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Describe A Time When You Needed To Search For Information: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What information did you need to search for?
  • When you search for it?
  • Where did you search for it?
  • And explain why you needed to search for it.
Show all 68 answers

Cue 1:What information did you need to search for?

  • Clearly state the specific information you were looking for, such as a topic or a problem you needed to solve.
  • Explain the context of why this information was important to you at that time.

Example

I needed to search for information about the best study materials for the IELTS exam. As I was planning to take the test in a few months, I wanted to ensure I had the right resources to prepare effectively.

Cue 2:When did you search for it?

  • Mention the timeframe when you started your search, including any relevant deadlines.
  • Describe any urgency you felt in finding this information.

Example

I started my search about three months before my IELTS exam date. I felt a bit anxious because I wanted to make sure I had enough time to study all the necessary materials before the test.

Cue 3:Where did you search for it?

  • Specify the platforms or resources you used to find the information, such as websites, libraries, or social media.
  • Mention if you consulted any friends or teachers for recommendations.

Example

I searched for information primarily on the internet, using websites like IELTS.org and various educational forums. I also asked my English teacher for advice on which books to use.

Cue 4:And explain why you needed to search for it.

  • Discuss your motivation for seeking this information, such as personal goals or academic requirements.
  • Highlight the importance of being well-prepared for the IELTS exam.

Example

I needed to search for this information because achieving a high score on the IELTS was crucial for my university application abroad. I wanted to ensure that I was well-prepared and confident on the exam day.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, searching for the right information was a vital step in my preparation for the IELTS exam. It helped me feel more confident and equipped to achieve my goals, demonstrating the importance of thorough research in any endeavor.

    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 Responses

    Providing vague or unclear answers can make it difficult for the examiner to understand your experience. Specific details are crucial for a strong response.

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    Tip

    Use specific examples and details to explain what information you searched for and why it was important.

    2: Lack of Structure

    Failing to organize your answer can lead to confusion. A clear structure helps convey your thoughts effectively.

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    Tip

    Follow the cue prompts in order: start with what you searched for, when, where, and then explain why.

    Overly Simple Language

    Using overly simple language can limit your ability to express your ideas fully. This may affect your score in fluency and coherence.

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    Tip

    Try to use a variety of vocabulary and sentence structures to make your response more engaging and sophisticated.

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    IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

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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.
    Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 6.5

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    Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru

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    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
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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.
    Describe a book you recently read
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    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    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

    AI has significantly transformed the way we acquire information over the internet as now the information is at our grasp with a single click. So the particular time when I needed to search for information was when I had acquired an injury from my workouts and to be specific it was a grade 2 muscle tear around my back muscles and it was also extremely painful. Initially, my friends recommended to visit to a doctor but I was a bit hesitant to visit doctors so initially I searched upon the internet about what injury I might have but the explanation there was extremely vague so I went on to chatjpt where I told chatjpt bot my entire case about what injury I am currently having and then he asked me to send me like text a couple of more points about my injury and afterwards when I sent that particular information chatjpt custom made an entire rehabilitation program about how I can manage this particular injury and also avoid this injury in my near future. Lastly, the particular reason why I chose chatjpt to acquire information was as my friends told me the usefulness of chatjpt how it has significantly advanced into a reward that can give you information on all the spheres of your life.

    Band 6-7

    I used to search the information about market trends, new craze of any information. Basically it is technology based and as I am AI engineer, so I need always to search for any new AI technology, diving technology and career opportunities. So I always find the information on Google, YouTube or the newly launched AI chatbot. Sometimes it is Gemini or ChatGPT or Perplexity. And I find it on my home because I have my laptop. So a laptop is so easy to find any information. Finding information on laptop is easy for me and it is comfortable because I do this thing in my own pace. Recently I have found new technology based trends of AI and I also compared ChatGPT and Perplexity. As Perplexity is very newly launched AI chatbot. ChatGPT is trained at high level as compared to AI Gemini tool and Perplexity. I also used to find information of web development when I was in diploma course. It's been 4 to 5 years. But after that I have switched to data analytics and I knew that AI can develop websites. So there is no scope, there is near to no scope in web development. So I started practicing.

    Band 6-7

    Hi, my name is P Soundarya. The thing I searched mostly is related to HR part. Because I am working as an HR professional, so I gather more information related to the HR field. I often used to search some PF and ESI related things or else HR related legal policies and compliances. So then only I can update myself and then I can develop my career. So I wish to be an best HR. So most of the time I used YouTube or else in Google search to collect the things related to HR part only. And also I used some English videos to develop my English.

