Describe a person who has made you feel uncomfortable.: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

Who was it?
What did this person do?
How did you tackle the situation?

8 unique answers with expert feedback

How do you usually handle uncomfortable situations with friends?

I try to communicate my feelings directly but politely. If a friend crosses a boundary, I might say something like, 'I prefer not to discuss that.' If they continue, I may distance myself from the conversation or the friendship.

Have you ever confronted someone about their behavior?

Yes, I have confronted someone before. I explained how their actions made me feel uncomfortable. It was a difficult conversation, but it was necessary for my peace of mind. Sometimes, people are unaware of how their behavior affects others.

What qualities do you value in a friend to avoid such discomfort?

I value friends who respect personal boundaries and are good listeners. Empathy and the ability to read social cues are important. A friend should be able to engage in light conversations and know when to change the topic if someone seems uncomfortable.

Band 5-6

00:00

I currently reside in Hyderabad away so far away from my hometown so on the way back from the church I came across this random person who wasn't a spike I don't know who is he was is just a random person who called me from behind I while I was walking towards my PG with my mother on phone so he called me from back and asked me if I could help him with something like which was required for mainly visits and women so he asked me if I could get him one from the supermarket because his friend's daughter had her first visit and she is facing many issues she is confused state and she is not letting her father or him get near to her something of that sort so I told him that just go and get a paracetamol or a pad of any size would be fine but even after that he was not letting me go he was like he was using phrases like it's itching do you use do you use shaving I currently reside in Hyderabad far away from my hometown so on the way back from church I usually call my mom to be on a safer side if something happens while I'm walking back to PG so there was a random guy in the bike in front of a supermarket and he called me from behind while I was on phone with my mom I told him I'm gonna call is it urgent but he kept insisting me to come near him and I went because he because I thought it's some kind of emergency his face was all tensed up it was sweating so I thought it would be an emergency and I went to him and he started asking about the periods the pads that women use what and showered me with so many unnecessary personal questions with the intention of making me uncomfortable at the same time he was mentioning that his friend's daughter was in trouble due to periods and she is having a hard time so I thought it is genuine and I recommended him that of using a bigger pad or using paracetamol for cramps stomach cramps but again when I was trying to leave he kept on asking me few personal questions that striked me at that point that this is not normal come out of it if this is not normal for a person to ask a random girl walking by I was so stupid at that time I didn't

Follow up questions

How did you feel during the encounter with the stranger?

I felt very uncomfortable and anxious. Initially, I thought it was an emergency, but as he continued to ask personal questions, I realized it was inappropriate. I felt trapped and regretted approaching him.

What would you do differently if faced with a similar situation again?

If I encountered a similar situation, I would prioritize my safety and avoid engaging with strangers. I would walk away immediately and call for help if needed, rather than trying to assist someone I don't know.

Have you ever had other uncomfortable experiences with strangers?

Yes, I have had a few other uncomfortable experiences, such as being approached by people asking for money or help inappropriately. Each time, I learned to be more cautious and aware of my surroundings.

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.

Yes, I think sharing my experience could help raise awareness about personal safety and encourage others to be vigilant. I would like to participate in workshops or discussions that focus on self-defense and personal safety in public spaces.

Show all 8 answers

Cue 1:Who was it?

Introduce the person clearly, mentioning your relationship with them.
Provide context about when and where you encountered this person.

Example

The person who made me feel uncomfortable was a colleague named Rajesh. We worked together in the same department at my previous job, and I often interacted with him during team meetings.

Cue 2:What did this person do?

Describe the specific actions or behaviors that made you feel uneasy.
Explain how these actions affected your feelings or the environment.

Example

Rajesh often made inappropriate jokes during meetings, which made me and some of my other colleagues uncomfortable. His comments were not just unprofessional but also crossed personal boundaries, making it hard for me to focus on work.

Cue 3:How did you tackle the situation?

Discuss the steps you took to address the discomfort, whether directly or indirectly.
Mention any support you sought or actions you took to protect your well-being.

