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Describe a goal you set that you tried your best to achieve: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What Is the Goal?
  • When did You First Begin to Have This Goal?
  • How You Would Achieve the First Step of Your Goal?
  • How Easy or Difficult Do You Think It Will Be to Reach This Goal?
Show all 100 answers

Cue 1:What Is the Goal?

  • Clearly state the goal you set for yourself, making it specific and personal.
  • Explain why this goal was important to you and what motivated you to pursue it.

Example

The goal I set was to improve my English speaking skills, particularly to achieve a band score of 7.5 in the IELTS speaking test. This goal was important to me because I wanted to pursue higher studies abroad, and a good score in IELTS was a requirement for my university applications.

Cue 2:When did You First Begin to Have This Goal?

  • Mention when you first realized you wanted to achieve this goal.
  • Share any experiences or events that influenced your decision to set this goal.

Example

I first began to have this goal during my final year of college when I attended a seminar about studying abroad. Listening to the experiences of students who had successfully gone through the process inspired me to improve my English and aim for a higher score in IELTS.

Cue 3:How You Would Achieve the First Step of Your Goal?

  • Describe the initial steps you took to start working towards your goal.
  • Include any resources or strategies you used to help you get started.

Example

To achieve the first step of my goal, I enrolled in an IELTS preparation course. I also started practicing speaking with friends who were fluent in English. Additionally, I began watching English movies and listening to podcasts to improve my vocabulary and pronunciation.

Cue 4:How Easy or Difficult Do You Think It Will Be to Reach This Goal?

  • Reflect on the challenges you anticipate facing while pursuing this goal.
  • Discuss your mindset about overcoming these challenges and staying motivated.

Example

I think reaching this goal will be quite challenging, especially since I need to practice consistently and manage my time effectively. However, I believe that with dedication and the right resources, I can overcome these difficulties. I stay motivated by reminding myself of the opportunities that a good IELTS score will open up for me.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, setting the goal to improve my English speaking skills for the IELTS test has been a significant step in my academic journey. I am committed to working hard and believe that with perseverance, I will achieve my desired score and fulfill my dream of studying abroad.

    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 Goal Description

    Avoid being unclear about your goal. A vague description can confuse the examiner and make your answer less engaging.

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    Tip

    Clearly define your goal with specific details. Explain what it is and why it matters to you.

    2: Neglecting Timeline

    Not mentioning when you started working towards your goal can make your response seem incomplete. It lacks context.

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    Tip

    Include a timeline in your answer. State when you first set the goal and any important milestones.

    Ignoring Challenges

    Failing to discuss the difficulties you faced can make your answer sound unrealistic. It’s important to show the effort involved.

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    Tip

    Talk about the challenges you encountered and how you plan to overcome them. This adds depth to your response.

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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
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    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    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
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    Anonymous student Band 8

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    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
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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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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7

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    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
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    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

    My goal and dream is to become a successful businessman. I am trying to gather information and seeing different topics on how you can become a successful businessman and I've been researching for a quite a bit time now and I have learned that you have to be resentless and keep working hard to achieve something so I've tried to so I'm trying to achieve it currently I am going to the University of Wollongong to study about international business so that I can get more information and become more aware of the topic of the goal that I want to pursue. I will be able to eventually become a successful businessman because I have the will to do it and I will do it.

    Band 6-7

    Firstly, my goal is I wanted a job in a big multinational company. So I will take first step as I wanted to do MBA in finance from a business school in London. After completing my MBA, I wanted to join a multinational company as a final tech analyst role. This might be a difficult because finance is not an easy subject but I have interest on finance. I will keep trying to do excel in masters, I will take workshops, I will learn lessons from my professors in my business school which I can implement on my practical life. After taking job in a big multinational company, I just wanted to start from a low level. After completing and after achieving all the goals, after learning all the things from my seniors, I wanted to take a big step. Then I wanted to build my finance company where I teach my juniors how to excel in finance.

    Band 6-7

    My biggest goal in life is now to get into the University of Edinburgh in Scotland for my higher studies. I had this goal only six months back when I lost my career. I had arrears in my subject, in my bachelors and I was completely a failure in my life. I thought this place is not right for me and hence I chose I would prefer or I would take up a masters degree abroad and I'll pursue my career without making any mistakes that I did in my bachelors degree. So I started preparing for everything I could. I started preparing for the IELTS, I started preparing for the skills that I have to improve to get a part-time job there and I've also started to prepare myself physically by going to the gym and working out so that I wouldn't lack in any way in the future when I get into the university. This goal is really hard to reach and sometimes I feel tired and I often times feel like giving up but then I remember what are the disrespects and what are the mistakes I have done in my life and then I get a motivation and courage to work hard for my new goal which I will definitely reach and I will definitely not mess up this time. So that is my biggest goal and it is really hard to pursue this goal.

    Band 6-7

    My goal is to study abroad and settle over there and have a good life for me. It was really hard in the start and I really didn't think of anything that I could make it possible. But fortunately I made it to this level so I think I'm going to study abroad soon. I tried my best in all the exams and all the preparation for my studies. When I was a child I started dreaming of studying abroad. It was really my childhood dream come true because I never thought I would really go and study in a foreign country. Fortunately my dream has come true and I'm going to take part in the October intake. I have applied for my higher studies. It's really a happiest moment when I just applied and I got the offer letter. It was really the efforts I have put in. I haven't think that I made it this much but because of my family and all my friends I have come this far. It was really the happiest moment and I really tried my best by having the Leap Scholar. I have achieved the abroad studies with all my might.

