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Describe a prize you have won.: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What was it?
  • What did you have to do to win it?
  • How many other competitors were there?
Show all 46 answers

Cue 1:What was it?

  • Begin by clearly stating the prize you won, including its name and significance.
  • Share your feelings about winning the prize and why it was important to you.

Example

I won a scholarship for my postgraduate studies in environmental science. This prize was significant for me as it not only covered my tuition fees but also recognized my hard work and dedication to the field.

Cue 2:What did you have to do to win it?

  • Describe the process you went through to win the prize, including any challenges you faced.
  • Mention any specific skills or efforts that helped you secure the win.

Example

To win the scholarship, I had to submit a detailed research proposal along with my academic transcripts. I spent weeks preparing my proposal, conducting research, and seeking feedback from my professors. It was a challenging process, but my passion for environmental issues drove me to put in my best effort.

Cue 3:How many other competitors were there?

  • Provide an estimate of the number of competitors and the level of competition.
  • Explain how you felt about competing against others for this prize.

Example

There were around 50 other applicants for the scholarship, all of whom had impressive academic backgrounds. Knowing that I was competing against such talented individuals made me anxious, but it also motivated me to give my best.

Conclusion

  • Summarize the impact of winning the prize on your life or career.
  • Reflect on what you learned from the experience and how it has influenced your future goals.

Example

Winning this scholarship has opened many doors for me in my academic career. It not only boosted my confidence but also reinforced my commitment to making a difference in environmental conservation. This experience taught me the value of perseverance and hard work, and I am now more determined than ever to pursue my goals in this field.

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 Prize

Candidates often give unclear descriptions of the prize, which can confuse the listener. Specific details help create a vivid picture and engage the examiner.

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Tip

Clearly describe the prize, including its name, significance, and any unique features to make your answer more engaging.

2: Neglecting to Explain Efforts

Failing to explain what you did to win the prize can make your answer sound incomplete. It's important to highlight your efforts and achievements.

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Tip

Detail the steps you took to win the prize, including any challenges you faced, to showcase your dedication and skills.

Underestimating Competitors

Not mentioning the number of competitors can make your achievement seem less impressive. Context is important to understand the significance of your win.

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Tip

Include the number of competitors and briefly describe the competition level to emphasize the value of your prize.

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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

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 6-7

Well receiving prize is very good thing and everyone wants to attain something in their life due to which they burn midnight oil in order to achieve success in their life but today I would like to talk about a prize which I won recently. I vividly remember around one month ago there was a cooking competition which was organized by the local community on that time. As I am fond of cooking and I planned to participate in that. Surprisingly there was no entry fees for this competition due to which I did lot of practice through the online videos because I want to win this competition at any cost. In addition in this competition I made Punjab's famous dish rice pudding. Honestly speaking when the judge announced the result I got first prize. In a prize I got 10,000 rupees as well as a trophy too. It was my first high amount prize which I bought. To be honest after receiving that prize I felt over the moon.

Band 6-7

Recently, a few months ago, I won a subject prize award in the subject business management. This award was only given to one person in the entire batch who had consistently scored the highest marks in this particular subject. I was elated when I discovered that I was going to be the one achieving this award. This award was given to only one person in the entire batch and the reason why I achieved this award was because I studied everyday business management for at least two hours to continuously prepare myself for my exams. I also practiced writing answers and speaking to my teacher in case I had any doubts. This helped me to work towards my goal to achieve this award which was my goal since the beginning of the year. I was extremely happy to discover that I was going to get this award in front of my parents and it really made my day when I achieved it.

Band 6-7

The best award till date I won was the best handwriting in English and Hindi. Usually we were told to write one essay about any topic we can choose and we have to submit it to teacher. On that day I wrote about innovation and I submitted that to my teacher. There were 60 other students from different sections with me competing for this award. Soon after 3-4 days the results were announced and I was the winner overall from all 6 sections. I felt very amazed and many of the teachers congratulated me even my classmates also. When I went home I told about this award to my parents and they were also happy. They told me today we will go out to eat and we will celebrate.

Band 6-7

A prize that I have won is the best work of the year. This prize was given to me back in my last year of college when I participated in a modeling competition. The competition took place on 21st of January and I honestly wasn't expecting to go and participate in it but because my friends pushed me so and I took their advice and then went ahead with it. For the participation part, I honestly didn't have to do anything because I'll put it blatantly honestly out there that I don't like to make a lot of effort in things that I don't consider very important. I like to maintain my posture as a woman as something very gracious and very erect and I like to keep my work full of charisma, full of poise and full of grace. These are the factors that help you to maintain the stability while you're walking. Furthermore, I also believe that maintaining confidence and showcasing your capability and your belief in yourself on the face is something that is vital to a good walk. This also helps people around you to realize that how beautiful and confident you are while walking. I find it exhilarating to see that confidence and that power in your walk. And as for the part where how many other people were participating in it, there were around 26 other participants who were finalized and around two of them won with me as the first runner-up and second runner-up. They were also very beautiful and calm with their walk but yes, I do like to believe that I have a certain charisma that I like to carry with my walk which comes with a certain charm or a cachet.

