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Describe a book you read that you found useful: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What it is
  • When you read it
  • Why you think it is useful
  • And explain how you felt about it
Show all 100 answers

Cue 1:What it is

  • Begin by naming the book and its author clearly.
  • Provide a brief summary of the book's main theme or subject.

Example

The book I found particularly useful is 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle. It focuses on mindfulness and living in the present moment, which I believe is essential in today’s fast-paced world.

Cue 2:When you read it

  • Mention the time period when you read the book, such as during a specific year or season.
  • Share any relevant context about your life at that time that influenced your reading.

Example

I read this book last year during the summer while I was on a break from college. I was feeling quite stressed about my future and needed some guidance on how to manage my thoughts.

Cue 3:Why you think it is useful

  • Explain the key lessons or insights you gained from the book.
  • Discuss how these lessons have impacted your daily life or mindset.

Example

I found it useful because it taught me the importance of being present and not getting lost in worries about the past or future. This perspective has helped me reduce my anxiety and focus more on my studies and relationships.

Cue 4:And explain how you felt about it

  • Share your emotional response to the book, such as whether it inspired or motivated you.
  • Mention any changes in your behavior or attitude after reading it.

Example

After reading 'The Power of Now', I felt a sense of relief and clarity. It inspired me to practice mindfulness daily, and I noticed a positive change in my overall well-being and happiness.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, 'The Power of Now' has been a transformative read for me. It not only provided practical advice but also changed my outlook on life, making me more present and appreciative of each moment.

    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 book to make your response more interesting.

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    Tip

    Include specific examples from the book, such as key themes or memorable quotes, to illustrate your points clearly.

    2: Ignoring Personal Feelings

    Failing to express your personal feelings about the book can make your answer less relatable. Sharing your emotions helps the examiner connect with your response.

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    Tip

    Discuss how the book impacted you personally, mentioning any changes in your perspective or feelings after reading it.

    Rushing Through Points

    Rushing through your points can lead to a lack of clarity and depth in your answer. It's important to take your time to explain each cue thoroughly.

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    Tip

    Practice pacing your speech by elaborating on each cue, ensuring you cover all aspects without feeling rushed.

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    IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

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    Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    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
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 8

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    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
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 6.5

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    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
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7

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    Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

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    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    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.

    All Answers

    Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

    Band >7

    So, the book that I read and found quite useful was recently, it is a really famous book. It is the Bhagavad Gita, the sacred book for Hindus. I am a kind of a person who would never read a book as I am more into seeing podcasts. But there was a time when I felt really low and I thought I didn't have a purpose in life. That's when someone recommended to me to try reading. Initially I thought that it was really stupid advice but once I started reading the book, I got to understand the realities of life. The book is really, I was really intrigued by the book in the sense that if I open a random page from the book, I knew that I am going to get the answer that I am looking for. It was not like that I have to read the book chapter by chapter or sentence by sentence. I feel it's really extraordinary but in a good way, unusual book as I got the answers to my life and it really helped me to feel a lot more better about myself and look forward to the life in more positive way. I thank the person who advised me to read a book and that's when I felt that reading a book isn't really a boring thing to do if you get the right book.

    Band >7

    So, recently I came across this book called Nonviolent Communication. I am not able to recall the author's name. If last month I came across this book and I completed it within a week or so, that is the fastest I think I might have completed any book. As the book suggests, as the name suggests, the book is upon efficient communication, how one can be efficient and mindful about what he or she is communicating to others and how it is landing upon the other person. I really like the framework provided in this book. Many a times I come across this topic, but I am not satisfied with the tools which are suggested. But in contradiction to other book, this book gave me a very concrete framework on what things, which four things I need to take care while communicating, while communicating a request, feedback or maybe some conflict which will help me to resolve it without being a contentious issue.

    Band 7

    So, in my first year of university, I chose Japanese for my language elective. And in our Japanese class, when discussing about how the Japanese way of life is generally slow, healthy, and how people in Japan have a higher life expectancy than the rest of the world, our teacher brought up the idea of a book review. And she suggested that we all read the book Ikigai, which is the Japanese way of life, to give a book report after two weeks. Now, our first thoughts about Ikigai were, okay, it's just another book. What could be special about it? But when we started reading Ikigai, we really understood the subtle nuances about the Japanese way of life, and peace, and tips on food, mindset, etc. Ikigai really outlined how we can lead a healthy and peaceful life, the importance of exercise for a long-lasting health. It also outlined or explained why it is important to meditate and give time for ourselves every day. And in the end, it concluded with a short checklist of things that we need to incorporate into our lives in order to lead healthy and long lives. In the end, during the day of the book review, we gave a very solid presentation, and the teacher and all of our peers also appreciated our book review, because we went beyond the book and we actually tried out Ikigai for about a week in our lives. Needless to say, it had a very positive impact, and in the end, we learned a lot from the book.

    Band 7

    So, I read this book called The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. This book entails Niccolo Machiavelli's, the writer's perspective on human nature in general and how humans operate in the world. And I found this book very interesting and as well as intriguing because of the revelations that the author makes with respect to the human nature and the different viewpoints that the author puts out was just a mind baffling thing for me. I read this book back in September last year and I remember I was just completely shook by this book and it just changed my perspective and my outlook towards the world.

