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Describe a food that people eat on special occasions/events: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What it is
  • What the special event/occasion is
  • How it is cooked/made
  • And explain why people eat it on that special occasion/event
Show all 3 answers

Cue 1:What it is

  • Begin by clearly stating the food item you are describing.
  • Provide a brief description of its appearance and taste.

Example

The food I want to talk about is biryani, a fragrant rice dish that is often layered with marinated meat and spices. It has a rich aroma and a delightful blend of flavors, making it a favorite among many.


Cue 2:What the special event/occasion is

  • Mention the specific occasion when this food is typically served.
  • Explain the significance of this occasion in your culture.

Example

Biryani is commonly served during weddings and festive celebrations like Eid. These occasions are significant in Indian culture, as they bring families together to celebrate joy and unity.


Cue 3:How it is cooked/made

  • Describe the cooking process in a simple way.
  • Highlight any special ingredients or techniques used.

Example

To make biryani, the rice is partially cooked and then layered with marinated meat, which is cooked with spices like saffron, cardamom, and cloves. The dish is then sealed and cooked on low heat, allowing the flavors to meld beautifully.


Cue 4:And explain why people eat it on that special occasion/event

  • Discuss the cultural or emotional reasons behind eating this food during the occasion.
  • Mention how it enhances the celebration.

Example

People eat biryani on special occasions because it symbolizes celebration and abundance. The rich flavors and the effort put into making it make it a dish that everyone looks forward to, enhancing the festive spirit.


Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, biryani is more than just a dish; it represents the joy of coming together during special occasions. Its unique flavors and the love that goes into preparing it make it a cherished part of our celebrations.


    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. Avoid general terms that do not provide specific details about the food or occasion.

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    Tip

    Be specific about the food's ingredients, flavors, and the unique aspects of the occasion to create a vivid picture.


    2: Ignoring Cooking Methods

    Failing to explain how the food is cooked or made can leave your answer incomplete. This is an important part of the cue.

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    Tip

    Include details about the cooking process, such as techniques, ingredients, and any special preparations involved.


    Lack of Personal Connection

    Not sharing personal experiences or feelings about the food can make your response less engaging and relatable.

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    Tip

    Explain why the food is meaningful to you or your culture, and share a personal story related to the occasion.


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    IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

    Reported by Leap students who gave IELTS

    Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    Pitampura Test Centre, New Delhi

    Answer

    I like to taste different types of cuisine. Here I would like to talk about my favorite dish at my traditional festival of Onam which is Sadya. Sadya is popular in my city. We are experimenting these cuisines on Onam festival day. Onam is a famous festival in my city. All family members get together in my home and we make a delicious Sadya. There are many ingredients includes that Sadya. Moreover, we make a big feast that day as well as we create a lot of memories together and we wear that day the traditional dress called Sari and men wear the Dhotis. That festival is really important to us because the whole day we are conducting different kinds of games at our homes and all the family members came together. It's a memorable day in my life. This is the festival. We are making the Sambar and Aviyal. These all the kinds of foods are making with the vegetables.

    Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 8

    location icon

    Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

    Answer

    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.

    Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 6.5

    location icon

    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.

    Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7

    location icon

    Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

    Answer

    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.

    Describe a book you recently read
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    CBD Belapur Test Centre, Navi Mumbai

    Answer

    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

    Very tasty So I Love eating puddings especially coconut pudding as a small town Child or teenager of 11 years. I still remember eating a coconut pudding In a function. It was such flavorful such such a delight in the mouth And I still remembers its flavor Mild Aromatic and soothing Then another thing that comes to my mind is the Gulab jamun That is being served in weddings of Kerala today The first time I saw Gulab jamun being eaten in a Wedding was my own sister's marriage There after it became a trend in Kerala and still I Remember that I remember that Still I remember the taste of the Gulab jamun mixed with the ice cream

    Band 6-7

    I would like to talk about the food where people eat on special occasion like we have Diwali, Dussehra and Gudi Padwa or whatever the festival comes we are Maharashtrian so we make pooran poli that is the famous dish on special occasion which makes by chana dal some pulses like chana dal and some people cook with jaggery some people cook with sugar and it's a sweet dish along with that we make amti some people make amras and then rice and some bhaji and some papad and kurudis like on specially Diwali every people like in Maharashtrian house they make we make and we eat we enjoy that food that is the special occasion on like I said Diwali and about about other food like as of now not in not coming in my mind but pooran poli it comes all the time because I love pooran poli my mother-in-law makes pooran poli but however rather than my mother-in-law but my mother makes awesome pooran poli we eat from my childhood and she makes with less sugar which I loved it all time my mother cooks it's a magic in her hand to cook this pooran poli thank you

    Band 6-7

    So, I am going to talk about Ugadi Pachadi. So, this pachadi is made on Ugadi. It is very much special for every person in India, especially for people in Andhra Pradesh. We call it Ugadi and people of Kerala call it Onam. So, this pachadi is, you can call it as pickle. So, this is prepared by using 5 types of tastes like sweet, sour, salt, etc. Bitter and etc. So, for sweet we use bellam, also known as jaggery. We call it bellam. And for sourness we use tamarind. And for bitterness we use this thing, neem flowers. And for salt we use salt and pepper. We also use pepper to create some spiciness in the pickle. So, we savor it with itself. We don't use any other things. So, this represents all kinds of tastes in our tradition, in our life. We eat it to represent, there is every kind of emotion, every kind of feelings towards the life. So, we take it.

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