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Describe a person from a different cultural background with whom you enjoy spending time: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • Who this person is?
  • What their cultural background is?
  • What activities you do together?
  • And explain how this experience impacted you.
Show all 193 answers

Cue 1:Who this person is?

  • Introduce the person by name and mention how you met them.
  • Share a brief description of their personality traits that you admire.

Example

The person I enjoy spending time with is my friend Aisha. I met her during my college days when we were both part of the cultural committee. Aisha is very friendly and has a great sense of humor, which makes her fun to be around.

Cue 2:What their cultural background is?

  • Describe Aisha's cultural background, including her ethnicity and any specific traditions.
  • Mention how her background differs from yours and what you find interesting about it.

Example

Aisha comes from a Bengali background, which is quite different from my Punjabi roots. She often shares stories about the rich traditions of Durga Puja and how her family celebrates it with elaborate rituals and delicious food. I find her culture fascinating and love learning about the different customs.

Cue 3:What activities you do together?

  • List some specific activities you enjoy doing together that reflect her cultural background.
  • Explain how these activities help you bond and learn from each other.

Example

We often cook together, trying out traditional Bengali recipes like fish curry and mishti doi. I also enjoy attending cultural events with her, where I get to experience her music and dance. These activities not only strengthen our friendship but also allow me to appreciate her culture more deeply.

Cue 4:And explain how this experience impacted you.

  • Reflect on how spending time with Aisha has broadened your perspective.
  • Discuss any personal growth or changes in your views due to this friendship.

Example

Spending time with Aisha has significantly impacted my understanding of cultural diversity. It has made me more open-minded and appreciative of different traditions. I now celebrate Durga Puja with her family, which has enriched my life and helped me build a deeper connection with my friend.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, my friendship with Aisha has not only been enjoyable but also transformative. It has taught me the importance of embracing cultural differences and has made my life more colorful and fulfilling.

    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: Avoid Generalizations About Culture

    Making broad statements about a culture can lead to inaccuracies and misunderstandings. It's important to focus on specific aspects of the person's background.

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    Tip

    Provide specific examples from your experiences with the person to illustrate their unique cultural traits.

    2: Neglecting Personal Connection

    Failing to explain your personal connection with the person can make your answer less engaging. It's essential to share why you enjoy spending time together.

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    Tip

    Include personal anecdotes or feelings that highlight your bond and shared experiences.

    Lack of Detail in Activities

    Being vague about the activities you do together can make your response less vivid. Detailed descriptions help paint a clearer picture.

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    Tip

    Describe specific activities you enjoy, including where you do them and what makes them special.

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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
    anonymous person icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    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 8

    Absolutely. One person who immediately comes to mind is my friend, Amina, who hails from Morocco. We met during a cultural exchange program a few years ago, and since then, we've developed a strong friendship. Amina comes from a rich Berber and Arab cultural background, and her heritage is deeply rooted in traditional Moroccan customs, cuisine, and language. When we spend time together, we often engage in a variety of activities that blend our cultures. For instance, we love cooking together. She introduces me to traditional Moroccan dishes like tagine and couscous, and in turn, I share some of my own culinary traditions with her. We also enjoy exploring cultural festivals, attending art exhibitions, and sometimes even watching Moroccan films or listening to traditional music. This cross-cultural friendship has had a profound impact on me. It has broadened my horizons, allowing me to gain a deeper appreciation for Moroccan culture and traditions. It has also enhanced my cultural empathy and understanding, helping me become more open-minded and appreciative of diversity. Ultimately, it has enriched my life, not just by introducing me to new customs, but also by fostering a genuine and meaningful connection that transcends cultural boundaries.

    Band 7

    Today I am going to share about Chris, my college friend. He is a Christian who lives in Punjab and I am a Hindu. I live in Tripura and there lies our cultural, religious and demographical difference. Despite these differences, we share a lot in common. For example, we share a lot of common interests like creating assignments, preparing for different kind of projects and college society programs. Participating in these activities with him has taught me that cultural or religious divides cannot make a person distant from you. It is only humanity that brings people together.

    Band 7

    I am from Madhya Pradesh and I recently joined college in Chennai and all my classmates they are from Tamil Nadu so at the beginning it felt a little difficult to engage with all of them because of the language difference the cultural difference then eventually I made a friend her name is Shruti and she is from Tamil Nadu so she used to teach me some phrases for from the Tamil language that I can use to communicate it also helped me in communicating with the house help and also some of the teachers and the vendors also she took me out to cultural events like dance fests and also showing me around the art history of Tamil Nadu I got to see Thanjavur paintings and we also know that Tamil Nadu has like a rich heritage of temple so we went to Mahabalipuram we saw the stone temple there and we also went to Madurai for the Meenakshi temple so yeah it was a beautiful experience and she made it even more beautiful with her guidance and showing me about everything about her culture I also told her how I used to live back there what languages I speak and we also talked to each other's parents to get to know about each other more so she is like my best friend now and she is from Tamil Nadu I am from Madhya Pradesh that doesn't bring any differences between us we just learn to stay with each other together learn about each other and respect each other

    Band 7

    Good morning. Today I would like to talk about a person whose culture is totally different from mine. His name is Hilal, basically hailing from Kashmir. He's fair in complexion. He's 6 feet tall. He's very generous and calm. He has a wicked sense of humor. So, coming to when I met him, I went to Kashmir few months ago and I stayed in his hotel. There I found that his culture was totally different from South. Basically, Kashmir is situated at the top and north side and I am from Kerala which is the southern part of India. So, they follow tradition which is similar to countries like Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan which is again the northern part from India. And down the line, down south, we follow something different. Overall, I felt really good with him.

