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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

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    Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country
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    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

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    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.
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7

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    Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

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    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

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    Band >7

    So, a person who is from a different cultural background whom I most like is my uncle. My paternal uncle is from Nizamabad and often people from Nizamabad as you know perceived as someone who are very stingy and they like to stick on to you and that is irritable but my uncle is different and I also thought that he is the same before meeting him and when I got to know him, I built the idea that he is not so much a different person from me or my folks so he has changed me a lot too as he has a wholehearted nature and he is always ready to help.

    Band 7

    One person from a different cultural background that I enjoy spending time with is Arjun, a friend of mine from Kerala. He is in South India. We met during a college event and even though we come from very different regions, I am from the North, he and I immediately clicked. What makes spending time with Arjun so interesting is that his lifestyle and traditions are quite different from mine. For example, his mother language is Malayalam and he is sometimes teaching some words and phrases which I find very fascinating. He also introduced me to some dishes like Appavam and Kuttu which I had never tasted before. Honestly, it was a treat for the taste buds. Even though our backgrounds are different, we have a lot in common. We both enjoy music, playing games and exploring new places. We often talk about how different festivals are celebrated in North and South and it's always fun to learn the roots of each other's traditions. Spending time with Arjun has helped me understand that India's diversity is truly its strength. I have become more open-minded and curious about the cultures and different ways of life that people live. He is not just a good friend of mine but also someone who helps me to broaden my mindset and help me to get to know about the other cultures and the festivals they enjoy. We became so much closer that I have visited South side and celebrated their functions. I really welcome friendship and always look forward to our conversation no matter where we come.

    Band 7

    A person I would like to describe from a different cultural background whom I enjoy spending my time with is my friend Amelia. She is a beautiful girl from Poland and not just visually but also from the inside. She has a calm personality and she always helps me with my homework and all my chores. We talk on Instagram on Sundays or maybe whenever we are free. I love spending my time with her and she also helps me learn English better. We like to play chess sometime although I win every time but she never gets disheartened and always tries to do better than me.

    Band 7

    Best part about India is its diverse culture. I really enjoy the varied cultures that I have got to see while growing up. One thing I would like to mention here is about my friend who is a catholic. I really admire their religion. I have heard a lot of stories about her and I really think that it is a very interesting culture. The best part is their festivals. Christmas is something that I am very keen about. All of their different customs and traditions make it interesting to learn about. Moreover, you get to learn about Jesus during this period and how he sacrificed himself for the world. I think it is a very good example of human behaviour.

    Band 7

    When I was doing my undergraduate program I had the opportunity to join a semester exchange program. So during that program I went to South Korea for my academics. So the duration was around four months. However we had many procedures to go through and then I went there. Luckily I got a Spanish friend she is Laura. She's a beautiful young woman who is again so kind and sweet. She helped me for the whole program that I spent in the South Korea. We had a great time together. The most did activity together was shopping. We usually go shopping together. We shared our intellectual thoughts and if any we have any tricks or tips that has to be shared during the shopping like how to shop under budget. She was such a kind soul from Spain. She taught me a lot about Spain, their culture and even the flamingo trend that was going on. She gifted me an apron from her nation. So that was quite a lovely experience with her. Just after you know coming back from South Korea I came to know that she is years older than me but she was so sweet and so down-to-earth that she treated everyone like her own age with equal you know respect and all that. I really loved her.

    Band 7

    India is known for its diverse cultural background and today one person whom I would like to talk about from a different cultural background is my friend, my close friend Jhanvi Soshdev. She comes from a Sindhi cultural background which was initially started from the northern states of India. Sindhi culture is known for their sweet cuisine. I would like to ask Jhanvi Soshdev, how did you come to know about Sindhi culture? Basically I have observed that the dishes actually do taste if you build on a habit of having them every week. It started as an obligation so that she doesn't feel bad about her culture or the kind of dishes, cuisines they offer. Eventually I accepted the offerings and now I can say that it was a blessing in disguise that I was open to try new things.

    Band 7

    One person I truly enjoy spending time with is my friend Elena, who is originally from Spain. We met during a summer internship program that brought together students from different countries. Even though we are from different countries and cultural backgrounds, we bonded instantly. Elena's cultural background is quite vibrant and expressive. She often shares stories about Spanish traditions like flamenco dancing and meals and family gatherings that last for hours. It was fascinating for me to learn how important her music and togetherness are in Spanish culture. We usually spend time cooking together. She teaches me traditional Spanish recipes while I introduce her to Indian cuisine. We also enjoy watching movies from each other's countries and comparing how cultures are prepared. This experience has a big impact on me and it has made me open-minded and curious about the world. Spending time with someone from a different culture has helped me become more tolerant, adaptable and appreciative of diversity. It also made me more confident in communicating with people from different backgrounds, something that I believe is very important in today's global world.

    Band 7

    In the next two minutes I'll describe someone I know who is from a different cultural background and with whom I love spending my time. So I met Aditya a year ago when I joined Aditya Birla group. Both of us joined at the same time as graduate engineering trainees. We met on the first day and we have been friends ever since. He is a Marathi who is basically a person who belongs to the state of Maharashtra in India and it's safe to say that he is Marathi through and through. He has taught us the language, he has taught us the culture and he has made us taste the food and let me tell you it is quite amazing. The flavors, the spice, the condiments, the variety of the food, the Marathi cuisine is simply astonishing. They make use of so many vegetables and so many different textures. Just eating Marathi cuisine for me is a delight and over this one year or so he has made us experience the Marathi culture, food traditions and it has been such an amazing experience, such a transforming experience for me. I am an Odia, I belong to the state of Odisha and our culture is entirely different.

    Band 6-7

    In my life, I know about many personalities who are from different cultural background. But today, here I would like to talk about one particular person. That person is my cousin brother. He belongs to Haryana and the culture of Haryana is very different from Punjab because his way of living is very simple. Apart from that, I like to spend time with him because he is one of my favorite person and we do lot of activities like playing in my hometown playground as well as we hang out together on cinemas and on restaurants for eating food. As well as we have same hobbies such as playing video games. We play lot of video games in our childhood and now-a-days we play football together. Furthermore, we spend lot of time with each other because he is very simple person.
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