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

You should say

Whom you helped?
How you helped?
How this person reacted to your help?
How did you feel after helping him/her?

4 unique answers with expert feedback

What motivated you to help your sister overcome her fear of water?

I was motivated by my desire to see her live a more fulfilling life without the limitations of her fear. I knew that overcoming this fear would open up new experiences for her, such as enjoying swimming and spending time at the beach, which is something I wanted for her.

How did your sister feel about the swimming classes after some time?

Initially, she was resistant and scared, but as the classes progressed, she became more comfortable and started to enjoy the process. By the end, she was grateful and proud of her progress, which was rewarding for both of us.

What lessons did you learn from this experience of helping your sister?

I learned the importance of patience and support when helping someone overcome their fears. It also taught me that personal growth can come from helping others, and that sometimes, a little push is necessary for someone to realize their potential.

Band 6-7

00:00

When I was in college, I happened to help my junior with the decoration part as we had Pongal festival the next week. So, let me show you how to make Pongal. Back then when I was in college, I happened to help one of my junior with the decoration part for the Pongal celebration and she is very sweet girl. She is very sweet. Back then when I was in college, I happened to help my junior with the decoration part for the Pongal celebration and I liked her very much. Even though I was occupied with heavy work, I was interested to help her. It was a hectic day, I didn't have any rest. I was occupied in lab with my project work but as soon as she asked for help, I managed time and went to the venue and helped her with the decoration part. I made some roses with paper and some decorations by pasting balloons on the wall and with the rangoli part. She felt very happy and it was overwhelming for me also to look her that happy and she is someone very close to me. She started thanking me from bottom of her heart but I am someone who can never say no to people who ask for help. So it was another day for me to randomly help people. Usually I will feel good about myself because someone who look for help, I will volunteer and help with whatever I can possible. I also helped my friends with studying because they weren't regular to the classes and they never had notes with them. So I will teach them how the mechanism works and how.

Follow up questions

What motivated you to help your junior with the decorations?

I was motivated by my desire to support my junior and contribute to the celebration. I really liked her and wanted to make the event special. Even though I had a busy schedule, I felt it was important to lend a helping hand, especially since she was excited about the Pongal festival.

How did you feel after helping her with the decorations?

After helping her, I felt a sense of fulfillment and happiness. Seeing her joy and appreciation made all the effort worthwhile. It reminded me of the importance of community and support, and it reinforced my belief in helping others whenever I can.

Have you had similar experiences of helping others in the past?

Yes, I have had many similar experiences. I often help my friends with their studies, especially when they miss classes. I enjoy sharing knowledge and assisting others, as it not only helps them but also strengthens our bonds and creates a supportive environment.

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.

Band 5-6

00:00

So help help someone is one of the good sign of one one person. I also helped my colleague in my university who basically she find difficult to understand the topic taught by the faculty. So I usually make her understand by my own language and she really find this useful and I usually make notes during my class session. So I also share that note during my external examination. So the way the professor teach us and the way the other colleague teach us is a different is a diff there is a difference between them. So there is a difference between them. So we and we explain our colleague with our own piece of the knowledge. So they find she find a little bit clear and understand understand the topic well. So I usually explain her every topic before the examination and this this is the main reason she scored well in examinations and and she always appreciate this help and also after helping her I I always feel good and satisfied that with my help if she get scores if she got good scores then I also said this and I am also satisfied that this is a good way and I if I want to make career as a professor then it will then I will be a successful in that career. So this is one of the great time to help someone.

Follow up questions

What motivated you to help your colleague?

I was motivated by the desire to see my colleague succeed. I remembered how difficult it was for me to grasp certain topics, and I wanted to make the learning process easier for her. Helping others brings me joy and satisfaction, especially when I see them improve.

How did you feel after helping her succeed?

After helping her, I felt a great sense of accomplishment and happiness. Knowing that my support contributed to her success made me proud. It reinforced my belief in the importance of collaboration and sharing knowledge, which is essential in any learning environment.

Do you think helping others can improve your own understanding?

Absolutely! Teaching someone else often reinforces my own understanding of the material. When I explain concepts in my own words, it helps me clarify my thoughts and solidify my knowledge. It's a win-win situation for both the helper and the learner.

Band <5

00:00

میں نے راہل کا شخص کو مدد کیا ہے جو مجھے مقابلہ ہوتا تھا راہل ایک بہت عظیم شخص تھا لیکن وہ سبسٹانس اڈکشن سے مدد کیا تھا میں نے اسے مدد کیا

Follow up questions

What motivated you to help Rahul with his addiction?

I felt a strong sense of responsibility towards Rahul because he was a close friend. I wanted to see him overcome his struggles and lead a healthier life. His potential and the positive impact he had on others inspired me to support him through his difficult times.

How did you approach Rahul to offer your help?

I approached Rahul with empathy and understanding. I made sure he knew that I was there for him without judgment. I started by having open conversations about his feelings and gradually introduced the idea of seeking professional help together.

What challenges did you face while helping him?

One of the biggest challenges was his initial resistance to change. He often felt ashamed and reluctant to accept help. Additionally, it was emotionally taxing for me to see him struggle, but I remained patient and persistent in encouraging him.

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