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About Us Describe a challenge you faced that you thought was rather difficult: IELTS Speaking Cue Card
You should say
- What it was
- When and where you faced it
- Why you thought it was a difficult challenge
- And explain how you felt at the time
20 unique answers with expert feedback
Band 6-7
00:00
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00:00
Follow up questions
Follow up questions
What specific skills did you learn during your job search?
How did you cope with the feelings of anxiety and hopelessness?
What advice would you give to someone facing a similar challenge?
Band 6-7
00:00
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00:00
Follow up questions
Follow up questions
What motivated you to switch from Computer Science to management studies?
How did you overcome your father's initial resistance to your career change?
What skills did you find most valuable in overcoming this challenge?
Is this page helpful?
Band 6-7
00:00
/
00:00
Follow up questions
Follow up questions
How did you overcome your initial fears about your teammates?
What skills did you develop while working with your team?
Can you share a specific moment that changed your perception of your teammates?
Practice other cue cards
Band 5-6
00:00
/
00:00
Follow up questions
Follow up questions
What strategies did you use to stay calm while facing this challenge?
How did this experience influence your approach to future projects?
Can you share any specific lessons learned from debugging this project?
Band 5-6
00:00
/
00:00
Follow up questions
Follow up questions
How did you feel during your sister's delivery?
What did you learn from this experience?
Have you faced any other challenges since then?
Cue 1:What it was
- Clearly state the challenge you faced, providing specific details.
- Make sure to explain the context of the challenge to give it depth.
Example
The challenge I faced was preparing for my final exams during my final year of college. I had to manage my time effectively between studying, attending classes, and working part-time.
Cue 2:When and where you faced it
- Describe the time frame when this challenge occurred, including any significant dates.
- Mention the location where you were during this period, such as your college or home.
Example
This challenge took place in the months leading up to my final exams in April 2022, while I was studying at my college in Pune. I often found myself studying late at night in my hostel room.
Cue 3:Why you thought it was a difficult challenge
- Explain the reasons that made this challenge particularly tough for you.
- Discuss any external pressures or personal expectations that added to the difficulty.
Example
I thought it was a difficult challenge because I had to balance my studies with my job, which left me with very little time to revise. Additionally, the pressure to perform well for my future career made it even more daunting.
Cue 4:And explain how you felt at the time
- Share your emotions during this challenging period, such as stress or anxiety.
- Reflect on how you coped with these feelings and whether they changed over time.
Example
At the time, I felt extremely stressed and anxious. I often worried about not being able to cover all the material. However, I coped by creating a strict study schedule and seeking support from my friends and professors.
Conclusion
- Summarize the main points of your experience with the challenge.
- Reflect on what you learned from this experience and how it helped you grow.
Example
In conclusion, facing this challenge taught me valuable lessons about time management and resilience. It helped me grow as a person and prepared me for future challenges in my career.
Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.
Tips to answer this Cue Card
1: Vague Descriptions
Using vague language can make your answer unclear and unengaging. It’s important to provide specific details about the challenge to create a vivid picture for the examiner.
Tip
Use specific examples and descriptive language to clearly explain the challenge you faced.
2: Lack of Structure
Failing to organize your response can confuse the listener. A well-structured answer helps convey your thoughts clearly and logically.
Tip
Follow the cue prompts in order to structure your response: describe the challenge, when and where it happened, why it was difficult, and how you felt.
Overly Negative Tone
Focusing too much on negativity can leave a poor impression. It’s important to acknowledge the difficulty but also to highlight any positive outcomes or lessons learned.
Tip
Balance your response by discussing both the challenges and what you learned or how you grew from the experience.
IELTS Cue Cards asked last week
Reported by Leap students who gave IELTS
Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country
Reported by
Anonymous student Band 7.5
Pitampura Test Centre, New Delhi
Answer
I like to taste different types of cuisine. Here I would like to talk about my favorite dish at my traditional festival of Onam which is Sadya. Sadya is popular in my city. We are experimenting these cuisines on Onam festival day. Onam is a famous festival in my city. All family members get together in my home and we make a delicious Sadya. There are many ingredients includes that Sadya. Moreover, we make a big feast that day as well as we create a lot of memories together and we wear that day the traditional dress called Sari and men wear the Dhotis. That festival is really important to us because the whole day we are conducting different kinds of games at our homes and all the family members came together. It's a memorable day in my life. This is the festival. We are making the Sambar and Aviyal. These all the kinds of foods are making with the vegetables.
Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood
Reported by
Anonymous student Band 8
Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh
Answer
The toy which I liked in my childhood was a panda doll, which makes me pleasant and makes me more blush. The pandas are the most beautiful creatures of the world, which looks gigantic and has pooshy cheeks and they are like stars in the clouds and they dream in me. Furthermore, these have been given by my father. My father is a very very beautiful artistic person, who makes me think of that. Every day you will face every difficulties and make you suffer and move forward. Pandas are always seen in Japanese countries. It is my lifelong dream to visit a Japanese country and click a photo with the original pandas, which makes sounds better.
Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language
Reported by
Anonymous student Band 6.5
Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru
Answer
As India is a very large country full of diversity, so there are many places which have their own language and speak their native language. The place which I visited and I didn't know about their language was Leladakh, which is about 300 km away from my hometown and it is a very good place as it consists of different kind of trees, animals and have many scenic views and I visited over there last year in summers as it was the best time to visit because it has many, it was cold over there and we had summers in our area so it was the best time to visit over there and I went over there with my whole family.
Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned
Reported by
Anonymous student Band 7
Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad
Answer
When I was a kid, I had a little pencil box which had these four buttons which gave the pencil box an operative use. When you press the button, the box would open up. When you press the second button, a little part of it would slide out. Basically it was just a little electronical and a fun thing to have and I owned it when I was in 6th. One day after break, I was standing and talking there with one of my friends and another friend of mine was running through the hallway and accidentally she pushed my shoulder and my pencil box hit the ground and it broke into multiple pieces to the point that it was not functional anymore.
Describe a book you recently read
Reported by
Anonymous student Band 7.5
CBD Belapur Test Centre, Navi Mumbai
Answer
It Ends With Us is a book I read recently. It's by the author Colleen Hoare. It's mainly a story about two teenagers, Atlas and Lily, and how they just handle their life going through high school, adolescence, and just domestic violence at home. Both of them come from very, very different families. However, they have one common determining factor between them, which is domestic violence. The abuse that they've seen their moms go through is just insane, and they connect through that on a different level. They're actually in the same high school, but they never speak to each other until Atlas actually crashes into an empty house next to Lily's villa. When Atlas is homeless and he doesn't have anywhere to go, he just comes and breaks into the house next to Lily's, and Lily helps him with all the daily necessities like clothes and food, medicines and stuff. Furthermore, their friendship blossoms into love, but it doesn't really fructify as Atlas has to leave. This book really gave me a lot of knowledge about domestic abuse and how to deal with it.
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