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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

    Reported by Leap students who gave IELTS

    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

    location icon

    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

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    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

    The first book I read was Wings of Fire when I was in my engineering first year. It was an autobiography of Mr. APJ Abdul Kalam. From the beginning, I was a huge admirer of him. I have been searching for this particular autobiography of Abdul Kalam since long time when I was in schooling. But fortunately, I was able to read this book wherein I completed the book within two days. I completed the complete journey of Mr. Kalam. I came to know, I was able to study the struggles, the journey and of course, I also got an opportunity to witness the complete tough scenario of his struggling face till the time he got a job as a scientist. And I would definitely suggest every individual who have an inspiration, who have a goal or target in their life, please do make sure to read this book, which is an autobiography of him, which clearly explains you one thing, that is, whatever comes to your journey, you need to face it. At the same time, however, how many obstacles comes in your life, you make sure to reach your target without failing.

    Band 6-7

    So, recently I studied a book of Khalid Hussaini and the book was The Kite Runner. I read it a long time ago, after that I read many books but that is one of the books which has stuck in my mind and I try finding books like those because it was very nice. I liked it because of the writing, because of the way the author conveyed the book. It was so good and it was a fictional book but it basically showed how people are staying in Afghanistan or how they are suffering and still how they find a way to live and what a friendship is, what a friend is all about and how necessary it is to have a friend and how necessary it is for a person to behave nice and be good to others and it gives a life lesson. It shows that how grateful we all are that we are living a wonderful life without any problem, without any stress, without any experience that book have showed that the boy was suffering from and their childhood and how they have left nothing but their selves. It was a very nice book. I felt really emotional while reading it because it had many emotions. It showed the friendship, the relationship between the father, the relationship between the partner and everything. It's a nice book and I recommended it to many people.

    Band 6-7

    I am a person who likes to read, so whenever I have time, I will... I am a person who likes to read. I am a person who is quite fond of reading books and whenever I have free time, I would like to spend some time for reading. So one of the books which I found quite useful was the book which was written by Paolo Coelho, Alchemist. It was a nice story with a warm summary and the story is like this. A person who was a shepherd and he was very determined of achieving his dreams. So for achieving his dreams, he left his country and he started the journey and he found so many obstacles throughout the journey. And with courage and hard work and confidence, dedication, he had achieved his dream. So from this book, it says that to achieve anything, we should work hard and also we should have a dedication. So I came to understand that for achieving anything, we have to work hard and also we should be determined. And even though we face so many obstacles and failures, we should not step back, we should move forward. So with that courage to achieve that dream, we will be able to achieve it and it gives a sense of enlightenment. And also gives us a hope to achieve more dreams and also gives a motivation to all the people around us. So this is one why I found that book so much useful.

    Band 6-7

    If I have to talk a book that I found useful, it will definitely be a book named Rendamuzham, which was written by Malayalam's renowned writer M.D. Vasudevan Nair. I think I read that book a couple of years ago. However, it still feels fresh in my mind and I think I read it without much interest. Later on, I became a fan of that book. Through this book, M.D. portrays Mahabharata in an unconventional way, which is in the perspective of Bhima, who is the second of Pandava brothers. In this book, he portrays Bhima as an ordinary man who is constantly battling with his inner conflicts and moral dilemmas. Bhima is not just a fierce warrior, he is a common man like any other in this world, and he is not just represented as a mythological character. From this book, I found that no matter how hard you sacrifice for others, sometimes it may go in vain, but holding on to it is the best thing you can ever do to it, and that will bring any good at some times. Moreover, it was like a once-in-a-lifetime experience if you get to read this book, and I think I will definitely recommend this to people who have never read this. Moreover, I feel like it is one of the classic authors in the Malayalam literature. Furthermore, it is a once-in-a-generation writer you could ever get and read.

