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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 93 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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    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.
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    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 best decisions that I have ever made, though it was hard, is quitting Bharatanatyam dance class. It was hard for me because it has always been a part of my life since I was two years old. But I had to quit it because I practiced aimlessly, even I had no interest in Bharatanatyam. I was forced into Bharatanatyam by my parents. So to show that I did not like to dance the Bharatanatyam classical style, I just went to dance class, I did not practice or I had no goal with me when I am practicing. So that really took a lot of time in my day's schedule. So by quitting Bharatanatyam dance class, I filled up that time with self-study. So now I had time to study my school materials, which gave me good results in my 11th board exams. So I am grateful, I am delighted that I made that decision. It was also supported by my parents, so I have no regrets right now.

    Band 6-7

    One of the most difficult situations I've had to face in my life and to make a decision on that is to come out of my hometown, go away from my family, settle into a totally new city with new people, try to get in, try to fit in, challenge myself. That is the most difficult situation that I have faced in my life, but I've realized that over time, once you settle, you get used to the environment and you understand its nuances, it actually helps you. I'm so sorry. That one thing, even if it was a small job for me, I'd come to Pune. That one thing opened so many ways for me, opened so many pathways. I became independent in my thoughts, in my actions. I could do the housework myself. I could go anywhere myself. I let go of the fear that one of my parents had to accompany me every time or I had security around me. So I had to let that go. I had to meet new people, make new friends, ensure that I have a community who I can trust. It allowed me to gain a lot of confidence in people and in situations and just to trust myself and my abilities. That one small thing opened a lot of new avenues for me because I knew that from here, I could go anywhere.

    Band 6-7

    The difficult decision that I had made of course is that which course should I study next after my 10th board exam. I was very confused to choose which one I should, which one should I opt for my higher studies like science, communities or humanities as I had no clear idea about my future or I had no idea about my next step. I was very nervous because I don't know how it will be turned out as at that time I don't have any clear idea about my future. I was very tensed about how it will turn out and whether I will choose wrong path or not. I have no idea about syllabus and all because I was no idea whether I could do or I could finish my, I had no idea that if I could, it could be easy for me to study that course or will I be able to complete that course. I was very nervous and tensed for choosing it and at last I came to the conclusion that and I chose science for my higher studies and after choosing them I think I did a good job and I have secured a good mark and after that I chose botany for my degree and also microbiology for my MSc and I think now I am happy I am on my path.

    Band 6-7

    So the difficult decision that I had to make was choosing between commerce and science. Before 10th standard, I was mainly focused on the scientific areas of all terminologies. Mainly science was the base. I love science. But after that, I had to make a decision that whether I have to choose commerce or science because my parents were saying that you can have better career perspective in commerce field than science in today's time period. So I chose commerce and it was a really really rewarding career. It made my life better. That is what I can say. By choosing commerce, I got to know about many career perspectives are there in commerce. For example, investment banking, portfolio management, investment management, consultancy. These are the different career perspectives that you can get in commerce field. But if you look at science field, there are limited fields in science. I can only become an engineer or some other technical person. But in commerce field, I have to choose between many professions. Whether I want to become a consultant, a management consultant, a trader, a retail trader, equity trader, derivative trader. So that is how my life changed after choosing commerce. Because I am now more focused towards my career path. Before 10th, I was not at all focused but after 10th, I got to know about my career, my choices and the career trajectory that I am looking forward.

    Band 6-7

    Actually, in my life, I have made lots and lots of decisions in order to improve myself in a better way. But today, I would like to talk about a difficult decision that I made once and fortunately it had a good result. Actually, I am talking about nothing than getting up early. I vividly remember that when I was in 12th standard, I literally wanted to get up early but I had a problem that I was a night owl and it was pretty much difficult for me to wake up in the early morning. So then I started to make a decision. I still remember that it took me approximately 2 to 3 months to get up at about 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning but later it was really helpful because by getting up early, I could easily go for a walk with my parents and I could also have a great cup of coffee while having a glance of beautiful nature outside and I was also able to read my books clearly and it really assisted me to get fresh and new ideas in the morning. So that was the difficult decision that I made because it was really hard for me as I have already mentioned that I was not an early bird. I used to get up late every morning but then when I made a decision, it was really easy for me to get up.