Example

To tackle the situation, I decided to speak to my manager privately about Rajesh's behavior. I explained how it affected the team dynamics and requested that he address it. I also started to distance myself from Rajesh during work-related activities to avoid further discomfort.

Conclusion

Summarize your feelings about the experience and what you learned from it.
Reflect on how this situation has influenced your interactions with others.

Example

In conclusion, dealing with Rajesh was challenging, but it taught me the importance of addressing uncomfortable situations directly. I learned that it's essential to maintain a professional environment and that speaking up can help create a more respectful workplace.

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: Vague Descriptions

Using vague language can make your response unclear. It's important to provide specific details about the person and the situation to engage the listener.

Tip

Use descriptive adjectives and specific examples to paint a clear picture of the person and the uncomfortable situation.

2: Avoiding Personal Feelings

Not expressing your feelings can make your answer less relatable. Sharing how you felt adds depth to your response and connects with the examiner.

Tip

Include your emotions and thoughts during the situation to show your personal experience and make your answer more engaging.

Lack of Resolution

Failing to explain how you tackled the situation can leave your answer incomplete. It's important to show how you handled the discomfort.

Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

Band 6-7

Band 6

Okay, so when I was in my 10th standard, as I was in my school, so my school was over and I went to, took a metro. So while I was waiting at the station, there was a man who was continuously staring towards me. Like when I was talking to my friend, so he was just giving me an inside eye and it was like when I just looked at him, he tried to make an eye contact with me. And when my metro arrived, I went inside and I sat there. So the man was particularly going to take another section of the train, but where I was standing, he came there. And he was standing right in front of me and he was like continuously staring and staring and staring. And it was like quite uncomfortable for me. So what, and I told my friend, so she was also like my age, so what we are supposed to do, right? So she was like, just ignore it and don't look at him and all this stuff. So we were talking and then my station arrived. So when I got back, so he followed me. So when I came down in the metro station, I was like waiting with one of the policemen. Like I was talking to him randomly, like at what time your duty starts, where are you from and do you like your duty and all this stuff. So I had to talk with that police uncle like for about 10 to 15 minutes. So he just caught me like, he actually got an idea, like she's going to do something like, you know. So then he literally went and then I called my mom and dad and they were there to pick me up. Then I told my mom and dad that all this stuff happened. So they were like, okay, you did a great job. And if something like this happens again, so just call us up and don't.

Band 5-6

So, I don't exactly remember the person's name or the description, but it was TC. He didn't make me feel uncomfortable though, but I remember this incident which made me uncomfortable. So, it was completely my fault actually. So, it was my board exam and I was running late, very, very, very late for exam. It was my last paper. So, I was little happy, but late, it was my chemistry's paper and so I was running late. So, I couldn't get the ticket and I was in the mood of studying and I left the house at 6 in the morning and I thought there won't be any TC, so I decided to travel without any train ticket. That was completely my fault, but then what happened is TC came and he started asking for a ticket. So, I told him nicely that I don't have ticket and I'm getting late for exam, so please take this extra charge and let me go. But he didn't allow me to go. He took my college ID card, he took my boarding pass, everything he took and he started shouting. So, I was ready to pay the fine, but he couldn't allow me, so he made me very uncomfortable. I was already very nervous and on top of that, I had to beg him that allow me to go because I have exam to write, so that entire scene was very uncomfortable and still it makes me very uncomfortable whenever I see TC's or whenever I have such encounters with TC's, so that whole experience and the person was very uncomfortable.

Band <5

في حياتي، أغلب الناس الذين يجعلونني أشعر بالسعادة عندما أتجول بهم هم الناس الذين لا يملكون قيمة يخاطر، يخاطر، لا يؤمن بإيمان الله ولا يحترم أحداً، خاصة الناس القديمة عندما أجلس معهم، أحاول أن لا أتحدث معهم أو أحياناً حتى التواصل العيني عندما لا أريد التواصل معهم عندما يشعرون بي في الجانب النقاطي أنا متأكد، لذلك هؤلاء الناس يخطرون طاقتي لذلك حقاً أحاول أن أتجنبهم