IELTS Speaking Cue Card 05 - Talk about a book that you have read in the last year

Talk about a book that you have read in the last year. You should say- 

1.   Why you decided to read that book?

2.   How long it took you to finish it?

3.   What genre of book it was?

4.   And say if you would like to read something from the same author or not and why?

SAMPLE ANSWER - 

As it is said that books are a man's best friend, I believe that reading a book not only helps a person to enhance their knowledge and learn from the experiences of other people but it also allows individuals to learn about different cultures, traditions and lifestyles. I have been reading books ever since I was a child and have read many books of various authors from across the world.

My favorite author however is Paulo Coehlo, and the book which I would like to talk about today is The Alchemist written by him.

I decided to read this book, as it is considered to be an international best seller with more than a million copies of it sold worldwide, not only in English but also in various other languages. In addition, my decision to read the book was also inspired from lot of good reviews I heard about the book, from my friends, which eventually motivated me to read this novel. The book's genre is fiction and it is based on the life of a shepherd boy who travels far away from his hometown searching for the true treasure - the meaning of life.

In the pursuit of his, he interacts with people from different cultures and regions and learns from their experiences. Towards the end of his journey, he meets the alchemist who helps and enables him to achieve what he sought for.

Firstly, the book is worth a read as it gives a very important learning that the search for true happiness in life starts from one's own heart. Furthermore, as the language of the book is quiet simple, it is easy to understand and interpret the meaning. As I am presently a student and I have other academic obligations to fulfill as well, it took me nearly a week's time to read the book completely. In future if I get an opportunity to read more books, I would definitely like to read more from the same author. One of the most important reasons for it is that Paulo Coehlo imparts some of the most fundamental teachings of life in the most simplest yet effective manner. In addition, as he is also an international bestseller and have written more than 10 books, each of which have been widely appreciated by the reading community, I would love to read more of his literary works.

In the end, I would like to recommend everyone who loves to read, to once read the Alchemist as it has many learnings that can be implemented successfully by people in their day-to-day lifestyles.   

(This model answer can be followed as an example of a very good answer. However, please note that this is just one example out of many possible approaches.)