    Band 6-7

    Yes, so the difficult decision that I made was to actually transition and move to a different country and it was difficult because there were no options available for the profession that I am working in, open options as in we are not offered any country. So I had to voluntarily search, go through and sort of look into where I can have better prospects for my career as well as just to make a living abroad and hence I decided to just go on and make a thorough search and I decided that I shall apply for the Canada PR and yes, it was a very difficult decision because I wouldn't know like what is the kind of life that is expected although I have a fair idea but unless you live in the place, you wouldn't experience or wouldn't have a complete idea of how it is to live in the place and yes, it was a difficult decision considering that I had to do all the homework on my own and I had to make a choice of the place without knowing what it could hold especially with any sort of lifestyle hindrances or anything with respect to my job but I do have a fair idea as to how my career can take shape but still the unpredictabilities are not much under your control and you don't get to have a complete idea of the lifestyle there. So yes.

    Band 6-7

    Life was a beautiful journey and you get to view the most scenic view only after you pass the hurdle. So one of the difficult decision I made so far in my life would be moving to Hyderabad. It was always been my point to move to a place to uplift or to improve my skills and also find a better job opportunities and that's the reason I took the decision to move from my hometown where I have been all my life to a new city where I have never been. I have no knowledge of the place, the functionalities or the commute. How would I do that? Well, I just had to make the decision because I got one of the best job opportunities over here. And so far it's been almost 10 years I moved to Hyderabad and it is one of the best decisions I ever made. Seeing the job profiles over here, the opportunities I get, the immense pleasure I had all these years working as a coordinator and then getting a promotion to a manager. It's been a roller coaster ride but it was the most beautiful years of my life. Being here makes it easy for me because it's one of the beautiful cities with all the things that's close by you. It's also affordable when it comes to financially and it has always been my great achievement to be able to live alone by myself taking the charge of being an independent woman. So far it's the best decision of my life.

    Band 6-7

    The difficult decision made by me was to enter in a Masters to get better opportunity for my future life. I enrolled in this decision. It takes too much time. When I was in studying phase, that time my friends were talking about to do Masters in abroad. So that time I was thinking about how to do, where to do my Masters. Then finally I decided to go study abroad after my study got completed. Then I proceeded to do things required to go abroad at the time when the university is closing. Before that time I have to complete my whole process. So it was really a big challenge for me to take this decision. Because it's a very big step to go out of our country.

    Band 6-7

    One of the good decisions I have made in my life was about my career. I made this decision to choose the field of arts when I was in my 11th standard. It took me almost months to decide if I really wanted to do this and months more to convince my parents. This was the most difficult part I believe because it was a challenge of passion against logic. My parents wanted me to logically rationally choose science as my field because it would give me more career opportunities whereas choosing my passion that is arts and language literature would only give me a certain few options to choose from. In the end I decided to go with my heart and I chose to do arts. I believe it was a good decision because I finally am enjoying what I am doing. It makes me wake up every day to study, to go to college and basically to thrive. Thank you.

    Band 6-7

    When it comes to a difficult decision that I had to make, it was when I was trying to choose an academic career path for myself. My parents were diligent on me, were insistent on me pursuing a career in engineering. However, this did not align with my interests, as my passion always lied in the life sciences. And so, after my twelfth, it was quite a difficult decision for me to choose between my passion and a relatively easier subject with a strong scope for a job. However, I am very glad that I chose to study zoology and psychology in my undergraduate. I believe it was the right decision for me, as through the three years of my undergraduate, it was a very lovely experience, and it was really, it was, I believe it would be the right decision, because studying that subject gave me joy.
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