Describe the word website

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the Internet domain, see .website.

Not to be confused with WebCite.

A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, education, commerce, entertainment or social networking. Hyperlinking between web pages guides the navigation of the site, which often starts with a home page. As of December 2022, the top 5 most visited websites are Google Search, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

All publicly accessible websites collectively constitute the World Wide Web. There are also private websites that can only be accessed on a private network, such as a company’s internal website for its employees. Users can access websites on a range of devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. The app used on these devices is called a web browser.

Background

The World Wide Web (WWW) was created in 1989 by the British CERN computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee.[1][2] On 30 April 1993, CERN announced that the World Wide Web would be free to use for anyone, contributing to the immense growth of the Web.[3] Before the introduction of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), other protocols such as File Transfer Protocol and the gopher protocol were used to retrieve individual files from a server. These protocols offer a simple directory structure in which the user navigates and where they choose files to download. Documents were most often presented as plain text files without formatting or were encoded in word processor formats.

History

While «web site» was the original spelling (sometimes capitalized «Web site», since «Web» is a proper noun when referring to the World Wide Web), this variant has become rarely used, and «website» has become the standard spelling. All major style guides, such as The Chicago Manual of Style[4] and the AP Stylebook,[5] have reflected this change.

In February 2009, Netcraft, an Internet monitoring company that has tracked Web growth since 1995, reported that there were 215,675,903 websites with domain names and content on them in 2009, compared to just 19,732 websites in August 1995.[6] After reaching 1 billion websites in September 2014, a milestone confirmed by NetCraft in its October 2014 Web Server Survey and that Internet Live Stats was the first to announce—as attested by this tweet from the inventor of the World Wide Web himself, Tim Berners-Lee—the number of websites in the world have subsequently declined, reverting to a level below 1 billion. This is due to the monthly fluctuations in the count of inactive websites. The number of websites continued growing to over 1 billion by March 2016 and has continued growing since.[7] Netcraft Web Server Survey in January 2020 reported that there are 1,295,973,827 websites and in April 2021 reported that there are 1,212,139,815 sites across 10,939,637 web-facing computers, and 264,469,666 unique domains.[8] An estimated 85 percent of all websites are inactive.[9]

Static website

A static website is one that has Web pages stored on the server in the format that is sent to a client Web browser. It is primarily coded in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML); Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are used to control appearance beyond basic HTML. Images are commonly used to create the desired appearance and as part of the main content. Audio or video might also be considered «static» content if it plays automatically or is generally non-interactive. This type of website usually displays the same information to all visitors. Similar to handing out a printed brochure to customers or clients, a static website will generally provide consistent, standard information for an extended period of time. Although the website owner may make updates periodically, it is a manual process to edit the text, photos, and other content and may require basic website design skills and software. Simple forms or marketing examples of websites, such as a classic website, a five-page website or a brochure website are often static websites, because they present pre-defined, static information to the user. This may include information about a company and its products and services through text, photos, animations, audio/video, and navigation menus.

Static websites may still use server side includes (SSI) as an editing convenience, such as sharing a common menu bar across many pages. As the site’s behavior to the reader is still static, this is not considered a dynamic site.

Dynamic website

Server-side programming language usage in 2016

A dynamic website is one that changes or customizes itself frequently and automatically. Server-side dynamic pages are generated «on the fly» by computer code that produces the HTML (CSS are responsible for appearance and thus, are static files). There are a wide range of software systems, such as CGI, Java Servlets and Java Server Pages (JSP), Active Server Pages and ColdFusion (CFML) that are available to generate dynamic Web systems and dynamic sites. Various Web application frameworks and Web template systems are available for general-use programming languages like Perl, PHP, Python and Ruby to make it faster and easier to create complex dynamic websites.

A site can display the current state of a dialogue between users, monitor a changing situation, or provide information in some way personalized to the requirements of the individual user. For example, when the front page of a news site is requested, the code running on the webserver might combine stored HTML fragments with news stories retrieved from a database or another website via RSS to produce a page that includes the latest information. Dynamic sites can be interactive by using HTML forms, storing and reading back browser cookies, or by creating a series of pages that reflect the previous history of clicks. Another example of dynamic content is when a retail website with a database of media products allows a user to input a search request, e.g. for the keyword Beatles. In response, the content of the Web page will spontaneously change the way it looked before, and will then display a list of Beatles products like CDs, DVDs, and books. Dynamic HTML uses JavaScript code to instruct the Web browser how to interactively modify the page contents. One way to simulate a certain type of dynamic website while avoiding the performance loss of initiating the dynamic engine on a per-user or per-connection basis is to periodically automatically regenerate a large series of static pages.

Multimedia and interactive content

Early websites had only text, and soon after, images. Web browser plug-ins were then used to add audio, video, and interactivity (such as for a rich Web application that mirrors the complexity of a desktop application like a word processor). Examples of such plug-ins are Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Shockwave Player, and Java SE. HTML 5 includes provisions for audio and video without plugins. JavaScript is also built into most modern web browsers, and allows for website creators to send code to the web browser that instructs it how to interactively modify page content and communicate with the web server if needed. The browser’s internal representation of the content is known as the Document Object Model (DOM).

