Describe a time when you read or heard something that you thought was not true.
You should say:
I'd like to talk about a story I saw on social media a couple of years ago, claiming that a
famous brand was going to release a completely free version of its most popular product.
I came across it on a news feed, in a post that was being shared by a lot of people I follow.
The post said that the company was giving away free subscriptions to celebrate an anniversary,
and it included a link to a simple website where you could "claim" your copy. I read it
around lunchtime, and within an hour it had thousands of likes.
I was instantly suspicious, for a couple of reasons. First, it didn't read like an official
announcement — the wording was casual and full of emojis, which is not how that company
communicates. Second, the link wasn't to the company's own website but to a strange domain
I'd never heard of. It just felt too good to be true, and I remember thinking that if it were
real, it would have been front-page news rather than a random post from an account I didn't
recognise.
To be honest, I felt a bit annoyed. Not so much at the brand, but at the fact that people were
falling for it and sharing it without checking. I was also slightly proud that I'd spotted it,
because my first instinct was to verify it, and when I looked it up the company had actually
posted a warning that the offer was a scam. I think it was a good reminder that being sceptical
and checking the source before you believe or share something is a genuinely useful habit.
The story is told with a clear sequence: where and when I saw it, what it said, why I doubted
it, and how I felt. The narrative flows naturally through time rather than as a list of points.
Takeaway: For Part 2, organise a story in time order — the cue card points are a guide,
not a rigid checklist.
Good range of descriptive and evaluative language: "came across it", "front-page news", "too
good to be true", "falling for it", "sceptical". Idioms are used accurately and naturally.
Takeaway: Two or three idiomatic expressions ("too good to be true", "I was instantly
suspicious") make the story feel authentic.
Uses past tenses consistently with some interesting variation: past simple for the main story,
a past perfect for background ("I'd never heard of"), and a conditional for reflection ("if it
were real"). Complex sentences are handled accurately.
Takeaway: Blend past simple (events) with past perfect (background) to show control.
Natural storytelling intonation, with pauses around key turns in the plot. Emphasis on
contrastive words ("not the brand... but", "slightly proud") adds drama and engagement.
Takeaway: Use a short pause before the key point of the story to build a little suspense.