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Describe a kind of foreign food you like and you have had: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What the dish is?
  • Where you tried it?
  • What ingredients or taste you enjoyed?
  • And explain why you like it.
Show all 182 answers

Cue 1:What the dish is?

  • Begin by naming the foreign dish you enjoy and give a brief description of it.
  • Mention any unique features of the dish that make it stand out.

Example

One foreign dish that I absolutely love is sushi. It's a traditional Japanese dish that consists of vinegared rice paired with various ingredients, including seafood, vegetables, and sometimes tropical fruits.

Cue 2:Where you tried it?

  • Describe the location where you first tried this dish, whether it was a restaurant, a friend's house, or during a trip.
  • Share any memorable experiences related to that place.

Example

I first tried sushi at a popular Japanese restaurant in my city called 'Sushi House'. I went there with my friends to celebrate my birthday, and the ambiance was vibrant and welcoming, which made the experience even more enjoyable.

Cue 3:What ingredients or taste you enjoyed?

  • Talk about the specific ingredients that you liked in the dish.
  • Describe the flavors and textures that made the dish appealing to you.

Example

What I enjoyed most about sushi were the fresh ingredients, especially the salmon and avocado. The combination of the soft, sticky rice with the creamy avocado and the rich flavor of the salmon created a delightful taste that was both refreshing and satisfying.

Cue 4:And explain why you like it.

  • Explain your personal connection to the dish and why it holds significance for you.
  • Mention any cultural aspects or health benefits that contribute to your preference.

Example

I like sushi not only for its delicious taste but also because it represents a healthy eating option. It’s light yet filling, and I appreciate the artistry involved in making it. Additionally, trying sushi has opened my eyes to Japanese culture, which I find fascinating.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, sushi is more than just a meal for me; it’s an experience that combines flavor, culture, and health. I look forward to trying different varieties of sushi in the future and exploring more of what Japanese cuisine has to offer.

    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: Being Too Vague

    Candidates often provide unclear or general answers without specific details about the dish. This can make the response less engaging and informative.

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    Tip

    Include specific details about the dish, such as its name, ingredients, and unique flavors to create a vivid picture.

    2: Ignoring the Cues

    Some candidates fail to address all the cues provided, which can lead to incomplete answers and lower scores.

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    Tip

    Make sure to cover all the cues: what the dish is, where you tried it, what you enjoyed, and why you like it.

    Lack of Personal Connection

    Responses that lack personal anecdotes or feelings can seem flat and uninteresting, making it hard for the examiner to connect.

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    Tip

    Share a personal story or memory related to the dish to make your answer more relatable and engaging.

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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

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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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    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
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    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
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    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 7

    One Italian dish that I really enjoyed was penne arrabiata, a type of pasta. I tried it for the first time at an Italian cafe in Pune, India when I went there with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday. The restaurant was quite cozy with soft music and smell of freshly baked bread which already gave me a very authentic vibe. The dish itself was made with penne pasta cooked al dente mixed with spicy tomato based sauce. I could clearly taste ingredients like garlic, olive oil, red chilli flakes and basil leaves. It was topped with grated parmesan cheese which added a creamy and slightly salty flavor. The combination of spicy and tangy sauce with the soft pasta made it really appetizing. What I really liked about it was balance of flavors. Unlike some heavy pasta dishes, this one felt satisfying. I also appeared that it was spicy which matched my Indian taste buds perfectly while still retaining its Italian authenticity. The experience became even more memorable because I shared it with my friends and we ended up ordering it again next weekend. Overall, penne arrabiata is my favorite Italian dish in India because it's simple, flavorful and reminds me that food can connect with different cuisines beautifully. I also tried it making at home but of course, it didn't taste as good as it was in a restaurant.

    Band 7

    There is a very famous cafe with the name Roastry which offers this delectable pasta which is an Italian pasta known as Alfredo pasta. I tried it for the very first time here and I was mesmerized by the taste of it. This pasta is made out of fettuccine pasta and it's topped with cream and mushroom. The delicate flavours of the mushrooms make it even more tastier and I have really savoured on this delicacy. I have tried making it at my home but it eventually did not turn out to be as good as the one which I have tried at the cafe. So this is one of the food that I really enjoyed.

    Band 7

    So my favorite dish is pasta, which is an Italian dish. I tried it for the first time in a small Italian place next to my school. That place was very famous for their Italian delicacies. Their pastas and lasagnas were the top selling dishes over there. I really like the way they mixed chicken and the white sauce with the pasta. I think it's because of the creamy texture and the way they made it in the restaurant that made the feeling elevated. I really liked how light it felt. It wasn't too heavy and I usually don't prefer too creamy foods but this was actually a nice touch. Since then, I've tried pastas in many places and I really like most of them. My favorite place would be the one next to the school because that was the first time I ever tried it and it still reminds me of the time I spent in school where we used to go there often, when we used to go there often.

    Band 7

    So the kind of foreign food I have tried and loved is pesto pasta. It is an Italian dish which is made of basil, pesto, olive oil and any kind of nut that you have available. I'd obviously had pastas growing up in India but pesto pasta was something they had not tried. Moreover, it was very different to the kind of pastas that I had initially tried. It was not as cheesy or spicy or tomatoey. It impressed me. What I liked about it is how they used basil. They also not made it too strong of a taste. I think that's where Italian food really strives is they don't try too hard whereas with Indian food we sometimes make it too spicy, salty or sour. Italian food just hits the right spot without feeling too heavy after you are done eating. Pesto pasta is something that I'd recommend to anyone who wants to try foreign food and has already tried other Italian items like gnocchi, pasta, pizza. Moreover, I want to try more items from the Italian subcontinent because I believe they have got the perfect balance of being healthy and having carbs, cheeses and oil where they don't completely starve themselves of the fun and tasty food but also make sure that their portion sizes are smaller, that they do not gain weight. I think that is something that I'd recommend everyone to try.

