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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 97 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

    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

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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 6-7

    one of the book which I read was the two states I read that book almost two years ago and one of the biggest reason why I feel that that particular book was very useful or helpful for me because when I read that book I could see and I could still relate some of the issues that are still prevailing in this society it is a love story where there is a boy from the northern part of the India for especially from the Punjabi family and there's a girl from a South Indian family and a boy is a good earning person similar to that is the girl she's earning really good and both of them are well very educated but the only reason why they are not able to marry each other is due to the difference in their caste and religion so that was the point when I read that book and it brought out the ideas which opened my mind and which brought out things that yes there are things like discrimination caste differentiation that is still running inside the society and that was the day when I started thinking about it acting about it and do something on such issues so after reading that book I started encouraging people or making people informative about such issues and letting people know that your caste your religion doesn't matter when you marry someone because marriage is a very very special and auspicious bond between a husband and wife

    Band 6-7

    So recently I have read a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad which was written by Robert Kiyosaki and he has covered some concepts about investment, businesses, jobs and two different personalities one is Rich Dad and other one is Poor Dad where he provides useful tips about how one can switch from one section to the other one and I found it very useful as it suggest how to quit the rat race and become successful by investing in right direction. As his original dad the poor one kept working in his old job and remained poor.

    Band 6-7

    Actually, I am not a good reader. I don't usually spend much time on reading. I mostly listen to podcasts instead of reading books in hand. Even though last month one of my friends recommended a book for me. The book was named after Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a former Indian team captain. His life story was quite encouraging and had a very good lesson. His struggles throughout his career and the family problems he met during his journey and how he overcame all those with his confidence, hard work and dedication. And also his power of controlling the whole team. Even his seniors were quite impressed by his job and they all listened to his decision and his decision-making skills and the proper planning and

    Band 6-7

    A book that I found very useful is a book named Atomic Habit. I usually read it when I am travelling to my office. I really find it very energetic because the book holds all the type of motivation that we need in our life. Whenever I feel very low after coming back from office, after a very hectic day, I just grab that book and read one part of it. I feel really motivated, energised after I read it. The good thing I like about that book is it makes us feel motivated to start our next day smoothly. I would really like to recommend this book to all the people who feel really demotivated at their house after their work. It not only motivates the people to do good in life but also tells them where they are going wrong and what can be done right.

    Band 6-7

    Books are a reflection of one's mind. So, different people love reading different genres. One of the genres that I love reading is fiction and autobiographies, and books based on different scenarios. One such book which I read recently was A Thousand Splendid Sons by Khalid Hussaini. The book talks about the socio-economic stages of Afghanistan and the Taliban rule, the stages of women in society, and also the complex historical and political stages of Afghanistan. The book talks about a young girl named Maryam and navigates through her life from infancy to until her death. The book talks about various trials and also struggles she had to undergo and ultimately dies, sacrificing her life for true love. The book was very exceptional. It had so many twisted and provoking thoughts. After reading the book, I was left with a bitter and sad feeling because the book was...

    Band 6-7

    I read a book known as Springs of Fire written by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. I read this book during my childhood and I found it to be useful and inspiring a lot. This is very useful throughout my life. The book says about how the younger generation peoples contribute to the society and the country's development. Whenever I feel I am less self-motivated, I used to read this book and there is a famous quote known as dream, dream, dream until your dream becomes action. So, these words are very powerful and that helped me attain higher heights in my life. The book states that the nation's economy is based on the youth. This applies for all the eras of peoples and it applies for all types of nations as well. The book is very useful in the sense that it is a motivation that how he developed as a scientist and how he became a national leader and his wordings has inspired many children. This book is a motivational book as well as a biography of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. His perseverance and patience led him to this stage and which gives us a lot of hope.

    Band 6-7

    A book that I recently started reading that sounds very useful to me is 101 Essays that changes the way you think. So basically this book has 101 essays which focus on different learnings or different topics that what is the importance of time management and what is the importance of schedules and teacher's varied lessons that could really help us improve our beliefs and properly manage things in our life. Talking about the first chapter I started, it really made me realize how important it is to manage your tasks throughout the day. Moreover, it made me realize that even though you can do that task afterwards or even one or two days, you should plan your day and plan your task prior to the deadline and that will make a huge difference in your life. And few next chapters literally included the magic of manifestation. I was a person who would think very negative that will I be able to achieve that thing or I am not capable enough to. But that book taught me the importance of manifesting the thing and building confidence in yourself that yes you are capable enough of achieving everything if you put right amount of efforts. However, I haven't finished the whole book but just 10 or 15 essays around I have completed.

    Band 6-7

    I recently read a book is Wings of Fire and it is written by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. He is from India and he is a humble and kind hearted person and he came from poor background. In that book especially says about a big dream and do hard work and achieve the goal. And the author is a one of the great person in India and he survived the nation as a resident of India and a great scientist. He is also known as missile man of India. I read this book because of I have to achieve my goal and based on that I need some topics. However, teaching is the confidence for achieve my goal and it is mostly useful me for most of the times when I am feel unconfident like the situation which I got during my any other preparation for exam. If I think it is hard I mostly prefer to read this book.

    Band 6-7

    Actually, I read a book named The Test of My Life which is written by Yuvraj Singh who is a famous cricketer in India. The book suggests the life ups and downs of Yuvraj Singh which he faced in his cricket life and also how he suffered from cancer and how he have been challenged in order to correct the cancer and also he inspires many of the cancer survivors right now because he is the one who faced with the cancer which is metastatic and that is also rare. It is generally the cancer in the between the lungs. So how he faced the cancer and how he struggled what are the qualities will be discussed in this book and the cricket from where he started his journey of the cricket and where he ended and who have been inspired the most in his life has been given in this book where the father of him has been fought with all of their family members and for making him to be a good cricketer which is the best cricketer for India so that India gets win in every series of cricket.

    Band 6-7

    Well, a book that I have read recently and found useful was Master the Power of Mindset written by George Filler. This book holds a very special value in my heart because I am not a regular book reader. So very less and very rarely I read books that adds value. So I only read books which are very valuable and hold meaningful essence. This book holds all those strong verses which can motivate a person to be dedicated towards their life and can bring a 360 shift in their routine. Because nowadays I was preparing for my masters and there were lot of exams managing my professional life so I needed a book that would help me to concentrate on my goals and would increase my determination and focus. So this book was perfectly meant for it. When I read all the parts, I realized that how strong my mind has become after reading the important lines which signifies the value that holds a person's subconscious mind. So yeah, this book was a life changing for me I would say because in 30 days how can a person took the control of his life and can master a skill was taught in that book and this is not a regular book. This book actually gives us an idea about how a person can shift his normal routine to an active productive one. So I would recommend everybody to read this book and implement the values that it has been taught them in their daily life. It will make a very powerful change in them and they would be feeling happy about it. So yeah, this book is the best book that I have read so far.
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