WebGL (Web Graphics Library) is a modern JavaScript API for rendering interactive 3D graphics without the use of plug-ins. It allows interactive content such as 3D animations, visualizations and video explainers to presented users in the most intuitive way.[10]

A 2010-era trend in websites called «responsive design» has given the best viewing experience as it provides a device-based layout for users. These websites change their layout according to the device or mobile platform, thus giving a rich user experience.[11]

Types

Websites can be divided into two broad categories—static and interactive. Interactive sites are part of the Web 2.0 community of sites and allow for interactivity between the site owner and site visitors or users. Static sites serve or capture information but do not allow engagement with the audience or users directly. Some websites are informational or produced by enthusiasts or for personal use or entertainment. Many websites do aim to make money using one or more business models, including:

  • Posting interesting content and selling contextual advertising either through direct sales or through an advertising network.
  • E-commerce: products or services are purchased directly through the website
  • Advertising products or services available at a brick-and-mortar business
  • Freemium: basic content is available for free, but premium content requires a payment (e.g., WordPress website, it is an open-source platform to build a blog or website.)
  • Some websites require user registration or subscription to access the content. Examples of subscription websites include many business sites, news websites, academic journal websites, gaming websites, file-sharing websites, message boards, Web-based email, social networking websites, websites providing real-time stock market data, as well as sites providing various other services.

See also

  • Link rot
  • Lists of websites
  • Site map
  • Web content management system
  • Web design
  • Web development
  • Web development tools
  • Web hosting service
  • Web template
  • Website governance
  • Website monetization
  • World Wide Web Consortium (Web standards)

References

  1. ^ «Tim Berners-Lee». www.w3.org. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. ^ «The website of the world’s first-ever web server». Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  3. ^ Cailliau, Robert. «A Little History of the World Wide Web». Archived from the original on 6 May 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2007.
  4. ^ «Internet, Web, and Other Post-Watergate Concerns». University of Chicago. Archived from the original on 20 February 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  5. ^ AP Stylebook [@APStylebook] (16 April 2010). «Responding to reader input, we are changing Web site to website. This appears on Stylebook Online today and in the 2010 book next month» (Tweet). Retrieved 18 March 2019 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ «Web Server Survey». Netcraft. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  7. ^ A total number of Websites | Internet live stats Archived 20 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine. internetlivestats.com. Retrieved on 14 April 2015.
  8. ^ «Web Server Survey». Netcraft News. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  9. ^ Deon (26 May 2020). «How Many Websites Are There Around the World? [2021]». Siteefy. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  10. ^ «OpenGL ES for the Web». khronos.org. 19 July 2011. Archived from the original on 15 December 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  11. ^ Pete LePage. «Responsive Web Design Basics | Web». Google Developers. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.

External links

Look up website in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

  • Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
  • World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
  • The Internet Society (ISOC)

Updated: 03/05/2023 by

Computer Hope website

A site or website is a central location of web pages that are related and accessed by visiting the home page of the website using a browser. For example, the Computer Hope website address URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is https://www.computerhope.com. From our home page, you could access any of the web pages (like this one) on our website. The image shows how the Computer Hope website looked in 2021.

How to open a website

To view a website requires a browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Edge, Safari, Firefox, or Chrome). For example, you are reading this web page using a browser. Once in a browser, you can open a website by entering the URL in the address bar. For example, typing «https://www.computerhope.com» opens the Computer Hope home page. If you don’t know the URL of the website you want to visit, you can use a search engine to find the website on the Internet.

When was the first website created?

The first website was built at CERN by Tim Berners-Lee and launched on August 6, 1991. Visit and browse the first website.

  • The history of the Internet.
  • Who invented the Internet?

How many websites are on the Internet?

As of January 2023, depending on which survey or hosting company being referenced, there are approximately 1.9 billion websites. Many of these websites are unused or not visited by many people, but the websites still exist and included in the count.

What is the difference between a website and a web page?

A website refers to a central location with more than one web page or several web pages. For example, Computer Hope is considered a website, which contains thousands of different web pages, including the page you’re reading now.

URL or Internet address

In the above URL example, the website is computerhope.com, and the web page is «url.htm.»

Note

A web page does not need a file extension like .htm or .html to be a web page. Many sites are designed to show a default page in a directory (e.g., index.html) or set up to have no file extensions.

Tip

See our web page definition for a breakdown of all the elements that help make up a web page.

Who creates websites on the Internet?

Any business, government, organization, or person can create a website on the Internet. Today, the Internet consists of billions of websites created by billions of different people. You can even create a website or blog on the Internet. See the below types of websites section for a list of the types of categories of websites.

  • How to start in HTML and web design.

What can you do on a website?

On most websites, you read the information on each web page. If there are any interesting hyperlinks, you follow those links by clicking or tapping on them to find more information or perform a task. You can also listen to music, watch videos, shop, communicate, and more on many websites.

  • What things to do when bored on the Internet.

Types of websites

There are billions of websites on the Internet today that can be broken into one of the following types of website categories. Keep in mind that it is possible for a website to fall into more than one of the following categories. For example, a website may also be a forum, webmail, blog, or search engine.

  • Archive website.
  • Blog (weblog).
  • Business website and corporate website.
  • Community website.
  • Content website and information website.
  • Dating website.
  • Dynamic website.
  • E-commerce website.
  • Educational website.
  • Gaming website.
  • Government website.
  • Help and Q&A website.
  • Malicious website.
  • Media sharing website.
  • Mirror website.
  • News website.
  • P2P website and Torrent website.
  • Personal website.
  • Personality website.
  • Portal
  • Review website.
  • School website.
  • Scraper website.
  • Search engine website.
  • Secure website
  • Social networking website.
  • Social news website.
  • Static website
  • Unsecure website
  • Webcomic website.
  • Webmail website.
  • Wiki website.

