The cue card
Describe a time when you worked with others as part of a team.
You should say:
- what the task was
- who you worked with
- what your role was
and explain how you felt about working in this team.
You have one minute to make notes, then speak for one to two minutes.
Band 8–9 sample answer
Written by Abroadway as a model of natural, high-band speaking (not an official IELTS sample).
I'd like to describe a time in my third year at university in Dhaka, when a group of us organised a fundraising drive for families affected by flooding in Sylhet.
The floods that year were particularly bad, and a classmate of ours, Tania, had relatives in a village near Sunamganj whose homes had been completely submerged. She was understandably upset, and one evening in the canteen a few of us decided that, rather than just feeling sorry, we should do something. The task we set ourselves was to raise enough money in two weeks to put together food and medicine packs for around a hundred families, and then get them delivered through a local volunteer group.
There were six of us in the team, all from different departments. Tania took charge of coordinating with the volunteers in Sylhet, two friends from the business faculty handled the budget and the bank account, and a couple of others organised a charity concert on campus.
My own role was publicity. I'm studying media, so I designed posters, wrote social media posts and filmed short interviews with students explaining why they were donating. I also persuaded several shopkeepers near campus to put collection boxes on their counters. It was exhausting, to be honest; I was juggling all of this with my coursework and barely slept in the second week.
As for how I felt, it was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. We didn't always agree; there was a heated argument about whether to spend money on the concert at all, but we talked it through and found a compromise. In the end we raised more than we'd hoped for, and when Tania showed us photos of the packs being handed out, I genuinely felt we'd achieved something none of us could have managed alone. It also made me realise that I work best when other people are relying on me.
Useful phrases from this answer
- took charge of
- became responsible for organising something
- juggling all of this
- trying to manage several tasks at the same time
- a heated argument
- an argument in which people become angry or excited
- talked it through
- discussed a problem fully in order to solve it
- bring out the best in
- help someone show their best qualities
- stay calm under pressure
- remain relaxed and in control in a stressful situation
- coast along
- do very little work and let others make the effort
- resentment builds up
- bad, unfair feelings slowly grow stronger
Part 3 follow-up questions and answers
What are the advantages of working in a team rather than alone?
The biggest advantage, I'd say, is that a team brings together different skills and perspectives. One person might be creative, another very organised and another good with numbers, so together they can tackle problems that would overwhelm an individual. Teams also make it possible to divide a heavy workload and get things done more quickly. Another benefit is that colleagues can spot each other's mistakes and challenge weak ideas before they cause problems. That said, working alone has its own advantages, like being able to make decisions quickly and concentrate without interruptions, so I think the best choice really depends on the nature of the task.
What makes someone a good team leader?
In my view, a good leader is someone who can bring out the best in other people rather than trying to do everything themselves. That means understanding each person's strengths and giving them responsibilities that suit them. Good communication is essential too; a leader needs to explain the goal clearly and keep everyone informed, so that nobody feels left out. I'd also say a strong leader should be willing to listen and admit when they're wrong, because people are much more committed when they feel their opinions matter. Finally, they need to stay calm under pressure, since the mood of a team often reflects the mood of the person in charge.
Should schools give students more group projects?
I think so, to a reasonable degree. Group projects teach skills that are hard to learn from textbooks, such as communicating, sharing responsibility and handling disagreements, and these are exactly the skills most employers look for. In Bangladesh, education has traditionally focused heavily on individual exams and memorisation, so more group work could provide a healthy balance. However, group projects need to be designed carefully. Otherwise, one or two hard-working students end up doing everything while the others coast along and get the same mark. Teachers could reduce this by assessing each student's individual contribution as well as the final result.
Why do conflicts sometimes happen within teams?
Conflicts usually arise because people have different expectations, working styles or priorities. One member might want to plan everything in detail, while another prefers to improvise, and that can easily create tension. Unequal effort is another common cause; if someone feels they're carrying the whole team, resentment builds up quickly. Poor communication makes all of this worse, since small misunderstandings can grow into bigger arguments if nobody addresses them. Personality clashes play a part as well. Having said that, I don't think conflict is always negative. A bit of disagreement can actually lead to better ideas, as long as it stays focused on the work rather than becoming personal.
Is teamwork more important in the modern workplace than it was in the past?
I'd argue that it is, for several reasons. Many modern jobs involve complex projects, like developing software or running marketing campaigns, that simply can't be done by one person with one set of skills. Technology has also made it possible to collaborate with colleagues in different cities or even different countries, so teamwork now often means coordinating across time zones and cultures. In the past, a lot of work, such as farming or traditional crafts, was more individual or limited to a family. That said, teamwork has always mattered to some degree; building anything large, from bridges to ships, has always required cooperation. It's more the scale and complexity that have changed.
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