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Describe a time when you had a problem with using the computer: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • When did it happen?
  • Where did it happen?
  • What was the problem?
  • How did you solve the problem in the end?
Show all 118 answers

Cue 1:When did it happen?

  • Mention a specific time frame, such as a particular day or month, to give context to your experience.
  • Explain any relevant circumstances that led to the problem occurring at that time.

Example

It happened about three months ago, during the peak of my final exams. I was preparing for my computer science paper, and I had planned to complete my project that evening.

Cue 2:Where did it happen?

  • Describe the location where you were using the computer, such as your home, a library, or a friend's place.
  • Include details about the environment that might have contributed to the situation.

Example

I was at home, sitting at my study desk in my room. It was a quiet evening, and I had all my study materials spread out around me, creating a focused atmosphere.

Cue 3:What was the problem?

  • Clearly state the issue you faced with the computer, such as a software crash or hardware failure.
  • Explain how this problem affected your ability to complete your tasks.

Example

Suddenly, my computer froze while I was running a crucial software program for my project. I panicked because I hadn’t saved my work in a while, and I was worried about losing everything.

Cue 4:How did you solve the problem in the end?

  • Discuss the steps you took to resolve the issue, including any troubleshooting methods or help you sought.
  • Mention the outcome and what you learned from the experience.

Example

I took a deep breath and decided to restart my computer. Thankfully, when it rebooted, I found that the auto-recovery feature had saved my work. I also learned the importance of saving my work frequently and started using cloud storage for future projects.

Conclusion

    Example

    This experience taught me valuable lessons about technology and the importance of being prepared for unexpected issues. Now, I always make sure to back up my work regularly, which has made my study sessions much less stressful.

    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 response unclear. Avoid general statements that do not provide specific details about the problem or the situation.

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    Tip

    Be specific about the time, place, and nature of the problem. Use clear examples to illustrate your experience.

    2: Ignoring the Cues

    Not addressing all the cues can lead to an incomplete answer. Each cue is designed to help structure your response effectively.

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    Tip

    Make sure to answer all the cues in order. This will help you stay organized and cover all important aspects of your experience.

    Lack of Problem-Solving Detail

    Failing to explain how you solved the problem can make your response less engaging. It's important to show your thought process and actions.

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    Tip

    Describe the steps you took to resolve the issue. Highlight any challenges you faced and how you overcame them to add depth to your answer.

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    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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    Anonymous student Band 8

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    Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

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    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.
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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.
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    Anonymous student Band 7

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    Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

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    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.
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    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    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

    First time, once I joined to TCS, I have done with the orientation program and everything. So as soon as I completed all the orientation program and documentation session and everything, so they are providing training to us. So on the first day of my training, I'm not able to connect the TCS proxy internet to my laptop. That is the issue I have faced on that day. So I don't know why I'm not able to connect TCS proxy when I'm trying to connect it showing some error. So I asked with seniors and my colleagues were in the office, but they are also trying to resolve that issue, but it is not resolved on that day. So after that, I just connected with the IT team and I said, this is the issue I'm having. Recently, I joined the TCS. So today is my first day. So could you please help me to resolve this issue as soon as possible? Because training is already started, everyone are attending the training. If I miss the training, so it would be bad for me to process the request after that. And I did not understand any process. If I did not attend the first session, it is important, if I go anywhere, if I do anything, the first thing is the first starting of the letter and first tension and the first day of the training is essential for me to attend. So could you please check and resolve my issues? Then they have checked everything on my system and the issue also got resolved. Then I can

    Band 6-7

    My computer screen got blank 6 months ago. It was a very major problem since I was not able to use my computer and the charging of the computer was not happening. In order to mitigate the problem, I called the computer technician. He told me that the LED of the computer i.e. the screen had gone blank and that the motherboard was also fried up due to excessive current damage. To fix the issue, the motherboard of the computer was replaced and a new screen was installed. The whole procedure took about 2 days and it was very fast and I was able to use my computer then very easily. I am very thankful to that computer technician because he came to my house and he himself fixed the computer. I have never had computer problems but this was a very major one so I was pretty scared. Thankfully, the Dell service was very helpful and they offer real time service and they make sure that the computer is fixed quickly. Thankfully, my computer was in warranty also so I did not have to pay any single dime to get it fixed. The service was impressive and the person knew his stuff. It was a very tough time for me because my exams were also there and at that time my computer got spoiled so it was tough and it was frightening because I needed my computer to rehearse notes and prep for the examination. Thankfully, they did it quickly and I was able to get good grades on my exams. It was a very daunting experience and I hope to never have it again. Thank you very much.

    Band 6-7

    The hard time when I found a problem in using my computer was on 7th of July 2025. I was in the learning pathway school on the top floor where the network issues were there but they were okay at some point of time. It was my SAT exam that day. I had done a lot of hard work to be there and do my test but when our invigilators give us the scores to put on our computer screen and start our test, my screen was freezed and I was totally unaware what is happening. It was the first time my computer doesn't work. I look at my surroundings and I found that I am in a problem and I need the solution of this because I want to complete my test as soon as possible because there are time limits in the SAT examination. And it was a terrible day for me because I was juggling with operating my computer. Then I found an invigilator who was giving instructions to all of the other students so I thought I should call him and ask him for a help. I called the teacher and he said that what happened, why are you so nervous. I said sir my computer is totally freezed, I am not able to type anything, I am not able to scroll anything and sir has given us the code and we have to just put on the codes on our screens and let our work done as soon as possible but the computer is not working and already my 10 minutes are wasted. Sir said relax, you are not going to make yourself panic in this situation, this happens sometimes and this will be sorted easily.

