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Describe a photo that you enjoy looking at: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What the photo is?
  • When and where it was taken?
  • What is shown in the photo?
  • Why you enjoy looking at it?
Show all 118 answers

Cue 1:What the photo is?

  • Begin by describing the photo clearly, mentioning its subject and any significant details.
  • Use vivid language to create a mental image for the listener.

Example

The photo I enjoy looking at is a beautiful landscape shot of the Himalayas. It captures the majestic snow-capped peaks under a clear blue sky, with a lush green valley in the foreground.

Cue 2:When and where it was taken?

  • Provide context about when and where the photo was taken, including any relevant details about the occasion.
  • Mention any emotions or thoughts you had during that moment.

Example

This photo was taken last year during a family trip to Manali. We visited in the summer, and I remember standing on a hilltop, feeling a sense of peace and awe as I looked at the breathtaking view.

Cue 3:What is shown in the photo?

  • Describe the elements in the photo, such as people, objects, or scenery, and their significance.
  • Share any interesting stories or memories associated with the elements in the photo.

Example

In the photo, you can see my family members smiling and posing together, with the mountains towering behind us. It reminds me of the fun we had hiking and exploring the area, creating lasting memories.

Cue 4:Why you enjoy looking at it?

  • Explain the emotional connection you have with the photo and why it resonates with you.
  • Mention how it makes you feel or any lessons it reminds you of.

Example

I enjoy looking at this photo because it brings back wonderful memories of our family trip. It reminds me of the beauty of nature and the importance of spending time with loved ones. Every time I see it, I feel a wave of happiness and gratitude.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, this photo is more than just an image; it represents a cherished moment in my life. It inspires me to appreciate nature and the time spent with family, making it a truly special photo for me.

    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 Photo

    Candidates often give unclear descriptions of the photo, which can confuse the listener. Specific details help create a vivid image in the examiner's mind.

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    Tip

    Provide clear details about the photo, including colors, subjects, and emotions it evokes to make your description more engaging.

    2: Ignoring the Context

    Failing to mention when and where the photo was taken can lead to a lack of context. This makes it harder for the examiner to understand the significance of the photo.

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    Tip

    Always include the time and place of the photo to give your answer more depth and context.

    Rushing Through Your Answer

    Candidates often rush their responses, leading to incomplete answers. This can prevent them from fully expressing their thoughts and feelings about the photo.

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    Tip

    Take your time to think and structure your answer. Use pauses to emphasize important points and ensure clarity.

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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

    There are actually two photos that I really like to look at, both of them are of my pets, one of which passed away in 2022 and one is the present cat. The first cat, his name was Teddy, he was about a year old when he passed away and looking at his picture really makes me reminisce and remember all the good memories I had with my pet. I spent a lot of time with him, he was like a little brother to me, pets have always meant a lot to me because they help me relax, they help me calm my mind and they kind of reduce all my problems that exist in my head. And the second picture is of another cat, he is still here, he is a black cat and he looks adorable. I just can't stop looking at his picture because he is the most beautiful cat I have ever met. Even though he ran away a few days ago, he keeps on coming back after a few days, so looking at his picture makes me remember him when he is gone. Although I really enjoy looking at cat pictures sometimes, I do enjoy looking at pictures of characters that inspire me, especially a character like Luffy, he is from an anime called One Piece and another character that inspires me a lot is Lord Hanuman himself because I have been praying to him ever since I was a kid.

    Band 7

    I took a picture recently on my camera phone in Manali, which is a hill station in India. I went on a group trip with a bunch of my friends after our final exams were finished. It was a sort of a farewell trip, to say, because we knew that we wouldn't see each other for an indefinite amount of time. The picture is in front of a landscape of magnificent snowy mountains, which is quite aesthetic and pleasing to the eyes. All of us are standing over there. It is a keepsake for all of us. I love looking at it because it just helps me reminisce about all the good times we had. It is a precious memory for me.

    Band 7

    One photo that I particularly enjoy looking at is a family portrait taken during a reunion last year. The photo was captured in a beautiful garden with all my close relatives gathered together, smiling and posing happily. I received this photo from my cousin who is an amateur photographer shortly after the event. It is professionally framed and displayed prominently in our living room where everyone in the family can see it regularly. I enjoy looking at this photo because it reminds me of the warmth and joy we shared that day. It captures a moment of togetherness and happiness that is sometimes hard to find amid our busy lives. The expression on everyone's faces convey genuine affection and a strong sense of belonging. Every time I look at the photo, I feel nostalgic and grateful for the strong family bonds we have maintained despite the challenges of distance and time. It serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of family and cherishing such precious moments.

