a pot and served with unsweetened soya milk which I always put in first. I like the pot to stand for a bit before I pour, and the tea has to be made with water that has literally just boiled or it really doesn’t taste the same. I also ideally like to have my tea in my favourite mug – never a cup. So without a kettle, I just couldn’t face my day

The second reason is because in my country, if anyone ever visits your house, whether that is a friend or a tradesperson come to do a job for you, the first thing you do to be polite and welcoming is offer a drink of either tea or coffee. Without a kettle to hand that little ritual would be impossible, it would feel so wrong

Thirdly, and possibly most importantly of all, there is nothing as bonding as sitting down with a hot cup of tea with a friend and talking to put the world to rights. Biscuits welcome too, but tea will suffice. It is my firm belief that no problem is so great it cannot be resolved with – or at least diminished by — a shared pot of tea

If you think I am placing too much importance on a kettle you are wrong! I don’t have to imagine life without a kettle, as unfortunately, I have experienced it. One day I went to put my kettle on and it immediately fused, it wouldn’t work! Even though it was early in the morning it was unthinkable to go to my job without having had my cup of tea first. Before I did anything else, I hauled some trousers and a top on over my pyjamas and headed to a 24 hour supermarket so I could buy a cheap kettle, return home and have my cup of tea as usual before my shower and dressing for work. That might sound extreme, but for me, it was the only sensible practical option. When we have an occasional power cut in the UK, it’s horrendous. I can manage without electric light or hot water, but no kettle? That’s really challenging

A kettle is a much overlooked household appliance, but in my experience, it is the most important one. Tea starts the day, shows hospitality, and I my culture is the one sure fire way to make everything better. A sit-down and a cup of tea (or coffee) with a close friend is one of the best stress busters in the world, and without a kettle, it would be much much harder to deliver on demand