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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 73 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

    Well, to kick things off, nowadays we all are completely dependent on advanced technology. We can't imagine our lives without it because it has become a vital part for us. Besides this, we have some basic needs, one of them is electricity. We all need electricity in every situation and we can't do anything without it. Now I would like to talk about a time when the electricity suddenly went off. It was time approximately three days ago. It was a hot day, we all were suffering from a summer. First of all, we all were discussing about summer, then suddenly the electricity went off. We all felt disappointed, especially my grandparents who were ill at that time. First of all, I called to electricity department of my city and told them about my complaint. Firstly they didn't pick up my phone and made many types of excuses. After that when I called to SDM as well as Jai of electricity department, then they took serious my complaint and took action of it. After two hours the electricity came. And meanwhile we had to face a plight.

    Band 6

    When I went to a wedding of one of my brother's friend and suddenly the electricity light goes off in the function hall. The name of the function hall was King's Palace. It suddenly goes off and we were on a dinner table and all the people got panicked because as soon as electricity cut off whole function hall got into dark and it was mistakenly switched off by cutting down a bar by GHMC workers. Then the function hall management took immediate action and turned on the generators and people was like what happened, what happened. It was not a bad experience but I think it's a bad experience I think.

    Band 6

    During my college days, electricity would suddenly, frequently went off. When electricity went off, my friends would shout and make lots of noises and weird sounds like that. It was a weird experience for me. But faculty tried to control the situation. But there is nothing they can do because they don't know who is making the noise exactly. I also shouted and made some weird noises during that time. At that time, it was a fun experience. But thinking about it, I would feel, I would laugh thinking about the situation in those days.

    Band 6

    I would like to share an experience where there was time when electricity suddenly went off. So it was festive season and we had relatives as guests in our family. We were having dinner and it was Diwali time. Suddenly the electricity went off and we were basically having dinner. However, the guests didn't react badly but my mom was really upset about what happened. Later, me and my mom lit Diwali lights all around the corners so that we have some light to at least finish our dinner. It was really embarrassing. However, we managed the situation well, in my opinion.

    Band 5-6

    I was a memorable pastime last summer this electricity suddenly went off. It happened one evening in my hometown. It turned out to be a really special experience for my home and family for the most of me. It was a particularly hot weather and we all were sitting down at the have a dinner together. The air conditioner is on, the television is playing in the background, everything is normal. We just made it out of the meal. A few minutes passed by at 10pm when without a warning the lights went out. The television went black, all the fans stopped, all the houses plunged into complete blackness. There was a moment of silence as they began to register what was happening just happened in Delhi. There was a bit of a gather. My youngest sister, but soon after, heard a collective groan from the neighbors as well as it was clear it wasn't just a problem with our house. After the entire surprise went off, my dad calmly got up and went to find the emergency flashlight. While he was doing that, my mother found the box of the candle within a few seconds. We had a small and flickering light on the dining table, which created a breezy environment. We had a few small, suddenly power cut off, completely changed and the evening passed. We wouldn't watch TV, use our phones that evening then. It was a nostalgic moment that reminded me of my childhood before we were just dependent on the electricity entertainment. It feels like a much simpler and sometimes more meaningful time.

    Band 5-6

    I remember that one day electricity went off when I was at the age of 8 or 9, that day my cousin's marriage, we had no idea about it, on that day it was really, we are getting a big rain with the wild air, and we don't have any idea what to do also, but at the night time the marriage, the marriage time is nearly at 11 o'clock pm, and we don't have any idea what to do, but during that time we don't even have any smartphones also, I think it will be the one memorable day for them, because the thing which is the marriage is the memorable day, but on their special day there is no electricity or any generator also, by keeping the phone flashlights, during the knocking the, sorry, tying the thread, we all had a flashlight of normal keypad phones, not any smartphones, I think that is the day which suddenly the electricity all went off, and this will be the most memorable day throughout our life.

    Band 5-6

    Honestly speaking with you, it was a one time the electricity suddenly went off when I was at my brother's house like me and my family went to my brother's house after a long time but due to some issue in the light, the authority of that place turned off the light for four to five hours and it was so difficult for the people to manage the things because even in my brother's house, there was a function of my baby as for my brother also he just arranged the generator soon and because people were reacting so with the angry and they were just blaming my brother as well as my father for you should take care for the things, you should arrange the generator before the function but due to some issues, my dad and brother forget to arrange the generator before the function and it was not informed by the government that light will get off. After that, my brother suddenly arranged the generator and it was such a bad time for me and my family to manage the hundreds of guests plus having a listening huge amount of talks from them.

    Band 5-6

    In my childhood, current electricity is suddenly cut off, suddenly went off because of different things, different habitants. I personally lived in a village, so current suddenly went off because of nothing reasons. Current time is restricted in my village for 2 to 3 hours in the morning, 2 to 3 hours in the afternoon. So suddenly they will cut the power in the evening most of the time. People will feel bad about because they need to do work and they need to get tuition with the people who are studying and all the things. But I feel happy because of power of no one see the TV and by not socializing with others, all will gather themselves and all will gather at one place and discussing about the other things like what they are doing in life, what their need, what they doing in the house like that. So I felt happy by socializing the other people, not for not for seeing the TV and watching the television and using the phone, getting the charger by using the power stand. Also when electricity suddenly went off, we will do gathering the meetings in the surrounding area with other aunties and all the all the persons surrounded by me. So I feel happy when the current went off in my childhood. But today's generation electricity is must and power should. If the electricity run off also, there is power stations in the home like generator and all the other things. So after current went off, the generator will on, the electricity will be there. They don't need even the socialization by don't getting out of out of box. The people will lead to autism, different disabilities, unable to socialize themselves.

    Band 5-6

    and the current was the electricity was went off at in the yesterday the electricity was shut down at night 2 a.m. at midnight of 2 a.m. in my home whichever what happened when it off it when it happened it at the time of what happened when it went off air conditioner fan everything got off and it become very dry my room become very dried then the people's were came out and they can't tolerate people and explain how we the electricity was cut off at late midnight yesterday 2 a.m. 3 p.m. the power was cut off the electricity was shut down the electricity was shut down yesterday at night 2 a.m. when it is shut down in my room all the electric appliances such as air conditioner fan light which is switched off and my room become warmer so the people around us they have come out and come out for the ventilation and I think it was a very bad experience at cut off in midnight

    Band 5-6

    It was a long time ago, like it was back then when I was only 10 years old and I was, me and my elder brother was alone at home. I think it was 7 or 8 o'clock. Our parents were at our neighbourhood. At that time, suddenly the...

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