    Band 7

    I recently met a priest who works at a Gurudwara in Rajasthan and I quickly made friends with him. Being with him has taught me a lot about the Sikh culture. He gave me information about the practices, how the food differs and how the lifestyle is different from mine. The prasad which is made at Gurudwara and he also taught me the recipe, how to make it. The Gurudwara and the Sikh culture involves a lot of self-service. It involves washing our own dishes and utensils before we sit at the table to eat. He taught me a small prayer and he also made me understand the importance of the prayer. The routine is different from mine and he gave me his complete daily routine as well. From waking up at 4 am to sleeping at 7 pm. The times of the day where they have to pray for their God. How they have to pray and the way they have to pray. That is in a sitting posture and reading out the stories and songs. He also gave me information about the way they have to wash their hands and their feet before entering their sacred place. All of this was really new to me and I had a great experience learning it. Whenever I have a chat with him, it is really delightful and enriching for me because every time I understand and get some new points making me more happy and wealthy.

    Band 7

    So the person I would like to talk about is a very good friend of mine, her name is Krupashree Karnali Suresh. She is from Karnataka and her religion is Hinduism. She is also a pure vegetarian. So now when you talk about a different culture, I am the exact opposite of it. I am a Christian, I am from Kerala and I do consume non-veg as well. Some of the activities which we do like to do together is to watch movies in our own native language as this gives us an opportunity to explore the different cultures, the different diets, the different beliefs that we both share and then explain it to each other. For example, when we watch a Kannada movie, she tells me about the different beliefs, the different aspects which they refer to and when we watch a Malayalam movie, I describe to her the language and the different cultures which belong to myself. Now what this has opened up for me is the fact that we have a multitude of cultures throughout the country and just by knowing one of these cultures, I was not even able to fathom the fact that our beliefs are at the two different ends of a spectrum. Talking about different views, I believe in certain ethics, she believes in certain ethics but I understood that people can believe in different things and be right at the same time.

    Band 7

    The person I'm going to describe here started out as a client, but slowly became a close friend as well. His name is Joe DeMariano and he lives in Miami, Florida. We started working together a couple of years ago where he approached me to run a few ad campaigns for him at the company I run, but soon we realized that we had a lot in common and we became close friends. We'd talk after meetings and we'd discuss topics ranging from travel to his exposure to cultures in the U.S. He comes from an Italian background, but lives in Miami, Florida, where there's a lot of exposure to Spanish culture and also the American culture in general. I also spend a lot of time explaining to him how India is quite diverse and there are very subtle nuances to different places in India, which a foreigner would not have access to until and unless they knew somebody from the inside. Moreover, this has also strengthened our professional relationships because this has helped build trust and we have a strong working relationship that has endured the test of time. He has become one of the top contributors and clients.

    Band 7

    So, I'm going to talk about my sister-in-law. She belongs from Romania and she's been married to my brother since 8 years. She's a very straightforward person and is very likable. We went on a trip together last month in her home country, Romania, and she showed us so many beautiful places and explained us everything about each place. So, I really enjoyed spending time with her. Also, they organized a wedding ceremony for their friends and it was really good time there. She introduced us to all of her friends and family there and we danced so much together and I never felt like I'm away from home. She was always there for me and I experienced a lot of fun and freedom with her. I'm very grateful to have a sister-in-law like her. I first met her in November 2022 when she came to India for my brother's wedding where she expressed herself very clearly and in a very friendly way even though we were meeting for the first time. She was very friendly and very receptive towards the family and she really enjoyed our company and adjusted well in our family. I really like the way she talks and the way she communicates with everybody in the family equally and we never feel that she's from different culture or different country. She always tried

    Band 7

    During my university days, in the year 2010, I was acquainted with one of the Russian girls. Her name was Alisa. I spent a lot of time with her during my six years course of medical academy. With Alisa, time was very easy going because she was a local Russian girl who introduced me to Russian culture and heritage. We used to hang out in malls, churches, even arranged barbecues in the woods. We often went swimming in the ocean and lake. But the maximum time that I enjoyed with her was with her family. We used to have evening get-together and dinner parties. The most vital part or the most vital role that she played in my life was, she was a very good advisor and an excellent friend. Being from a different background made her a very good candidate to practice my Russian language with her. Besides all of these, she also paid a visit to India in recent times. And I enjoyed company with her introducing my culture and my heritage. And we enjoyed various local cuisines of India as part of her cultural exploration. I even remember that we spent time in a different part of Russia, that was towards the northern section. The name of the region was Northern State. And we enjoyed it.

    Band 7

    We are usually associated with people who are from our background because the cultures are similar and it is easy to connect with them. However, meeting people from new cultures is not an uncommon thing nowadays. In cities, there are a lot of migrants and there are a lot of people from various cultures that we can meet. One such person is Sahil who is my friend and my classmate. He has been in my class for the past two years and it is definitely an amazing experience to be with him. He is from Odisha, however, he does not know the language Odia which is the state language of Odisha. We love to study together and go out for fun and it is great to be with him. We regularly invite each other to our houses so that we can connect and enjoy each other's cultures. I remember the time he invited me to his house to enjoy an authentic Odia thali and it was absolutely delicious. The ingredients too were completely different and it made me understand the completely different culture that Odisha offered. I understood that India's unity lies in its diversity and gave me a fresh perspective about various cultures. It has developed the interest in me to meet new people, hence I am trying to study abroad so that I can get a better world view to understand how people think and what different cultures they come from.
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