Archive website

An archive website is a site that keeps a record of the contents of one or more other websites. The Internet Archive is the best example of an archive website.

Blog (weblog)

A blog is a website that is often created by an individual to keep a list of entries that interests them. See our weblog definition for a full description, services used to create a blog, and related pages. A microblog website is also another popular form of blogging website that limits the number of characters someone can post in each blog entry. Twitter is an example of a social networking website for a microblog.

Business website and corporate website

A business website or corporate website is created to provide account information and access to customers, partners, clients, and potential customers.

A community website is a website or section of a website that helps bring the visitors visiting the site together using chat, forums, or another form of bulletin boards.

Content website and information website

A content website and information website are created with the intention of displaying unique content that is often related to a specific category. For example, Computer Hope could be considered a content site with computer-related content. Other categories could include a political website with content relating to politics or a political view, or a religious website with information about a specific religion.

Dating website

A dating website is a site set up to help connect people who may be interested in meeting other people or dating other people. Most dating websites require a small fee, require a description of yourself, and often asks questions to help find people that would best match your interests.

Dynamic website

A dynamic website is a website that uses a database and server-side scripting to help dynamically generate the content on the website. WordPress sites and other CMS (content management system) solutions make it easier for anyone to have a website without knowing a lot about HTML or programming. See our dynamic website page for further information on dynamic and static websites.

E-commerce website

Amazon logo

An e-commerce (electronic commerce) website is any site that was created with the intention of selling online goods or services. Amazon is an example of an e-commerce website. An e-commerce website may be broken down even further into one of the following subcategories.

An affiliate website is a website created with the intention of selling third-party products. For example, Amazon has an affiliate program for anyone to link to their site and make a commission when products are purchased. An affiliate website should not be confused with an e-commerce website.

An auction website is a website that allows other people to sell their goods or services. For example, eBay is one of the most well-known online auction websites. See our online auction page for further information and examples.

A classified ads website is a site that allows anyone to list goods or services, usually for free or at a small cost. Craigslist is an example of a classified ads website.

A crowdfunding website is set up to help support a business, person, or another cause by making a one time or monthly payment. An example of a crowdfunding website is Kickstarter.

Educational website

An educational website is any website containing content that aids in learning. It could be a school website, a library website, a homework assistance website, or any other tools for gaining knowledge online.

Gaming website

A gaming website is any website that features games that can be played on the website. Often these online games are created using HTML5, Flash, or Java. Gaming websites should not be confused with a gaming content website with content relevant to gaming with no actual games to play on the website.

Government website

A government website is a department, local, or state government site that was created to help inform the public about government business and services. A local government website may also be set up to help promote tourism.

Tip

In the United States a government website has the domain suffix .gov. In the United Kingdom, they use .gov.uk.

question mark

Help and Q&A website

A help website and questions and answers website is a site where anyone can post questions and other users help answer those questions. A full listing of help websites where you can ask any question is on the link below.

  • Where can I ask a question on the Internet?

Malicious website

A malicious website is any website that was set up with the intention of infecting another computer or collecting personal data. For example, a malware website is a site created with the intention of infecting any visitor with malware, spyware, or a trojan horse. These types of sites could have a download that’s infected and, if downloaded, infects your computer.

Other common malicious websites include phishing websites. These sites are designed to look like other official sites (e.g., your bank) with the hope that they can phish sensitive information such as your username and password.

Fake news websites are another type of malicious site created to appear as a legitimate source of news with the intention of helping to spread fear and lies.

  • How to protect yourself while on the Internet.

Media sharing website

YouTube logo

A media sharing website is any website that specializes in allowing visitors to share one or more types of media. For example, YouTube is a site for sharing video media. SoundCloud is a site for sharing music. Flickr is a place to share photos. DeviantArt is a page for sharing art.

Mirror website

A mirror website is a complete duplicate of another website that is used when a website becomes overloaded. It helps with a website’s speed in different parts of the world. See our mirror definition for further information. Also, although similar, a mirror site should not be confused with a scraper website or a CDN.

News website

A news website is a site dedicated to giving the latest local or world news. A news site may also be dedicated to a specific topic. For example, many computer-related news websites are dedicated to talking about the latest computer and technology related news.

P2P website and Torrent website

A P2P website and Torrent website are sites created to list available torrents that can be downloaded using a file-sharing program.

A warez website is similar to a torrent website, except that it stores and hosts music, video, and software that anyone can download to their computer. When referring to a warez website, it is describing a site where copyrighted material is illegally downloaded.

Personal website

A personal website is a site created by an individual that talks about their personal life, family, life experiences, and maybe contains a résumé. Today, many people are creating personal websites as a blog or using a social networking website as a place to store information about themselves.

Personality website

A personality website is any website covering an individual, such as an artist, celebrity, musician, author, or any other person. These types of websites are set up by someone affiliated with the person, such as a publicist, agency, or fan of the personality.

Portal

A portal is an idea of a website or service that offers a broad range of services, such as e-mail, games, quotes, search, news, and stocks. See our portal term page for further information.

Review website

Yelp logo

A review website is any site that focuses on reviews about a product or service. For example, Yelp allows consumers to review businesses in their area. Other review sites may review other things such as movies or products. Also, many e-commerce sites have reviews from people who’ve purchased the product they’re selling.

Secure website

A secure site or secure website is any website that transmits data securely (encrypted). Secure websites are identified by looking for a lock next to the URL or a URL starting with «https» instead of «http.»

