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Part 2 cue card · Objects · Retained in September–December 2026

Describe a story or book with animals in it.

Describe a story or book with animals in it.

You should say:

  • ·what the story or book was
  • ·when you read or heard it
  • ·what the animals were like
  • ·what happened in it

and explain why you remember it.

One minute to prepare, up to two minutes to talk. Then Part 3 asks the questions below.

Sample answers

Two answers to the same card

Same story, two levels. Both were written by Ashore, then checked against the public band descriptors in a separate pass. The bands are practice estimates, not official IELTS results.

A simpler answer

Checked at band 6.5 · 157 words

I remember a book about a rabbit and a turtle. It was a picture book of the old story The Tortoise and the Hare. I read it when I was about eight years old, in primary school. My teacher read it to our class one afternoon, and later I borrowed it from the school library.

The rabbit was quick and proud. He thought he was much better than the turtle. The turtle was slow, quiet, and patient. One day they had a race. The rabbit ran far ahead, and then he stopped to rest under a tree. He fell asleep. The turtle kept walking slowly along the road and passed him. When the rabbit woke up, he ran to the finish, but the turtle had already won.

I remember this book because the ending surprised me when I was a child. It also showed me that being patient and continuing can be more important than being fast.

  • Simple lesson · “being patient and continuing”

A stronger answer

Checked at band 8 · 244 words

Honestly, the animal story I remember best is a picture-book version of The Tortoise and the Hare. I read it when I was about eight, after my primary-school teacher brought it to class and read it aloud. I liked it enough to borrow the book from the school library a few days later, so I looked through the illustrations again at home.

The hare was fast and rather boastful; he kept showing off and assumed the race would be easy. The tortoise, by contrast, was quiet and steady, and he didn't waste time arguing with him. That difference made the characters easy to understand, even for a child.

In the story, they agree to race. The hare quickly pulls ahead, then decides he has so much time that he can take a nap under a tree. While he's asleep, the tortoise keeps moving at the same slow pace and eventually passes him. The hare wakes up and sprints towards the finish, but the tortoise has already won. I remember the picture of the hare looking shocked when he sees the tortoise at the finish line; it made the ending especially funny.

I still remember the book because the result caught me off guard the first time, and the lesson felt simple but useful. If you're talented, it's easy to become overconfident, whereas steady effort can carry you further. I also liked that the tortoise won without being rude or trying to embarrass the hare.

  • Character contrast · “by contrast, was quiet and steady”
  • Motivating detail · “he has so much time”
  • Vivid detail · “the picture of the hare looking shocked”
  • Conditional reflection · “If you're talented, it's easy to become overconfident”
Angles

3 ways to answer it

  1. 1The bedtime story of the little horse crossing a river: learning to try things yourself
  2. 2Charlotte's Web: the goodbye between the pig and the spider
  3. 3A Shen Shixi animal novel: the hunting dog that saved its owner from a boar
Expressions

5 expressions that fit this card

a heart-warming story
a story that makes you feel good
the moral of the story
the lesson it teaches
brought tears to my eyes
made me nearly cry
talking animals
animals that speak like people
it stayed with me
I never forgot it
Part 3

The questions that follow

After the long turn, Part 3 asks bigger questions on the same theme. Each one comes with two points you can build an answer from.

  1. 1

    Why do so many children's stories have animals as the main characters?

    • ·Animals are cute and easy for kids to relate to
    • ·Lessons feel less preachy when animals teach them
  2. 2

    Do you think stories can teach children to be kind to animals?

    • ·Caring about story animals can carry over to real life
    • ·Looking after a real pet matters more
  3. 3

    How are animals shown differently in films and books today?

    • ·They used to be villains like the big bad wolf
    • ·Now stories focus on protection and friendship
  4. 4

    Should children be taken to zoos to learn about animals?

    • ·Seeing animals in person beats pictures in books
    • ·Keeping them caged is unfair to the animals
Stories

One story, many cards

This card fits this story. Prepare the story once and you can bend it to every card listed with it on the season page.

  • A film, book or video with a strong reaction

    One you loved and one you hated, where you watched it and with whom, the moment that stayed with you.

Say it out loud and get a band score