Technology cue cards have become common in recent years. Naming an app is easy; what matters is describing vividly how you use it: when, why and with what result.
The cue card
Describe an app or website that you find useful.
You should say:
what it is
how you found out about it
what you use it for
and explain why you find it useful.
One-minute notes
- what: Yandex Go, taxi and delivery app
- found out: friend, first year at university
- use: getting home late, ordering groceries for grandma
- why useful: fixed price, safety, saves time
Model answer (about 2 minutes)
The app I'd like to describe is Yandex Go. It started as a taxi app, but now you can also use it to order food and groceries, and in Tashkent it's become part of everyday life for a lot of people.
I first heard about it from a friend in my first year at university. We'd been at a study session until quite late, there were no buses, and he just ordered a car on his phone. Before that, I'd always flagged down taxis on the street and argued about the price with the driver.
These days I use it mainly for two things. The first is getting home safely in the evenings, especially in winter when it gets dark early. The second, which I'm quite proud of, is ordering groceries for my grandmother. She lives across the city, and she's not very comfortable with smartphones, so I order her weekly shopping from my phone and it's delivered to her door.
The reason I find it so useful is mostly that it takes the stress out of small things. You see the price before you get in, you can share your trip with your family, and you don't waste time waiting on the side of the road.
If I had to delete every app on my phone except one or two, I think this would be one of them.
Useful words and phrases
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| part of everyday life | part of everyday life |
| flag down a taxi | flag down a taxi |
| delivered to her door | delivered to her door |
| take the stress out of | take the stress out of |
| a fraction of the time | a fraction of the time |
| impatient | impatient |
| get comfortable with | get comfortable with |
| instantly | instantly |
How to answer
- Explain the app in one sentence: the examiner may not know it.
- Compare with life before it: "Before that, I'd always...".
- Two concrete ways you use it beat one general sentence.
- End with a conditional: "If I had to delete every app except one...".
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
Has technology made people's lives easier?
In most practical ways, yes: banking, shopping and getting around take a fraction of the time they used to. On the other hand, I think it's made people more impatient, because we now expect everything instantly.
Do older people find it difficult to use technology?
Many do, mainly because apps are designed by and for young people. Small text and constant updates can be confusing, which is why I think families and companies should do more to help older people get comfortable with them.
Are there any risks in using apps that collect personal data?
Will people still go to shops in the future?
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.