    Band 6-7

    I had set a goal when I was a kid that I want to be an athlete and I have achieved the goal. How? Let me start with my journey. When I started playing football when I was a kid, not really a kid but in my teenage. When I was 13, I signed for my professional club called FC Akhtar. I showed my talent to the AFC Champions League Saudi League and they chose me as a senior team player. How will it be achieved? It will be achieved by the dedication, passion, hard work you have put in to succeed in this field. Easy or difficult? It is very difficult to be at this level. Because you have to be consistent with your mindset to be said that you have to become a thing in this league. And you have to perform and show the world that you can do it and you will do it. It is very hard and very difficult to achieve this goal. I personally have achieved it after 10 years. A decade of practicing and putting all my blood and sweat for this dream. It is very easy if you choose the right path.

    Band 6-7

    The goal which I have tried to achieve is weight loss. During my childhood I was a thin child but as I grew up I became more fat and I used to hate my big belly which was shown in the public. After my graduation I set a goal to lose my weight up to 10 kgs. In addition to that I have started to take a healthy diet during my daily activities. I used less oily food and more fruits and started eating more fruits. In addition to that I have joined a gym and started doing regular exercises. I used to like cycling very much so I decided to ride a cycle to my office and be more health conscious towards my health. This is my cycling.

    Band 6-7

    Well, I recently have a headset to clear my GATE exam, now this exam is basically an entrance exam to research in the field of research that is related to engineering and technology. So I started GATE just after I completed my graduation and after a few months after my graduation I started to understand that I am more interested into the field of electronics and telecommunications. I had to improve my understanding of basic concepts like digital logic design and microelectronics. So I always wanted to explore that field and I thought what other way than a PhD or a doctorate and the best way to clear a doctorate is to give this exam. So that's how I started and how am I going to achieve this goal is by understanding basic subjects that are mathematics, understanding electronics, I have to read a lot about mathematics, I had to read a lot about mathematics and why would I like to do it is because I'm interested in mathematics and understanding how things work in electronics.

    Band 6.5

    Studying abroad and doing MBA abroad is one of the major goals that I have right now and I am doing my best to achieve this goal. This goal first came in my mind when I knew some of my friends and my seniors have gone abroad and they gained so much knowledge there and which are not available in our country. More opportunities, more people connection and people negotiation happens abroad more than here. So I am trying to achieve this goal by giving the IELTS exam and doing major things like SOP, LOR and other things which are important for me and for the health and for the well being of my studies. So I am planning to do all these things and join to the best MBA program so that I could get a better opportunity and a better placement and a package abroad which is not available in India right now. And I think abroad is a better option for doing MBA because it gives us with vast knowledge alongside with the culture, the negotiation, the connection and the people connection which we get there that lacks here as an Indian I think about it.

    Band 7.5

    One goal that I set for myself and really tried my best to achieve was to improve my English speaking skills, particularly for public speaking and competitive exams like IELTS. While I was fairly comfortable with reading and writing in English, but I always struggled with speaking fluently, especially in front of others. So I made it a personal goal to overcome this fear and become more confident in speaking. I set this goal during my final year of college when I realized that strong communication skills would be essential for my career, especially in healthcare where interacting with people clearly and confidentially is very important. So I was planning to appear for the IELTS exam and I knew that I had to focus on my speaking to get a good band score. To achieve this, I took a number of steps. First, I began watching English talk shows, news debates, and movies regularly to improve my vocabulary and sentence structure. I also read aloud from newspapers and books every day to improve my pronunciation. One of the most effective things I did was to record myself speaking on various topics, listen to the recordings, and note the areas where I hesitated or made mistakes. I even joined an online speaking group where we practiced IELTS speaking questions together. Although I was nervous in the beginning, with consistent effort over a few months, I noticed a big improvement. I became more fluent and with less fewer grammatical mistakes, and most importantly, I felt more confident. And when I finally appeared for the IELTS test, I got a band of 7.5. I felt proud.

    Band 6.5

    My biggest goal since years is to lose weight. I have seen more than a hundred videos in YouTube and read many magazines about weight loss. But the thing is I am very lazy. I will follow the diet for 2-3 days. On the 4th day I will eat more and I can't control. It was going as same as in the exercise. I will exercise for 2-3 days and take a break and the next day I can't exercise. This was going on and going on and going on. So hard and I keep on motivating me every morning to wake up. Now I am consistently following both diet and exercise. And I was seeing very little bit of progress, very very little bit. Maybe if I continue from the start, maybe till now I will achieve my goal but I can't. I am on the way to achieve my goal. Yeah I am motivating myself to improve. And the really the thing that help me is wake up in the early morning. Don't follow any diet or exercise. Just by wake up early you can lose some weight. And drinking hot water help me in the morning. It improves our gut health. If the gut is good automatically weight loss happens. So the remedies like this helped me a lot and still I didn't achieve my goal. I am on the way to achieve my goal. Yeah hopefully I will make sure to do it.
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