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Describe a disagreement you had with someone: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • Who was the person?
  • Why did you have the disagreement?
  • Was the issue resolved? If yes, how?
  • And explain what happened after the disagreement.
Show all 117 answers

Cue 1:Who was the person?

  • Introduce the person you had the disagreement with, mentioning your relationship with them.
  • Provide some context about how long you have known this person and the nature of your interactions.

Example

The person I had a disagreement with was my younger brother, Rohan. We have been close since childhood, sharing everything from toys to secrets. We often have friendly debates, but this particular disagreement was more serious.

Cue 2:Why did you have the disagreement?

  • Clearly explain the topic of the disagreement and why it was important to both of you.
  • Share your perspective and Rohan's perspective to give a balanced view.

Example

The disagreement arose over our plans for a family vacation. I wanted to go to the mountains for some adventure, while Rohan insisted on a beach destination for relaxation. Both of us felt strongly about our choices, as I wanted to experience the thrill of trekking, and he wanted to unwind by the sea.

Cue 3:Was the issue resolved? If yes, how?

  • Discuss how you both approached the resolution of the disagreement.
  • Mention any compromises or discussions that led to a solution.

Example

Eventually, we decided to sit down and talk it out. We listed the pros and cons of each destination and realized that we could combine both ideas. We agreed to spend a few days in the mountains and then relax at the beach. This compromise made both of us happy.

Cue 4:And explain what happened after the disagreement.

  • Describe the aftermath of the disagreement and how it affected your relationship.
  • Share any positive outcomes or lessons learned from the experience.

Example

After resolving the disagreement, our relationship grew stronger. We learned to appreciate each other's viewpoints more. The trip turned out to be a fantastic experience, and we created wonderful memories together. It taught us the importance of communication and compromise.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, disagreements can be challenging, but they also provide opportunities for growth and understanding. My experience with Rohan taught me that listening and finding common ground can lead to better relationships and enjoyable experiences.

    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. It's important to provide specific details about the disagreement to engage the listener and demonstrate your language skills.

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    Tip

    Use clear examples and specific details about the disagreement, such as the person involved and the exact issue to make your response more vivid.

    2: Ignoring Resolution

    Failing to discuss how the disagreement was resolved can leave your answer incomplete. It’s essential to show how conflicts can be managed and resolved.

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    Tip

    Always include how the issue was resolved, whether through discussion, compromise, or another method, to show your problem-solving skills.

    Lack of Reflection

    Not reflecting on what happened after the disagreement can make your answer seem shallow. It's important to show personal growth or changes in your relationship.

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    Tip

    Conclude by explaining what you learned from the disagreement and how it affected your relationship with the person involved.

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    Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood
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    Anonymous student Band 8

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    Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

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    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.
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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.
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    Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

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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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    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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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 7

    One disagreement I had was with one of my close friends Raj. It happened about a year ago and it was related to a social issue that we both felt strongly about. The importance of gender equality in workplace. We were having a casual discussion at the cafe and the topic of equal pay for men and women came up. I strongly believe that both genders should be paid equally for the same work, have same opportunities for promotions and leadership roles. However, Raj argued that sometimes men are more suitable for certain roles because of physical strength or leadership style and that difference in pay is often due to experience, not gender. I was really surprised by his opinion because I didn't expect such a mindset from someone educated and open-minded. Our disagreement became a bit heated and we both raised our voices. I tried to explain that many women are equally capable and that social structures often prevent them from reaching top positions, which leads to the so-called experience gap. After the argument, we stopped talking for a few days, but later Raj messaged me and suggested we meet again. He told me he had done some reading and watched a documentary about gender bias in corporate offices and he admitted that his views were a bit outdated. That conversation helped us both grow. I appreciated that he was open to learning and changing his perspective. After the disagreement, our friendship actually became stronger because we realized that it's okay to have different opinions as long as we are respectful and willing to listen.

    Band 7

    I recently had a disagreement with my teacher, Ishwari ma'am. I had the disagreement regarding the social issues. My teacher had a strong opinion that poverty is not such a significant social issue in our country, which I strongly disagreed since poverty is a multi-faceted issue with several underlying causes. Economic factors like unemployment, low wages and income inequality are the major contributors and many people are suffering from poverty. When the disagreement occurred, I convinced my teacher by creating awareness in her about the people suffering from poverty. In addition to that, I also supported my argument by providing necessary examples that in real life. I strongly discussed with my teacher that poverty is a significant issue that need to be considered carefully, wherein it requires government implications like providing more incentives to the developers and making affordable housing available for several people.

    Band 7

    I would like to talk about a disagreement I had with one of my close friends during my university days. The disagreement was about how we should approach a group project for one of our courses. My friend believed that we should divide the tasks equally among all group members and work separately, while I felt it would be better to collaborate closely and complete the projects together step by step. At first, it seemed like a small difference of opinion, but it eventually turned into a heated argument because both of us were very sure of our own approach. To resolve the issue, we discussed it with the rest of the group. In the end, we decided to follow a mixed method. Some parts were divided individually, but we also met regularly to check on progress and solve problems together. This compromise worked out quite well and our project was successful. Looking back, I realized the disagreement taught me an important lesson, that communication and flexibility are key when working with others, even though we argued, the experience actually strengthened our friendship because we learned how to respect each other's ideas.

