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Describe A Difficult Decision That You Made And Had A Good Result: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What was the decision?
  • When did you make the decision?
  • How long did it take you to make the decision?
  • Explain why it was a difficult decision to make.
Show all 77 answers

Cue 1:What was the decision?

  • Clearly state the decision you made, providing context about the situation.
  • Mention the potential outcomes of the decision to highlight its significance.

Example

The difficult decision I made was to leave my stable job in a multinational company to pursue my passion for photography. I had been working there for over three years, and while it provided financial security, I felt unfulfilled.

Cue 2:When did you make the decision?

  • Specify the time frame when you made this decision, such as a particular month or year.
  • Share any relevant events that led up to this decision to give it more context.

Example

I made this decision in early 2022, after attending a photography workshop that reignited my passion. The workshop made me realize that I wanted to turn my hobby into a career.

Cue 3:How long did it take you to make the decision?

  • Discuss the duration it took you to arrive at this decision, emphasizing any internal conflict.
  • Mention any discussions you had with friends or family that influenced your decision-making process.

Example

It took me about two months to make this decision. I spent countless nights weighing the pros and cons, and I also spoke to my family and friends, who encouraged me to follow my dreams.

Cue 4:Explain why it was a difficult decision to make.

  • Describe the fears or concerns you had about making this decision.
  • Explain how the fear of failure or uncertainty contributed to the difficulty of the decision.

Example

This was a difficult decision because I was afraid of financial instability and the fear of failing in a competitive field. Leaving a secure job felt risky, and I worried about what others would think of my choice.

Conclusion

    Example

    In the end, I took the leap and started my own photography business. It was challenging at first, but I am now thriving and feel more fulfilled than ever. This decision taught me the importance of following my passion and believing in myself.

    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 Responses

    Providing vague or unclear answers can make it difficult for the examiner to understand your experience. Specific details help create a clearer picture of your decision-making process.

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    Tip

    Use specific examples and details when describing your decision to make your response more engaging and informative.

    2: Rushing Through the Explanation

    Rushing through your explanation can lead to missing important points. It may also make your answer sound unstructured and less convincing.

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    Tip

    Take your time to explain each cue clearly, ensuring you cover all aspects of the decision-making process.

    Neglecting Emotional Impact

    Ignoring the emotional aspects of your decision can make your response less relatable. Emotions often play a significant role in difficult decisions.

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    Tip

    Include how you felt during the decision-making process to add depth and connect with the examiner.

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    All Answers

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

    Band >7

    The decision was about what will I choose for my future. The options were either taking up a job or plan to study for my masters. But even then there was a choice to choose which country I will be going to. It took me a long time to research and come to a conclusion. Earlier I made the choice to go for a masters and then I had to decide which country to choose. It took around 3-4 months to come to a conclusion which country to choose then which university to choose. Right now I have decided that Australia might be the best to go ahead with. After choosing that I am at a mental peace because deciding what to do in future is a very big decision. It will impact how I live my life for the upcoming years. I feel it is very necessary for me to do a detailed research and then make the decision. So that is why it took me that much time to come to that conclusion.

    Band >7

    One of the major decisions that I had to make in life was my career transition in 2021. I was working in an insurance company as a project manager, but I wanted to take a transition into more technical domain and I wanted to try analytics. But there I was in a predicament because when everybody was going for MBA to get into the business domain, which I was already in, I wanted to get out and try my luck into technical side of the business. Someone warned me that this transition would make my career go back two years, would take my career back, but I was very adamant and hence I tried to get into the technical side of the business. So, I made this transition and I switched to another company, which was into automobile sector and I can definitely say that it was one of the best decisions of my life because it not only created the best version of myself that I am today, but also inculcated in me the qualities that a good leader must have. I was able to lead the technical teams, not only with a technical op-man, but also the experience that I had from my previous organization, it came in handy. I was able to build products using different coding languages and also guide my team towards success. Overall, my experience in that transition and my decision was

    Band 7

    So a difficult decision that I had to make that in the end had a very good result was the fact that I decided to take the PLAB test to work in the NHS in the UK. This decision was something that I made in August of 2024 and I had been thinking about it in a while especially when I was in med school but I finally decided upon it in August. It was a difficult decision in the sense that this was a pathway that would take me away from familiar places and familiar people. Moreover, this pathway would take me to a new country where the culture was different, the people were different and I would also probably face a bit of racism. But I knew this was something that I had to do because working for the NHS had been a goal of mine ever since I was a teenager. So I focused on the goal and I studied my mind and in the end I went to the UK in December of last year and I passed my exam. So this decision led to a very happy ending for me. I am now a GMC registered doctor in the UK and although I am not yet working, I am looking for jobs and I hope the situation will change for me soon.

    Band 7

    To mention a difficult decision, I have to say my decision to study in Cyprus has been very difficult for me. Previously, I had rejection from Poland embassy and Hungarian embassy. For that reason, I thought to study from a place where the visa situation is little at a easier side. So, I chose Cyprus and I also chose the best university in Cyprus. Although, it's not always the go-to destination for students mainly who want to study. But, given my situation with the visa experience previously, I thought this would be a good place to start my dream for a foreign degree. Also, it really gave me best results. I got an internship from that university. The university was very good in terms of the education system, the professors, the way they handle international students and the entire experience there was very applaudable. Also, it helped me to find my first internship in a foreign land. It helped me to grow as a person, develop as a person and also take harsh decisions for my life. I felt very overwhelming and also very structured when it came to my decision about studying in Cyprus. So, yes this was one of the decision that was difficult but in the end it gave me a very good result.

