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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 113 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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    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 disagreement that stands out in my mind occurred about a year ago with my principal ma'am named Mrs. Manisha Sangar. Actually the reason for the disagreement was my long term absence from the school due to health issues and she just insulted me a lot without asking me any reason and she just told me very few bad words that just touched my heart. However, I didn't said anything to her and didn't replied back. So after few days I just come out this dilemma that it was the first time I got insulted by someone. The reason was nothing it was just my medical leave and I had given that to my in-charge ma'am but maybe she had forgotten to just hand over it to the principal ma'am and that turned out to be the most devastated moment in my life. Although I was embarrassed but on the other hand my English teacher Sumit ma'am encouraged me a lot. She gave me hope that I can do anything. Your result will just close the mouths of the people. You have to be motivated and stay on your line. After that day I did a lot of hard work and reached at the top position in my school. I gained 98% in my significative education but till now I can never forget that moment when I was insulted. This was the most disagreeable moment in my life. Without knowing my opinion, my situation she just insulted me. I felt quite embarrassed and whenever I just remembered that I

    Band 6-7

    Hey, recently we had our association meeting where we described one of the major problems we were facing or we are facing. In the park there is a nearby transformer which is not fenced properly. So the children playing in the park will get to the transformer nearby places which is very unsafe for them. So we requested the association to arrange the fencing from the EB department. So one of the person raised a query like it's not our responsibility, it's the government responsibility to take forward. Then as the kids safety is our priority, many people insisted we should be like doing it with the permission from the government. So everyone went on like highlighting the importance of the problem and the fix. So finally the person got agreed and the association decided to get the permission from the EB department and the plan is now in action to arrange for the fencing.

    Band 6-7

    I recently had a disagreement with my best friend regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict. And this disagreement happened since Israel and Gaza's conflict has been ongoing for the past one year. And we disagreed on what sides we pick on. And as an ardent supporter of Gaza and the Palestinians, my heart went out for them seeing Gaza being destroyed at the hands of Israeli force. And my friend disagreed with me because she supported Israel's right to self-defense as justification for them bombing Gaza. And that disagreement unfortunately could not be resolved as we had our reasons to support either Israel or Gaza. And this argument became heated, due to which we are not on speaking terms right now, because I am also an ardent supporter and believer of human rights. And seeing them be violated on a daily basis at the hands of Israeli armed forces, them raping women, starving children in Gaza, restricting humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza, breaks my heart as a citizen. And these reasons led to the disagreement that I had with my friend, as she couldn't understand these reasons.

    Band 6-7

    During my high school days, on a random evening, I was chatting with my classmates. And as we talked, an acquaintance of mine who sat next to me started making comments which were really rude. And when I confronted him, he started justifying it by saying that these are just jokes and there is nothing to be serious about it. And the joke was on the female gender and if we consider it in a proper context, it's a pretty serious topic as it involves gender discrimination and not something which can be made jokes of. I confronted him and this issue was installed really quick. He started defending himself and we had a fierce argument and ended up not talking in the end. Because of this, my other classmates started being more cautious about what they speak and how they speak around me. Rather than identifying my acquaintance's mistake, they would just not talk in front of me about these issues and calling me oversensitive. I was really upset for a few days but a month later, my acquaintance came up and apologized to me. He said that he feels wrong and that it was his mistake of making insensitive jokes. As a human to human, I forgave him and we went around talking more peacefully later.

    Band 6-7

    Not always are people going to agree with us. We'll always have different perceptions and viewpoints and one such case was when I had this big disagreement with my elder brother. It was basically a different perception about certain things. He came from, he was worried about me. We had this disagreement on my career plans. I wanted to opt for banking exams which require a lot of time and energy, whereas he wasn't sure about me wasting. He thought that I was wasting one or two years of my life and I should rather be focusing on taking up a good course and landing up in a good job. But I was very adamant about my decision and in my heart I knew that if I pursue this I'll be happy and I will earn a good, I'll earn respect and I'll eventually earn good money. Although I wouldn't say that we came to a solution but it was an unresolved disagreement that happened for around two years and it finally broke when I succeeded in my exam. I was able to land up in a good job, in a job that I really wanted and I was able to prove myself. So finally he also agreed that it was good that I followed my heart and not what everybody else was saying. Although I know that he was coming from a zone where out of concern but at times it is you know what's exactly good for you and you know the kind of path you're taking for yourself. So I wouldn't blame him completely but