    Band 7

    Recently, my friend Firoza and I were discussing about a very sensitive topic which is reservation. Should it be there in the country or should it not be? Well, from her point of view, she reflected the topic that it should not be continued in the country as people in this age of time are very advanced and there's hardly any tribe or any socially backward classes which are oppressed now. The education system has reached every corner of the country and is spreading like a wildfire. People need to realize, as per her point, that they should not be given a special treatment just because of the events of the past, whereas in my opinion, I personally feel that due to these events which occurred in the past, they play a very vital role in determining what the future of such communities is. And to ensure that these communities don't face the same issues which they had in the past, may be it be oppression by the upper classes or just the overall social outlook which they had to bear, they need to be given special status, especially in the reservation categories where their representation matters and they should know about that. They need to be represented in the majority form so that they can make a cohesive decision about their own society, about their own tribes, that even with all the population of the country, they get to represent and they get to present a point of where their interest lies in. And hence, I personally believe, and I am a firm believer of this, that there should be a reservation and it should be upheld in the country, as per the constitution itself.

    Band 7

    I once had a disagreement with my friend about a college project. I wanted to focus on mental health awareness while she preferred child education. At first we argued because both topics were important to us. Later we discussed calmly and decided to combine both ideas into one project. This taught me disagreement can be solved through communication and compromise. We both decided to work on this project. I work on mental health awareness and she preferred child education. We combined it and came to conclusion that we take some points of both and then combine that. We came on the topic of mental health that today's children face due to child education because of very much advanced education.

    Band 7

    I recently had a disagreement with one of my friends regarding the post-graduation options that we want to choose. So the discussion was about whether an MBA is better than an MA in Economics and I personally believe that an MA is better than an MBA for someone who has more interest in Economics than in Corporate. But my friend disagreed and said that an MBA would be better because it gives you much higher paying opportunities for your career. We had a disagreement about it and we did not talk for a few hours but then we came to a conclusion that it's everyone's personal choice what they choose. One could choose an MBA and be happy with it and be happy with a high earning job. On the other hand, even an MA in Economics pays you really well so it really depends on the choices and the interests that you have in studies and in your career. Apart from that, after the disagreement was resolved, we had a discussion about what we would finally be opting for for our post-graduation. While my friend is going to do an MBA and will specialize in Product Management and Creativity, I myself am going to do an MA in Economics hoping to be an Economist or a Policy Analyst in the future.

    Band 7

    I recently had a heated argument with my manager. The reason why we had the argument was because of our starkly different thought processes and our working styles. He prefers creating quick deliverables which are not comprehensive whereas I prefer creating deliverables which have the information the client is looking for. I tackle projects in a way that helps you learn and grow.

    Band 7

    A disagreement I remember very clearly happened about a year ago with one of my close friends Priya. We have been friends for a long time but like most friendships we have had our share of arguments. This particular disagreement was about choosing between Android and iPhone. I had recently bought an Android phone and was very enthusiastic about it because I felt it had better features for the price. Priya on the other hand is a huge Apple fan and strongly believes that iPhones are far superior in terms of performance, camera quality and overall experience. At first it was just a casual discussion but gradually turned into a heated debate. We both started giving examples and even searched online to prove our points. I kept talking about affordability and customization while she kept insisting on security, brand value and design. Eventually we realized that we were going in circles that neither of us was willing to change our opinion. We decided to just laugh about it and agreed to disagree. Later that evening we went out for coffee and the tension disappeared completely. Looking back I find the disagreement quite amusing. At that time I felt a little frustrated because I couldn't convince her but I also respected her strong opinion. In the end it reminded me that having different viewpoints is perfectly fine and sometimes it can even be wrong.

    Band 7

    The disagreement that I had recently at work was with one of my seniors. To get to know about the nature of the disagreement, it is imperative that I speak about the work that I do. I work as a doctor in a busy emergency department in the neighboring district. My work consists of tending to patients, and as it usually happens within an emergency department, it tends to get very overpopulated at times, and the doctors are stretched thin trying to cater to the needs and demands of all the patients within the hospital. My senior did not approve of my methods when it came to interacting with patients and with my style of note-taking. He complained that I took too long to see a specific patient, and because of that, the nature of healthcare within the department was getting affected. This argument was resolved. We came to a mutual conclusion that even though I was a bit slower, my patients had a higher satisfaction rate from the care provided. Furthermore, they did not come back with further complaints if we spent a little bit of extra time tending to their individual needs and complaints. In the end, both of us managed to get over this argument as it had happened within the heat of the moment. We got over it, and we resumed our jobs with respectful attitudes towards each other.

    Band 7

    Yes, so I recently had a disagreement with my friend Sridhar on the topic that the growing trend of people returning to education after leaving their jobs has either an advantage or a disadvantage. I was of the opinion that this trend has a particular advantage for certain types of people who are stuck in their jobs and not getting appraisals and barely doing enough to get by. If these people leave their jobs and get a postgraduate degree, it will benefit immensely in their career and their life. By getting a higher pay, if they want to change their field, it will also help in getting that. But Sridhar was of the opinion that if you waste two years of your life in getting a postgraduate degree, it would be better if you reskill yourself, upskill yourself and by giving a few months after job and working on getting promotions in the job, in the said job. So, the issue was not particularly resolved because we were of contrarian opinions and I still stand my ground and firmly believe that if a person is stuck on the job and not doing enough to get appraisals and promotions, getting a postgraduate degree will immensely benefit their life and their career.
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