A good-news card needs a dramatic moment: how you heard, the first reaction, who you told. Direct speech ("she kept saying 'I got it'") and the past perfect continuous bring the story to life.
The cue card
Describe a time when you received good news.
You should say:
what the news was
when and how you received it
who you shared it with
and explain how you felt about it.
One-minute notes
- what: younger sister won a state grant for medicine
- when/how: last August, results online after midnight, she screamed
- shared: woke parents, called grandmother, whole mahalla by morning
- feel: proud, relieved; two years of hard work paid off
Model answer (about 2 minutes)
I'd like to talk about the day my younger sister found out that she'd won a state grant to study medicine. It was last August, and it's still one of the happiest days our family has had.
University entrance results in Uzbekistan are published online, and that year they came out late at night. My sister had been refreshing the website for hours, and just after midnight she suddenly screamed from her room. I thought something terrible had happened, but she ran out holding her phone and just kept saying, "I got it, I got it."
Within five minutes the whole house was awake. My parents were in tears, and my mother immediately called my grandmother, even though it was the middle of the night. By the next morning it felt like the whole mahalla knew, because neighbours kept knocking on the door to congratulate her.
The reason it meant so much is that she'd worked incredibly hard for two years, with tutors in the evenings and practice tests every weekend, and a grant means our family doesn't have to pay tuition fees for her whole degree.
I felt incredibly proud of her, and honestly quite relieved too. It showed me that consistent effort really does pay off, which is something I try to remember when my own preparation gets difficult.
Useful words and phrases
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| find out | find out |
| a state grant | a state grant |
| be in tears | be in tears |
| congratulate | congratulate |
| tuition fees | tuition fees |
| relieved | relieved |
| pay off | pay off |
| soften the blow | soften the blow |
How to answer
- Set up the moment with the past perfect continuous: "she had been refreshing the website for hours".
- One short line of direct speech adds drama.
- List the reactions person by person: parents, grandmother, neighbours.
- End with a lesson for yourself: "It showed me that...".
Practise this topic now
The AI examiner asks you these questions, listens to your answers and shows your mistakes.
Part 3: follow-up discussion questions
How do people usually share good news today?
Mostly through messages and social media. News that used to be shared by phone or in person now often appears on Instagram first, which is quicker, but I think it can feel a bit less personal.
Is it better to hear bad news in person or in a message?
In person, if possible. Bad news needs a tone of voice and a chance to ask questions, and a message can feel cold. That said, a short message to prepare someone before a call can soften the blow.
Why do the media focus more on bad news than good news?
Should exam results be published publicly?
Part 2 strategy: the cue card guide. Next step: the Part 3 guide.
Practise this topic now
The AI examiner asks you these questions, listens to your answers and shows your mistakes.
