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Describe a small business you know.: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What is it?
  • How do you know about it?
  • Why is it successful?
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30 unique answers with expert feedback

Show all 30 answers

Cue 1:What is it?

  • Begin by clearly stating the name and type of the business.
  • Provide a brief description of what products or services it offers.

Example

The small business I want to talk about is a local bakery called 'Sweet Delights'. It specializes in freshly baked bread, pastries, and cakes. The aroma of baked goods wafts through the air, making it a popular spot for both locals and visitors.

Cue 2:How do you know about it?

  • Share how you first discovered the business, whether through friends, social media, or passing by.
  • Mention any personal experiences you have had with the business.

Example

I first came across 'Sweet Delights' while walking through my neighborhood. A friend recommended it to me, saying their chocolate cake was the best in town. Intrigued, I decided to visit, and since then, I have been a regular customer.

Cue 3:Why is it successful?

  • Discuss the unique qualities that set this business apart from others.
  • Mention customer service, product quality, or community involvement as factors contributing to its success.

Example

The success of 'Sweet Delights' can be attributed to its commitment to quality and customer service. They use organic ingredients, which appeals to health-conscious customers. Additionally, the owner often interacts with customers, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere that keeps people coming back.

Conclusion

  • Summarize the key points you discussed about the business.
  • Express your personal feelings about the business and its impact on the community.

Example

In conclusion, 'Sweet Delights' is not just a bakery; it’s a cherished part of our community. Its dedication to quality and customer satisfaction makes it a standout small business that I wholeheartedly support.

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 business to engage the listener and demonstrate your vocabulary.

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Tip

Use specific examples and details, such as the type of products sold or the services offered, to create a clearer picture of the business.

2: Lack of Personal Connection

Failing to explain how you know about the business can make your answer feel disconnected. Personal experiences can make your response more relatable and interesting.

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Tip

Share a personal story or experience related to the business, such as a memorable visit or interaction, to strengthen your answer.

Ignoring Success Factors

Not addressing why the business is successful can leave your answer incomplete. Understanding the reasons behind its success shows critical thinking and analysis.

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Tip

Discuss specific factors like customer service, unique products, or effective marketing strategies that contribute to the business's success.

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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
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Reported by

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 7

So, butter and brownie is this small business that I have recently come across. It's a small home delivery based dessert studio that is being operated by one of my acquaintances. The way I know this person is because my cousin is friends with her. So, that is how I got introduced to it and she tried a bunch of things initially but right now her USP is to sell macarons which are a dessert that's not that popular in India right now. On top of that, I feel like a lot of people expect it to be really novel and westernized but the interesting part of how she conducts her business is that all of her flavors are based on Indian desserts. So she'll have flavors like chai, pista burfi or even kesar. So these are really Indianized flavors that she tries to incorporate in these macarons and I think that becomes a unique selling point for her which is why people really go back to her product. One thing that she has done right is that she's cracked the code that people are not going to buy one macaron at a time. So she's really started to position it as an item that can be used for gifting and that has really worked in her favor. So I think that is one of the keys to the success of her business.

Band 6-7

Odos Cafina is one of the micro-businesses I know, which is bootstrapped and run by members of the same family. It was a dream that was turned into a reality by my partner, since she is the one who owns it. The building was very small in the beginning, we just wanted to open up a small cafe shop with the green and a silent area for people to have, spend their time. The business is still a growing one, although there are various ups and downs in a business. It is successful because every time there is a problem at the coffee shop, all the family members come running down and try to resolve the problem. This kind of temperament I have not seen even in my own family. Business requires selfless dedication, sacrifices and it also not only nourishes us but it makes us feel vulnerable at times because of the fact that we have no one to guide us, we have to make decisions which are in the guard of our business. I really feel grateful to have a small business which can definitely lead to success.

Band 6-7

In this technological era, businesses are even more popular than past. So, at that time, business is full with many competitions around them. So, there are many small businesses I know. But here, today, I would like to talk about a vegetable store that once started quite near my house. So, I know about this business. At that time, one woman came to my home and talked about her business to sell vegetables quite near my house. Firstly, she told me that it was hard for her to start a vegetable store business. But after determination, dedication, and discipline, she succeeded in her small business. So, she told me that she completed the reins after starting this business. So, in my opinion, her business is successful. And I feel very proud of her success. And this was a small business I knew.

Band 6-7

It is interesting how small businesses have boomed a lot in today's time and to talk about one of the small business that I know is a Studio 21 which is owned by my best friend and I have seen her working pretty hard for it and the effort that she has put into this business. It's mostly a digital marketing agency where she provides people with a digital marketing expertise and she handles the social media account or she creates the website for the businesses that needs it and it has been a really successful business because I've seen her working hard and as she knows what she is doing, she has had some clients which I have known and there have been some celebrities also approaching her for handling their social media account and for creating their social media page.

