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

Talk about a pet that you or someone you know once had

: You should say

What kind of animal it was
What kind of care it needed
What you liked/ disliked about it
and explain why this is a popular type of pet

: Sample Answer

It is a very long time since I had a pet! However, when we were small my sister and I did both have pets, I’m going to tell you all about them. What kind of animal, how we looked after them, why we liked them and what makes them to this day a popular children’s pet

The animal in question was a guinea pig! My sister and I had one each, mine was called Treacle, and her’s was called Toffee. They were father and son, Treacle was the older guinea pig and Toffee was a bit younger. Despite their name, guinea pigs are neither from Guinea and nor are they related to pigs. They are rodents, with distinctive front teeth, they are quite small, compact, rounded creatures, fur covered, with short legs and no tail. They are also highly social, I think they come from South America, and ‘naturally’ would live in groups of up to ten individuals so it is really important they are kept with others when in captivity or they become very stressed and unhappy

The guinea pigs lived together in a shared hutch in the garden. They weren’t difficult to look after, but they did need a lot of daily care. First thing in the morning we would open the hutch and let the guinea pigs out so they could run around the garden. They never strayed very far, and kept the lawn beautifully short, they ate grass in preference to any of the planted flowers. Whilst they were running round we would clean out the hutch every day. The hutch was in two parts, an enclosed sleeping area, and a larger living area with a wire mesh side. We would take everything out in the morning and replace it with new bedding. First a layer of sawdust and then newspaper covered by lots of soft fresh hay in the sleeping area so it was warm and cosy.Then in the living area, we would scatter a deep layer of sawdust before putting out fresh food, a mixture of vegetables – carrots and cabbage, together with a special guinea pig food we brought from the pet food shop which contained grains like crushed maize as well as grass pellets. They also had a water bottle hanging up which we filled up freshly each day. The guinea pigs spent all day in the garden, but as evening fell they would put themselves to bed in their hutch. Last thing at night we would check they were safe and well, and lock them in and pull a cover down over the front of the hutch. This kept them warm and dry even if the weather was bad and protected them in case foxes might visit at night

I loved my guinea pig. He was a beautiful warm chestnut colour. He had sort of rosette shapes in his coat – not like smooth haired guinea pigs which I think are more usual today. I liked to cuddle him, which he tolerated, but honestly, when I look back I don’t know if he really enjoyed it as much as I did. Poor Treacle. He and his brother Toffee were very talkative. They made a delightful squeaking and chattering noise when they were excited – for example when they could hear you were on your way over to feed them

Guinea pigs are really good pets I think. They are gentle and not too difficult to look after. However, it’s really important they have the companionship of the same species, a proper diet, fresh food and water every day and lots of room to move about. They are incredibly active, running around for about 20 hours each day. Having a pet is a big responsibility, but I think I learned a lot from looking after our guinea pigs. You have to care for them every day, and that is an important lesson for a child to learn. Sadly, in time they grew old and died. We were very upset, but that was perhaps a useful life lesson too. I gained a lot from my friendship with Treacle, but even so, I worry about animals being kept as pets, they are not all looked after as well as they should be. If children are given pets, I think it’s really important they know how to care for them properly and that an adult is around to supervise, then everyone can be satisfied that the animal is safe and well and that the children and pets are both as happy as each other