arrow back icon Top Answers

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.

    bulb icon

    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.

    bulb icon

    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.

    bulb icon

    Tip

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

    calendar icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 8

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 6.5

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    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

    One rule I strongly dislike and could like to change in the future is the strict dress code in many workplaces, especially requiring the formal wear like suits and tights every day. Well, I understand it's the importance of looking professional and I believe this rule is outdated and does not reflect the modern work culture. Firstly, wearing formal clothes every day can be uncomfortable, especially in the hot and humid weather. It often makes people feel stiffy on the street, which can actually reduce productivity. And also, not everyone can afford to keep buying expensive office chairs, so it creates unnecessary pressure, especially for the young professionals just starting their careers. Secondly, many jobs today, especially in the tech or creative industries, don't require face-to-face interaction with the client on a daily basis. In such a role, the performance and creativity matters for more than appearance. I think people should be trusted to choose the clothes that are neat and appropriate without needling to follow such a strict dress code. In the future, I'd like to see more flexible rules where employees can dress casually or comfortably. As long as it's respectful, I believe this change could make the workplace more inclusive and relaxed or focus on what truly matters, skills, ideas and results. And I think it's one I dislike the most. We should bring some changes in the future.

    Band 6-7

    Trans-Siberian Road Border Massacre The rule that I wish to change in the future is the age of consent in statutory law. The present age of consent is 18 years and I would like to lower it to 16 years because a lot of young girls who are not within the category of age of consent despite having consensual relationships with people who are older than them end up being victims of this and the people who are in relationship with such young girls booked under statutory law. The punishment for statutory rape is quite severe and it is unfair to see a man getting punished for something that was consensual between a woman and a man. Lowering the age of consent will help in curbing the backlog of cases pending before the courts regarding statutory rapes. This decision not only gives agency to young girls to decide for themselves but it also helps in reducing the excessive control that guardians and parents exercise over children's lives. Today's world is exposed to social media and children are a huge part of the demographic. They grew up faster than we did 10 years ago. So it is safe to assume that they are capable of making informed choices regarding their sexual health. So this decision needs to be changed and incorporated in the present day Indian Penal Code and the age of consent in other similar acts being the MTP Act and the POCSO Act needs to be lowered so that men do not face the wrath of a consensual decision that was taken by both of them in the moment.

    Band 6-7

    A rule that I would like to change in future is the tax that applies on the women products. It is basically a tax you have to pay specially for the items that are made for women. It is called pink tax and it is applied on the things that are made for women particularly because the things that are made for women are very fancy and colourful and cheerful. So it has a special kind of tax and you have to pay it extra as compared to the tax that applies on the men products and I don't know exactly when it was started but I came to know about this by my teacher and he made us aware about that tax and when I came to know about it I felt so humiliated and disrespectful because today we consider men and women in the same criteria and considering the gender equality in our mind I think it is of no use that you are applying extra tax on the products that are made for women only. So I think there should be equality in the tax also if we demand equality in all the aspects of society but unfortunately it was not considered as a major issue and due to the lack of awareness and lack of concern towards it nobody tries to raise voice against it and I think it is a high time that

    Band 6-7

    so there's a rule in all colleges like there should be a uniform so I don't like that and I need free dress code like everybody should wear their own clothes like own styling and if I get chance to definitely change that and I will make sure like that everybody has the chance to wear their favorite clothes in the college and they can style as per they want because many people has because many people has their own styling which they prefer and everybody wants to be comfortable while they come to college and that but there's a time of two minutes yeah it gives it gives me liberty and it gives freedom of clothing like and freedom of expression and like that you know uniform is something that is it doesn't give you status

    Band 6-7

    I would like to emphasize the rules implied in my organization where people can work from their own convenience like at home, but there is this rule that every employee, every day he or she has to come to the office and put on his or her barometric details and while going again have to enter the barometric details. Instead of that, why don't this rule can be changed to or improvised to hybrid mode like at least an employee can work at home for 3-4 days and the rest of the 2-3 days he or she can work in the office. It will be more convenient that way because if everything has to be worked in the system, then what's the need of coming to the office every day to only stress ourselves and it's a waste of the diesel and petrol and moreover, it leads to pollution and I would like to emphasize that people should take the initiation to fight against the government because these rules have to be implied or included into the system because it will be really beneficial for the employee's mental and physical health and there will be a good bond between the family and they can maintain a work-life balance and they can improve the relationships with

