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Describe a time when the electricity suddenly went off: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • When/where it happened
  • What happened when it went off
  • How people reacted / what you did
  • And explain how you felt about it
Show all 59 answers

Cue 1:When/where it happened

  • Begin by describing the specific location and time when the electricity went off.
  • Mention any relevant details about the setting, such as whether you were at home, school, or work.

Example

It was a hot summer evening around 7 PM when the electricity suddenly went off at my home. I was in the living room, trying to finish my homework while the ceiling fan was running to keep me cool.

Cue 2:What happened when it went off

  • Explain the immediate effects of the power outage, such as darkness or loss of appliances.
  • Mention any specific activities that were interrupted due to the electricity going off.

Example

As soon as the lights went out, the room was plunged into darkness. The fan stopped spinning, and I could hear the distant sounds of my neighbors reacting to the outage. My laptop screen went black, and I realized I couldn’t continue my studies.

Cue 3:How people reacted / what you did

  • Describe how you and others around you reacted to the sudden power cut.
  • Mention any actions you took to cope with the situation, like using candles or checking on family members.

Example

My family quickly gathered in the living room, and my mother lit some candles to provide light. My younger brother started to feel scared, so I reassured him that it would be okay. We all sat together, sharing stories to pass the time.

Cue 4:And explain how you felt about it

  • Share your feelings about the power outage, whether it was frustration, fear, or something else.
  • Reflect on any positive aspects of the situation, like spending time with family.

Example

Initially, I felt frustrated because I was in the middle of my homework. However, as we sat together in candlelight, I realized it was a nice opportunity to bond with my family. We laughed and talked, which made me appreciate the moment despite the inconvenience.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, the sudden power cut was an unexpected event that disrupted my evening. However, it turned into a memorable experience as it brought my family together, reminding me of the importance of spending quality time with loved ones, even in challenging situations.

    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 Detail in Description

    Failing to provide specific details about when and where the electricity went off can make your answer less engaging and informative. It may leave the examiner with unanswered questions.

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    Tip

    Include specific details such as the location, time of day, and any relevant context to make your story more vivid and relatable.

    2: Ignoring Emotional Response

    Not expressing how you felt during the power outage can make your response seem flat. Emotions help to connect with the listener and add depth to your answer.

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    Tip

    Share your feelings during the event, whether it was fear, frustration, or humor, to create a more compelling narrative.

    Neglecting Reactions of Others

    Overlooking how others reacted to the situation can limit the scope of your response. Including others' reactions can enrich your story and provide different perspectives.

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    Tip

    Mention how family, friends, or colleagues reacted to the power outage to add variety and depth to your response.

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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

    I would like to share my very recent experience where the electricity suddenly went off for the whole one day. This happened when they announced a tsunami in the recent days of rainy season which was about to come from the side of coastal areas from Vizag hitting the all coastal regions such as West Godavari, East Godavari, Vizag district and the areas which are so close to the beach areas. And I would like to say that we had a very complex situation where we had a trouble in eating or cooking food or sleeping or being in dark for the whole one day. Though maybe it is a difficulty, we also have learned something which is a very important important lesson regarding the electricity we are using regularly.

    Band 6-7

    The first time when I experienced the electricity going off was at my maternal side grandmother's house. She lives in a bungalow and there are a lot of neighbouring bungalows as well. However, it was something unusual for me and my family as we still hadn't experienced one yet. So, I was a bit confused why something like this went off as I was a kid myself so it was confusing for me. Then when it was too hot for everyone, my grandmother gave us a fan to get a breeze but as it was night time, the weather was pleasant outside so everyone from their house came out and were chatting with each other. Then it was a lot of, moreover it went for I would say an hour or two so people got bored and we decided to play a game which was antakshari which is singing songs with the letter that other one said. We played that game, bonded with different people also it was a memorable one as I got to make new memories with people I hadn't talked to ever.

    Band 6-7

    Like many other kids, the first time the power went off, I was really scared. It was suddenly pitch dark and I clung to my brother, trying to find our parents. When we found our parents, they were very calm about it. We started hunting for the candles, made a little game of it, seeing who could find the most candles in the house. Finally, we lit the candles and, to my surprise, they started singing. Singing? Who sings when the light goes off? We all sang a song about how the light comes back, thanking God, asking God for His blessings. And when the power did come back on, I felt much better. I felt that it was only temporary, this loss of electricity. And the next time the power went off, I knew what to do. I knew that we just had to sing. God would bring back the electricity. I knew that we needed to light the candles and they would throw their pretty flames all over the house, lighting it up. It wasn't a scary experience anymore.

    Band 6-7

    So, there was this instance when the power in my home went off when I was taking a semester exam online. This happened during the COVID pandemic when all of my classes were shifted to online and the examination was held in an online portal as well. My first reaction to what happened when the power, I would describe my first reaction as petrified. I was petrified and I panicked a lot since the power went off during my examination. That's because there is a chance that my laptop got logged out of the portal since the internet which was connected to the power went off. Thankfully the power came back after 10 minutes. I was able to log in to the portal again and complete my test. It was really a very dramatic experience that I had but thankfully everything ended up alright.