    Band 6-7

    Okay, I read a book named Psychology of Money. I found it really useful. When I first saw the book, when I read the heading of the book, Psychology of Money, I thought it was about something which helped to plan the budget, give financial advices on how to efficiently manage a money. But no, it wasn't that. When I started reading the book, I got to know it was something related to a human brain, how a human mind reacts to manage a money, manage their financials during their procedure. The book Psychology of Money isn't about managing your budget or managing your financials. It's all about your brain. How does your brain reacts when you are at the stage of managing money or you are at the point standing where you have to do what about like what you have to do about the money. It's all about brain and it is really helpful for today's youth, those who think earning money is the easiest task. But no, it isn't. Money is all about your thoughts, what you think, what you say, what you want. It's all about your brain. Yes, money isn't something that you earn or spend. It is something that you have to plan. Yes, money is something that makes you mature and that's what I love about the book Psychology of Money. Thank you so much.

    Band 6-7

    So, the book I read recently was The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. So, this was the book which I read before 2-3 months and this was the one and only book which transformed my life. Because I read this book when I was really in a down phase where I was really really in depression and in pain. So, this book really taught me the importance of smiling and happiness and how easy it is to live life. And life is not about all the problems that we face. So, life is all about solving the problems with a happier heart. And we must also have the determination and courage to face all the problems that comes along our way. And this book also taught me that failure is not something that makes to end our life. It's a stepping stone of success. Failure teaches us how to solve the problems in any other method that will lead you to really where you want to go. So, failure is not something that we need to be worried about. So, it's okay to start again and again no matter how many times we fail. And also that's not a matter of concern. So, this book really taught me the importance of smiling and it also taught me the determination and courage to face all the failures that comes along our way. And it also inspires us to face all the challenges with a happy heart. And I would recommend all to read this book because it has a simple vocabulary making it easier for all the readers to understand the concept. And also it gives you a very nice feeling when you read this book because the author has used many phrases that makes us happy while reading. And this book is a very good book and I would recommend all of you to read this book. And this book is a good option for beginners because for its simple vocabulary. Thank you.

    Band 6-7

    So, it's a novel, a book called Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I read two months ago, and it is about travelling. It is a novel, a book called Before the Coffee Gets Cold. It is about time travelling in the past life. I read three months ago. It is useful to me because it was my first book and when I read it, I felt very emotional. I felt very useful in English grammatical words, vocabulary. I felt really good after reading this novel because it helped me so much to go in the flow of a book. It felt me really interesting.

    Band 6-7

    3 years ago when I was in my 12th standards, at that time I had 2 English books, one is for studies and the second English book was just for the stories. In that book there was a story of Anne Frank, it was a true story based on the Germany when Hitler did very bad to the Jew people. It was the book about their incident, how 2 little girls survived the Hitler's cruelty, the way he was torturing the Jew people, how she survived it and then she wrote a book. So just after demolition of Hitler she couldn't survive but her book was already written and her father published the book and now a days it is the most read book in the world. This book has been read most of the times and my god what the shit I am speaking, calm down calm down and it was really emotional story, I felt that story throughout my heart, the way she wrote that book, the way she was expressing her feelings, it really hits to my heart, it was really useful for me.

    Band 6-7

    Over a book which I read quite recently and which I felt also which is very much important over my language learning journey is a book called Eine Bücher von Welt. So directly translate from German to English stating that a book for the world. So this book holds a lot of descriptive information about the World War which is the Second World War so to say in a specific manner how the German forces evolved up and how did they lose over towards the Soviet Union and the Western world. It was much comprehensive in a sense to understand it especially while learning a foreign language reading a book is very important and I am fortunate enough to find this book in a bookstore. It was a very random selection I would say but still I believe this made me to learn a German in a very descriptive manner and it also provided me a descriptive idea a vivid idea about the World War and how did the German forces evolved up and how did they lose over towards the English men and the Soviet Union. This book is also a book of history especially for me it was a book to learn more about the German language and I always think it is a useful book until this time.

    Band 6-7

    I have read a book titled Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. It's so beautiful that every chapter talks about how a person can be an effective person, impacting positively in other's life and what are the values you got to practice to be a better person. So what Stephen Covey presents in this book will really help you to be a better person. So how you can be hardworking, how you can be consistent in getting up early in the morning, how to plan your work, how to treat others with respect, how to treat yourself with respect and approach life, every situation of life in a positive way. So I find this book is really useful. We can read it again and again and again.
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