School website

A school website is a site created to represent a local school or college. School sites have an overview of a school and give students and parents a place to log in and review grades and other school-related information.

Scraper website

A scraper website is a website that is illegally stealing (scraping) another website’s content. Doing this could allow the person to generate advertising revenue if enough traffic was driven to the scraper website. However, these types of sites are against all advertisers’ TOS (terms of service) and, when caught, they are blocked by the company providing the advertising. A scraper website should not be confused with a mirror website that was set up with permission.

Search engine website

A search engine website is a website dedicated to helping people find information on the Internet. Google is an example of a search engine website. See our search engine definition for further information on search engines and related links.

A social networking website connects users with friends, family, celebrities, groups, and organizations. The service is usually free, on the condition that the website may collect and use the users information. Facebook and Twitter are examples of a social networking website. See our social networking definition for other examples of social networks and further information.

A social news website is a site that generates its content from its members and, once posted, all other members can vote if they enjoyed or liked the story. Reddit is an example of a social news website that allows everyone to post almost anything. It is a great place to find things that would most interest you on the Internet.

Static website

A static website is a website designed using only HTML and doesn’t change or update automatically. See our dynamic website page for further information on dynamic and static websites.

Unsecure website

A unsecure site or unsecure website is any website that does not transmit data securely (encrypted). Unsecure websites are identified by looking for a URL starting with «http» instead of «https.» When on an unsecure website, be cautious with transmitted information that could be intercepted and read with a man-in-the-middle attack.

Webcomic website

A webcomic website is a site that posts a comic strip daily, weekly, or monthly.

Webmail website

A webmail website is a website that a person to view, send, and receive e-mail without the need for software. An example of a webmail program is Gmail. See our webmail definition for other examples, information, and related links.

Wiki website

A wiki website is a site that is created using Wiki software, and is often edited and updated by more than one person.

Should I use «website» or «web site» when writing?

Both versions are technically correct. However, most style guides (e.g., Microsoft Manual of Style and The Associated Press Stylebook) suggest website (one word) instead of web site (two words) in all forms of writing.

Note

If you’re writing documentation for a software program or user interface, always use the style used in the interface.

Should I capitalize the «W» in website?

Unless the word «website» is at the beginning of a sentence, it should be all lowercase. See our web definition for further information about the capitalization of the word «web.»

Coupon code, Dynamic website, Internet, Internet terms, Portal, Review, Static website, Web, Web design, Web design terms, Web page

The idea for the Describing Words engine came when I was building the engine for Related Words (it’s like a thesaurus, but gives you a much broader set of related words, rather than just synonyms). While playing around with word vectors and the «HasProperty» API of conceptnet, I had a bit of fun trying to get the adjectives which commonly describe a word. Eventually I realised that there’s a much better way of doing this: parse books!

Project Gutenberg was the initial corpus, but the parser got greedier and greedier and I ended up feeding it somewhere around 100 gigabytes of text files — mostly fiction, including many contemporary works. The parser simply looks through each book and pulls out the various descriptions of nouns.

Hopefully it’s more than just a novelty and some people will actually find it useful for their writing and brainstorming, but one neat little thing to try is to compare two nouns which are similar, but different in some significant way — for example, gender is interesting: «woman» versus «man» and «boy» versus «girl». On an inital quick analysis it seems that authors of fiction are at least 4x more likely to describe women (as opposed to men) with beauty-related terms (regarding their weight, features and general attractiveness). In fact, «beautiful» is possibly the most widely used adjective for women in all of the world’s literature, which is quite in line with the general unidimensional representation of women in many other media forms. If anyone wants to do further research into this, let me know and I can give you a lot more data (for example, there are about 25000 different entries for «woman» — too many to show here).

The blueness of the results represents their relative frequency. You can hover over an item for a second and the frequency score should pop up. The «uniqueness» sorting is default, and thanks to my Complicated Algorithm™, it orders them by the adjectives’ uniqueness to that particular noun relative to other nouns (it’s actually pretty simple). As you’d expect, you can click the «Sort By Usage Frequency» button to adjectives by their usage frequency for that noun.

Special thanks to the contributors of the open-source mongodb which was used in this project.

Please note that Describing Words uses third party scripts (such as Google Analytics and advertisements) which use cookies. To learn more, see the privacy policy.

These days, the internet is a massive part of the lives of people all over the world and so you will quite often be asked to talk about it for IELTS. There are many ways that it could appear in the exam, but today we are going to look at another cue card from IELTS speaking part 2. This time, it will ask you to describe a website.

In this article, I will try to outline all the things that
you need to know in order to give a good answer to this question. I will show
you how to analyse the cue card, make notes, pick the right language to use,
and then I will give you my own sample answer for this question.

Here we go…

The Cue Card: Describe a Website

It is impossible to anticipate the cue cards that you will
encounter in the IELTS exam and only lazy and dishonest teachers pretend that
they can do it. As such, you just need to look at common types of cue card and
practice them. If you do this, then the cue cards that you encounter in the
real IELTS exam will not seem so strange or difficult.

It is possible to be asked various versions of this
question, including “describe a website you often browse” or “describe a
website you have bought something from.” Here are a few more variants on the
central theme:

describe a website for ielts

That is just a few of them and there are in fact many, many more possibilities. This is one reason why you cannot just memorise an answer for IELTS. Some of my former students tried this and struggled badly because they would say “A website I really like is…” but this is not always what the question intends.

Here is the cue card that we will use today:

Describe a useful website.