Band 6-7

The small business I know is construction of houses where the contractor can guide the person and he can give tender to other business partners and they will be the person who will take care of them. I know this contractor job as a small business because my father is a contractor from my olden days he is working as a contractor till date. Initially I used to go with him, I used to see what is happening and how people are interacting with each other, how tenders are taken and how money transactions are going on from one person to another. He used to build, he is building, he won't take big business houses but small relatives if they are building a new house he will take the initiative and he will look after everything. I think it is a very good job and peaceful job because you can just order, you can just give a tender to other person and they will be the person who will take care of the rest of the things and you can just contact with the families for money transactions and you can look into that. Moreover, it is not like you have to stay there, stay back from morning up to evening.

Band 6-7

There are many small businesses which are flourishing in our country currently. Due to the advent of internet and technology, we can see a lot of people doing online businesses and running Instagram or Facebook ads to advertise about their business. A small business that I would talk about over here is an online yoga instructor business. I joined the yoga classes during COVID when I was at home and working from home and I had ample of time to take up a hobby. In times of crisis like those, yoga came very handy in maintaining my physical and mental health. I personally really enjoyed doing yoga with the

Band 6-7

I think one of the small businesses that I have recently come across has been on TikTok and it is one of those little businesses where these little bedazzled trinkets are sold by this amazing woman on her TikTok shop and these little bedazzled trinkets are basically small items which can help you maintain a safe environment around yourself and basically assist you in women's safety. So these little devices can be something like a taser against a potential assaulter or something like a pepper spray or a hidden knife and she sells all of them together in a bundle in different colors and she really makes them look pretty by sticking in rhinestones into them. Moreover I feel that this type of content and this type of business is successful these days considering the devastating state of women's safety in our country and even outside and the recent cases on sexual violence that we've been hearing about all around. I do feel as a community we need to give more agency to women even though there have been a lot of other people talk about it and try to make policies against it but I do think that such issues need to be taken into consideration from a very sensitive perspective and then be worked upon. Moreover I feel that such businesses will only pop up more in the future

Band 6-7

I will be talking about the online grocery store Jepto. It is operated in three different cities. The main function of this small business is to provide online grocery delivery and essential items such as medicines. I got to know about that through a friend that it operates in our city and it can easily get you what you need as essential thing or grocery in just few minutes. Why is it successful? Because nowadays people are so lazy that they don't want to go downstairs or to the nearby shops to get their groceries. So what they do? They do online order. The competitors of Jepto in that field is Swiggy and Chamato. What is the better thing that Jepto offers? Jepto doesn't have a store. They get their item from a nearby shop providing profit to them and themselves as well and apart from that they also provide occupation opportunities to the delivery boys by offering them the delivery boy jobs and that's what I found very good and that's why Jepto is very successful in that area and their customer support service is however is very good. In addition I want to say that the delivery speed and the amount of efforts that they put in that business is really good.

Band 6-7

Recently I underwent an internship on digital marketing so after the course I thought it was the best business to establish as a newbie in the society because most of the big brands and big owners of many franchises doesn't know how to handle their social media handlings or their websites so digital marketing is a platform or a small piece of shell where you can definitely manage and bring all those across problems to one end and solve them easily. So in this experience, I just went under many big brands like the what to say those, I will Recently I underwent through an internship on digital marketing so I was just got to know how actually big stars and big social media managers, how they compete. So recently I have underwent an internship in digital marketing after my course completion I got to know how big brands manage their social media handlings and how they manage their websites and update their websites so basically there will be a team of people who are working on these so this will be definitely a best business in order to establish for this you need four members that's the social media manager and SEO specialist and then later a guy who is good in editing and a person who knows the content creator because all these four comes to an end will definitely give you the best output for any brand. So let's get into the topic the major part of this digital marketing is in order to have experience in managing a big brand's social media accounts in on all irrespective of any platform as we know any brand which is getting a good hype will definitely have all their social media accounts at a good proper followers on it so in order to meet their hype and in order to get their good positive intent we need to work hard so this will definitely be a best startup and all you need to do is just be focused on the output never think out of what would be if I fail so never get that thought in you always keep short-term goals like you are up to the mark or not how can you improve how can you get more deals how can you get more leads focus on the lead generation which will definitely help you and your brand to get more deals and more customers towards you so this might be the most important key factor in order to become a successful digital marketing big brand.

Band 6-7

The small business I like more is restaurant business. I have one story to tell that when I was in school, I used to visit my mom's place. During that time, my father-in-law used to run his own restaurant, and I used to often visit that restaurant, and sometimes I used to work there as well. So I used to interact with the cook, waiter, and cashier, and then I got to know that this business is very interesting, and on a daily basis you can meet a number of people.
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