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Describe A Time When You Helped A Child: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • When it was?
  • How you helped him/her?
  • Why you helped him/her?
Show all 36 answers

Cue 1:When it was?

  • Begin by mentioning the specific time and place when this event occurred.
  • Provide some context about the situation, such as the child's age or the setting.

Example

It was during the summer holidays last year, in my neighborhood park. I often go there to relax, and on that day, I noticed a little girl, around six years old, sitting alone on a swing, looking upset.

Cue 2:How you helped him/her?

  • Describe the actions you took to help the child, focusing on your approach and interaction.
  • Mention any specific activities or conversations that took place.

Example

I approached her gently and asked what was wrong. She told me she had lost her favorite toy. I offered to help her look for it. We searched around the park together, and I encouraged her to think about where she last played with it. After a while, we found the toy under a bench, and her face lit up with joy.

Cue 3:Why you helped him/her?

  • Explain your motivation for helping the child, emphasizing empathy and kindness.
  • Share any personal experiences or values that influenced your decision.

Example

I helped her because I remembered how I felt when I lost something important as a child. I believe it’s essential to support others, especially children, when they are upset. Seeing her smile again made me feel happy and fulfilled.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, helping that little girl was a rewarding experience. It reminded me of the importance of kindness and community. Small acts of support can make a big difference in someone’s day, especially for children who may feel vulnerable.

    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 event to engage the listener and demonstrate your speaking ability.

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    Tip

    Include specific dates, locations, and actions to create a vivid picture of the experience.

    2: Lack of Emotion

    Failing to express your feelings can make your story less impactful. Sharing emotions helps to connect with the examiner and makes your response more memorable.

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    Tip

    Describe how you felt during the experience and why it was meaningful to you.

    Ignoring the Cues

    Not addressing all the cues can lead to an incomplete answer. Each cue is designed to guide your response and ensure you cover all important aspects.

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    Tip

    Make sure to answer all the cues: when it was, how you helped, and why you helped.

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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
    anonymous person icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 8

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 6.5

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    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 6-7

    A few weeks ago, I helped a child approximately half the age of myself. It was the time of evening when I was playing my badminton and that particular day, I was waiting for my coach and a kid suddenly showed up saying that he is going to take part in some state level competition which was organized by the Gujarat government and his school was participating and he just out of excitement took part and knows very little less about badminton. So he said I need some coaching and some help and if possible, please train me. So at that time, I taught him some basics of badminton alongside the rules and set of regulations which are necessary to know before participating in any games. So I just started teaching him and it felt like he had very good potential if trained better. So I also referred him to my coach so that he could gain some more technical aspect before going into the tournament. The only reason why I helped him was because I thought that he could achieve something which I always dreamed of when I was a child but couldn't do it. So that was the motivation behind me helping the child.

    Band 6-7

    A time when I helped a child would have to be with my niece who is just 7 years old. Her name is Krisha. I almost get a chance to help with her every single day. Just yesterday I was responsible for babysitting her and she had a test for today which she was completely unprepared for. The task fell on me to teach her the basics of computer which she was completely unaware of at the moment. I had to break down the concept to her in a language that she understood with cue cards and excitement pills and images so that the logic of it would register into her head and she wouldn't be just by hearting the information. I think I was successful to some extent in helping her out and to process the information. She had a lot of questions in the matter which was quite exasperating but learning to answer her questions was a new and awakening experience for me. Most of the questions that she asked was quite thoughtful and it put me in a position where I did not have the answer to just say. I ended up researching a lot to just be able to help her out with her studies. In the end, I suppose we both learned a lot of things yesterday. I might have learned a bit more than her.

    Band 6-7

    I would like to describe a time when I helped a child. It's not only about one child, it's a group of childs that are actually located in an orphanage. So the moment was like my husband's birthday and it was January 28, 2025. So I planned something different than usual and I decided to go to the orphanage and give something special to the kids. It was like a special dinner and some clothes for them and finally a few money, how much I can contribute that I contributed as a donation. So that was the best thing and that was the help what I can do I did when his birthday happened. So I am also engaged or I am also participated in that moment and it was like a surprise. Surprisingly, I invited him to there and we celebrated his birthday there and in front of all those kids we gave them bulk of chocolates and whatever they want, whatever they like, I gave them. So that was the good moment I want to share and people have to do this kind of help at least once in a year because we are wasting our money for lot of unwanted things but at least once in a year we have to spend our money for this kind of things.

    Band 6-7

    I don't remember exactly. I think it's in my B.Tech first year. After completion of my second semester lab examinations, I was heading towards my home. And there is a change in between the college and my home. So when I was riding on my bike, there was a boy who was riding on a cycle. So a man who was driving very recklessly on his car. And I think he was drunk and I don't know exactly. Hit the boy and ran. It's a hit and run case. And the boy was bleeding out. I was like scared a lot and I don't know what to do. The only thing I can do is carrying him to a nearby hospital. And it took me a while to grab some bravery. And furthermore I have carried him on my shoulders to the hospital which was a kilometer away from the spot where he had an accident. And then I and hospital staff called his parents. And they are very thankful to what I have done. And the main reason I helped him was humanity. Basically humanity was really very needed in our day to day life. So as we are advancing in technology, people lack humanity. But as a responsible citizen of India, I need to help. That's my responsibility.