You should say:

– what it is

– how often you visit it

– what kind of information it offers

and explain why you think it is useful.

Analysing the Cue Card

The most important part of any cue card is the first line. This is what you must adhere to closely. Note all the different cue cards that I suggested… They are all slightly different in terms of what you must actually describe. It could even be something like “describe a website that you really like” or “describe a website that you would like to design.” Those would require a totally different answer, so it’s really important that you read carefully and don’t just note the word WEBSITE.

The information that follows is also quite important and you
should look out for keywords: “what,” “how often,” “what kind of information,”
and “why… useful.”

describe a useful website cue card

So… let’s review:

  1. Can you describe any website? No, it must be a useful one.
  2. You must explain what it is – ie describe its functions.
  3. State the approximate number of times that you use it.
  4. Talk about the information available on the website.
  5. Explain why it is useful, in your opinion.

You can say other things about it but you don’t have to. I
would recommend talking about the things on the cue card first of all, and if
you find you run through these ideas too quickly, then you can say some other
things.

Language for Describing Websites

Don’t worry if you are not a computer programmer – you don’t need to be an expert to answer any of the questions in the IELTS speaking test! Knowledge of web design might be helpful for you with this question, but it is certainly not essential.

First of all, there is some language here that might be useful for you:

This is a PPT file that I made for my students several years ago. It contains some up-to-date language about the internet. I made it because most of this sort of language in textbooks is hopelessly out-of-date. However, I recommend actually downloading the file to use it because the embedded version here just gives you the words and definitions. If you download it, you can try to guess before you look. This will help you to remember the words better. 😉

Remember that when we are talking about the internet, we
generally use the preposition “on.” Think about the word “online” and people
being “on the internet.” This is very important to remember. We are never “in a
website.” We are “on it.” For example:

  • There are some great articles on that website.
  • Did you see the pictures on Facebook yesterday?
  • I’m going to post something about it on my blog later.
  • Can you add me on WhatsApp?
  • I’ll follow you on Instagram.

I will make some more notes about language in the section
following my sample answer below.

Making Notes About the Cue Card

When you are given the cue card, you will have 1 minute to
make some notes. You do not have to make notes, but it’s a pretty good idea to
write down a few words that may help you remember useful vocabulary or ideas
during your speech.

My notes for this cue card (describing a useful website)
would be something like this:

  • platform/content
  • get views
  • content – produced/shared

That makes little sense out of context, but you can see my sample answer in the next section. The important thing is that these notes either help you to remember the structure of your answer or remind you of some difficult words that you might want to use.

Just remember to avoid writing down full sentences or else
you will certainly run out of time before you have had a chance to adequately
plan your answer.

Sample Band 9 Answer

I will now give you my sample answer for this question. Just remember that in order to actually get a band 9 score, you need to have excellent pronunciation and fluency. The answer below is grammatically correct and uses appropriate vocabulary, so it would get band 9 for those areas, but the speaker would need to have natural intonation and pronunciation, too, without much hesitation.

ielts cue card describe a website

The most useful website that I know is YouTube, which is a video-streaming site that is popular all around the world. It contains lots of videos on all sorts of topics, so there really is something for everyone.

The great thing about YouTube is that it grew from being just a collection of silly cat videos and short clips into a genuine platform for excellent content. There are some YouTubers who produce videos that are such high-quality that they look like real TV shows. In fact, many of them probably get more views than actual TV shows now.

YouTube has changed the world by altering how content is produced and shared. People from almost anywhere now have access to an incredible archive of information. I personally love photography and so I go on YouTube most days to learn about techniques for taking better pictures or editing my photos in Photoshop or Lightroom. I can connect with talented photographers around the world and, perhaps more importantly, these genuinely knowledgeably people are now able to turn their skill into real money. Many people have successful careers now because they started a YouTube channel and shared their passion with the world.

I think that YouTube is useful because I can learn so many things in such an easy way. It’s not just photography. If I want to make dinner but I don’t know how to cook something, there’s probably a video for it. That is truly incredible, and for me it makes YouTube the most useful website on the internet.  

Notes

My answer would take about 1:40 minutes to read, which is
perfect for IELTS speaking part 2. It contains good grammar and vocabulary, and
it also answers all parts of the cue card.

Note that I did not answer all parts in equal depth. When
saying what YouTube is, I gave a short description:

  • a video-streaming site that is popular all
    around the world

I also said very little about how often I use the website:

  • I go on YouTube most days

However, you can see that I have given lots more detail for
other parts and generally I described the website fully. I have given some interesting
ideas and information about it.

Most importantly, my language was also appropriate for the question. I have used some phrases which you might find helpful when describing a website of your own:

  • a video-streaming site
  • It contains lots of videos
  • just a collection of
  • a genuine platform for excellent content
  • an incredible archive of information
  • I go on YouTube
  • I can connect with
  • the most useful website on the internet

You should note that I have said “contains” for the videos
being on the website. I also use “on” as the correct prepositions for things
relating to the internet. We can use “platform” and “content” to refer to the
website and the things on the website, respectively. When communicating with
people online, we might also say “connect with.”

In Part 2 of IELTS Speaking, you might be asked to describe a website that you use:

Describe a website that you often use. You should say:

  • what type of website it is
  • how you found out about it
  • what it allows you to do, and why you find it useful.