Band 6-7

So, when I was in school days, I used to participate in so many competitions during summer times because my school was conducted so many games during the summer, so after I played, I won so many prizes. Especially, I won one prize which was in running competition. So, my soar was gave a prize to me and I was very happy. I never forget that moment. Moreover, my schoolmates, my friends congratulated me regarding winning prize. So, I never forget that moment when I was in school days. Thank you.

Band 6-7

The prize that I have won is for elocution competition and the prize is a trophy which consists of my name at the very bottom of it. I used to feel very happy whenever I see it because it consists of my name and the competition that I have won and the struggle that I've made and the effort that I kept in order to achieve that trophy is not so less comparatively because I kept a lot of effort, I was greatly determined in order to get that, I was, I kept a lot of, I concentrated a lot and I achieved it and finally I used to, in order to achieve it I have to compete with my piece or the following classmates and with some of my friends too but as I kept the great effort and persistence throughout the elocution competition in all the three rounds I guess I have got that gift and that day, that day was quite memorable for me because it was the first, it was the last time because this competition was held in my class and we are going to leave our school back then, it was such a memorable and cherished memory from my school life.

Band 6-7

Winning a prize is always exciting and the winners are adored as well by different quarters. I also had won a prize in my college annual sport competition last month. I won the first prize and became the champion on the table tennis match in the indoor games category. Tennis is one of the most exciting sport in the world. Table tennis is played on a table and the rules are similar to the larger one. In tennis, only two players are present in the game. They stand opposite to the game and it is very interesting.

Band 6-7

The first prize I won was during my 10th year in my school days. It was a second prize for javelin throw. It was the first time I won an award for something. I felt really good and I felt really pleased with myself at that day. It was a really tough battle for me because I have to train a lot hard and have to do lots of exercises and things that I actually hate doing but it was a really nice journey. I had done a lot of things. I had faced a lot of competitors there and to won that medal and that prize was a really good experience for me and it was the first time I won something like that. I never won anything in my life till that point making it an unbelievable and unforgettable memory for me. It was a really good competition and even though it was the second prize it felt to me as the first prize. It had the same value to me as the first prize and I really enjoyed it. It was a really good time for me.

Band 6-7

One of the unexpected prize I got was during the Corona days. I got a prize from the Kerala Tourism Department for wildlife photography. That competition was conducted during the Corona time, the time for the celebration of 25th anniversary of Kerala Wildlife Department. They conducted an photography competition. I see their ad through the Instagram and I just get information like we can use digital camera, only mobile camera are allowed and also should be prioritized on wildlife photography. So seeing that ad, I just take my phone and went outside what all the wildlife can be captured. Then I see a small caterpillar sticking to a leaf. But the picture was just tremendously beautiful because like the caterpillar was looking and laughing at me. I just took my phone and take a photograph of that and after that I just mailed to the Kerala Tourism Department and about 2 or 3 weeks after I got a call from this department and saying that I got the prize. It was so unexpected for me because I am not a good in photography and I did not take any wildlife photography and all. I just took my phone and just photograph what I see around me. So after getting this gift I was very excited and the gift was a 5000 rupees cash prize along with the memento. I got it from the forest minister of Kerala in Thiruvanthuram. It was a tremendous and super experience for me because it encouraged my photography and I took it.

Band 6-7

I have won a prize in my third year of university while giving a presentation for smart appliances for construction industries. So basically, we traveled to Bhubaneswar to give a presentation. Our team consists of three people, me and my friends Nikhil and Arvind. So I was the one who started the idea of giving a presentation. So later, both of them helped me. So when we went there, initially I was struggling while speaking and giving my ideas to the audience. But later, my both my friends, they helped to share better ideas with the judges anyways as a teamwork, we we did our best and we are waiting for our scores, there are approximately some 10 to 15 participants at a given time. For the next day, there are some 20 to 25 participants totally there are some 40 participants with us. So we are not expecting any prize. We just want to participate in the event so that we will gain some knowledge. So everything happened so good. They gave us the participation certificates. So and we went to our home and we thought like we won't get any prize. But after an year, a person called and he said, you won a prize for the presentation and we were shocked because this news we got after almost an year, which was surprising.
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