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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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    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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    Anonymous student Band 6.5

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    Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru

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    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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    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

    I knew my friend since childhood. It's been over 16 years now. We used to go to the school, college together and studied under one roof. My friend loves to read a storybook and hence I would love to buy her one. The storybook which I would love to give her named Yeh Jawaani Hindwani which was recommended by my college friend one month ago. The idea behind the story was a girl who works in medical profession. She writes a letter, keeps it for her parents and departs from the house and travels to Kashmir with her friends. It depicts the train journey, various varieties of game they play. Moreover, from the story I could see the beauty of Kashmir. As it is said, the beauty of Kashmir lies in nature and people residing there. It's absolutely very true. The culture of Kashmir is really very unique, mesmerizing to see and which is situated in hilly area. Despite the cold, the thunderstorm, the snow, the characters enjoyed the play. On the other hand, the parents of the girl were really in trouble. One thing I would love to highlight is that the bond the friends share. It's really appreciating and each and every one of us think that each and everyone should have a friend like one who is there for us for a lifetime. It was worth reading and I would love to recommend it to her and buy her as a gift.

    Band 6-7

    I have someone in mind that I would like to give a gift, and I knew her from college when I first joined my Bachelor in Science in Sri Ramachandra. I was not that close with her during the first year of college, but now we're really close and I want to give her something meaningful and appreciate her for all the things she's done. And a gift I would like to give her is maybe a perfume or a watch, and I really think she would appreciate it even if she doesn't like it. That's what I really love about her. She's always frank and she's really appreciative and she's always been there for me. We connect so much. The wavelength matches so good. Every time I'm with her, I'm always happy and I'm always laughing. I've never felt jealous over her. I've never felt inferior over her. I've never felt her dominating. I love my friend and I want to give her something. Even if it's a small gift, I just want to give her something.

    Band 6-7

    So the gift that I would like to explain is an air fryer. So this is from my friend from uni, from university. So we attended the same university at Malaya and we are in the same architecture batch. So I attended uni during 2020, so it has been 4 years since I've known her. And then the reason why I want to give her this gift is because she's getting married this year and I will be visiting her to Malaysia again since I'm in Dubai right now. So I really want this gift to be something special which is why I chose to give her an air fryer because when she's starting a family, I'm sure she needs a utensil, a machine or something to help her cook for her husband. And then I figured also that she's kind of lazy to cook and she wants something that is simple to use because she doesn't want really elaborate kind of system. And then, furthermore, I think air fryer also makes your food healthier because it doesn't include so much oil when you're making it, so it's less greasy. Moreover, air fryer is pretty expensive, so I guess I would really help her by buying this gift for her. And also it's because she bought me a plane ticket to go there, so this is kind of what I want to reciprocate.

    Band 6.5

    A gift I would like to buy for my friend, her name is Nandini. I have known her since the first year of my engineering, which makes it 4 years. And the gift I would like to buy for her would be a Dyson Airwrap. I am sure you must have heard of it. It's like this magic tool that every girl wants to own it in her wardrobe. It has several attachments and it just really helps your styling your hair really easy without any damage. Nandini has a semi dry frizzy wavy hair and she always complains about the way her hair looks without any external heat or any styling. And she will love her hair after a proper blowout. And this Dyson Airwrap makes it really easy for her to get the blowout look at her home. It's a pretty expensive if you ask me. It costs around 60,000. But one day when I am earning a handful, I would love to give her that. And also she comes from a very mid class family who wouldn't be able to afford it. So I think a gift like that would really make her really happy. I think a Dyson Airwrap is a dream gift to many girls out there. I would personally want it too. It just makes life very easier. Just own that and if you want your waves and whatever it is, you get it.

    Band 6

    So, actually I had no IRL friends, in real life friends, but at initial days, that was, but after that I was an introvert person. So I just started gaming to chill myself and meet random guys online. So I just started playing Valorant. I met one friend, his name is Deep. He met me on Valorant only. So we, we met three years before in 2021. So I was not sure because we didn't meet at, as a person to each other. So I decided to go Mumbai because he's living in Mumbai, just to give a surprise him, but I was not sure that what can I gift him. Because as a boy and actually as an online person, how can you judge someone? What could he likes or not? So basically I just randomly take, take a laptop because he, he needed a laptop. He didn't had a good laptop for gaming also. So I just gifted him a laptop.

