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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 157 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
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    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

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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 7

    One foreign dish that I really enjoy is Thai green curry. I tried it for the first time at an authentic Thai restaurant in my city where I went out for dinner with my cousins last year I think. So the dish is made with I guess chicken pieces cooked in a rich and creamy green curry sauce. The sauce contains coconut milk. That's what I felt actually, coconut milk, green curry paste, Thai basil, lemongrass etc. And vegetables like baby corn and bell peppers. Yeah, I remember that. So it is usually served with steamed jasmine rice which perfectly balances the flavours of the curry. What I enjoyed the most about this dish was it was unique taste due to its unique taste and aroma. The curry was slightly spicy with a hint of sweetness from the coconut milk and had a very refreshing fragrance because of the lime leaves and basil. The chicken was tender and vegetables were perfectly cooked. So it was flavourful. I like this dish because it's very different from Indian curries that I usually eat. The combination of creamy, spicy and tangy flavours felt completely new to me. Also I feel it is quite healthy because it has a lot of fresh herbs and vegetables. Overall it was a delicious experience and since then Thai green curry has become one of my favourite foreign dishes.

    Band 7

    A foreign food that I really enjoy is Mexican hot pot. I am a very big fan of Mexican cuisine. The first time I had Mexican cuisine was just very recently, not a long time ago, maybe 2-3 years ago because Mexican cuisine was not very popular in India before that. It is only in the past 5-6 years that it has gained a lot of popularity and a lot of people prefer eating Mexican food in India. We had gone to a restaurant, highway restaurant and that is where I had Mexican hot pot for the first time. I thoroughly enjoyed eating it. I devoured the tangy, spicy flavours that it had. Since then every time we go to a restaurant, it is a staple order of mine. My mother also loves eating Mexican rice. She has learnt making it for me at home as well and all my friends love her Mexican rice. Every time she gives me that in the lunch box, I have to take extra servings.

    Band 7

    My favorite dish is ramen. Ramen is generally a food of Japanese people. It involves a soupy base, noodles along with different types of ingredients like egg, spring onion, fish, chicken, mushrooms, corn and various other vegetables you might like. I tried ramen in a local new Japanese place where I tried the chicken Vietnamese Pho. It had mushrooms, corn, chicken, egg and noodles. I like to eat ramen since it has a perfect balance of soup and noodles. Moreover, it's easier to prepare as you can just put all your ingredients in one pot and you are ready to go.

    Band 7

    One of my favourite foreign food I like and I have had was almost a year ago in Saudi Arabia. I had a dish called Mabhooth that is basically chicken and rice in Arabian spices and flavours. Firstly, about this dish I just loved how well the chicken was cooked to perfection. Secondly, the flavours on both the chicken and the rice was flawless and it really made me rethink my senses. Thirdly, the combination, the chicken, rice and the gravy alongside with it was simply what I would call a royal feast to my tongue. In conclusion, it is my favourite because it was most fulfilling, satisfying both to the tongue, my stomach and most importantly my heart.

    Band 7

    If I have to name one of the best foreign foods that I have had recently or tasted recently was the alfredo pasta. I remember when we had the long day at work, me and my sister, so we went to some cafe and we were so confused, we didn't know what to order and then we ordered that alfredo pasta. It was so good and it was so creamy, I literally still remember the taste when I am talking about it and in addition to the taste as well, the ambience and the staff was so nice, they were welcoming, the place was so welcoming like as if it was wanting us to be there and I was with my sister, I cherished the moment, I enjoyed, I had the best thing with my sister. She is more like my friend and everything to me, so I feel I had one of the best pastas with her, one of the best foreign dish and it was so good, the best thing that I liked about that thing is, what was that, the creaminess of the pasta, the sauce that they made, it was homemade, it was homemade alfredo pesto pasta something and it was just so delicious and it was hot and it was raining outside and when we were having it, it felt like a complete whole meal, I cherished that, still I literally remember the taste, it was one of the best dish that I have had and it made it even more beautiful, I can say that I have a memory with my sister that I would love to relive again, we took pictures, so I do remember what we did on that day exactly, even though we were tired, we were so restless the entire day, we were having issues and we were dealing with things and then

    Band 7

    The foreign food that I like is momos, that is a Tibetan dish. I had tried it recently near my house. There's a small little restaurant called as Sarnia, where they serve Tibetan food. There are many other types of Tibetan food that are available over there, but the most delicious food that I liked there was momos. It's basically a flour-based wrap, which has a stuffing of chicken minced with onions and some sauces, and they provide us with three dips, which are made of soya, cabbage, and chili, which makes it even more tastier.

    Band 7

    I personally consider myself a food lover and one of the most favorite foreign dishes that I've tried is definitely a Zinger burger. I had it for the first time around seven years back. I still vividly remember how it tasted at that time. It was my first time trying a burger itself and so I was very curious as to how it's gonna taste and when I had the first bite it was everything that I had hoped it would be. It did not have a regular patty like the other burgers. It had fried chicken in between the burger buns. That is what accelerated its taste to another level. It had this unique flavor which was given by the lettuce and tomato added to the burger and the icing on top is definitely the cheese and mayonnaise. I really loved them. It was very cheesy and crunchy because of the chicken and that is why I loved it. Moreover I love crunchy foods so it was soft buns on the top and crunchy fried chicken in between them which made them into a whole wonderful combo of the things that I love. That is why I enjoyed eating a Zinger burger so much the first time and I still love eating it. Zinger burger is definitely my favorite dish from the day I tasted it till now.

    Band 7

    I have tried different cuisines which I like a lot, be it Italian, Chinese or even Hyderabadi cuisine. But the most flavorful dish which I liked was Mandi. It's part of Lebanese cuisine and it includes different kind of meats prepared either in mild spices or roasted with flavorful rice which are topped with dry fruits. They usually give it with garlic mayonnaise or tomato puree. I tried it for the first time when I came to Hyderabad for job. I had just recently moved in and my friend suggested that we should go and try Mandi. At first, I got confused because Mandi is a word for fruit or vegetable market in the place from where I come in. But here, he told me that Mandi is a dish which is enjoyed in a group of people. They have a big plate which has a lot of rice. People eat together and form bonds while eating the cuisine. I like the mild savory flavor of the rice along with the spicy chicken.

    Band 7

    At first, one foreign dish I really like and I have tried is sushi, which is traditional Japanese food. I first tried it at a Japanese restaurant in Bangalore a couple of years ago. I was a bit hesitant at first because it was a raw fish, but I was also very curious. The sushi I had was made with vinegar rice, fresh raw salmon, sweet avocado and a bit of wasabi. It was served with soya sauce and pickled ginger on the side. What I enjoyed most was the fresh and clean taste along with the slightly spicy kick from the wasabi. I like sushi not only because of its unique taste but also because it feels very healthy and light. It is beautifully presented and eating it always feels like a special experience. It is very different from Indian food, but I enjoy trying new things. Sushi has definitely become one of my favorite international dishes.

    Band 7

    The foreign food that I particularly love is the Vietnamese noodles called pho. It has a clear soup and noodles with meat. I truly enjoy this dish because it is so hearty, it is like the food for the soul. I could say that it is my comfort food. I first tried it with my friends in a Vietnamese restaurant in Dubai and all of us were extremely pleased with the taste because we never had it before.
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