Describe a talk you gave to a group of people: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

Who you gave the talk to
What the talk was about
Why you gave the talk
And explain how you felt about the talk

64 unique answers with expert feedback

Show all 64 answers

Cue 1:Who you gave the talk to

Begin by describing the audience, including their age, background, and interests.
Mention the setting of the talk, such as whether it was in a classroom, community hall, or online.

Example

I gave the talk to a group of college students at my university. They were mostly in their early twenties, studying various fields like engineering and business. The talk took place in a large classroom, which was filled with eager faces looking to learn more about career opportunities.

Cue 2:What the talk was about

Clearly state the main topic of your talk and its relevance to the audience.
Include any key points or subtopics you covered during the talk.

Example

The talk was about 'Effective Resume Writing and Interview Skills.' I focused on how to create a standout resume, the importance of tailoring it for specific jobs, and shared tips on how to prepare for interviews. I also included some personal anecdotes to make it relatable.

Cue 3:Why you gave the talk

Explain your motivation for giving the talk, such as personal experiences or a desire to help others.
Mention any specific events or circumstances that inspired you to share this knowledge.

Example

I decided to give this talk because I remember how challenging it was for me to secure my first job after college. I wanted to help my peers avoid the same pitfalls I faced and empower them with the skills they need to succeed in their job search.

Cue 4:And explain how you felt about the talk

Share your emotions before, during, and after the talk.
Reflect on the feedback you received and how it impacted your feelings about the experience.

Example

Before the talk, I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. However, once I started speaking and saw the students engaged, my confidence grew. After the talk, I received positive feedback, which made me feel proud and motivated to give more talks in the future.

Conclusion

Example

In conclusion, giving that talk was a rewarding experience. It not only allowed me to share valuable information but also helped me connect with my peers. I believe that such opportunities to speak in public can significantly enhance our communication skills and boost our confidence.

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: Lack of Structure in Response

Failing to organize your answer can lead to confusion. Without a clear structure, the listener may struggle to follow your points, making your talk less effective.

Tip

Use the cues provided to structure your response clearly: start with who you spoke to, then the topic, followed by why you gave the talk, and conclude with your feelings.

2: Overly Brief Answers

Giving short, vague answers can make your response seem unengaging. It may leave out important details that showcase your experience and feelings about the talk.

Tip

Expand on each cue by providing specific examples or anecdotes that illustrate your points, ensuring your answer is detailed and engaging.

Neglecting Personal Feelings

Not expressing your feelings about the talk can make your response less personal and relatable. It’s important to connect emotionally with your audience.

Tip

Include your emotions and reflections about the experience, such as excitement or nervousness, to make your response more authentic and engaging.

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

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

It was, it was my church festival and it was like women's fellowship, when women fellowship that, that time they gave one topic to send messages, say messages and they request to tell messages, so that I accept their request and I prepared, I prepared some materials and started to give messages. It was one of my unforgettable message because that was my second stage performance and I, I convey my messages to my, add to my personal experience also, because I was very, that time I was faced one difficult health problems and I cure my prayer, so that I also plan to convey my messages to my personal, to connect with my personal experience, that was best platform to express my personal experience, so it's a, it's like a miracle experience, so convey, I try to convey my messages to connect with my personal experience, everyone accept my message and it was gave my membership, membership leader, she was very proud that moment because she didn't expect that, I was telling like that to connect with my personal, personal and magic experience, so she was very happy and that time I also felt very proud and it, I believe that it gave

Band 6

It was a sunny afternoon, and my friends were having their lunch. I stepped in front of the class, facing my classmates, and I started giving a speech on the importance of communication of English. I told them how they could be benefited if they talked in English, and that how they would be able to get even more opportunities, the fluency, the multilingual skills, if they communicate in English. Moreover, I told them how they can collect knowledge and understand people if they are going to communicate in English fluently. The reason why I gave the speech was because I was the communication minister, and I noticed that many of my classmates are not communicating in English at all. This being the main reason was to actually help them speak good English. Secondly, I am quite an orator. I give many speeches. I felt that it has been a very long time ever since I have went up to a group of people and talked. So I wanted to improve my speaking skills again, and I went to talk to them. How I felt after their experience was that I felt really well. I felt really energetic, and I felt really happy after seeing few of the people who supported me. That made me feel really better. But I also got hate, which was another story.

Band 6

When I was working in an institute, I have got a chance to describe about the examination schedule. Fortunately, I was a member of the executive committee, one of the member of the executive committee and the boss had given a chance for me to speak on exam schedules. I was bit nervous because I was not able to stand before a group of people and talk to them about my thing and all and I was nervous about that situation but anyhow I wanted to manage it. So, I was thinking day and night how to excel my speech, how to stand before the people and speak about a particular topic without any sort of problems. It was not at all an easy task for me but again I rigorously practiced the thing. Finally, I have decided that particular day actually has come and I was standing before the group of people. They were my subordinates, my colleagues, then my peer group and all. I was bit nervous but I started speaking about it. As I was very fluent in my topic, it was very easy for me to talk about or to explain about that particular topic and somehow I managed to do that. Moreover, I have got a round of applause from the authorities and it was really a day of success and I feel so enthusiastic about my life and I was very happy about it and after that I could

Band 5-6

well when i was in 10th class i used to sit with my friends in free time or in recess today i will today i was give a talk about a group of people that you that you give a talk a group of people well at that time i used to sit my friends in the schools and i had a different conversation in the groups i openly made a joke of each other and everyone make a jokes to each other to teasing his or her and also there was a there was two three girls in my you know in my groups and they also make a fun of each other and have a enjoy in it basically and so when when my turn when my turn was came at that time i prefer to talk about a trip that i was enjoy before 10 days i at that time i go to you know i go to a park which was very eminent at that time the park was newly opened in the in the hisar city so i prefer to visit that that park and you gain some experience from it that how how much how much crowd was there over and you know i

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