    Band 6-7

    So, when the electricity went off when I was in the middle of the forest with my co-workers, it was in the time of the evening and we were just sitting and then suddenly it went off and it was dark in every corner of the room. So when everyone is afraid and they don't know, like they had no idea what they're supposed to do right now because in the middle of a forest, you are sitting in a forest rest house and suddenly the electricity goes off and then I tried to stand up and search for a candle there and try to tell the people that, okay, don't worry, we will find something else, some solutions to light up the room and then I'm trying to find out the candles and the matchsticks and in that time, after some time, a help came from the kitchen who was preparing some food for us. So he came up with a matchstick and I found a candle and then we lit up the room and then it was for that moment, for that very moment, when the light went off and everyone is in a shock that what happened, any wild animal can come into the room or anything can happen. We were so clueless. It was a very...

    Band 6-7

    There was a time in my 10th standard, I was preparing for certain examinations, it was called Maharashtra State Board Exam. So I was preparing for it and the light went off suddenly. I got panicked, but my father handled the situation very carefully. He ran into the street market and bought the fresh new light, which was battery powered. That helped me a lot to study. It was a frequent sudden electricity shutdown all over my city, which cost us a lot of time to repair. But then the government did their work and we were not in any electricity shutdown. So that is all. As far as my exam, I did very good in the exam, but the problem with the electricity sudden went off was too bad.

    Band 6-7

    So, electricity had once gone off when I was a child. This was when I was 7 years old and I was in my... A long time ago, when I was nearly 7 years old, electricity had gone off in my home. We used to stay in an old building with just 3 stories. It had old British constructions and the electricity had gone off because of some fuse not working properly. At this time, I was at home and I had returned from school. Me and my friends had for the first time in our life seen electricity going. We were so excited and we lit candles everywhere. For a while, we kept shouting, screaming and running in the corridors. It was really fun until it started getting really, really hot. After that, we were sweating and because of running, our hearts were palpitating. We could barely make sense of why we were so happy about the electricity going. Time was passing and soon it was evening. We did not know what to do as we were used to watching phones and TV all the time. However, for the first time, we thought why not enjoy the olden ways. We went on the terrace or the balcony of our building and put out mattresses. That day, we slept and sat in the open air with the cold breeze caressing our young cheeks. It was fun and I honestly just reminisce about those days.

    Band 6-7

    Well, no doubt, electricity is no less than oxygen because it has become a part and parcel, part of our life and today I would like to talk about a time when I had to experience a sudden power cut. Actually, it was around three months before when I went to my grandmother's home. During summer vacation, I was very excited to visit there because after a very long time I was going to meet with my grandmother and I also wanted to do different kinds of activities there. However, when I reached there, I came to know about that electricity suddenly went off and even that my phone was not charged and it was very difficult for me to inform my parents that I reached at that time. We thought that it will be the matter of two to three hours and I was amazed after seeing that this cut was around four to five hours and it was very difficult for us to sit because it was a hot day. After that, me and my cousin decided to go to the field area because of the fresh air which is provided by the fields and we visited there and did lots of activities.

    Band 6-7

    Actually, this incident happened last summer. I was at my home and suddenly at 9 p.m. in the night, the electricity went off. And we just had dinner, so we were just about to go to sleep in some time. And we thought, it's okay, it will come. But it's 10, 11, 12 p.m. We've been waiting since 9. And one o'clock, I called the junior engineer that what is happening? Why is there an electricity cut in the area? And they just, they just didn't answer us anything. They just simply listened to us and they'll say, ma'am, it's okay, it will come after some time. They didn't answer our question anyhow. But we were so much in a bad condition as the generators went off because of running four hours. And we were exhausted because of summers and the Indian summers. Everybody knows it's horrible. I am really prone to mosquito bites, so I couldn't get more of them. So what I did is, I take the, there is a long piece of clothing which is really thin stuff made of organza or I would say some other cotton stuff, which is known as dupatta in Indian or Hindi language. And I just wetted it with cold water and just wet properly it. And then I squeezed out the excess water and just take it on my

    Band 6-7

    I have experienced many blackouts where electricity was off and it was completely dark but this one episode I cannot forget at all. It was when my mom and my dad were out and it was the time about 6 to 7 p.m. and suddenly there was a failure in the electricity supply and it was complete blackout. Me and my sister were alone at home and we were very young that time. Because of that we were unable to light a candle and we had no idea where the torch or the emergency lamp was kept and we were completely clueless what to do and that time our neighbors came for our rescue. We called out for help and they were very kind enough to come out from their balcony. They were living at the floor downstairs. From their balcony they lit their own emergency lamp and they waited till the time our parents were back home and till then they kept talking to us. We had a very good delightful chat. They tried to divert our attention so that we won't be scared and we didn't even know when the time passed by and our parents had reached home. This is one experience which I will never forget and I will be forever thankful for these sweet neighbors which we had who helped us cope up with the fear of the dark which usually all the children have at that age.
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