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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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    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

    My friends and I, we have been planning to go for a trip to Goa since 2019. Last month, fortunately, we were able to make the plan and the arrangements right from accommodation to the foot. I also booked an agency to be in the precautionary side so that we don't miss anything important. Unfortunately, last week I heard the news that one of my friend's grandmother was seriously ill and we won't be able to continue planning the trip. It was devastating because it was a dream come true moment. We were all over the moon. The joy was short lived. Though it was impossible for us to go now, we are planning it in the future. I contacted the agency later and told them that the plan got cancelled. I was so unfortunate not to get the deposited money back. They said they can't refund the amount since it is a one-time payment. Moreover, my friend told me that she would be paying the money which I paid as the deposit. Thank you for watching.

    Band 6-7

    Hi, actually yesterday I had a plan. So the original plan was to go out with my friend and his sister to the mall and do some kind of shopping and bowling and all. And after 3 or 3.30 I thought of going to Kamban park with my roommates. So the issue happened is that my roommate's boyfriend was so toxic and also I also had a lot of need. It took a lot of time to do the shopping also and I cancelled the plan with my roommate and I felt so bad for that because myself and my roommate were planning a lot of days for this to happen but it got cancelled and I said I will be making up to it for today. And yes and we are going today to the Kamban park. Thank you.

    Band 6-7

    Okay, so starting with the home. So recently I have started living alone in an apartment which was not a part of my plan to be honest. But I had to shift in a flat because I was previously used to live in PG and the food there was was not suitable for my health. I was falling sick, hence I have to shift to a flat, cook my own meals so that I won't fall sick. The earlier plan was I was supposed to shift in a flat with my roommates, the old friend of mine. But due to some medical emergency, she decided to cancel. So now I have to live alone in the flat. And when I started living alone, I felt little alone and I was actually scared that how would I do it, how would I do all the chores all by myself. I was little scared. But as the day passed, I realized that living alone is actually I am enjoying now. Because there's no one to disturb me and there's no one to guide me or instruct me to what to do and what to not. I am by myself and I feel free to live alone and it's very peaceful. It feels very peaceful to be honest.

    Band 6-7

    Recently, I have planned to go for a road trip with my friends last week. And usually, we used to go for a vacation monthly during wake off. We used to visit beaches, we used to go to hill stations, etc. Likewise, we have planned for a vacation last week. But what happened was that, that plan did not work. Because my mother had a medical emergency two days before the planned trip. And I could not make it up for the trip. And I called my friends and asked them not to cancel the trip and continue with the plans. And I cannot go with them for this trip. And I will catch up with them on the upcoming trips. But my friends, I think they are the most lovable, most kind hearted persons I have ever seen in my life. What they did was, they all came in person to see my mother. They helped me with settling the amounts in the hospital. They took care of my mother. They always helped me in everything that I did.

    Band 6-7

    I'm going to talk about a plan that I had changed recently. Initially, we had planned to go for a vacation with the entire family to my hometown as my parents were eagerly waiting to see my kids and spend the vacation time with them. But unfortunately, my husband lost his job so we couldn't make it. Almost all the weekdays, he used to travel to Dubai in search of a job and attending interviews. So I had to stay with my kids all alone in the flat. It was a bit challenging. However, I managed that peacefully. And then I realized I should spend some quality time with my children even out of my busy schedule. Usually, I don't get enough time to stay with them and play with them. Now, this was a good chance for me to give time for them, having some extra activities. And that gave me a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction even if it was a worse situation. Additionally, it helped to develop strong bonds with my kids. That was a chance for me to understand their likes and dislikes. And that made me feel fulfilled, content, and happy more. Sometimes, such situations are really grateful. That is what I feel. These kinds of situations give us some time to spend.

    Band 6-7

    After completion of my master degree, I plan to do registered dietitian. It consists of six-month internship with enormous knowledge of diet and nutrition. Unfortunately, I met an accident, minor accident, so I can't able to proceed my plan because my parents have feared about that how you will survive alone like that. So, I choose a pathway in the teaching field as assistant professor in the department of nutrition and dietetics. It helps me to grow differently with students and enjoy the world and it helps me to gain knowledge and strength as well as I'm so proud to be a role model for students who is our future citizen. Thank you.

    Band 6-7

    The plan that I have recently changed is about staying back here in India. I was completely sure that I wish to live here in India to pursue my further career. But the current status in terms of corruption that we have here in India leaves much to be desired. To my mind, it doesn't seem to be a very good plan to stay back here in India. As far as I am concerned about my career, I think moving out would be a good idea. I might move to a developed country where I would have multiple opportunities for good education and good career options. Also, I think it would be good from my family perspective as well as living in India is a double-edged sword. I don't think it would be safe or a great choice to stay back here in India. I would definitely wish to be in a grey area where I can actually balance my career and personal life together. I would rather move to Germany as that would be my first choice because this is a developed economy and would definitely have many options for me to get a job and to find the opportunity I have been always looking for.

    Band 6-7

    Actually, I had a plan of doing yoga on a daily basis. Initially, I was not thinking about this plan, but recently I felt my body is having a severe limitations, knee pains, some aches and fatigue and mood swings. That's why I decided to do yoga on a daily basis and it's giving me a good results and improving my stamina and activity on a daily basis. So yes, it changed my life, but it's very initial days, so I can't comment really I will continue it or not.

    Band 6-7

    Well, it was our summer vacations going on and I and my friends decided to go on a vacation trip to Manali. So we started planning regarding how we'll go and how we'll accommodate ourselves when we'll reach there. So while planning we decided that we'll go by bus but later on we had to drop that plan of going by road as the road was filled, there was a landslide recently so we were really petrified by hearing that news so we decided to go by train instead of road. So it was really a quick change of plan in terms of travelling so we were not ready regarding it and we struggled a little bit but later on we tried to cope up with it and we finally reached our destination on time thanks to the train of course but I feel that having another plan always ready for you will definitely help you a lot in many ways in many times so yeah that was it.

    Band 6-7

    The plan that I recently changed was my diet plan. Recently, I lost 7 kgs of weight after returning from my college. So due to this, my mother insisted me to join yoga. When I joined yoga, I met various trainers there who guided me to change my diet plan. As a part of this, they instructed me to eat nutritious food such as they wanted me to include protein shakes, banana shakes, various smoothies and good food in my diet. So I made a rough diet plan for myself where I included some of the most important vegetables rich in vitamins and minerals which are not only rich in antioxidants but are healthy.
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