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Describe a gift you would like to buy for your friend: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • How you knew your friend?
  • How long have you known him/her?
  • How would you choose a gift for him/her?
  • And explain why you would choose that gift for him/her.
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64 unique answers with expert feedback

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Cue 1:How you knew your friend?

  • Begin by mentioning how you met your friend, whether it was in school, college, or through mutual friends.
  • Share a brief anecdote that highlights your initial connection or shared interests.

Example

I met my friend Priya in college during our first year. We were both part of the same orientation group and quickly bonded over our love for literature and poetry. I remember how we spent hours discussing our favorite authors and sharing book recommendations.


Cue 2:How long have you known him/her?

  • Clearly state the duration of your friendship, such as how many years or months you have known each other.
  • Mention any significant milestones or experiences you have shared during this time.

Example

I have known Priya for about five years now. Over these years, we have celebrated each other's birthdays, supported one another through exams, and even traveled together during our summer breaks.


Cue 3:How would you choose a gift for him/her?

  • Discuss the thought process you would go through when selecting a gift, considering your friend's interests and preferences.
  • Mention any specific occasions or reasons that might influence your choice.

Example

When choosing a gift for Priya, I would think about her passion for reading. I would consider getting her a special edition of her favorite book or a personalized bookmark. Since her birthday is coming up, I want to make it memorable.


Cue 4:And explain why you would choose that gift for him/her.

  • Explain the significance of the gift and how it reflects your understanding of your friend's personality.
  • Share how you believe the gift will make her feel appreciated and valued.

Example

I would choose a special edition of her favorite book because it shows that I pay attention to her interests. I know how much she cherishes her books, and I believe this gift would make her feel appreciated and loved. It’s not just a gift; it’s a way to celebrate our friendship.


Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, choosing a thoughtful gift for a friend like Priya is a wonderful way to express my appreciation for our friendship. It reflects the bond we share and the memories we have created together over the years.


    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: Avoid Vague Descriptions

    Using vague language can make your answer less engaging and informative. It's important to provide specific details about your friend and the gift to create a clearer picture.

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    Tip

    Use descriptive adjectives and specific examples when talking about your friend and the gift to make your answer more vivid.


    2: Neglecting Personal Connection

    Failing to explain your relationship with your friend can weaken your response. The examiner wants to understand the significance of the gift in the context of your friendship.

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    Tip

    Share a brief story or memory that highlights your friendship to emphasize why the gift is meaningful.


    Rushing Through the Explanation

    Speaking too quickly can lead to unclear answers and missed points. It's essential to take your time to articulate your thoughts clearly.

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    Tip

    Practice pacing your speech by pausing briefly between points to ensure clarity and allow the examiner to follow your ideas.


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    IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

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    Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country
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    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
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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.

    Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language
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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.

    Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned
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    Anonymous student Band 7

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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.

    Describe a book you recently read
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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 6-7

    The gift I would like to buy for my friend is a PS5 also known as PlayStation 5 as he was into video games since childhood and his family's financial condition was not good at that time so he was not able to buy a PlayStation. I know at that time PlayStation 2 came and I bought it on the first day and he used to come at my place to play games and he always said that I really wanted to purchase this, I really want it and all. So that's why I think I'll buy him a PlayStation and we were friends since class 1st so I really know him a lot much than my other friends so even he knows me too and he enjoy playing games

    Band 6-7

    In about two weeks from now, it's actually going to be my best friend's birthday. I've known him from my childhood. He's actually my childhood friend. I met him in school. We were in the same class and we had many common topics to talk on. We used to play together. We basically grew up together. He's a very gentle man and a kind person. But he's sometimes very much annoying. But that's fine. Recently I was thinking about what he likes. And he really likes shoes. He's a shoes enthusiast. He really loves collecting shoes of different brands like Nike, Puma, Jordans, for example. Recently I was thinking what to buy him. And I stumbled upon a particular shoe he liked and he wanted to get for his collection. I was thinking I'll gift him that for his birthday next week. I've known this...

    Band 6-7

    I Would like to give my Friendship One day I was sitting on a swing when a boy Came out of nowhere and asked to Give him the swing After that, he's I said hi and he said hi because of which we had a friendship formed One day I was sitting on a swing when all of a sudden a boy came up to me and asked Me and my friend were online friends earlier about a few years ago Me and my friend were online friends earlier About a few years ago. I met him online through Instagram and we formed a mutual understanding and One day I had gone for swimming in the morning when I met a boy named Shlok We instantly connected and talked while swimming and enjoyed the day I know him now. I know him for the past 10 years The reason the gift that I would like to gift him is a cycle Shlok is a very Hard-working and dedicated boy his family is poor because of which he cannot afford a Cycle a scooter or the money for rickshaws to go to school or to tuitions the main reason for giving him a cycle is that he would be his life would be made easier as He would save time money and he would appreciate a cycle Giving him a cycle would mean the world to him as Every day in the morning. He has to walk for half an hour to reach the school and About 20-25 minutes to the tuition Giving him a cycle would Ease out the things and would help him a lot in many ways Not just Shlok, but his father and mother would be able to use the cycle as They don't have the resources to Afford a better means of transport A cycle according to me is one of the best gifts that I can give him I You

