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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 58 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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    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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    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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    Anonymous student Band 6.5

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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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    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

    I searched the information about IELTS exam because I have cleared my international interview which is very prestigious but I need a document IELTS test or any other language proficiency test certificate which is very much needed for my onboarding process so I started searching for the exam how it is done and what are the steps and further how can I get my certificate at the IELTS I also have done many research on the which is the best exam and which has more value and I found IELTS is the test which has more value and the exam I am I am going to give is in three days which is very tough so I have searched all the information needed for the exam what are the topics should I revise what are the type of questions will I get and these information helped me a lot to understand how to score highest band in the IELTS English exam I think this exam band will be eight and I will be onboarding to my international company job in few days

    Band 6-7

    I needed to search for information regarding life before humans. I was mentoring a student in his project based on the same topic. I used the help of Artificial Intelligence, specifically Meta-AI, to get a brief overview regarding the topic. I needed to search for further information because my knowledge about this topic was limited and I had less preparation time before I could interact with my student and I wanted to have a better understanding about the topic before I had my first conversation with the student who is my mentor regarding the same.

    Band 6-7

    I needed to find information about reaching the University of Oxford from the London Heathrow Airport. I searched for it a week before my flight to London. First I did a Google search and looked up the details about transport from and to the airport. However, later on I realised that I needed to do a wider research and I checked on other government websites for transportation including the Oxford Bus Company. The reason why I needed to search for this information was because I was travelling alone for the first time in my life. I was going from India to the city of Oxford in the UK. I was going there for a study programme that was taking place for two weeks and this was also the first time that I would be navigating transportation alone. So, I decided to search for this information a week before my departure from India. As elaborate as the London Heathrow Airport website was regarding directions from the airport how to reach various cities, I also found it useful when I got to learn about the Central Bus Station. The Central Bus Station also lays out its elaborate route to various places such as Central London and Oxford. So, I navigated their website as well as their mobile application and on the basis of that information I was able to navigate transportation. I also did a basic Google search initially and tried to figure out the directions from maps but I found the website of the bus company as well as the London Heathrow Airport to be more fruitful. This helped me reach my destination on time.

    Band 6-7

    I search for information when I am preparing for the lessons. So, when I have to teach in a very impressive way, I have to talk interestingly using different examples and I have to find the facts because as a teacher I should know more than what is described in the book. So, I search for additional information before going to the class. I search through the websites. I go through the books in the library. I go through the journals. I also refer what the chat GPT offers. And if you prepare well, your class is going to be very engaging one where you can bring the attention of all the students. They can focus on you. Otherwise, children will lose their interest. So, as a facilitator, you got to know more than what the book says and what the students know. So, in such a scenario, I prepare. I refer, I search for more information. In particular, when I stand before the teachers as a resource person, I have to prepare very, very well. In that case, I will search for more information to add strength to my class. However,

    Band 6-7

    Actually, I am a student. I normally search information what I need to search. But I remember nowadays, I am preparing for my higher education. So, I was searching for some information regarding colleges around the world because I want to study abroad for international excursions. But nowadays, it's very complicated to search information online because all the information is not necessary to be put online by the universities or schools or institutes. I usually prefer to google search the college name or by visiting their web pages. That's all I want to say about it.

    Band 6-7

    Well the information that I needed to search for was on the foreign exam and the exam is called lab exam. It is basically a registration exam for the doctors who wish to practice in UK. So it was the last year when I started to search for it and the first source for me to gather the information was the internet of course. I also used some other platforms like the social media to be specific, the Facebook which has, where I found some specific groups that provide study materials, help connect with the people who are also preparing for the same exam and help connect with the people. And yes, I have gathered enough information on that now and I am, I am, I will be preparing, I am preparing for the exam and I will be appearing for it at the meet of 2026 and yes, I wish to start practicing as a doctor in UK and build the life that I have dreamt for it.

    Band 6-7

    I remember back in the year 2024, when I was in my final year of nursing graduation, I had to make a thesis and our topic was about the online teaching and learning process. So regarding the topic, I need to explore a different kind of information and a more vast perspective for it and I searched it through various websites such as Google, Yahoo and even we approached to many people, many personalities apart from this. I used to search for this theme and for this topic every day and night while we were working on our thesis. I searched for this because I got the topic in my mind when I was sitting in a class and we had a great impact on our studies because of the detachment from the physical classes. So this invoked me to contemplate about it, about the negative effects, about the side effects happening worldwide to all the learners and this made me more confident and gave me a platform to explore a lot.

    Band 6-7

    When I was in the early stages of my internship, at that time I was not much familiar with what AI is. So I searched information related to AI on internet and also found some good LLM applications like Clod and ChatJPT. Moreover, they helped me to understand things better. This was really important for me during that time because there was a need to learn each and everything and give a productive output to the company. So during this, I learned lot of things including fundamentals of LLMs and cloud computing and data structures. This excellently helped me to improve my productivity and also it helped me to enhance my dedication towards my work.

    Band 6-7

    Being an engineer and with evolving technology, it has been a requirement to learn new things day by day. So with my work and upscaling myself, I like to search and learn new things every day. The most things I search are mostly related to my work as the requirements change daily and there are a lot of things that I don't know as I am a fresher. So that is something I search for and with during my college time, it was difficult to get a certain information but with new AI technology, it has become really easy to search a certain information. You get it in just few minutes, not even a few minutes and few seconds. It is just important for you to give the correct prompt. I like to search for information as I am always curious about the new things that are happening or when I am stuck at my work, it makes my work easier rather than spending time on something and not being able to do it. So it just helps me with my personal as well as professional life.

    Band 6-7

    Back in my school, during my 7th grade, I needed information about the Mughal dynasties in India, which ruled India. So, as any kid would do, I browsed on Google and like all the kids, I stumbled upon Wikipedia, which had all the information I needed. And I structured my information accordingly. I skimmed through the information, picked out what information I needed on specific dynasties, and then I tried to put all the information out there on my paper, you know, like copy-paste. But my dad suggested, that's not how assignments work, you have to read through and scan and jot down all the important points you need, and then write it down in the assignments. That's what I did. And I needed this piece of information for an assignment, like I said earlier. It was for my history assignment. Although I didn't carry significant marks, but I wanted to put a lot of effort. I wanted to get teachers' attention in this. And I plugged out, I took pictures of all the kings of the dynasties, and then I pasted and then wrote information about them, quick facts about the kings and the dynasties, like my dad suggested. Yes, this whole process was a great learning experience, although then later on in the coming years, I realized Wikipedia is not only the source of information that I need to skim through, scan through to get my assignments done. It was a great learning experience to begin with.
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