    Band 7

    So, the foreign food that I absolutely loved is the pasta, which I had from a trip to Italy. It was like just, I was just mind blown by the taste of the pasta. I had mac and cheese, which was like filled with cheese, oregano, basil, and spinach, and the mini tomatoes, which I was in absolute love with it. Whenever I see the pasta in meals or any other social media, I just remember the taste that I had, which I had during my trip. And I tried to replicate it, but it's somewhat impossible to make it again with that same texture, taste, because Italy is known for pasta. So I guess it's impossible to get that taste by just making it. So even when I just reminded about that pasta, the picture of that pasta, I have my saliva rolling out of my tongue because it's that tasty. I've never had the pasta which is as tasty as that, which I tried it in Italy, Rome. So I know that there are different types of pasta, but my favorite is mac and cheese, which I love it to be cold, but some feel it's very creamy, cheesy, but I love cheese. Why hate cheese when you need your life more cheesy? So I'm in love with pasta.

    Band 7

    So basically, I love trying new foods. I love tasting and exploring various kinds of foods from different countries. And it's kind of like my hobby too. So to be precise, I would say pad thai is my most favorite dish and it's originated from Thailand. It's the most famous dish of theirs. And in addition, it is also the national dish of Thailand. This dish is usually made up of rice noodles and they add fish sauce and few tangy sauces to make it more saucier and juicy. It can also be added with some chicken or any kind of meat to make it more nutritious. And I have tried this in various places but initially I tried it at a restaurant when I was visiting USA. And they had the best pad thai and nothing could match their taste till now. And I like this food because it really is very comforting and it kind of satisfies all of my cravings at any time. If I'm sad, happy or whatever it is, I go for this. So in conclusion, this is the most favorite foreign food that I have tried. And I'll keep trying it whenever I have the chance.

    Band 7

    Earlier, a few months ago, I had the privilege to try out some steamed fish which was made in a Thai restaurant and I was able to find that in my hometown very luckily. So the steamed fish dish is made with white fish and it's very delicately filleted and after the steaming is done, they drizzle it with a really beautiful and flavorful lemon coriander sauce and it's served fresh and it's extremely delicate on a little touch. There's no bones of course because of the fillet and the spicy tangy flavor of the lemon coriander sauce and the delicate flavors of the supple fish. It really is something that's on my mind a lot these days too. I would really like to go and have it again. I'm starting to crave it once again after thinking about it. This is something we typically do not find in India. We do see steamed fish dishes but those are more strongly flavored and this is so gently flavored with the lemon coriander sauce and you get to actually enjoy the flavors of the white fish and it opens your mind to more different cuisines and cultures, I think.

    Band 7

    Till the ripe age of 7, I was a fan of only Indian food. I would never even try to have a sip or a small bite of any other food from any other cuisine. Let it be a small piece of bread, I would refuse it because it would have some Italian sauce on it. But eventually, it came at a point, I had to attend a birthday party and there the only food that they were serving was pizza. Now this was quite a scary experience for me since I had never tried pizza and I didn't know what country it was from. But the birthday child's mom forced me to have it and it turned out to be the best food I have ever had in my whole life. I remember having a slice of mozzarella cheese pizza and remembering the cheesy taste that the sauce was giving out and pairing it with oregano flakes was the cherry on top. Everything was divine and I regretted why I hadn't had the chance to have pizza or any Italian cuisine before. I started to have more Italian cuisines such as pasta, a lot of different versions of pizza and Italian is now one of my favorite cuisines alongside multiple other cuisines from different countries such as Thai food, Japanese, etc. So definitely it was an eye-opening experience when I had that slice of pizza during my friend's birthday party.

    Band 7

    My most recent trip to Vietnam gave me an eye-opening experience into the food and coffee culture. And even though Vietnam is majorly known for its coffee culture and the way they make their coffees, their food is extremely beautiful and extremely versatile. And post their colonization of the French, there was this amazing dish that was invented in Vietnam and it's extremely famous there and it's kind of like a street food. It's called banh mi. So basically, it's a French baguette and they slice it into half and they put whatever kind of meat you want. It could be pork, beef, chicken and it was a little bit a lot of sauces. It has a lot of veggies and basically toast it and they give it to you and you can have it on the go because it's a small petite thing which they give as a takeaway and you can you know just add a drink to and it tastes so nice like anything in bread tastes amazing but this specifically with the condiments that they add and you know the Vietnamese rice that they the Vietnamese vegetables that they add are just so brilliant and so beautiful that it's something that I cannot forget like my mother is a vegetarian but she still enjoyed it so much because they do have vegetarian options as well. They use tofu or other protein supplements that could be you know kind of replace the meat so it's an amazing experience that I had and I love the food there but especially there's something that I would want it to be present in India as well because it's it had the bursts of flavors and your mouth is explicit.

    Band 7

    A foreign food I personally like is the Octopus Balls also known as Takyoki in it's original language. It's a Japanese street food which is made up of flour batter, octopus, cheese and few other vegetables and it is fried in few bowls of rice and then it is served with oyster sauce and few bento flakes. Why I like this is because even though it's a street food it is very light to eat and it has it's own nutritional benefits. As I mentioned it is fried but still it doesn't get too oily. I tried it with my friends in Delhi.
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