Here are some ideas, with some of the band 7-9 vocabulary underlined:

  1. Facebook is a social networking website. It’s a free website that allows you to keep in contact with friends or find people you’ve lost touch with. It’s one of the most popular websites in the world, with millions of users in different countries.
  2. All of my friends use Facebook. One of my friends sent me an email inviting me to join. I signed up and I’ve been using it ever since.
  3. Facebook allows you to keep up to date with what friends are doing. You have a profile page with information and status updates so that you can tell everyone what you’re doing. You can post messages to other people’s pages. You can upload photos and videos. I find Facebook most useful for organising my life, keeping in touch with friends and storing photos. I think social networking websites have become part of everyday life.

The comments to this entry are closed.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS speaking Cue card by IELTSKING 

Describe a website which you use regularly

You should say:-

– Which site is it?
– How did you know about it
– How it helped
– Why do you visit it often

Note: you have to talk for 1 to 2 minutes. You have 1 minute to take a look at the main points and prepare some notes which you can use while speaking.


Sample answers (1) Describe a website that helped you to do something from Jan to Apr 2023 along with Follow-ups

IELTSKING.in is a website that has helped me to improve my English language skills. I found out about it through a friend who recommended it to me.

This website offers online classes, mock tests, and free material for those preparing for the IELTS exam. The classes are taught by experienced teachers who guide students through the exam format and provide helpful tips for success. The mock tests are especially useful because they provide a realistic simulation of the actual exam, allowing me to practice and familiarize myself with the format.

In addition to the classes and tests, the website also offers free materials such as sample essays and practice questions. These resources have been extremely helpful in improving my writing and speaking skills.

What I appreciate most about this website is that it offers good guidance. The teachers are always available to answer questions and provide feedback on my progress. They are also very supportive, which has helped me to stay motivated and continue to improve.

I visit this website often because it is a convenient and effective way to study. The online classes and mock tests can be taken at any time, which means I can fit studying into my busy schedule. Additionally, the website is easy to navigate and the materials are well-organized, making it easy to find what I need.

Overall, IELTSKING.in has been a valuable resource in my journey to improve my English language skills. I highly recommend it to anyone preparing for the IELTS exam or looking to improve their English in general.

Sample answers (2) Describe a website that helped you to do something from Jan to Apr 2023 along with Follow-ups

Well, in this contemporary era, technology has revolutionalized every nook and corner of the world. Even I use the internet regularly for numerous purposes such as for getting information, entertainment, and academics. I use a plethora of websites on daily basis. However, today I want to shed some light on a website that I use very often. It is www.youtube.com. 

I came to know about this website when I was a child. One of my cousins recommended one educational channel to me, and at that time I followed that. Since that period, I am using this website in multiple ways. It means that whenever I find any type of complexity in any work, generally I prefer to watch videos on this website for the same.

Moreover, the most important thing that I wanna tell you about YouTube.com is, When I was in XII commerce, I found Accountancy a complicated subject. At that particular moment, I had just searched for my topic name and watched a YouTube video related to the same topic simultaneously. It was extremely valuable for me. Not only this, but even in the period of lockdown, I used it to learn about cooking skills and I have followed one famous YouTube cooking channel name kitchen by Sanjiv Kapoor.

Recently, I made a birthday cake as a surprise for my mother by taking help from YouTube.com. My mother liked it very much. In addition to it, I have a lot of interest in painting, and I have followed a wow art channel. This channel provides a lot of unique paintings and I would love to be perfect in it. I must say that YouTube.com is the biggest platform in this world from where people can learn from any corner of the world. So, this is the website that I often use.

Sample answers (3) Describe a website that helped you to do something from Jan to Apr 2023 along with Follow-ups

As we know, there are several websites available nowadays that are used for various purposes. These websites are really fruitful for us. Here, today I am going to talk about a website that I use frequently. Its name is www.amazon.com. The first time, I came to know about this website was from my cousin during the covid pandemic. Actually, at that time, all grocery shops were closed, hence my cousin advised me to order

grocery online through the Amazon website.
Afterward, I opened the Amazon website and found almost all the grocery items which were needed. Interestingly, I got a 20% discount and free delivery as a new user.

Moreover, Amazon also sells other items such as furniture, clothes, shoes, and many more. To be honest, ordering products from Amazon is always cheaper than the local market. Since that time, I use it regularly.

Besides this, Amazon has also launched Amazon prime membership feature, which gives free delivery options as well as free music and newly launched movie streaming to prime members. Moving further, I am really addicted to using this website for shopping as well as watching new movies.
In addition, this website has really proved beneficial for me because it doesn’t only save me time by shopping online, but also it entertains me. I also recommend this website to others to save their money by shopping at heavy discounts.

So, this is my favorite website which I often use.

Sample answers (4) Describe a website that helped you to do something from Jan to Apr 2023 along with Follow-ups

In this fast-paced era technology developed a lot which has not only entertained us but also facilitate in grabbing information from different fields. use the internet almost every day and if make a list of useful websites, the list would be pretty long.

I would like to talk about the amazon.com website that I find very useful for me. When I was in my 8th class one of my bosom friends told me about this fabulous website he usually used this website for shopping and he also recommended me. This website always helps me as I am a quite busy person so I do not have time for offline shopping so I prefer to shop online. This website always helps me as I am a quite busy person so I do not have time for offline shopping so I prefer to shop online. Secondly, I also save money. As this website offers lucrative deals like clearance sales, discounts, coupon codes, and so on. Moreover, easy returns also another aid of this website. It allows easy returns and easy delivery – with almost no charges. If the size of any item or cloth is not perfect I can easily replace that product with a single click. That’s why I prefer this website often.