    Band 7

    The most difficult decision that I had to make in my life was choosing a proper university in which I would study my bachelor's program. This decision I had to make when I was merely 18 years old. Besides this, at that age I did not have any knowledge about various universities in Gujarat. But the parameters which I had set were, number one, that I would like to go in a university where there is maximum placement after the study. This was the main criteria for me for selecting a university. There were several universities in Gujarat which are at high standards and had achieved a high rank in education. Selecting one of the universities was a major task for me. Eventually I had selected a university in Ahmedabad and I got the admission there. In the earlier years I was not very sure whether this decision will result in a positive outcome or not. But after the end of my study I was placed in a highly reputed university company and this shows that the decision which I made at that time has a positive output.

    Band 7

    So, a difficult decision that I had to take was quitting non-veg obviously because I come from a background where everybody savours non-veg like it's their first religion and being surrounded by different dishes that are based off of meat, it was a very difficult decision for me to quit it. It was two years back where I was having difficulty in my gut, I was having digestive issues, I wasn't able to handle the meat properly, my body was reacting miserably to it and so I decided to quit eating anything that was meat-based. Initially my family refused to support me with that decision because the question was when on days when there is only meat in the house to eat, what will I eat and so I replied saying I would make my food myself and then they were okay with it and it did take quite a few months for me to come to this decision but then I finally decided to quit and the result has been very apparent since then, I have been feeling much lighter and more healthier in my body and I am so glad that I decided to quit eating non-veg and after quitting non-veg is when I discovered that there are so many more options that I can explore in vegetarian food.

    Band 7

    One of the most challenging or I would say hard decisions that I had to take was whether or not to shift my schools after grade 11. This came from a really influential cause that was a toxic school environment, sudden administrative changes in the school due to which the teacher support had diminished rapidly and I had found myself in a situation of academic down strain. This decision was made after my grade 11 results, after I saw a significant decline in my scores in core STEM subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science etc. It took me a matter of a month to decide whether or not to shift schools. It was primarily because shifting schools after grade 11 is not easy, it requires significant amount of approvals from different governing bodies as well as the Central Board of Secondary Education that governs one's education. So it was hard to make because I had devoted almost 7 years of my life to that school. I had won competitions, won national recognitions that had made me an invaluable asset to that school. However, I had to prioritize myself and my college applications and my career that was coming up after grade 12. Moreover, I could not survive or thrive in a toxic school environment, hence I decided to switch schools and it yielded me a really good result and I saw significant academic uptrends in the upcoming months in grade 12.

    Band 7

    For the past two to three years, I had been struggling with my physical health and mental health. And the decision that I had to make was to take a gap year and sort of work on my personal development and my health before moving back into workforce or even starting a master's degree abroad. So the reason why it was a very difficult decision for me was I was scared that I won't get a job again if I take a gap or that I won't be able to begin studying again and that I might get comfortable in the similar sense and I won't be able to go back to work again. But the reason that I needed this break was much more important than the things that I was worrying about. So I needed to decide and it was really difficult for me to decide. But eventually I took a break last year and the good that came out of it was the fact that I learned German. Currently I'm on B2 level. I have to give an exam soon. But the preparation, all of the advancements that I made in the language came through hard work. And I feel that it's sort of personal development for me. Along with that, I have gained a lot of skills. I have made myself healthier as compared to what I was a year ago.

    Band 7

    The challenging decision that I made was to hit the gym. To be honest, I have been trying to make this possible for quite some time. Initially, I planned it months back, but I finally was able to accomplish this task few weeks back. To list out the reasons for not doing this earlier, Firstly, I would say was poor balance between work and allocating time for gym. Secondly, it was my laziness that delayed this task. Finally, I made up my mind and headed straight to the gym, enrolled myself and started working out. To talk about the experience, it was indeed rewarding. I sensed a level of self-accomplishment because I was able to do this for myself. It not only helped me get better physically but also mentally. I started practicing mindful eating, managed my sleep schedule and finally gained confidence in me. In conclusion, this has also helped me gain the sense of feeling that I can do this.

    Band 7

    One of the most difficult decisions of my life was to choose between a data science major or an architecture major. So I was right out of high school not knowing anything about real-life skills. That is the time when I came across both of these dreams and realized that my skill set aligns really well with architecture. So architecture is an art and math major which combines the beauty of design along with structural knowledge. I leveraged my problem solving skills as well as my passion for design and art into something cumulative that would give me great results. I've worked well on developing my skill set which had to be quite diversified because of the great amount of knowledge that we need to have for a particular design. I did spend my time reading a lot of structural books, reading a lot of art books but at the end it did have a good result. I ended up scoring a lot better than what I used to in my high school. It helped me develop the real-life skills and it helped me to get into a great firm. It took me about two years to decide but once the results were out I could clearly see the difference between what it could have been and what it became.
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