Describe A Mistake You Have Made: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

What mistake was it?
When you made it?
How you made it?
How did you feel about it?

10 unique answers with expert feedback

Show all 10 answers

Cue 1:What mistake was it?

Clearly state the mistake you made, making it relatable and understandable.
Provide some context about why it was a mistake and its significance.

Example

The mistake I made was not studying enough for my final exams in college. I thought I could manage with minimal preparation, but it turned out to be a poor decision.

Cue 2:When you made it?

Mention the specific time frame when this mistake occurred.
Relate it to a significant event or period in your life for better context.

Example

I made this mistake during my final semester in college, just a few weeks before the exams in April. I was busy enjoying my last days with friends, thinking I had enough time.

Cue 3:How you made it?

Explain the actions you took that led to the mistake.
Discuss any distractions or poor choices that contributed to the situation.

Example

I spent more time hanging out with friends and attending parties rather than focusing on my studies. I kept telling myself that I could catch up later, but I never did.

Cue 4:How did you feel about it?

Share your feelings after realizing the mistake.
Reflect on the consequences and what you learned from the experience.

Example

When I received my results, I felt devastated. I had failed a couple of subjects, and it was a harsh wake-up call. I realized that my lack of preparation had serious consequences, and I learned the importance of time management and prioritizing my responsibilities.

Conclusion

Example

In conclusion, this mistake taught me valuable lessons about responsibility and the importance of preparation. It was a tough experience, but it ultimately helped me grow and become more disciplined in my studies.

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 Vague About the Mistake

Candidates often provide unclear or general descriptions of their mistakes, which can lead to a lack of detail in their answers. This makes it hard for the examiner to understand the situation.

Tip

Be specific about the mistake. Clearly describe what happened and provide concrete examples to illustrate your point.

2: Neglecting Emotional Impact

Many candidates forget to express how they felt about the mistake, which is crucial for a personal and engaging response. This can make the answer seem flat and uninteresting.

Tip

Include your feelings about the mistake. Explain how it affected you emotionally and what you learned from the experience.

Lack of Reflection on Learning

Some candidates fail to discuss what they learned from their mistake, missing an opportunity to show personal growth. This can weaken the overall impact of their response.

Tip

Conclude by reflecting on what the mistake taught you. Share how it has influenced your actions or decisions since then.

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

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.

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