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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

    Yes, I had a disagreement with my friend. He was my classmate. He always said CBSE. This disagreement is CBSE vs State Boards. Because he haven't choose his mother tongue, mother language which is Tamil. He choose instead of Hindi. But I am a Tamil Literature. I got score 95 in my board exams. So I always said to him that Tamil is a good language. You should know how to read Tamil. And because you are a Tamilian, so you have to read these things. You have to be aware of what the language is. What the vocabulary it have. But he always said no. I know how to speak Tamil. So I don't want to learn anything about Tamil. Because English is the international language which is I know already. So it doesn't mean I have to learn about my mother tongue. It's okay for me to have this English as my main language and secondary is in Hindi. I always said to him please at least you have to learn off of the Tamil language. Because he doesn't know how to read and how to write in Tamil. Because in this disagreement, actually he failed. Because whenever I go out with my friends, if there is a need to read the Tamil hotel name, he couldn't. So I have to help him with this is that, this is this.

    Band 6-7

    Describe a disagreement you had with someone. I had a disagreement regarding my choice of degree with my sister when I was just graduated from 12th and I had very mediocre marks. So, my family was disappointed and they wanted me to go to any BBA or BCom course but I was not into those courses as most of the students had that opinion to join these courses. Mainly the disagreement was with my sister and I had to convince her as she had better knowledge about courses and degrees because she was my elder sister and she already did her graduation in BCA and the discussion was that why should I join BHM course and she said what will be my future plans after this course, will I be moving out and how will I be working and where will I be working. So, yes I convinced her and I also showed her how some of the students from the same college and same degree had achieved a better life and goals after graduation and they have made themselves a big name in the industry of hotel management and caterings. Later I joined the Srinivas Hotel Management College in Mangalore which was four years degree.

    Band 6-7

    Usually, I don't have many disagreements with people as I am a fairly complying person. But the one time that I had a disagreement was with a boy in my class. He had an outspoken demeanor, which irritated me. He had such orthodox views about feminists and feminism and females, which I hated. He used to say things like, females cannot rule the world, there should not be allowed top positions in the companies, and to his extent, he felt like women were men's slaves. Of course, as being a girl myself, I became furious and decided one day to confront him. I feel like it was the most productive day of my life as to make him shut about his opinions and keep them to himself. I educated him on female rights and I also gave him a lecture on how females can take over the world and make it a better place. So I gave him examples, furthermore, I gave him examples of the females that are currently top of their field and making a change in the world. But I don't feel like he understood me quite clearly because recently I saw an Instagram post, his Instagram post, which gave way to his unorthodox opinions again.

    Band 6-7

    This is one of the biggest disagreements me and my sister had recently. So, this was about how poorly one of her friends treated her and how she didn't want to leave her. And that was... So, one of her friend, she basically put her down in every possible situation she could. and also didn't enjoy my sister's opinion and views on different situations and how her life was moving on and how she was handling it well So, that was one of the concerns of her friend So, every time they used to talk, they ended up a bit with sadness and hurtfulness So, when my sister told me about this, I was a bit taken back on how she didn't stand up for herself and that kinda hurt me. So, I told her that it's not how people treat you and you should stand up for yourself even if it means losing them It is not how people are treating you and you should treat yourself better So, people will treat you better So, eventually we both agreed

    Band 6-7

    I had a disagreement with one of my best friend named Sania. She was my friend from lower class onwards. We used to talk many things about our family, about our school, teachers. But suddenly, during an exhibition held in our school, we came to a disagreement. I disagreed with her. It was during a science exhibition. We were making a walking lens. But suddenly, she said she is not walking. You can make it and you can tell the teacher that I also was included in making this lens. But I disagreed that because making one thing with our hard work is only dedicated to us but not for others. After making the lens, I told the teacher that it's only my effort, not hers. The teacher didn't give marks to her. She only gave marks to me. She became so angry. She told me not to talk to her. We are breaking our friendship now. It's been 4 years since we broke up. We haven't seen each other. We haven't messaged or talked yet. I like to talk to her now because it was her mistake but I could have forgiven her. In case I see her, I will say sorry. Even if it's not my fault, I will say sorry.