    Band 6-7

    When I was around 12 years old and in 6th grade, I was studying in Kenshi school, Bengaluru. That time, in one of my technology classes, I had an issue with the computer where the CPU was running but the monitor was just blank. And being a 6th grader, I literally didn't know what was wrong. And so, I called my teacher to figure out what had happened and then the teacher helped me to understand what had gone wrong and the thing that was wrong was that the power cable was not connected to the monitor. And once she connected the power cable to the monitor, it started. And after which, I proceeded with learning Microsoft applications, which I still use to date and that was really helpful class.

    Band 6-7

    I remember I had problem using a computer was back in 2021 when I had my first laptop. The reason that I had my first laptop was because of online classes due to COVID. I remember how things complicated were. It was my first time using my own laptop so I know I was excited but at the same time I didn't know much about laptop. So I also had problems in storing folders, storing files in them, sending emails to anyone. It was just way too hard for me but eventually I learned everything by my own. I usually did not take any help from someone regarding any laptop purposes. The reason was that I was actually quite shy to ask my parents as well because I felt like they might think that I'm dumb. But eventually I just learned how to use a laptop which was a great experience for me which also I believe everyone needs to be very fluent with laptops and the recent tech technologies that are coming up. It makes us walk through the day-to-day life and it is always a benefit to have knowledge about the new technologies which are coming up.

    Band 6-7

    I remember it like it was yesterday. It was about two years ago and I was working on really important university project. It was my final year dissertation and I had spent month, probably hundred of hours meticulously researching, writing and compiling data. I was using my personal laptop, a fairly new one at that time and I felt pretty confident on its performance. The problem arose one evening when I was about to save a new draft of crucial chapter. Suddenly my laptop just froze, completely unresponsive. I tried everything, control plus alt plus delete, pressing power button but nothing worked. Eventually I had to do a hard shutdown by holding down the power button. When I rebooted, that's when the real panic set in. My entire project folder was gone. Not just a latest draft but every single file related to my dissertation. It was like it had vanished into thin air. I checked the recycle bin, ran disk scans, looked for the temporary file but absolutely nothing. It was complete and utter data loss. This wasn't just a minor inconvenience, it was a major setback. My deadline was looming and I thought of having a recreate month of work from scratch was incredibly disheartening. I felt a mix of frustration, anger and sheer helplessness. I spent the next few days desperately trying to recover the files. I even took it to the local computer repair shop hoping they could work some magic. Unfortunately they confirmed that the data was

    Band 6-7

    I encountered numerous problems while doing my MSc Part 2 research project. My project was completely based on computational drug designing so that lab exploration becomes easier and the process becomes faster. So there are many softwares that you do use for computational techniques Thus I was also doing the same, I was using a set of tools, softwares and databases on my laptop to do the research work. But then there were a lot of problems that I encountered. The very first was whenever I went to use a new website it was so tricky, so tricky that I could barely understand any of it. And to be very honest I have never solved a problem of mine on my own which is a great drawback on my end. Basically I have had others who have helped me and I am lucky that I do have a best friend and my mother who are always there whenever I encounter a problem either on the computer or in personal life. So this friend of mine who is very tech savvy is always ready to help. The person isn't even from science background but still makes an effort to learn those tools, softwares and the computational techniques just so he can teach me those techniques and I don't cry. So that was his prime motive.

    Band 6-7

    It was happened two months before when I was working as a software engineer. During that time I worked as an intern. They gave me the training to build one software called as Odo. The major cause of the problem is I used two OS. One is Windows and other one is Ubuntu. The two OS got crashed. I don't know when the display gets shut down. I tried two or three times on my own but it didn't get turned on. Then only I watched some YouTube videos and by referring SatGBT I solved the problem on my own. During that time I really don't know what to do next. During that time I was in internship period. So I didn't know whether I will get a job confirmed or not. I really struggled a lot at that time. I felt lonely at that time. But nowadays there is a lot of technical information in the online. By using that we can clear all the errors and debug on our own. Nowadays technology is like everyone's handful of knowledge.

    Band 6-7

    My old computer was of the brand Lenovo, and to be honest I never had any substantial issues with it. But the only problem I had was, when I was around 11 or 12 years old, the CPU sparked and everything went black. Actually, at that time I was playing Red Dead Redemption 1, which was a graphic-intensive game. And my computer is actually a productive one and not a gaming one. But still I thought to give it a try, and that's the biggest mistake I made. And yeah, I got scared to the spine, that my father might scold me. But the repair took about 3 days and only costed about some 1500 to 2000 rupees. So it was not really a big mistake. The only problem was that CPU got overheated, and from that day onwards I stopped gaming on my computer. And just for gaming, I asked my father a PS5 and he bought me one because I got excellent marks in my intermediate public examination. Now I play immersive titles like Resident Evil and Red Dead Redemption 2 on my PS5 instead of on my PC. Now I use my PC mostly for academic stuff, like using ChatGPT to prepare for various exams like advance placements and even this exam IELTS.

    Band 6-7

    It happened in last year, when I was downloading my PUBG mobile game in my laptop, it was almost at 80%, my laptop suddenly became blank out. I've tried all troubleshooting, I've tried to charge the laptop again, but there was no use, I've checked with my brother, is this problem occurring from long period or it is recently launched, he replied me that, I've never seen this problem in this laptop and he suggested me to go to a technician to repair it, I finally went to a technician at HP and given it for a repair, although the technician checked the laptop, he didn't find any problem in it for a long time, I was really tensed, I got to know that it's a big problem, that is the reason, he is unable to find it, he said me, come back after an hour, I reached him back after an hour, he let me know that, the charging port and the motherboard both was damaged, and he told me that, motherboard has to be replaced, I said him, so do it, he told that, after replacing the motherboard,
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