    Band 6-7

    The time when I helped a child would be around 2 years back. No, no, no. Around 2 years back, I helped a child named Rohan and the problem with the child was that he was having mouth ulcers as well as he was quite hungry. I was coming out of the temple and saw him. He asked me by showing his mouth that he is having mouth ulcers and he is quite hungry as well. So, I asked him where are his parents and all. He told his parents died in a car accident. I felt pity for him at that point. So, I took him to a restaurant, made him wash his hands and all and asked him what he would like to eat. He was like, I can eat whatever you tell me to eat. I was like, no, no, you can eat whatever you want. So, he ordered chicken momos I guess and some cold drink with it. I paid for his food which was quite less amount. After making him eat, I felt really optimistic on that day and I cannot even forget that moment in my life.

    Band 6-7

    Okay, so this is the story of a few months ago only. This was a time when I was in the supermarket shopping for my everyday stuff like grocery and snacks. And I want some stationery also and I was in the stationery section of the supermarket only when a child crying in the corner got my attention. I just went up to him and asked him what happened. And he told me that firstly he was very hesitant to tell me anything. He was just crying only. I always carry water bottle with myself when I go out. So I gave him my water bottle and asked him to drink water. And relaxed him and calmed him down. Then I again asked him and then he told me that he got lost in the supermarket. He is unable to find his mother. He has searched everywhere in the supermarket. But then I asked him that whether he remembers the phone number of his mother so that we can call her. He was only 67 years old. He didn't remember. Actually that supermarket was linked to a Zodiac store. So his mother was in Zodiac and he was in grocery supermarket store. So I took that child and went up to the reception. And I asked them to make an announcement about the lost kid. They made an announcement and announced his name twice and thrice. And then he also said his mother's name. Then she came running.

    Band 6-7

    There were several instances when I helped small kids but to be specific I want to talk about two years back when there was a carnival in my hometown which held every year after Holi. And so two years back I went to that carnival to enjoy myself and to just experience new rides and to buy new apparel. As I was playing a lot of games there enjoying myself I saw a small child and he was sobbing and shedding tears and I felt that he might be lost so I went to him and asked that hi kid what are you doing so he said I'm lost I need to find my mother. So I took him along with me and I went to announcement center and I said that just make an announcement for Sourav that please take him from the announcement center but they said that there is a technical issue in the speaker so it will take up to 10 to 15 minutes to fix it. So I decided to take Sourav with me to Mickey Mouse and Giant Wheel and after spending some time there he was happy and I was happy too as I got a company of a small child. And soon after when I went back to the announcement center his mother was standing there in a chance she might find him at the announcement center. So she hugged his child and he was happy and her mother was also happy and she thanked me that thanks for taking care of my child and I appreciate your work and I also felt that it was a good decision.

    Band 6-7

    When it was? How you helped him? Or why you helped him? So, there was a time I helped a stranger with his child. So, when I was studying, when I was pursuing my MBA degree, I was waiting for my bus at the bus stand. So, at the time, a child walks towards me and asks for help. That child asked me that could you please give some money for buying food. So, at the time, I think that so where is this child came from and where is the parents are doing. Why that child asked money only to me. So, there are other people surrounding around them. So, it is the child is simply just walk towards me and ask for the help. So, I have asked some questions to the child like why you are here, where is your parents. So, this kind of question I have asked to the child. So, that child replied me to that. So, I don't have any parents. So, I am starving for a past two days. So, now I need some money to buy food. So, it's really you know, I am a person who have very felt sorry for the people who have been in kind of situation like that. So, I suddenly give the child a food not I am not the person who giving appreciating giving the money. So, I just take the child into the shop nearby shop and I am just buying the food and giving to the child. So, after I did that, so I feel like I made someone's life more easier in a day. So, and I also feel that so my I am not in this situation. So, I am very blessed, but I also feel sorry for the people who have not having the parents and just laundering here and there. So, and I also pray to the God. So, please take care of these kind of childs. So, giving the food shelter for them to take care of their needs.

    Band 6-7

    Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak. There have been a lot of times I have helped various kinds of people. Whether it be my parents, friends, neighbors, etc. Today I would like to talk about the time I helped my cousin who was struggling with his studies. My cousin's name is Ansley and he has always been excellent in his studies. But he used to struggle to study the subject of English. He wouldn't understand the grammar, how and where to use the pronouns, verbs, etc. He had additionally taken classes to improve his English. That costed around Rs. 300 per day. As a middle class family, it was costly for his parents. That's when I decided to step in and help him. He has always been an excellent student. So, with a little bit of help and motivation, he tried his very best. And relevantly tried to increase his score.

    Band 6

    I was helping one child at that time. The child was very, very poor. She didn't have any money for her exam fees. So that time I was paid, I was paid her exam fee and I bought her clothes and her personal things. Because she is a very, very intelligent student, she was studying very well. So that time she was asking me, she was asking me, so she didn't have relatives and parents. So we are taking care of her three members. She is my mother's sister's daughter's three members. They are three girls. They didn't have any house and other property. So we are taking responsibility for my mom and dad. We are also three members, three girls and one brother. So we are helping the girls and studying purpose. All things we are taking.
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