    Band 6-7

    I am not a person who usually disagrees with someone on the opinion. But recently I went through it with one of my colleagues. And it was all about the advantages and disadvantages of network. As I am a teacher and my colleague is also one of them. And we were talking about this topic. Moreover he was saying that it is very beneficial for students. But I was having a disapproval about that. Because I have seen that many boys and girls are using it in a very inappropriate manner. As you know they spend most of their time on social media, making vlogs, watching videos and all. And they don't spend too much of time on study. That's why they are getting distracted from their studies and their scores are getting decreased. So I was having this disappointment with that person. The issue was not resolved because we were not at the time where we both went about that.

    Band 6-7

    Well, I personally believe that everyone have their own standard on their, everyone have their own viewpoints and everyone have their own standards, I personally believe. Well, I think two months ago I had some argument I have with my uncle because actually he just stated a quotation in between a conversation that women are not much efficient in work as men do, so girls are supposed to be get married easily after their education and I was so, I would say I was so irritated by the statement and I argue with him in order to change his opinion that it's not a good idea that girls are not even given giving opportunity to achieve their dream, so initial phase I just argued with him, I just stated many example but there was no use, he didn't change his opinion but once after that argument he just started to just avoid me, initially I felt so sad why that happening but later I realized that there is nothing to do it with, there is no point of view if someone doesn't matter, sort of doesn't care of your opinion, so I just, I also just started to ignore him because for me it doesn't, it doesn't sense what to say, in today's world women empowerment is so widely accepted.

    Band 6-7

    I had a strong disagreement with the head clerk of the agriculture department where I was working for around 8 years. The disagreement occurred because I had given the notice of resignation. In the letter I had mentioned that I will serve my notice period and will help in the smooth transition process till my last day. The head clerk decided that as the resignation word was not mentioned, she did not issue me a living letter at the end of my notice period. So, there was an argument. I approached the director of administration and told him about the issue. Then I met the director of agriculture and brought the issue to his notice. Then there was a short meeting between the director of administration, director of agriculture, head clerk and me and the issue was resolved. The director then instructed the head clerk that by language if he has not mentioned resignation but he has mentioned that this letter is to be served as notice period, that he has mentioned that he will complete his 30 day notice period as per contract and he will be relieved. It implies that it is a resignation letter. After the discussion, the head clerk then issued me the resignation letter and handed it to me.

    Band 6-7

    Yes, I once had a disagreement with my friend. Her name is Rissa Dutta. So, when I was in college in my second year, we planned to go clubbing, but we weren't able to decide which club we should go and she was saying a club in Bandra, but I wanted to go to South Bombay and it was a long, big long argument that we had and we also taunted each other too much about the argument and there was complete disagreement between us both. However, both of us, we managed to handle it nicely and we came to a solution that we should go to South Bombay once and we should try a club that we haven't tried before anytime soon.

    Band 6-7

    Recently I had a disagreement with my colleague Harshit. We had joined at the same time in my present company. We had been working for one year. The issue was we both had some urgent task that we were assigned. There was a like close deadline by when we had to complete it. So both of our managers were pushing us to do that quickly. So me and Harshit both had one common permission issue which needed to be looked after. So we both each prioritized our own tasks obviously according to the close deadline. But since there was a conflicting permission issue, we both had a mutual issue between each other as to who would first go on with their work. So it turned pretty ugly. We did not expect it because we were friends. We have been living together since our internship days and we know each other for a long time. So it was very disappointing. But then both of our managers were involved and they said to sort it out between ourselves. It was sorted. We then had a nice dinner with all our teammates. But it was very disappointing that we can have such disagreements between close friends. Situations can turn like friends into enemies for few moments and then we can go back to each other. The key thing here to learn is to communicate well and to not get riled up and judge others. Each have their own priority. So the key here was to communicate.
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