    Band 6-7

    Firstly, let me talk about the information that I want to search about. It's the GKS related information, that is Global Korean Scholarship. And this scholarship is one of the most prestigious scholarship in the world. And of course, if I want to know more about it, then I need to source the information from the official website of it through Google. And even nowadays we have a very great AI help, that is a platform called ChatGPT or Puplexity. And they really help a lot. I really can't find help from Google because there are different websites and I need to go through all of them. And there are a lot of information written and might be. And sometimes I just need a bit of information. For example, if I say that I want to know about the benefits of having the different kind of the bands in topic, then I will just go through the ChatGPT and I will search what kind of the percentage or marks they provide for the topic, different levels of examination. So, that's a kind of the thing. And lastly, it really helps me too. And I search all of this information because it's a really great opportunity for me. And I want to have the scholarship in 2028 when I will be completing my bachelor's degree from India. And this kind of the information really helps me in order to get used to the rules and regulations of GKS and whatever is required by them for a scholar to have and for me to get the scholarship and fulfill my dreams. Thank you.

    Band 6-7

    I remember when I was in college I was asked to prepare a dissertation for my final semester and for my dissertation I was put in a group and I also started looking for information for my research paper and I looked for various articles and various theories that were already published online. I also interviewed few great people from the relevant field and then I also conducted some small surveys through Google Forms and emails and in-person interviews to connect to people and to have a gist of the knowledge and also to have in-depth details about the topics and I think research is something that is very much you know information centered. You need to have a lot of information with facts and text and you know with various other things.

    Band 6-7

    When I was in class 10th, I was selected in the science team and we had to do a project on plastic and its harmful nature and we have to suggest some precautions and also some alternatives of plastics in which we as a team researched about plastic, its history, why is it so hazardous to our environment and its alternatives. We mainly researched it on wiki pages and government organization pages which helped us to come to a conclusion that plastic is hazardous to the environment due to its nature of not degrading at all. It pollutes the environment and doesn't degrade at all.

    Band 6-7

    Being an engineer myself, searching, looking for facts, figures, information, documentation is a day-to-day task and it's very well needed in order to accomplish any of my works. Whether it may be coding or learning, so searching information is a part of it. So I believe without a proper exploration, whether it may be data, it may be a textical information or it may be any kind of multi-modal data, search is what is very important and necessity of my work. While saying that, a search is not restricted to learning, search is also a part of when I'm travelling to some other place, searching nearby tourist attractions, searching hotels nearby or lodges. So the search is very diverse in itself, right from the work to tourism to even there's the other chances to connect to people, to connect to people of your interest, your background. Search is what is needed. So there are never-ending examples for it and talking on the same, let's say if I want to travel to some other location from Bangalore, I need to search the immediate bus or the route to take or which mode of transport would be better. So these are the various aspects of it. I believe, yeah.

    Band 6-7

    The time when I needed to search for information was when I was doing this important university assignment last year. It was about the impact of climatic change in agriculture. I didn't know much about it and also I don't have experience in it. So firstly I searched in Google with few keywords and then I watched short videos and I read some articles and I even went to some university websites. So I read and I read a lot of papers based on it and finally I got an idea about what happened. So it was very useful and it helped me save a lot of time. Overall it is very helpful that the things we needed all are in one click away. I got it quite useful. And this experience taught me how powerful the information tool like Google and websites gave us. I am very grateful for it.

    Band 6-7

    I am going to talk about a situation where I desperately need some information to solve my problems. I was doing a Python project. At that time I get stuck I need to debug that code. In order to resolve that I need some I needed some information so I take assist of chat GPT AI tool that helped me a lot and then the tool debugged the entire code of my project and it was a glad it was a glad moment for me that in a short span of time I resolve my problem that's

    Band 6-7

    There is a time in my B.Tech where I took a project on design and manufacturing of turbojet engines. It's my B.Tech project topic where I need to search for information regarding these turbojet engines. So I started searching the topic from the Google. So from the Google I gone to like whatever the website I found in the Google, I just opened it, read the whole topics, after that I have gone to some related books, reference books and then also I went to ChatsPT and Purposely the AI tools which helped me a lot like where I can get information on what I am doing and the topic I am presently working on and it's like it's my B.Tech project so there are some credentials that I need to fill and nearly six, it's a six credit course so it plays a major role in my semester examination so I have to be thorough with the topic so at the time of presentation I need to give my all. That is the time where I need to search for the information regarding this topic. Although from the, from my seniors help I got the topic information, actually I need to search.
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