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Describe a rule you dislike and would like to change in the future: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What the rule is?
  • Where or when it applies?
  • Why you dislike it?
  • And explain what you would change and why.
Show all 111 answers

Cue 1:What the rule is?

  • Clearly state the rule you dislike, making sure to explain what it entails.
  • Provide context about where this rule is commonly applied.

Example

The rule I dislike is the strict dress code in my college, which requires students to wear formal attire every day. This rule applies to all students and is enforced during classes and college events.

Cue 2:Why you dislike it?

  • Explain your personal feelings about the rule and how it affects you.
  • Mention any specific incidents or experiences that highlight your dislike.

Example

I dislike this rule because it stifles our individuality and self-expression. For instance, I feel uncomfortable wearing formal clothes every day, especially when I prefer casual wear. Once, I had to attend a class in a hot summer, and wearing formal attire made me feel very uneasy and distracted.

Cue 3:What would you change and why?

  • Suggest a more flexible alternative to the current rule.
  • Explain the benefits of your proposed change for students and the college environment.

Example

I would change the rule to allow students to wear smart casual attire instead of formal clothes. This change would make students feel more comfortable and confident, which could enhance their learning experience. It would also promote a more relaxed and friendly atmosphere on campus.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, while rules are important for maintaining order, I believe that some, like the strict dress code in my college, can be re-evaluated. Allowing more freedom in our attire would not only reflect our personalities but also create a more enjoyable learning environment.

    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. It's important to provide specific details about the rule you dislike to engage the listener.

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    Tip

    Use clear examples and specific situations to illustrate the rule and your feelings about it.

    2: Lack of Structure

    Failing to organize your response can lead to confusion. A structured answer helps convey your thoughts more effectively.

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    Tip

    Follow the cue prompts in order: state the rule, its application, your dislike, and your proposed change.

    Overly Emotional Responses

    Being too emotional can detract from the clarity of your argument. It's important to express your feelings while remaining composed.

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    Tip

    Balance your emotional response with logical reasoning to explain why the rule should change.

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    All Answers

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

    Band 6-7

    There isn't a specific rule that I dislike, but I would like the government should implement a strict rule against those who throw garbage on the streets, cans, plastics and more garbage on the streets and the government should take strict action against them and fine them with perfect penalty and strict actions. Thank you.

    Band 6-7

    One rule that I really dislikes and I would like to change in the future, which is very unspoken also, that girls should not stay out late at night. Though this is not a rule which is written in any law or is given by any government but this law is made at our homes only, even in my country as well, girls are not allowed to go late at night. The reason behind being, people say, is that they are not safe. Why? Because boys are roaming outside. So I really do not like this concept. This law typically applies to the teenage girls and young women, particularly when they go out for social gatherings, works, events or even for simple things like going to a gym, taking a walk or evening. While boys are often given much more freedom to move around the night, girls are usually questioned, judged or discouraged from doing the same. I really dislike this rule because it is deeply unfair and it is based on the gender stereotype. It sends wrong message that girls need to be protected rather than empowered. It actually creates a restriction in providing girls more opportunities, for example, girls even have to work for long hours late at night in some places such as hospitality, media or healthcare. So it creates a boundary for them that they cannot be in that field. I would change the mindset behind this rule that instead of placing restriction on girls, we should focus on creating safer public spaces and educating everyone, especially boys and men, about respect and equality.

    Band 6-7

    One of the things that I really dislike is the caste based segregation in India. In India, people are divided based upon caste. The Brahmins are at the top who get all the privileges and the Dalits are at the bottom. The Dalits are treated in an inhuman way, they are called as untouchables, even their shadow is called impure and it is said that if a Dalit's shadow falls upon an upper caste or a Brahmin person then they also become impure. Inter-caste marriage is also a big issue in India. Also the constitution of India prohibits and bans caste based segregation and caste based discrimination and grants equal rights to each and every citizen in India. The caste based segregation continues in day to day life. You can see it in the street where the person, the sweeper, the cleaner is from a lower caste and the pandits in the temple are from upper caste. Even in educational institutions, government jobs, the upper caste people dominate everywhere. And this caste based segregation has been going on since last 2000 years and despite giving equal rights and reservation to lower caste people, it's still privileged and lower caste people still can't get to the top. So there should be more strict actions against caste based discrimination, against violence against lower caste and also more effective constitutional laws to prevent caste based discrimination and empower the lower caste people.

    Band 6-7

    While I was volunteering to help rebuild a flood-damaged school in a remote village, I came across a frustrating rule that I strongly disagreed with. According to the local government policy, only certified constructors were allowed to perform structural repair or public buildings, even if the community had willing and capable volunteers. This rule delayed progress by several days because we had to wait for official approval and outside workers to arrive. Even though we had skilled volunteers ready to do the basic work, in my opinion, this regulation was well-intentioned but overly rigid, especially during an emergency situation. I would love to see that rule revised, maybe allow community-based repair under supervision, especially in time of crisis, it would save time, resource, and get essential services like schools running again more quickly. Rules are meant to protect people, but in this case, it felt like the rule was hurting very people it was supposed to help. That experience really opened my eyes to how can something show down real progress and be helpful for people.