    Band 7

    Thinking about a book which was very useful for me, suddenly the book Alchemist came into my mind, written by Paulo Coelho. I read this book when I was in my college days. I was feeling very confused and stressed due to many activities I want to complete and also the exams. I was very stressed. So one of my friend, Anu, suggested me this book and she told that you feel much better after reading this book. So I took her advice and I started reading the book. The story was about a small boy, San Diego, who is in search of a treasure and it's a very inspiring story which teaches many life lessons, especially the fact that you should not give up. You should put consistent effort for the goal you want to achieve. The story tells his journey to find the treasure. He meets many people and he learns many life lessons from that. But what led him to success is his consistent effort. He didn't give up. That was the important thing. So this book really inspired me and motivated me. So I also put my full effort and I got good marks in my college. Moreover, I felt very happy and my reading habit improved.

    Band 7

    During my childhood, I was never an avid reader. I never picked up any book because I was never told to read. I was never influenced by anyone in the first place to pick up a book. However, when I was in high school, my English teacher played a key role in making me understand the importance of reading. She told me that reading is not only about language, it is about stepping into the shoes of the author to understand different kinds of views and to enhance our own creative abilities. So, that is when I started reading Harry Potter and other series of books such as Enlighten, The Five and etc. However, when I reached law school, I wanted to read something related to law. That is when I found this book called To Kill a Mockingbird and this book is written by a female author called Harper Lee. She wrote this book a few years ago and she has done a splendid job at capturing the classism, the racism and gender inequality that exists in our society. She made sure to pick out some childhood experiences of hers and helped the readers to understand it through the lens of a small girl. So, this book has a young girl's character and she is the narrator and we are looking at these stories through her lens. So, she always questions the status quo and social evils which I just mentioned. So, this book had actually opened my mind to make myself aware.

    Band 7

    The book I felt, the book I found useful was Screenplay and it is written by a renowned author known as Sid Field. It talks about the process of writing a screenplay for films and television. Since I have an interest in filmmaking, so I found this book to be quite useful. It clears your basics about writing a story which is the foundation of any successful visual art or visual medium. And it breaks down very complex processes such as three act structure and also how to nail the climax very easily. So I found that very useful because earlier whenever I used to sit down to write, I had a very hard time at knowing where to end my story. However, after reading this book I was able to get clarity of where I was going wrong. And using the tips given in this book helped me to nail my first screenplay. So I found this book to be life changing for me.

    Band 7

    So, a few months ago I picked up a book from the Oxford Bookstore in Kennaught Place. It was The Grand Design, written by Stephen Hawking. Stephen Hawking is a well-known cosmologist and astrophysicist. I've always admired him because of his skills in science and also because he had a lot of problems. Even though he faced cerebral disability and his whole body was paralysed, still he was one of the greatest minds known by my generation. So when I picked up his book and I read his name on the cover, I was immediately interested and I wanted to learn more about him and the subject that he studied. So before that, I had only seen him in TV shows like Big Bang Theory and I had seen his biography, a film called The Theory of Everything, but in that moment I just felt like this could be something that could get me more into the subject of science, which is something that I've always been interested in. I studied science in high school and I was just immediately interested. So I bought that book and that book just changed a lot of the perspectives that I had had on the formation of the universe. It had small details about the black holes, the planets, the Milky Way galaxy and the universe beyond it as well. So from our eyes, it may seem small, but it has just such a big space and I've just, I've still been reading that book.

    Band 7

    One of my favorite books that I had read is a book by Thomas Erikson. He wrote a book called Surrounded by Idiots. In this book, he shows the four types of human behavior and how we can understand that human behavior. Thomas Erikson is a Swedish behavioral expert who had spent nearly 20 years providing leadership training to major companies including IKEA, Microsoft and Coca-Cola. Surrounded by Idiots is a Sunday Times bestseller selling over 2.5 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 36 languages. It is a simple yet groundbreaking method for assessing everyone we communicate with based on the four behavior types, red, blue, green and yellow. Red being the most fiercest of all and dominant of all whereas yellow was most inspiring. The green was the patient, self-controlled and reliable person and blue was known to be analytical. From body language to conflict handling, this entertaining read will give you all the tools you need to understand and influence those around you, in and out of the office and ensure the idiot out there isn't you.

    Band 7

    The book I read which I found really useful was one named Deep Work by Carl Newport. It is a really good book which was recommended to me by a friend and also I saw many online influencers recommending it. I read it during the lockdown probably around Jan Feb 2021. When I first started reading it, it was a little boring, but then after a few pages, it got really interesting. The book basically teaches you how to work efficiently instead of working for long hours. It suggests that we can only work for around 3-4 hours effectively and those 3-4 hours we should give it a roll and it shares some tips and tricks for us to follow using which we can do what we do more efficiently. It helped me in many ways, especially in studies. It made my studies more efficient in many ways. I also recommended it to many friends and they also liked the book very much. I think the book is really underrated. I think more people should read the book. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Doesn't matter if the person is in school or is in college. It just makes your life easier and more happier because you invest a very little time but you can do a lot of work and enjoy the rest of the day.
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