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Describe a plan that you had to change recently: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What the original plan was?
  • Why you had to change it?
  • What you did differently?
  • And explain how you felt about the change.
Show all 135 answers

Cue 1:What the original plan was?

  • Begin by clearly stating what your original plan was, including details like the time and place.
  • Mention any specific goals or expectations you had for this plan.

Example

My original plan was to travel to Manali with my friends for a week-long vacation during the summer holidays. We had booked our tickets in advance and were really looking forward to enjoying the beautiful mountains and the cool weather.

Cue 2:Why you had to change it?

  • Explain the reason for the change, focusing on any unexpected circumstances that arose.
  • Be honest about how this change affected your initial excitement or plans.

Example

However, just a week before our trip, I received a call from my family informing me that my grandmother had fallen ill. I felt it was important to stay back and support my family during this difficult time, so I had to cancel my trip.

Cue 3:What you did differently?

  • Describe what alternative plans you made instead of the original trip.
  • Share how you adjusted your time and activities to accommodate the change.

Example

Instead of going to Manali, I decided to spend my time at home with my family. I helped take care of my grandmother and also spent quality time with my relatives who came to visit. We shared stories and memories, which brought us closer together.

Cue 4:And explain how you felt about the change.

  • Reflect on your feelings regarding the change, both positive and negative.
  • Discuss any lessons learned or insights gained from the experience.

Example

Initially, I felt disappointed about missing the trip, as I had been looking forward to it for months. However, as I spent time with my family, I realized how important it was to be there for them. It taught me that sometimes, family comes first, and I felt a sense of fulfillment in being supportive.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, while I had to change my travel plans due to unforeseen circumstances, I found value in the time spent with my family. This experience reminded me that life can be unpredictable, and adapting to changes can lead to meaningful moments.

    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 answer unclear. Candidates often fail to provide specific details about their original plan or the changes made, which can lead to a lack of engagement.

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    Tip

    Be specific about your original plan and the changes. Use clear examples and details to illustrate your points.

    2: Neglecting Emotions

    Ignoring how you felt about the change can make your response less personal and relatable. Candidates often focus only on facts and miss the emotional aspect of their experience.

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    Tip

    Include your feelings about the change. Describe how it affected you emotionally to create a more engaging narrative.

    Lack of Structure

    A disorganized response can confuse the listener. Candidates sometimes jump between points without a clear structure, making it hard to follow their story.

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    Tip

    Follow a clear structure: start with the original plan, explain the reason for the change, describe what you did differently, and conclude with your feelings.

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    Anonymous student Band 8

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    Anonymous student Band 6.5

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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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    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    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 6-7

    I had a plan to visit my native place and there was a ritual, a function which came up and I had to reschedule it, in fact I had to cancel it out. I felt a bit frustrated but the ceremony in the house was important as well, so I will plan it next year and that's about it. I had to change the plan, I had to attend the ceremony.

    Band 6-7

    So, specifically, I want to talk about my study plan that I changed, not recently, but yes, it was about two years ago. So I want to start this story from the beginning of my senior high school years, which is about four years ago. So I created a plan for my study and my work area. So I created that so that I can be more productive and more, you know, hardworking side. So I chose quantity over quality at that time because I watched some of the stupid videos which told that you need to study a lot more than 16 hours, right? Like if you cut down your sleep, then you would like to, you know, you would like to see the better results. So I did the same for about some time, but I gave up because it's not a very best idea to be productive in the life. I changed it recently, or you can say two years ago, that I started seeing accountability and quality over quantity. So I started working on quality rather than on quantity. So for this, I chose a specific time for my study and with the full focus, then I spent some time with going out and exploring the things. And another reason would be accountability. So after I got to know about, we should have a gratitude toward the things that we own. So for this reason, I was able to focus more and I created it differently.

    Band 6-7

    One thing I have done to improve myself is learning public speaking. A few years ago, I realized that I often struggled to express my ideas clearly in front of groups, especially during the school presentation or group discussion. I felt nervous and lacked confidence, which affected my performance and limited my opportunities. To overcome this, I joined a local public speaking club called Toastmasters about two years ago. It's a well-known international organization that helps people improve their communication and leadership skills. I attended weekly meetings where members gave speeches, participated in impromptu speaking sessions, and received constructive feedback from others. At first, it was very challenging. I was anxious and often forgot what I wanted to say. But over time, with regular practice and encouragement from the group, I've become much more confident. I've learned how to organize my thoughts, maintain eye contact, use body language effectively, and handle questions smoothly. This experience has been incredibly valuable. It didn't just help me speak better, it also made me more self-assured and comfortable in social and professional situations. Now I can lead discussions, give presentations, and even speak in front of a large audience without panicking. I consider this a major step in my personal development. It helps me a lot in my growth and achieving more opportunities.

