IELTS Cue Card 7: Describe A Polluted City
IELTS Speaking Cue Card with Sample Answer. Polluted City. IELTS Speaking Part 2 With Model Answer.
Describe A Polluted City
You should say:
- What the place is
- What type of pollution it is/ are
- Cause and effect of pollution
- and explain how can this pollution be controlled.
Tips for answering this cue card topic:
Model Answer 1:
Well um–m pollution is a big problem these days
There is hardly a place which is absolutely pollution free
Here I am going to talk about a city Ludhiana which is very very polluted
It has all sorts of pollution – air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution
I went there last week
In fact I go there quite often as my relatives live there
Ludhiana is the industrial hub of Punjab
Industries dump their effluents in the surrounding area and this causes water
pollution
The population of Ludhiana is far more for its size and this has given rise to
slum areas in the outskirts
The people in these slum areas are mainly labourers from other states
They too litter the place.
There are many vehicles also which cause air pollution
Whenever I come back from Ludhiana, I heave a sigh of relief
Phagwara is relatively pollution free
There is so much air pollution in Ludhiana that my eyes start watering.
Model Answer 2: Band 9
It is regrettable that Hanoi, where I‟m living, is negatively affected by pollution and the major environmental problems it is facing are water pollution, air pollution and noise pollution.
There are various reasons why this city is badly polluted. Firstly, due to modernization, more and more vehicles such as cars and motorbikes are used. This leads to an increase in exhaust emissions which contaminate the atmosphere, not to mention the rising level of noisepollution. Secondly, factories and industrial zones in the city have discharged a huge amount of untreated waste into rivers, causing death to many fish and other aquatic animals.
In fact, pollution makes people here less healthy, and some even suffer from life-threateningdiseases such as lung cancer, skin cancer, and so on. Therefore, the government must deal with this problem right away. Cutting down on vehicle use is the best way to reduce air pollution and noise pollution. We can do this by encouraging people to use public transportation. Besides, those who litter should pay a heavy fine. Finally, I think the best solution is to raise awareness and educate people to protect the environment.
VOCABULARY
regrettable: [adjective] something that you are sorry about and wish that it had not happened. Example: It is regrettable that only a minority of people are concerned about the environment.
exhaust emissions: [noun phrase] waste gases that come out of a car or other vehicle. Example: The exhaust emissions from big trucks cause serious air pollution in my city.
contaminate: [verb] make a place or thing dirty, by adding a substance that is dangerous or polluting. Example: Every day, more and more vehicles enter the city centre and contaminatethe atmosphere with their exhaust emissions.
discharge: [verb] when somebody discharges a gas or liquid, they release it and it goes into the water or the air. Example: The factory was fined for discharging chemicals into the river.
aquatic: [adjective] living in water Example: Rivers which are clean have a lot of aquaticlife, such as fish and frogs.
life-threatening: [adjective] likely to kill someone. Example: Aid workers in poor countries often have to deal with difficult, lifethreatening situations.
cutting down on: [phrasal verb] reducing the size, amount or number of something. Example: You will improve your health by cutting down on cigarettes.
awareness: [noun] knowing that something exists and is important. Example: In schools, campaigns about awareness of road safety are essential for young children.
Model Answer 3:
Thank you for letting me talk about this topic. Last year I went to visit (…say an area name in your city/country…) with two of my friends and thought we would enjoy our trip. We heard from a teacher that this was a beautiful place to visit and after that, we planned to go there. To our surprise, this place was severely affected by the pollution and instead of enjoying our trip, we cut it short and returned home immediately.
It was early summer last year and visiting a place near a river which is surrounded by natural beauty and recommended by one of our favourite teachers was an excellent idea, at least at that time. I am sure the teacher who suggested this place had no idea about the severity of the pollution there and how things have become worse.
The water pollution was quite severe there and the black and greasy elements that were floating on the water created a shocking scene. Uncontrolled waste management, toxic elements from factories and industries, motorised vehicles running on the water and the lack of proper maintenance of the riverside are the main reasons the water has got polluted. More shockingly, the air pollution was also noticeable. I saw many industries and factories that were exhausting black fumes and that has made the air polluted more than any other part I know about.
Uncontrolled urbanisation, the establishment of new factories & industries without proper planning, lack of strict policy and corruption in government offices are so far the main reasons for increasing pollution in our country. I wish this will stop and we will be conscious enough not to destroy our own inhabitants.
Model Answer 4:
Umm…
My recent trip to Mumbai gave me a horrific experience! The water of the Mithi River has been polluted to its greatest extent for several reasons. The river, also known as Mahim River, is connected to the Arabian Sea and it was formerly used as a bird sanctuary.
The river is located beside the Salsette Island in Mumbai. This is a seasonal river that swells up during the monsoon only and remains like a creek around the other months of the year. Presently, the condition of the river has deteriorated for the discharge of different chemicals and wastages from different sources that falls on the water of Mithi River. Before being polluted to this extent, the river served the role of the storm water drain for Mumbai city.
I went to Mumbai to take part in an admission test at a college. I have completed my secondary level and now aim to get admitted to any reputed college in Mumbai. I live with my family here in Kolkata and some of our intimate relatives live in Mumbai who invited me to attend the entrance exams. As this was my trip out of the Kolkata, my living place, my cousin took me out to show the entire city of Mumbai. But it was not possible for us to see all the notable things in a single day, and thus we made a plan to visit only the most remarkable places at a time. As part of the plan, my cousin took me near the bank of River Mithi. I was astonished by the current scenarios of the river. Thinks have changed negatively than the last time I saw this river!
It seems that the residents of the city have no idea how the water of the river got polluted. Most of the polluting sources are the raw sewages that had been discharged on water from sources like mills, factories, households etc. Moreover, the river water is also being polluted for cleaning animals on water, water vessels, releasing unsafe chemicals, organic wastes, animal wastes from cattle sheds, scraps, industrial waste, dumping garbage etc. Those have seriously contributed to the pollution of the water. As a result, the water is unusable now. Besides, the pollution is a great threat to the marine life of the river. But before the pollution, the river was a great place to visit and the banks were occupied in the evening hours by crowds to enjoy the natural beauty. Unfortunately, those days are over and now the river bank stinks.
The pollution of the water is the outcome of some unplanned activities by both the government and residents of the city. A substantial number of industries have been set in the city and they discharge all their chemicals, garbage and other wastages on the water of Mithi River. Besides, there are some unplanned establishments near the river bank which also contributed on polluting the water by throwing waste materials here. The river is always seen busy with the cleaning of vessels, oil drums and some parts of the river is covered with water hyacinth. The combination of industrial wastes, sewage and other garbage dumped on the water has made it almost dirty, unusable and unhealthy. It appears that this is the detrimental impact of urbanisation and industrialisation together.
Similar IELTS Cue Card Topics
Your preparation for this Cue Card would also help you answering the following cue card topics:
- 1. Describe a problem that you face your city.
2. Describe a pollution that causes a great problem in your city.
3. Describe a city you know that has air pollution.
4. Describe something you would like to change in your city.
5. Describe a law you would like to introduce in your community.
6. Describe something irritating in your community.
7. Describe a change that has happened to the place you live in.