    Band 6

    So one rule that I dislike would be the mandatory military rule in South Korea. So in South Korea, there is a rule that everyone, particularly male, they have to enlist in military before the age of 30. So I feel like this being mandatory takes away the freedom they have. And before 30, it would be their peak career. And I'm someone who follows Korean movies or Korean songs. And when I enjoy an artist or a singer, and when they suddenly disappear for two years without any of the news coming in, it is kind of strange to me because they should be given the freedom to choose the option of going or not going because military is something very unrelated to them. Military should be seen as a job. So whoever interested to going into military, they should be allowed to do so. And whoever is not interested should be allowed to do that as well. So the main problem of this mandatory military ship is that it breaks their career in two years. And after two years when they come back, people tend to forget them. And also this is very unrelated to their career of singing or acting. So I think they should be given some choice to go for it or not go for it.

    Band 6

    A rule that I dislike is giving leverage to students having some specific caste in college admissions is something that I would really like to change. I do understand that when the law was enacted in India specifically, so at that time the needs of the children were not met who are related to specific caste, specifically lower caste and because of the money issue. But nowadays I feel like things have changed drastically and some people also take use of the unfair practices and sometimes make the fake certificates of the caste to get admissions and many I feel like many students who prepare for the exam who are of the general category face quite a lot of problems from it because I myself when I was applying for my common law entrance test, I was asked about my caste, so I filled the general category column there. So there when the result came I got 3000 rank in my CLAT examination and I got 2 tier NLU from it but whereas one I learned about one OBC student who got 7000 rank and he got tier 1 NLU, so I was very disappointed hearing that because there is not so much difference in the preparation and everybody worked really hard for the examination and the time period was also given to them was more than us, like for us the time period was for 2 hours, we had to complete our examination in 2 hours and they were given 3 hours for the same. So I believe that this should be really changed and everybody should give an equal opportunity because now things are not same as they were before.

    Band 6

    Medical is a noble profession. So being a doctor, you are next to God in many of the countries. The general curriculum of your medical studies includes all the things. But there comes an international rule that when my country degree is not valid in UK, this is the rule which I am talking about, which I don't like. This rule is applicable for any medical graduate who migrates from the native country like mine, like India, to the UK and he is not qualified there, just because his qualification is from a different university and from a different country. When we are learning the same language, when we are learning the same pattern, why this discrepancy exists? Moreover, also it doesn't allow us to give the practice license. Adding to this trouble is that we are being paid less even if we try to clear the exams. So primarily this rule, which was made by the UK government, we would like to do this. Coming to the details of this rule, we have to. So then what are the solutions to this? What I feel is there has to be a universal examination or universal qualification examination which has to be conducted in all the countries so that no persons like us are getting suffered because of that. Now here a very important thing which I wanted to tell you is rules and regulations are there for maintenance of peace and harmony in that particular country, in that particular region. But if we are in a position to change the things, then we should definitely change. And if I get the chance, I would like to change this rule and change the entire thing.

    Band 6

    One rule that I disliked since my childhood is reservation. It's a rule which is granted by constitution of India and this rule states that there should be reservation in job opportunities and in educational institutions for some classes and these classes are some sort of backward classes which were earlier neglected. Although the person who proposed this rule or you can say who proposed this law stated that this rule should be stopped in 1970 but till in 2025 this rule is still being implemented and destroying man's life and I dislike this rule because you say that if we say that there are two persons for a job and if one person get reservation on the basis of a rule then it is not good because if one person is more having more experience and is more educated then instead of that person if we give job to a person who is less deserving then it is very bad. So I would like to change this rule completely by stating that in all the job either it is government or private the jobs must be given according to deservation. The persons who deserve should be provided with job not by seeing the rule of reservation and same should be implemented in educational institutions as everyone has right over education.

    Band 6

    The rule which I would like to demolish forever is CASTISM. It is a major social issue in today's world. Yeah, there were people, like earlier there were practices of like demeaning other caste people or by showing them disrespect, by making them do all kind of shitty work, people used to consider themselves that they are the god or something, there were this mentality kind of thing that pushing other people who are not of the caste down. So I believe these things are certainly practiced somewhere and it is not yet fully removed and I think this is that worm which can affect a society very devastatingly. That is why I believe removing CASTISM is what can resolve because I believe humanity is first, treating all other humans like we want ourselves to be treated is the first thing and it is everyone's right to live their life according to their own terms, not harming any other's feelings, virtues, while practicing to become a better human is what I believe.

    Band 6

    In my opinion, if there was any rule which I would like to change in the future would be the fact that the Indian system currently allows people to apply for jobs and the overall selection for said jobs based on the caste system. So, what happens typically is there are certain categories of castes in the general population and it is divided into certain sub-categories. So, people from a said criteria, from a said caste get special benefits whenever it comes to jobs, government aids, policies. I essentially feel that instead of having of giving opportunities to people based on the caste, the overall approach should be based on talent and based on need. I dislike it because there are instances where rich people who fall within that said cream layer of caste get benefits which they actually do not need, whereas poor people who fall in the general category, the folks who do not have any benefits, these folks are struggling to get their basic needs met and if at all it would be possible and would be in my power to change it, I would definitely make an effort to create difference in this rule.
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