    Band 6-7

    I want to present a film with Lord Venkateshwara Prem, which he is most fascinated about. He narrated me about an incident while he was on the way to visit the Tirumala, which is located in Andhra Pradesh. Since childhood, he was suffering from a severe stomach ache. The pain was gone due to the miracle of the God. He believes that the Lord Venkateshwara lives in the seven hells and solves all the devotees' problems. For more information, visit www.osho.com

    Band 6-7

    My best friend name is Vansh Jain and during the COVID-19 lockdown when all the classes were shifted to online so one day there was a doubt-solving session and he was over there and he was asking so many questions to the teacher so I thought he's the smart one so I messaged him, DM him, direct messaged him about a doubt which was I had and then from there we started talking. I know him for more than two years now or maybe for more than three years exact to be exact and one gift that I will gift him will be PS5. One day we were sitting and we were having a chit-chat about what I will give him on his birthday and he said I wanted a PS5 and that time I didn't knew what PS5 is because I'm not a gamer. I went home and I start searching what PS5 is and I was mind blown. 50,000 for a PlayStation. I called him and I said are you mad I'm not buying your 50,000 PlayStation and then we had a sweet-sour argument on if I'm going to buy him or not and at the end he somehow convinced me that I am going to buy him the PS5 so yeah he wanted a PS5 so I'm definitely going to save up some money to buy a PS5 for that douchebag

    Band 6-7

    I would like to buy a cricket bat for my friend, Sankar. I have known him for the past 15 years. He's been my best friend since childhood and I think gifting him a cricket bat as he pursues cricket professionally and he trains for the Karnataka State Club, the cricket bat and the kit would help him pursue his passion and even get better with it as his equipments right now moreover don't meet the standards of what he requires. In addition to that, I would also like to get him a whole kit such as knee pads and a helmet for his safety protection. I think because he really likes the sport it would mean a lot for him and he's always been asking me for a cricket kit. I think this would be the perfect occasion for me to gift it to him.

    Band 6-7

    The gift that I love to buy for my friend would be an earring. So my friend's name is Ahima. We've been an acquaintance when I used to live in Canada. So she used to know my neighbor and we used to work together. And it's been two years we've been very close with each other and she's like a sister to me. Additionally, I could say she's the most trustworthy person I've ever met. The gift that I would love to buy for her would be an earring. This is because she loves earrings a lot. And I need to buy her a traditional earring so that would be in her collection. And yes, this would be more interesting. That earring would be off.

    Band 6-7

    I had a friend in my second year of my undergrad. He is a person with same interests as me. He enjoys playing games like batman. He also enjoys watching anime and stuff. So, when I get him a present, I would put most of my consideration while choosing the gift and what kind of present he likes. I would present him something that he would use and also something he would like. Like I would present him a comic or a digital record of an animation. So, things like these would make him happy. When we are presenting a person with a gift, the person should keep that thing as a valuable asset. And also that thing should be related to the interest of the person that we are presenting the gift. So, it is very important to put in some thought while buying a present. For my friend, I would buy him a comic, preferably a Naruto comic because he loves Naruto and I know he would keep it cherished. So, we need to do some research while putting effort.

    Band 6-7

    I have known this friend for the past 10 years, for more than 10 years. I have known her, I have knew her, I knew her from my workplace. Initially we weren't close, it was just hi and hello, how are you, that's it. And when the days go by, we started developing good friendship together. So now we are so close that we could share everything what we do in our day to day lives. So when it comes to her birthday or any occasion where I could gift her, I would prefer buying her beautiful plants. She loves plants, she loves gardening, she loves to have lots of plants with all varieties. She does lots of gardening at her home. Her rooftop is full of plants and her front yard and back yard are with lots of colorful flowers, fruits and vegetables. She likes spending her free time in garden to have relief from all the stress she has. She prefers plants, whomever she asks, if someone asks what you want for anything, her first answer would be plants. So I love buying plants for her, I can see that happiness in her face, the excitement when she gets the plants. So it's easy for me to buy any kind of plant for her, even if it is a tiny plant, if I pluck from my garden and go and give it to her, she would be so excited. So I would love buying plants or anything related to plants or gardens will make my friend happy. So I love doing that for her. It's not only that we always talk when we have leisure time, we speak about how to grow this, how to cultivate this, how to get things for that, how to approach, how to find out new things.

    Band 6-7

    I used to go to a gym since last three years and there I found a person named Akshay. He's a very nice friend of mine now and I know that he loves working out he's fond of gym accessories and gym instruments so I've decided that I would like to gift him a rod with so many dumbbell plates so that it will make his life more merrier and happier as he loves adding all the gym stuffs in his house so it will be a great addition to him. I know that he loves working out and workout feels like a therapy to him so gifting him something related to that will make him very very happy along with that it is it will make his life more healthier as he will be doing more frequent workouts if he'll be having the accessories at his home as well so yeah I would like to gift him something relatable to gym only. Along with that I can gift him a treadmill as well because he loves doing his cardio workout but due to the pollution he won't be able to go out every day and it is not easy in our busy lives as well so having a treadmill in your house is the more easiest option to get your workout done and I absolutely know him so he'll thank me forever if I gift him a treadmill that is the most wise choice to give somebody who is a fitness influencer or fitness trainer it will make his life happy and healthy
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