    Band 6-7

    One plan that I changed recently was a weekend trip to nearby hill station called Panchmani with my friends. We had been planning this trip for almost a month, everyone was excited because we wanted a short break from our studies and routine life. We had booked a hotel and even made a list of places we wanted to visit. However, just two days before the trip, one of my close friend fell ill with a high fever. We didn't feel right going without her since it was a group plan and she was the one who had suggested the destination in the first place. So after discussing with everyone, we decided to cancel the trip and postponed it to another weekend. At first, I was a little disappointed because I was really looking forward to the trip but later I felt that it was the right decision. Friendship and support matter more than a short vacation. Also, it gives us more time to prepare better for the next trip. In the end, we didn't lose much air and it showed how understanding and supportive our group is. I believe sometimes change in plans happens for good reasons.

    Band 6-7

    The original plan was I should marry a person I have and then have two kids and enjoy with the family members and have some business if they require any financial needs. Now the plan got changed because we didn't plan the children and want to go for abroad studies until there and after getting the job then we think to have children so that at the time the children was born we should be stable with the financial abilities. This was the plan I have made recently, changed my plan and with this my husband also got impressed and thought it's perfect but don't know what will happen in the future. Maybe work out or maybe not work out and maybe let's see what will happen in the next few days. We are trying and the process got started and we applied for passports and the marriage certificate even and also waiting for the IELTS exam, waiting for the better band score and then applied for a college, then university and after that we'll arrange for the budget to go there, about the fees and all the things, non-living stuff and then have to take my husband with me and also then we have to plan children based on the budget, at least one child should be born and the age is completed to have children so we are waiting for the best opportunities and the days are completing day by day.

    Band 6-7

    Recently, the change that happened in my plan was me and my cousin were planning for a trip to Goa and we were confused between two trips. One was the Manali trip and the second one was Goa. So, we were constantly talking to a travelling agent and we were very confused where we want to go. So, accidentally I booked Manali trip and for which my cousin refused to come with me. So, I had to go there alone. So, the main plan was me and my sister will go together but that could not happen. So, I had to go alone on that trip but I think that was the best trip I had in my life. I had so much fun. I made new friends and all the people who were there were strangers to me when I went there. And when I came back from that trip, I made a family which I will always remember and the memories that we made in Manali, I will always cherish those memories. I think it gave me the perspective to see my life differently and it taught me that I don't need to be dependent on anyone to go anywhere or do anything with me. I think I am self-sufficient of doing all these things alone and I am really grateful for that.

    Band 6-7

    I had to change my travel plan to Varanasi due to recent earthquake. Varanasi is a known city of temples and mainly for spiritual tourism. I had booked my tickets last week for visiting my friends and the temples for my travel plan. Recently in the news it was shown that the earthquake in Varanasi left a day to day life difficult there. I have my friends at Varanasi to roam around and I love their company. But due to this catastrophe I have to drop my wish without any second thought. I will be planning next year but during some other season to visit the same. I love traveling.

    Band 6-7

    Recently I want to become a cabin crew and recently I changed my plan because for cabin crew my medical condition is not well. So I changed my plan and I want to go abroad and settle there. Sometimes I feel like it's not good for me because I never want to leave my parents and my family but the situation is like this. So I changed my plan and I want to go abroad and settle there because I am an outing person. So firstly I decided I want to become a cabin crew but for the medical query I do not become a cabin crew. So I changed my plan and it's settled in abroad. So sometimes I think it's a good decision for me because in abroad we have many chances to set my life and we have learnt many more things. So I feel very good and also my husband is supporting me so also I feel very confident and many more things I learnt there.

    Band 6-7

    My plan was to do a yoga in early in the morning but then I have changed recently to go to gym. I changed my plan because realizing that waking up in the morning and doing yoga I feel that yoga is meant to be done only in the morning but then going for gym can be done both in the morning and in the evening. So when I started to go to work I could not do my yoga in the morning so I had to change my plan to go to gym to keep myself fit. So which going to gym always keep me in cloud nine because I feel very happy and my happiness hormone releases when I go to gym and it always keeps me and feels that I am very productive in my life and that makes me feel to give meaning to my life that I'm doing something. So going for gym actually changed my life as it helped me to concentrate more in my studies, more in my job I mean more in my job and also helped me to create a wonderful work-life balance. Moreover going to gym had always helped to increase my relationship with others as it releases the happiness hormones when I go to gym. So I really feel very very happy going to gym.

    Band 6-7

    Recently, I had planned a weekend trip to a hill station with my close friends. We had everything organized, the hotel booking, itinerary, even we chose the places we need to explore. But suddenly, two days before, one of my friends fell ill and also the weather forecast report showed the heavy rainfall in that area. So, it was a very doubtful situation and difficult to decide whether we have to execute the plan or not. So, we all sat together and made a discussion about the trip. And after discussing all the points and aspects of going in that particular time, although we came to the conclusion to postpone the trip for next month, we cancelled all the bookings and informed other tour guides also that we are not coming on prescribed dates and we postponed the plan to a new date. And also we changed our booking for buses, though we got an option on the last minute. Although I was initially disappointed and I felt the change was sensible and practical, and it reminded me that sometimes spontaneous change can lead to equally memorable experience. So, we are planning for next month and though we have completed all the research for that place, but still we have to do new bookings, we have to align all the transportation according to the dates for the future.
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