    Band 6-7

    There are many situations in my life where I have seen disagreement with the people around me. Choosing one of them is a difficult task. However, here I would like to talk about a recent disagreement that I had with one of my colleagues. His name is John. He is a principal consultant in my project. The main disagreement between us is the project results, which means the numbers that we showcase on the dashboards of a website doesn't make sense. So that triggered the disagreement between the developer who is a, here is the, John is the developer and I was reviewing the results. As it is resolved safely, I resolved that by setting up various meetings with him. I showcased how these results look like and what these numbers are and I hand calculated those results. Moreover, we worked out on paper instead of using the computers and I traveled, in addition to this, I traveled to the developer's place, which is in US and I explained him the rationality behind my, behind my arguments. After these discussions, we both agreed that this needs to be resolved at, at the earliest to make us.

    Band 6-7

    No audio text available

    Band 6-7

    After the badminton tournament last evening, I was sitting on a bench with my friend Belle B. Kramer across an Instagram post that said that abortion should not be bad, rather, sorry, abortion should be bad. However, I think that it is completely on a female's choice about whether she wants to abort a child or not. It is her body and I think she alone has the right, not the parents, not the spouse, not the court, not the activists on the roll who are here to decide. When my friend said that, of course, it should be bad, why have the kid in the first place if you really don't want it, well, we are not aware of some choices made by some people, right? We had an argument regarding this. We sorted this out by having a small debate, asking a set of other friends as to what their take was on the following topic and yes, we resolved it. After that, we went to a cafe to grab a cup of coffee.

    Band 6-7

    Today I am going to talk about a topic, describe a disagreement you had with someone. I had issues with my parents when I was 27 and it is nothing but regarding marriage. They wanted me to marry in the age of 27 and I was not ready for it because I had some other desires in my life. I want to travel all over the world. So I did not agree for the marriage. This created a rift between myself and my family. They did not speak with me for almost 2-3 months. This issue lasted for almost 4 years. However, it finally became normal because I found a girl who had a similar interest and we travelled together to multiple countries. After 4 years of travelling, finally we thought of getting married at the age of 31. My parents were happy finally but the girl's parents were not ready and we tried to convince them. After 2 years of long fight, even their parents agreed for our marriage. 2 years back in 2023, March 2nd we got married. Now I would say both my parents and her parents are really happy to get us married. Now we together have travelled to almost 12 countries and I am really happy that I found my girl. If I would have accepted my parents decision for getting married at the age of 27, I never know if I would have been so happy at this time. But I am very much happy that I disagreed for the marriage.

    Band 6-7

    So, I recently went on a meeting with my manager and my colleagues in my office. I actually am a cloud engineer, so yes, we have meetings frequently. We have a team of 15, and in that meeting, I feel like saying, like, disagree with my boss, with my manager, saying that, like, everything we can't manage, right? I am a cloud engineer, he was asking me to handle the support as well. I was like, I can't do both things at the same time, right? So, like, if you want to, if you want me to do it, give me some salary at least, give me double salary at least, because I am doing two kinds of things, right? So yes, I disagreed with them, but after then, I was like, I should have done it was only for one month, because the lead of support wasn't there for a month. He was on a paternity leave or something, I don't know. But I have an idea that he was, he is on a paternity leave. So yes, for one month, they can give me double salary, right, if they want me to work overtime. So yes, also, if I'll do my job and doing the other's job as well, I won't be able to focus on my own work. I am a cloud engineer, and there are multiple things I have to take care of. There is a, there is like a team of support, why don't he ask to them, he asked me, I'm already handling so many things, I can't do it. I just said him, he was like, no, you have to do it because it's a startup, you have to manage it, you have to manage all the things at once, you should know how to manage.
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