    Band 6-7

    One rule that I would like to change is the legal age of marriage for women in India. The allowed age for marriage is 18 years and I feel that that is not the correct age to get married as the woman is not mentally prepared as well as they are not fully grown to understand and to handle a responsibility of marriage and as well as after when they get married they're forced to have child as soon as they get married. Second would be being a woman myself I feel that at such a small age it's not a decision that you can decide for yourself and here in many places in my country people are actually forcing their girls like young girls to turn 18 and then quickly so that they get married and they don't have to bear the responsibility of education. I am 21 right now and I feel that I have still a lot to be figured out in my life although I have completed my education but I still feel that there is so much scope for me to go outside my imagination and to fulfill my dreams to achieve and to try for it I have to hustle really hard so even if I turn till 25 I would have this feeling that okay I've not achieved it well enough and I need to again work on myself so I feel that the legal age should be turned to 25.

    Band 6-7

    I deeply disregard and do not agree with abortion being illegal as a law and a rule. This law is applicable in the United States of America where if a woman is pregnant and she chooses to abort her child in certain states that would be considered illegal, which I believe is a violation of one's right to freedom of action and freedom of choice, freedom of expression. It takes away one's free will that has been given to them by birth. I believe that it should be one's own choice whether or not to keep a child or not. Many religions may argue that it is murder and it is wrong which I am not speaking against but I believe that even within those religions, those gods stand for giving human beings free will and a right to decide for themselves which I think is violated and is gone against when someone says that it is illegal for someone to choose abortion. What I would change about this law, this rule, is that every woman should have the right to decide what should or should not happen to her body, what is allowed and what isn't. Because what if someone is pregnant because of rape and has no choice but that she was just given.

    Band 6-7

    I want to change the rule of like someone is missing and police station said that they can't write the report against this matter after 24 hours. I don't like this rule of police, they investigate on this matter after 24 hours, they have to take a quick action at this time for saving someone's life, like there are many matters like someone murdered someone and police station people are saying that we can't write the FIR on this time, we have to write this report after 24 hours of the matter.

    Band 6-7

    Well, that is a great economic question. I would like to start with the most rule I dislike is the free bus. In Karnataka, where the women are being given free bus pass, they can travel all around Karnataka without paying a single penny. They just show the Aadhaar card and they can travel all around the state. Well, I have seen this implementation only in Karnataka state as the chief minister has approved of making the women population travel in a free bus because of the respect to that gender or to show compassion and etc. But I think I disagree with this rule because it shows proper inequality. It only shows the equality for the women but not for the men. It divides us again and also because of the free bus, the women are of more number in the bus, they overcrowd and there are no places for the men to sit. Therefore, it is very dangerous because the boys or the male genders, they stand on the staircase of the bus which is quite harmful for the people. Well, I would like to change it in the future because for the safety of the people and also to maintain harmony and peace among the people. In conclusion, I would like to say that this is the most disliked rule that I have ever heard and I would love to change it.

    Band 6-7

    Firstly, when somebody gave me such an opportunity to describe any of the rule which persists in my native place, in my country India, I will highlight the problematic law and also the irrational law of controlling more than two people on a two-wheeler. You know, there are many families with a lot of financial problems, so they cannot afford more than a two-wheeler transportation. After that, they choose a two-wheeler and for their entire journey, they use it. You know, if a couple have one or two children, then what they will do? Can they arrange another vehicle for the two children who cannot ride at least the bicycle properly? Then how? Then yeah, then these two children can only accompany with their parents on the scooter or the two-wheeler. And such a law should be eradicated from the list of rules, list of traffic rules in India. And I would like to change this kind of irrational rules. In the future, if I have been posted into any of the influential social positions like an IAS officer or any other government posts.
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
    ielts logo

    Get the IELTS Prep App

    Star rating icon

    4.2

    1M+ Installs

     app download banner image

    Get the app link on your phone

    +91

    Or download app from

    google play storeapp store
    master ielts speaking ad