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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
    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 7

    The one Italian dish I love to eat anytime of the day is pasta, especially alfredo white sauce pasta. The alfredo white sauce enriches the taste of the pasta with oregano, olives and the white sauce which is creamy and cheesy. I have had this first in a cafe and from then every cafe I go, pasta is always on my list to be ordered. What makes this dish excellent is the ingredients as I specified earlier, it's the creamy texture the pasta has and it's also a bit healthy as it has some veggies and has some protein like paneer or chicken. I can't see what all I should have included.

    Band 7

    The dish which I love and I ate was the fried rice with a mixture of prawns and a variety of seafood in it. This dish was the first dish I ever tasted in Singapore when I was undergoing my student exchange program. It was a very interesting item where we had multiple toppings of fish roe, crab slices, squid chunks and a lot more. It was a lot of history within food, a lot of things to taste, a lot of flavors as you get a roll of blasting and addictive taste which is really mouth-watering. I tried cooking and recreating the dish when I came back to my home country where I tried to recreate the same yummy delicacy and it turned out to be a really good hit even though it didn't match the same taste but it did give that refreshing punch of the similar flavor and distinct hint of the seafood.

    Band 7

    The kind of foreign food I enjoy the most would be the pork ribs and mashed potatoes that I had in Hard Rock Cafe in Buffalo, USA. I would describe it as a scrumptious combination of the sweet sauce of the barbecue pork ribs as paired with the creamy texture of the mashed potatoes definitely gave a very delightful feeling in my mouth. I thoroughly enjoyed eating it due to the fact that it was something I never had tasted before and it was definitely suited to my palate and I was delighted to have a taste of it.

    Band 7

    One foreign food that I really like is pizza. Pizza is an Italian dish but it is now famous all over the world including India. The first time I had pizza was about 4 years ago. I went to a Domino's outlet in my hometown with my cousin. I saw many types of pizza on the menu like cheese burst, veggie delight and paneer pizza. I ordered a medium size cheese burst pizza with a extra topping. When I took the first bite, it tasted amazing. The melted cheese, soft bread base and spicy topping made it very tasty. Since then, I have had pizza many times. I usually eat it on a special day like birthday or when I go out with my friends. Sometime I also order it at home during weekends. I like both vegetarian and non-vegetarian pizza. Second reason I love the pizza is that it is easy to eat and very filling. Also I can choose my own topping like olives, mushroom, paneer such toppings. It is hot, cheesy and has a lovely smell. The best part is the cheese. It stretches when we pull a slice. Pizza is different from Indian food but still, it suits our taste. Now many Indian restaurants also serve desi style pizza like spicy flavors. I think it is a good mix of foreign and Indian taste. I feel happy and satisfied whenever I eat pizza. It is not something I eat everyday but I enjoy it once in a while. So pizza is one foreign food that I like the most and have enjoyed many times. It has become a part of my fun moments with friends and family.

    Band 7

    One foreign food that I really like is Italian pasta, significantly spaghetti. I first tried it at an Italian restaurant in my city when I went with my friends for a dinner. The dish is very simple yet delicious. It mainly consists of spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, and parsley. What I enjoyed the most was the balance of flavor, the strong aroma of garlic mixed with slightly spiciness and chili and the smooth texture of olive oil. Unlike heavy creamy pasta, this one felt very light but satisfying. I like it because it is healthy, easy to digest and doesn't use too many artificial sauces. Another reason is that it gave me a completely new taste compared to traditional Indian food. Since then, I have tried making it at home and it has become one of my favorite comfort foods. So this is the spaghetti, my foreign food that I love it.

    Band 7

    The foreign food I enjoyed is actually a dessert that I had in my friend's house on the night of Christmas and my friend, his mom made it specially for the Christmas Eve and it was tiramisu, a French dessert and actually it's made from coffee, bread, cheese, cream, cocoa powder and some other dish and some other ingredients. So actually it's coffee soaked bread with a mascarpone cheese. I asked my friend's mom to give me the recipe of it and I tried making the dessert like her but I couldn't because the taste was so amazing, it's delicious. It was and the meaning behind making that dessert in my home was the warm welcome that I received from his house and it made me feel great. So I wanted to surprise them, wanted to gift them the same dessert. I wanted to make it by myself and gift him.

    Band 7

    I like pasta, especially Alfredo pasta. I first had it in a restaurant at Delhi. I love the creamy texture of Alfredo pasta. I like having lots of vegetables such as mushrooms and capsicum and corn in it. I also like pizza from Italy. Everyone loves pizza. My favorite toppings are mushrooms and corn. And I like cheese burst pizza as well. The pizza which has cheese in its crust also.

    Band 7

    The dish I like very much is chicken biryani where I tried it in Hyderabad. The ingredients used in chicken biryani are chicken, some spices along with basmati rice, roasted onions. The cooking process takes usually like 30 minutes to 1 hour. The chicken is being marinated in curd and spices along with roasted onion. Later on it is slow cooked in a kadai. Later on water is added to the marinated chicken and basmati rice and slow cooked till it gives the aromatic flavor.

    Band 7

    Recently, I had the pleasure of tasting Wiener Schnitzel, which is the speciality in Austria. I was able to eat this when I was on an exchange program in Vienna, Austria, and I had it every Thursday for lunch. The procedure to make a Wiener Schnitzel included marinating a slab of meat in flour and then frying it in oil. This created a crispy outer layer on the meat, which could be turkey meat or pork or chicken, and it was served with a dollop of cream and onion sauce and a salad. I really liked how tender the meat was and how the taste complements the spiciness of the sauce and the freshness of the salad. I shared this dish with my friends in the exchange program, and all of them really liked it. I tried making it myself, but I failed because I couldn't find the right proportions to make it. So, I went with eating it in the canteen in my university. I was served this dish in a rather peculiar way when I ate it first. I was served the dish with a side salad of a red plant, and it tasted really good. The sauce was also red, and it had tomatoes in it. I really liked the dish, and I'm...

    Band 7

    I have always been open to experimenting with different types of food and cuisines and my most recent experiment was not an exception. I had the good fortune of visiting Korea last month and over there one particular food that I was very much keen on trying was Korean barbecue. Now I know it sounds not that much different from normal barbecue but trust me when I say Korean barbecue is a wonderful experience that anyone should try. They have varied kinds of meats prepared in a personal grill on your own table. It is a DIY experience so I was very curious about how I could cook my own dinner by myself. Fortunately it was not as difficult as it seemed. They had provided different kinds of sauces, different condiments and seasonings so it made the experience very much enjoyable. I had gone there with my cousins so the joint experience made it all the more fun. At that moment I was very skeptical about how it would turn out but looking back I can say I definitely enjoyed the experience. It was definitely an assault to the senses. Different flavors and tastes are very unusual compared to what I have been used to. It is an expensive affair so I would not suggest this for normal diet but I will say that I would definitely like to try it again. It has been an experience that I will most certainly cherish for my lifetime.

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