Art or craft activity cue card topic for IELTS Speaking test: Describe an art or craft activity that you had at school

This is a task 2 question. I have included a sample answer to speak for 2 minutes and some of the follow-up questions as well as the vocabulary that I have used in this sample content. I will be posting more sample answers based on the availability of time.

Describe an art or craft activity that you had at school (for example painting, woodwork, etcetera) – Full question with bullet points

• You should say:
  • What you made
  • How you made it
  • What it looked like
  • and how you felt about this activity

Sample answer 1: Clay modeling for art or craft activity cue card

I was born and brought up in a small town called Surendranagar in Gujarat state. I did my entire schooling there. The name of my school was Daya Mayi Mata English School. Unlike most of the educational institutions in small communities, my school organized classes for various extracurricular activities for the children to pursue their passion. Some of these activities were knitting, weaving, etching, calligraphy, etcetera.

Clay modeling was the new art that got introduced that particular year. Being a curious soul, I enrolled myself in clay modeling. I made a clay model on the social issue of drug abuse and how it affects families. I used oil-based clay for my model.

The reason is that oils don’t evaporate like water, and the clay remains malleable for a long period of time. Also, it is easy to formulate oil-based clay into malleable clay with a multitude of colours. I picked a small amount of clay and made a small spherical ball by rolling the clay between my palms. After that, I hand-pressed the clay ball into the desired shape. It took a bit of perseverance and a lot of patience from me to complete the model. I even had to take some help from my mentor.

In my model, I created a teenage boy, his parents, and their home. The teenage boy was smoking a cigarette while sitting on a chaise lounge in the backyard of his house. I painted the word ‘Life’ across the length of that burning cigarette.

I made a small fiery hole in the boy’s trouser pocket. I made a slightly bigger gleaming hole in the plate from which his mother was eating her food. I made a bigger hole in the roof of the house and coloured it yellowish orange to give it a searing look. The message was clear enough that drugs not only take away the life of an addict, but it also affects the family members, both emotionally and financially.

I was really surprised when the cultural committee at my school selected my clay model as one of the most impactful pieces of art. I knew that it was not a masterpiece in any given sense. But I felt really proud of myself after successfully completing the course.

Sample answer 2: Calligraphy for art or craft activity cue card

Every year my school would organize various activities ranging from painting, sketching, weaving, etcetera in the summer vacations for children to learn a new skill and spend the days constructively. The previous years I participated in etching and Lepidopterology. This year the school introduced a new concept of co-learning where a child will be accompanied by one of the parents. The parent also has to participate in the activity in which the child was interested.

My handwriting was beautiful since my formative years. Also, my dad convinced me to take up calligraphy as it would only enhance my handwriting skills. At first, I was a bit skeptical about My dad also gifted me a calligraphy pen set that he purchased from a local souvenir shop. The pens themselves were artifacts. The first thing that I learned to write was gift cards.

Calligraphy pens are specialized fountain pens that need ink with high flowability. The most challenging part is the ink because most of the vendors don’t sell this ink as liquid ink. Also, depending on the speed of the calligrapher, the ink should be diluted to a suitable degree.

I practiced my writing skills on a wide variety of papers ranging from white paper made up of virgin fibers, recycled paper, and thick paper that is used to write gift cards and certificates. I also learned a number of ways to hold the pen. The angle at which the pen is in contact with the paper and the pressure applied by the artist also affect the final outcome.

Over the period of 6 weeks that this course lasted, I learned a lot of calligraphy movements. My final card as a part of the submission was a Father’s Day card and it truly represented my artisanship. The message that I wrote on that card was ‘to my dad, the hero of my life, my motivator and mentor. Thanks for everything that you did for me.’

I was under the impression that the school would take my card and would not give it back to me. But my joy knew no bounds when my art teacher gave me my card back. I gave the same card to my dad right there and then. It was a bit of an emotional moment for both me and my dad. I still remember his facial expressions while he was reading the card.

Sample answer 3: knitting for art or craft activity cue card

This is not going to be a full sample answer. I am only going to give you bullet points. I want you guys to build your answers from the bullet points mentioned below

• Name of the school
• Lots of sports and cultural activities
• Examples of some of the activities
• Why you chose knitting
  • This was the first time that knitting was introduced.
  • You were really intrigued especially when you witnessed your pregnant elder sister knitting woolen socks for the baby.
  • You too wanted to knit socks for your niece or nephew, but you didn’t knew how to knit back then.
• With this course, you can learn knitting.
• Finally, you knit a small sweater for the 2-month-old baby.
• Mention the colour of the sweater.
• Talk about the design of the sweater.
• Talk about the colour combination of the design on the sweater.
• Talk about a quote or a phrase that you knit into the design of the sweater.
• Describe the emotions of your sister when you gifted the sweater to her.
• Describe how the baby looked when it wore the sweater for the first time.

The points mentioned above are only for your reference. You can add more to it or you can remove some of the points from it.

Note to the readers and test takers

If you want me to write a sample answer on a craft of your choice, please leave a comment below and I will write it for you at the first available opportunity. If you want me to go through your answer and give you suggestions on that, then write your answer in the comments section below and I will reply back,

Follow up questions for describe an art or craft activity that you had at school

What traditional handicrafts are popular in India?

India is a pretty diverse country when it comes to culture and traditions. Local art and handicrafts are one of the ways of representing the customs and way of life. In the communities around my hometown, handwoven khadi cloth with embroidered designs are really popular in my area. The local artists use this cloth to make sarees and purses.

What do young people think of traditional handicrafts?

The youth today is proudly flaunting their purchase of handicraft goods on social media. This gives me the feeling that the young generation in today’s day and age is really breaking the myth of being carefree. In fact, I feel we, the youth today is the one who is the most appreciative of the local craftsmanship

Do people in your country send handicrafts as gifts?

Giving gifts to near and dear ones is a part of the way of life in India. Handicrafts are actually the preferred items when it comes to giving a present to someone. The person who receives it, it’s a rare find for them, and for the domestic workmanship, it supports the local economy and livelihood.

What are the benefits of making handicrafts?

Making an artifact is an art. Just like any other art, it gives freedom to the artist to express his emotions through art. This creative liberty boosts the imagination and relieves stress in today’s day and age of cutthroat competition. It can also be a side hustle for a blessed artist with really good skills.

What have you learned from these lessons?

I first and the most important thing that I learned is that I can turn this hobby into a vocational skill and be self-employed to earn my livelihood. Additionally, what I realized in these classes is that art and craft not only gives creative liberty to express thoughts and emotions, but they are also an excellent medium to relieve stress.

Have you attended any lessons about art?

Oh Yes. I have learned calligraphy (or any other art that you spoke in your cue card) from quite a few mentors. All those learning sessions has only helped me in fine tuning my skills, In fact, next week I am going to New Delhi to attend a 2 days workshop at National Institue of Designing.

Do you think it’s important to cultivate an appreciation of art in children?

Creating an artifact requires skill, perseverance, and patience. Teaching the children to appreciate the hardwork of others helps in inculcating qualities like empathy from a tender age, and this really helps in the personality development of the child. It also encourages the child to not indulge in any destructive behaviour.

Do you think art should be included in school curriculums? Why?

Art should be a regular subject in the school. It helps in developing the imagination of the child. It also gives a medium to the child to express his thoughts and experiences. This helps in the personality development of the child.

If you have any questions on the topic ‘describe an art or craft activity that you had at school’, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you.

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