    Band 7

    I really enjoy looking at my daughter's newborn photos. We had a great colorful photo shoot last November. Now she is an infant and we had just celebrated her first birthday a couple of months ago. The photo has all three of us, myself, my better half and my cute little daughter smiling and looking at me. We have had it framed and we have hung it on her on our living room. We would often look at it and have memories of us together and while looking at my daughter, all my stress during the work goes off. It's really a nice feeling to have. Family times should not be compromised at any cost. The work-life balance that we are having of late in the society is alarmingly detrimental. I must say family time is the time worth spending and the time that we spend in work should let us have a happy family time. But nowadays people are running behind money and they are compromising on the family time much more than required. This leads to strained interpersonal relationships that often end up in divorces which are often happening in the

    Band 7

    A photo that I hold very dear to me is the photograph of me and my father. I think it captures a moment from my childhood at our first rented house. I don't remember that particular evening, but I remember each and every detail in that photograph. He's holding me in his lap and I'm laughing out loud at some of his antics. I seem to be enjoying and it captures a beautiful moment of love between us. My father passed away a few years ago, so this is a picture I often see to reminisce about the moments, about the good memories that I shared with him. It is very important to me because it gives me strength to know that my father always had my back. And it's the picture that I framed and keeps beside my bedside table so that I can see it every morning as I wake up and feel his presence still beside me. Whenever I see that photograph, I don't feel lonely or I feel my mood gets lightened up. It gives me strength and that is why I still hold on to that photograph. I really miss my father and also accept the fact that I can't have any more new photographs clicked with him, but this particular one shows the amount of good times that we got to spend with each other.

    Band 7

    The photo that I enjoy looking at is my family picture. It was taken when I was 16 years old. Basically my parents take pictures once in a blue moon. They are not that interested to take pictures. So my uncle, he is a very professional photographer. So we went on a vacation to Paris. At that time my uncle forced my parents to take a family picture of our four members that is me, my sister and my parents. So in front of Eiffel Tower, when the lights are blinking on it at the night, we took a beautiful picture that is very memorable. We have enjoyed the moment. Whenever I look at the picture, I always think about the situation that happened there, how happy everyone looked by looking at the amazing Eiffel Tower in Paris. And also when people have that happy face, they will give a genuine expression in photo. So that way wherever I go, I carry that photo. I feel like it has a genuine relationship display in the photo. So whenever I miss my family members while I am away from them, I just take out the photo.

    Band 6-7

    My favorite family photo, it would be the last photo that has been framed at my house with the entire family in the picture. The picture consisted of me, my brother, my mother, my father, my grandparents including my grandmother and my grandfather. It is something that I enjoy looking at because it was the last photo that we ever clicked together because it was our last trip together where we went to Kashmir. I am very connected with that photo because my grandmother who isn't with us anymore is in that picture and that trip itself is very close to me. Whenever I look at that picture, I feel like my grandma is with us and because grandpa cannot travel a lot anymore. It was our last trip so it was very special and although my dad had closed eyes in the photo, I still feel like it is the cutest family photo that we ever have framed. It is a red color frame which is rectangular in shape and it is about 25 centimeters in length. My brother is about 15 years old in the photo and I am around 7 years old. My father and my mother are looking extremely young in the photo. Both of them can be seen laughing in the photo. My father has closed eyes and my mother is looking at my father and it is a really very cute photo. What can also be seen in the photo is that the mountains of Kashmir are so beautiful and this frame has somewhat become the reason why Kashmir has become my favorite place in the country and I hope to visit there again.

    Band 6-7

    If I had to talk a photo that I enjoy looking at would definitely be my family photo that comprises of me, my father, my mother and my younger brother way back in 2005 when I was three years old. My brother was one point, my brother was an year and a half year old and it was clear it was shot in front of the majestic Big Ben in the United Kingdom, specifically London. It reminds me of simpler times when I didn't have to stress so much about work. It reminds me of times when everything felt so simple. I used to wake up, go to sleep, do some activities in between. I didn't have to care about a proficiency test. I didn't have to care about securing a job. I didn't have to care about what my grades would actually be. I mean I would give someone a billion dollars to actually take me back to that time and when I look at that photo I realize that how important it is to actually make sure that the smile on my parents face is always intact and to never do anything that would ever harm my parents image or even my brother's image and that ever do something that would fade the smile away from my family. And I realize that moreover it helps me realize how far I've come in life and how big, how grown up I have become that I have other things to care of rather than just caring of whether I would wake up, which time was better back when I was a kid. Furthermore it reminds me of the peaceful life in the UK and how important keeping that smile is.

    Band 6-7

    The picture which I enjoy looking at is the picture of my mother and me standing together. My mother is holding my hand. It was captured at a wedding when I was wearing a party wear attire. I enjoy looking at that because the most precious thing I feel is that my mother giving me love and care which is perfectly illustrated in that photo. So I love watching that which makes me feel so much close to my mother.

    Band 6-7

    So, the photo that I enjoy looking at is a photograph of my brothers with me. I have three brothers and all together we make a four, so it was the photo where we all four were standing. It was taken on my birthday, on the year 2019 and why is it so special for me because two of them, two of my brothers are not with me anymore. One is studying in India but away from us, he comes once in a year to meet us and the second has gone to US for his higher studies and after that picture, we are not able to, we didn't even able to replicate the same picture again because we all four didn't met again together. I always want next birthday gift to be all four of us together and whenever I just remember them, I just look at the photos and smile.
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