Describe a Time When You Changed Your Opinion Cue Card

Nov 4, 2022

Describe a Time When You Changed Your Opinion Cue Card is a topic of Speaking Part 2. There are three model answers given below. The model answers are framed based on four key points -When was it, What was the original opinion, Why you changed it, And explain how you felt about it.

What is a Cue Card: IELTS Speaking Part 2 includes cue cards containing topics on which candidates are to speak. Candidates get 2-3 minutes to speak and 1 minute for note-taking. In IELTS Speaking part 2, candidates' proficiency in grammar and vocabulary is assessed along with their confidence to speak in English.

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Topic: Describe a Time when you Changed your Opinion.

You should say:

When was it?
What was the original opinion?
Why you changed it?
And explain how you felt about it.

Model Answer 1

When was it?

Opinions are subject to change based on situations. I have had many opinions before which had changed. It was 2 years ago when I was writing a report on the colonization of India by the Britishers. Since I was a new student, NCERT was my sole source of information about colonial India. I did not know about the other resources available. Hence, I went to the library to make the citations and references for my report. I decided this so that my research looks impressive. I came across two books, one was called Drain of Wealth by Dada Bhai Naoroji. The one was titled Inglorious Empire: What the British did to India. It was written by Dr. Shashi Tharoor. Both these books gave me a new perspective on the history of Modern India.

What was the original opinion?

My idea was that colonization was bad. However, at the same time, India did get Railways out of it. It is considered one of the biggest employers today. I considered it to be one of the rare positives of the rather bleak times when India was colonized.

Why have you changed it?

I changed my thought as I read a more in-depth analysis of British rule written for rational adults. I found out new facts which I never knew like railways were built to carry raw materials out of India and that Indian taxpayers did pay for the laying down of these tracks and import of these engines from England which was rolling in profits by constructing railways in a vast country like India. So, for people of those times railways were another means to push them further into poverty.

Explain How you felt about it?

I felt terribly shocked about it and realized that it's important to keep augmenting one’s knowledge. It’s better to be well-read than have an ignorant opinion because half-baked knowledge can land us into trouble.

Model Answer 2

When was it?

Human beings tend to form opinions based on first impressions and such opinions are bound to change as time passes or situation changes because first impressions don’t tell us everything.

It was when I was 12 years old and there was a new student in my school. The teacher decided that I should show the ropes to the new student as they might have trouble adjusting. The new student consequently sat beside me, and I tried to strike up a conversation so that I could better assist her, but she didn’t respond to any of my questions and asked in a tone that I presumed to be rather rude if I spoke any English as this was an English Medium School. I thought that it was extremely insulting that she thought I couldn’t speak any English despite studying in an English Medium School. So, I handed her a copy of the timetable and changed my seat.

What was the original opinion?

My opinion about the new student was that she was an uptight and rude girl. She had no respect for local languages whatsoever and that she was very judgemental. That’s why I didn’t try to be friends with her.

Why have you changed it?

I changed my opinion of her because I saw her genuinely struggling to read even a paragraph in Hindi Class while she was breezing through questions in earlier Classes. The teacher and everyone felt that it was quite strange that she couldn't read the bare basics. So, the teacher asked if she understood what was going on in the class to which she replied that she comes from Kerala, Hindi isn’t a common language there which is why she can’t comprehend much of it, but she is taking tuition and hopes that she will be able to read and write soon.

Explain How you felt about it?

I felt extremely guilty about having a harsh opinion of her without even bothering to pry further or directly confront her about my issues. I later went to her and apologized for my tactlessness and promised to help her in Hindi as well as absolutely anything else if need be. We are best friends now.

Model Answer 3

When was it?

In the age of information overload and fake news, people do tend to stick to their opinions, but I believe that there is no shame in changing one’s opinion, but one shouldn’t do it too often otherwise we might lose focus toward our goal.

It was two years ago that I was forced to rethink my opinion of delay in court cases. As a student of law, I had written several reports on the issue of the pendency of cases in the Indian judicial system. To write such reports I took the help of newspapers covering the issue and authored who have penned their works around this problem and I received appreciation for my work which cemented my opinion, even more, two years ago I found an internship in the district court of my city and the environment forced me to rethink my opinions, especially the ones I held about delayed court cases.

What was the original opinion?

My original opinion that I advocated through several of my research papers was that lack of judicial appointments is the main reason for the pendency of cases in the judiciary. If only they hired more judges and built more courtrooms, the issue will be solved. Also, I believed it was judges who weren’t encouraging Alternative Dispute Mechanisms leading to increasing numbers of litigations across the country.

Why have you changed it?

I have changed it because during my three-week internship at the district court I saw that court hearings on most days were canceled because Advocates were on strike for one reason or another other and sometimes these strikes lasted for 2 to 3 days at once. Even during hearings, the advocates came up with the wildest excuses to delay the hearing or take the next date as late as is humanly possible. I experienced that judges were the most vocal promoters of Alternative Dispute Redressal but parties to the case somehow weren’t agreeable and those who were finally forced into it caused a huge ruckus in an otherwise peaceful proceeding of alternate dispute redressal.

Explain How you felt about it?

I felt like I had been enlightened. I realized that practical experience can’t be exchanged for what is written in the book and I shouldn’t have brought bad repute to judges single-handedly when faults lie in almost every aspect of the judicial process.

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