arrow back icon Top Answers

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.

    bulb icon

    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.

    bulb icon

    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.

    bulb icon

    Tip

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

    calendar icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 8

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7

    location icon

    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 6-7

    So, I read Atomic Habits when I was in high school. It gave me confidence to pursue my studies and it also gave me many tricks and tips to study more efficiently. With studying, it also gave me courage to exercise more, to meditate, which definitely helped me in my everyday activities. It also helped me concentrate more on the day-to-day chores that we do usually. And after reading it, I felt a sense of confidence and determination to achieve my goals. Yeah, that's it I guess. Thank you.

    Band 6-7

    Okay, so I have read a book very recently which the title of the book is The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k written by Mark Manson. So what I like about the book is that we sometimes try to measure our happiness, sadness or anything which is going around the same which I feel should not be the case and by reading the book that is what my feeling is all about. So when I was reading a book there is a phrase which says the desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience and paradoxically the acceptance of one's negative experience is itself a positive experience which definitely put me in a depth condition to think about the scenarios which is going in our day-to-day lives and it gives me more of clarity like every time we should not only think about the experience which we are going through but then we should always think that what is there in that experience what we have gained out of that experience it's not every time it's not about the loses or losses which we have been through but then definitely about the experience which we have carried away with us and I also believe that there is a like in our in like in our life most of the times when I have already said that that we try to measure our happiness and sadness how much you are happy how much you are sad it should not be the case if you are feeling it's this is your feeling this you can take it you can say it you can talk about that just don't give a f**k about any other things.

    Band 6-7

    I recently completed the book, which is Rich Dad and Poor Dad, in which the writer wanted to explain how the rich people raise their kids and how the poor people raise their kids. It's about the upbringing of the kids in that way, so they can manage their financial state in the future by making money. The writer wanted to explain how money can be used to expand or rebuild than working for money. Let the money work for you. I just read it two months back. It's very useful for me to understand my financial status and also to manage how I can manage my financial status. In this book, the way of the writer explaining the terms is very easy and corrected. He's simply telling some examples how you trap like a rat trap, like you took an EMI, took a loan and paid the EMI, so you became into a rat trap, where you just think about earning money by doing some work or job. But we can make money to do our work and double it. That's a simple motto. So he was telling, invest your money in a proper way, like in a real estate, where money works for you.

    Band 6-7

    When I studied my business course, so that time my friend was recommended to read a book. The name of the book is, the name of the book was Kondasaryam. The book was written by Joseph Anagudi and I started to read that book. It was very useful for every human life because he wrote that book, a little story but it explains more creative. And it is a real life of humans. So, it is encouraged to me how to face the problems and to face the problems with the solutions. So, it is useful, it was useful for every person because to read that book, all people get a positive energy. So, it is useful, it is very useful, it was very useful. And I felt about, very happy, I felt very happy because that book creates me a good personality and encouraged to me, encouraged to read, reading.

    Band 6-7

    The book I was read in last year that it is Mahabharatam a holy book of Hindu religion. In that book I love a lot because it teaches moral values and how to live in life, how to face problems, how to survive our life. It teaches a lot in performance and other things. In that about Kauravas and Pandavas, their brothers are there. They are fighting each other and Dharma will win. Dharma will win. Krishna teaches Arjuna in that very well. I like a lot. Usually in these type of books we should learn about it. How to survive, how to face problems, how to control our mind. I like these types of books. I like a lot.

    Band 6-7

    I had read this particular book which really captivated me because of the knowledge it provided me. This book is how to influence friends and people around. This particular book really provided me with a lot of knowledge and a tons of captivating things. I read this book during my vacations and I now think, now when I look back and think, I feel that I have utilized my time and invested my time in a very good thing and now when I am and now I have come back to this real life, I feel that this book is really helping me throughout. When I entered my college, this book helped me make new friends and moreover taught me how I can improve my communication skills which will attract other people towards me. So these are some small little things which was taught to me by this book and probably that's the reason I just love this book. This book was beautifully written by Dale Carnegie and I really appreciate the way he has written it and it really fascinates me when I think back that I had read this book and it really gave me so much of knowledge and so much of good things which I really use in my daily life now. So thank you Dale Carnegie and everyone who made and helped in making this book.

    Band 6-7

    and other perspectives like like geography of the world and so on so currently I'm reading Lakshmikant which is for the Indian polity which gave me the ideas of governance administration and other government machineries which encouraged me to take my optional PSIR which is also about the polity of India but in a depth level and that is why I found Lakshmikant very useful in this regard.

    Band 6-7

    Books is one of the best friend. People generally say that. The thing is, books would give you one of the important thing in your life which is knowledge. It will also provide a source of information, entertainment and it could help you building a habit as well. Let's say, whenever a person who love to read a book, who generally read novels. So, they have this particular habit that everyday, may be at around in the midnight or may be in the morning, they would start their day with a book. I have one book that helped me building this habit as well which is Atomic Habit. I have completed that book within 7 days and I tried to apply all the things from that book in my real life. In that book, it is stated that in order to create a habit for a human, it takes around 21 days. But in some scenarios, when you break that cycle, it really hurts for you to build a habit. So, books provide information that can help you achieve your goal but you need to follow the purpose that is mentioned in those books. Books is one of the fundamental thing that is given by a school to every student to gain wisdom, knowledge and a source of medium for the education as well.

    Band 6-7

    I have read many useful books in my life but I will always remember that one book that is really special to me and has made a great impact on me, my personality. This book is called The Good Bad Mother. I read it about 2-3 years ago. It's really useful and changed my way of thinking. The book is about a boy who used to think that his mother is a bad mother because she treated him very badly without any emotions or beautiful connection between a mother and her offspring. But with time, the boy realized that his mother is really good because she had her reasons to treat him like that when he was young then I learned that our perspectives can change according to the situation. He misunderstood his mother so he used to think she's bad but actually she's a really good mother. So, I think that what's happening to us, bad things or bad people that treat us, maybe they are something good for us but we cannot realize this right now. I learned that everything that happens may look like a bad thing but actually it may be a good thing. This changed my perspective on life in a very significant way. Yes, I really like this book and I recommend it.

    Band 6-7

    So I am a very religious person and so I started reading Bhagavad Gita when I was 22 years old. The Bhagavad Gita really intrigued me because all over the internet and in Google I was hearing that if you have problems in your life, Bhagavad Gita will solve every problem. It doesn't solve a problem but it definitely gives you a proper direction and opens your eyes to see through your problems and to deal with it. So that is what I have learnt from it and I really am still learning and I have done classes on it. I still haven't finished the book because it's really hard for me to understand it in thorough. Like if you read one lesson, there have a lot of meanings. It has a lot of meanings so for learning it from the depth, you need to wait and you need to learn and you need to see what it means and it will be good for you if you have a teacher who makes you understand Bhagavad Gita for a better learning. So for me, that is the best book I have ever learnt or I have been reading and I would really suggest to everyone who wants to have a clear vision to go through whatever they want in their life and to achieve their goals.
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
    ielts logo

    Get the IELTS Prep App

    Star rating icon

    4.2

    1M+ Installs

     app download banner image

    Get the app link on your phone

    +91

    Or download app from

    google play storeapp store
    master ielts speaking ad