  1. Who in your family uses the site?

Interestingly, all of my family members use this site. If I talk about my parents then they tend to purchase some household items such as furniture, eatable items as well as some beauty products. Moreover, I am interested in buying fashionable clothes and accessories.

2. Can the internet help children in their studies?

Yes definitely, nowadays the internet plays an indispensable role in everyone’s life. In the domain of study, students can broaden their horizons of knowledge about various concepts of subjects. For instance, in corona pandemic pupils used to attend classes on the zoom app, which proved useful for them.

3.Will the internet replace the teacher?

Definitely not, the internet cannot replace the teacher. As tutors have their own place and importance. Although the internet ensures various content regarding various topics yet only teacher can teach their students in an interesting or easiest way. Moreover, tutors know properly where their children lack of knowledge.

4.Will download music or movies for free cause a problem?

Yes, as per my perspective it may affect the sale of music albums and movies. As music companies have to face loss in their business.

5. What are the reasons why people use the internet?

Undoubtedly, individuals use the internet for numerous purposes. to exemplify it, children use the internet for watching cartoons as well as for studies. If I talk about teenagers they tend to scroll the internet for entertainment. They make videos on Instagram and Facebook along with it they stay up to date about fashion and current affairs with the help of the internet.

6.Some people say that different age groups have different tastes in internet content. What do you think?

Absolutely, as earlier mentioned different age groups have different tastes regarding the usage of the internet. Older people use the internet for listening to holy hymns/devotional songs. Whereas, some individuals like to do shopping, cooking, banking work, and many other things. 

7.What influence can the internet have on children?

Well, the internet has both impacts on children positive as well as negative. Considering the positive impact of the internet, I think children can enhance their creativity by using the internet. They can gain more knowledge about studies and games. Moving towards the drawbacks of this trend, over-usage may put a bad impact on the eyes of infants. It can also distract them from their studies. 

8.what kind of people don’t use the internet and what are the disadvantages that those people suffer because they don’t use the internet?

As I consider, people who do not use the internet may think that it is a waste of time. However, some people are poor so they are unable to use it. On the hand, individuals who are not interested in using the internet cannot stay up to date about ongoing issues. They used to depend on others for the latest information. So, think that is the major drawback of it.

Sample answers (5) Describe a website that helped you to do something from Jan to Apr 2023 along with Follow-ups

From my childhood to the present time, I have visited so many websites for various purposes. Although sometimes my experience was not up to the mark, but the majority of the time I was over the moon. However, here would like to narrate a website that I visit often, that is none other than YOUTUBE.

I vividly remember it was a time when I was in my 5th standard, I came to know the ins and outs of this site from my computer teacher. It is a global online video-sharing and social media platform It was launched in 2005.

I have been using this site for many years and, without a doubt, getting abundant knowledge of many things.

Since I am preparing for a competitive exam, I search for many topics on it. Also, taking information by using this is exactly easy-peasy because it provides an audio-Video facility. More importantly, I have cracked 2 exams before by doing self-study with the help of this site. 

When it comes to the question of why I visit it often. firstly the above-mentioned reason and to be honest, I have nothing to speak ill about this website because had I not gotten know from it, I would not have cleared my previous exams. Even this website is for me Like killing two birds with one stone. I not only learn educational content but also can watch music videos and movies.

Sample answers (6) Describe a website that helped you to do something from Jan to Apr 2023 along with Follow-ups

• I surf the internet very often, in fact daily.
• There are many websites that help us to do many things.
• Here I would like to talk about a website through which you can find videos to do almost
anything
• It is youtube.com
• Whenever I have to do something, which I have not done before, I search a video on this site,
and believe me, ma’am, there are many to choose from
• My friend sent me a video of 3D origami once, and I was amazed to see the clear instructions.
• It has helped me in many ways.
• I have done many school assignments with the help of youtube videos.
• If I like any channel on youtube, I subscribe to it and then get that channel’s updates in my e-
mail.
• Recently, I baked a cake by watching a youtube video.
• It turned out perfect.

• It was an eggless chocolate cake.
• I bought all the ingredients, such as self-raising flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, condensed
milk, and vanilla extract.
• Once my mother was not at home.
• I made rice by watching a video.
• That too turned out perfect.
• Videos are better than oral or written instructions.
• So this is the website, which has helped me many times to do something.
Part 3:- Follow-ups of “Describe a website you use regularly from Jan to Apr 2023 “

1. Who in your family uses the site?
My siblings use this site. Sometimes my father also uses it. ( Give your personal answer)
2. Can the internet help children in their studies?
Yes, definitely. The Internet is an ocean of knowledge. Children can take the help of many
educational sites on the net.
3. Will the internet replace the teacher?
I don’t think so. The teacher will always be there. The teacher can keep the student focused on
studying. The Internet cannot do so.
4. Will download music or movies for free cause a problem?
Yes, it can cause problems. It can affect the sale of this music and movies also. But it cannot be
stopped. People will always find ways of doing so. This has also made many amateur singers and actors famous overnight.

5. What are the reasons why people use the internet?
People use the internet for various purposes like entertainment, gaining information or online
shopping or services like banking etc.
6. Some people say that different age groups have different tastes on internet content. What do
Do you think?
Yes, interests change according to age. Children like to watch cartoons on the internet whereas the younger generation uses it mainly for social networking and shopping. The elderly are using it for finding and sharing information.
7. What influence can (or does) the internet have on children?
The Internet has positive as well as negative impacts on children. If the internet access is not supervised or appropriate parental controls are not implemented, children can access restricted websites which can have a negative influence on them.
8. What kind of people don’t use the internet and what are the disadvantages that those people suffer because they don’t use the internet?
Some people who are against technology and have orthodox thinking do not use the internet. But mostly poor people do not have access to the internet. These people are not aware of things happening around them and how technology has brought convenience to our life. So they are dependent on others all the time for information.