    Band 6

    My friend Rajesh and I, both are working together for 7 years in the same office. During the tenure of working together, we randomly met in the evening, enjoy some bar and liquor there. I would like to gift him a bar counter made of wooden. I would like to enjoy the liquor at home and remember me forever while enjoying this. The bar counter consists of a place for hanging some glasses or some bars.

    Band 5-6

    Gift is a type of gesture in our country which shows our gratitude towards our loved ones by sharing our care and the things which they like by giving them that thing in the sense of gifts. I think that I want to buy for my friend's birthday that's coming very soon, most probably next month and that's the book. She is very fond of books. Her passion towards it is incredible. Like we can say the whole world revolves around only books for her because she indulges herself in that much that she is very much comfortable around that. Reads so many books like her favorite ones are romance, thriller, adventure, teen fiction. We can say every kind of. So that's the thing that I realized that she has very good of understanding and vocabulary as well as the good writing. And once she has also mentioned me that by reading different kind of books, she has developed that skill and also it helped her in her own creative writing. With that help, she also scored very good marks in her academics. Moreover, if we say that a book is one thing that I want to bought her because I know she appreciates my effort and she knows that I know her very well and her likings and dislikings as well as. So the book is one gift.

    Band 5-6

    A course which I have done 8 months ago was about designing for the 21st century by Don Norman. Don Norman is the father of UI UX design, he has got that title as father of UI UX designer. So this course was about exploring the techniques for the 21st century design languages or design problems. I have done this course on a platform called Interaction Design Foundation, there you get a lot of courses options to explore, that platform is only for the courses related to UI UX designing or the programs for UI UX designing. While I was learning this particular program, I simultaneously worked on a case study through the pointers or through the topics I have learnt in that. Why I like this course because as Don Norman has a bigger influence on the industry of UI UX designers, he usually talks more about the actual problems or the problems which are present regarding the ecosystem of your country, regarding the politics, regarding or referring to the social problems, poverty, environmental problems, these all things. It doesn't particularly focuses upon digital platforms, but it focuses upon

    Band 5

    I have a very close friend. She's really interesting girl. When I was studying, it was in my school days when I met her. She's really interesting girl, which made me more interested in her. And we both had fun in my school days. And it is almost seven years till our friendship. And she's a good person I ever met. And we would have a lot of fun. We enjoy our time together. And enormous people are jealous of our friendship. We have like cluster fear whenever we have a conversation. And I want to gift her a watch. Because she's a time out person. She does not care about time. I want her to know her time. And know me whenever she misses me and answer my calls.

    Band 5

    In my opinion, an invention that is useful in my everyday life is definitely my mobile phone. If you see the present scenario, every single person has a mobile phone and everything is communicated through a mobile phone and everyone is using a mobile phone, that is from a very small kid who is about 2 years old, having food, is watching YouTube and a very old grandpa who is really idle and has nothing to do is also using a telephone. So I think the mobile phones have just become so universal and have become so acceptable that it's the most important and a very groundbreaking innovation. For me, how is mobile phone useful for me? I would say that through my mobile phones, I get to communicate with my friends everyday. I get to speak to them even though they are really far away from me. I get to communicate to them through WhatsApp. I get to chat with them everyday. I get to share personal information about me or whatever is happening in my life through WhatsApp. Or I get to have small phone conversations with them whenever I'm feeling a little low or I'm feeling a little anxious. I tend to call my parents and speak to them. That's how the phone has been useful for me. And in terms of social media, I really like to entertain myself by using social media. I watch the Reels option that is available on Instagram. This really helps me kill time. And sometimes I like to share it with my friends. And also, it's just a fun way to connect with people. And it really breaks the barriers. If a person has a certain barrier to...
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