Describe a website you often visit.

You should say:

  • What website it is
  • why and how long have you been using it
  • what the website is about

and explain why you often visit this website.

Model Answer 1:
I am going to tell you about a website that I visit frequently. I will tell you the name of the website, how long I’ve been using it, something about the content of the website and I’ll try to explain why it is I keep going back to look at it. The website is called ‘workaway’ and the URL of this website is www.workaway.info

I haven’t been using the website for all that long. I think I found it just by accident, about three years ago, but once I knew it existed I started looking at it more and more. The website is really just a portal, which puts potential ‘hosts’ from all around the world, in touch with potential ‘volunteers’ who might also live anywhere across the globe. On their website, they say that they exist to promote fair exchange between budget travellers, language learners or culture seekers and families, individuals or organisations who are looking for help with a range of varied and interesting activities, and indeed that is what they do. The basic principle is that ‘hosts’ are organisations or people who need help with some task, they will provide food, accommodation and cultural exchange in return for up to five hours work a day from a willing ‘volunteer’. The ’work’ might be helping with animals, tourists, gardening, language learning or anything else, and the opportunities are in every country imaginable. I have sought opportunities to teach English in Thailand; work with Camels in the desert and help at seaside Bed & Breakfast establishments in Brighton England.  

‘Hosts’ put up a profile introducing themselves and explaining what help they need and what sort of accommodation they offer in exchange.  Sometimes it is quite impressive – your own en-suite room in a hotel, other times it might be just a patch of land on which to pitch a tent whilst helping establish a new yoga eco-community!  There really does seem to be something for everyone.  People who have already volunteered with a particular host will sometimes leave reviews to say what it was like working and living there.  Usually, a host will also put up some photos so you can see the location and understand a bit more about the people you might be living and working with.

If you are interested in volunteering you can look at all the opportunities without registering on the site.  However, if you actually want to contact a host and ask about volunteering then you have to register and set up your own profile outlining your skills, experience and travel plans.  It only costs about 20 Euros for two years membership of the site, so I think that’s good value.You have to be a little careful as some of the ‘opportunities’ seem like they might just be hosts looking for free labour, but then again, if you want to travel and you don’t mind hard work then it could be worth it for a couple of weeks to get to visit somewhere you would otherwise never be able to go!

I visit the website quite often because I like to imagine all the endless possibilities for travel and adventure that I might do one day!  I actually got a job through the website, teaching English in Vietnam and it was a great adventure.  Now I have ongoing wanderlust, and I like to keep plotting for my next trip!  Workaway keeps that dream alive.

[ Written by – Lucy Marris |  Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam) ]


Sample Answer 2:
The Internet is one of the most productive wonders of sciences and websites are considered as the life of the internet. Almost all of the people are to browse or visit numerous websites every day for their respective needs. I also like to browse websites and like quora.com as the best one.  

This is the website that comes with lots of questions and answers. In fact, the website is made to ask questions and answer them by the website users. Sometimes the answers are funny like the questions while most of the times the answers are effective enough to solve any problems. The website is based in California and started the journey from 2010. The website was founded in 2009 but it came into full-fledged operation from the consecutive year. The users are allowed to edit their questions and answers. Privacy is not a concerning issue here but the users are to register with their real names.  

I have been using the website for past two years. In fact, I had no idea before using the website that such a website is available on the internet where I will get some proper solutions to my problems. I was in a rush to complete one my chemistry projects when I was at the college in Somalia. One of my teachers from the college suggested me to get ideas from the internet. He also suggested about this website. I was instructed to post my problem on the website. It was really a great help to me. I received a substantial number of solutions about the chemistry project within a short time after posting my problem on the website. The users of the website came into my help and suggested me about the potential solutions. Actually, the people who came for my help also had the similar problem in their academic life and it was interesting indeed. Since then, the website has become a partner for me.    

The website is entirely about asking questions and answer. Though the idea is not completely a unique one, it is effective in many aspects. Google.com is a prominent website but does not provide any direct solution to problems. Someone needs to type keywords which direct them to any specific website that may contain the answer. If the answer is not found, they need to change the keywords or seek into another website for potential answers. But the system is different here. The users need to register and ask their questions. They will get the answers from the users of this website within a short time of placing the question. Besides, the answers are realistic and there are fewer chances of being cheated or wasting times after the solutions. This is really a very good website that contains numerous questions and answers which are highly helpful in real-life situations.  

I frequently visit the website for many reasons. Firstly, I love to read the questions and answers placed on the website. The solutions are often unique and interesting. They are like fascinating stories that attract attention and ignite a sense of helping others. So, I always try to connect with the stories. Besides, the questions and answers also broaden my outlook. Sometimes, I try to answer some of the questions based on my experience and often the answers work well. Helping others provide me with a great pleasure indeed. So, I visit the website regularly. 

Similar Cue Card Topics

Your ability to talk about this Cue Card would enable you to talk about the following Cue Cards as well:

  1. Describe a useful website you know about.
  2. Describe your favourite website.
  3. Describe something you often do.
  4. Describe a web page which is very handy for you.

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