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Describe a time when you organized a happy event successfully: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What the event was?
  • How you prepared for it?
  • Who helped you to organize it?
  • And explain why you think it was successful event.
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21 unique answers with expert feedback

Band 6-7

00:00

/

00:00

I would like to speak about my sister's wedding. I took a main part in organizing everything. I actually came 10 days before the wedding so I could help my parents in organizing everything. On the day of the wedding, we received our guests and I actually arranged all the food for them. Moreover, I also took care of the rooms and everything for them. Consequently, we also received our in-laws at the wedding ceremony and arranged their rooms and also their food. Moreover, when it comes to the events, I came up with a lot of ideas to make the wedding more fun. We added a few games in the wedding and also I arranged the mehendi session and sangeet. I personally went and selected the songs so that they would dance and have a lot of fun. At the end of the wedding, that is mainly during the reception, I personally took care of the gifts and stored them properly so my sister could open them later. And also, I arranged the food for my sister and my brother-in-law. I am the one who ate at the last. Overall, it was a good experience and I am very happy that I took a vital part in it.

Follow up questions


What challenges did you face while organizing the wedding?
One of the main challenges was coordinating with different vendors and ensuring everything was on schedule. There were also last-minute changes in the guest list, which required quick adjustments in seating and food arrangements. However, I managed to stay calm and solve these issues effectively.

How did you feel when the event was over?
I felt a great sense of relief and happiness. Seeing my sister and brother-in-law enjoying their special day made all the hard work worth it. It was fulfilling to know that I played a significant role in making their wedding memorable, and I felt proud of what we accomplished as a family.

Would you organize another event in the future?
Absolutely! Organizing events can be stressful, but the joy it brings to others is incredibly rewarding. I would love to take on more responsibilities in future family events or even help friends with their celebrations, as I enjoy planning and bringing people together.

Band 6-7

00:00

/

00:00

I'm generally not one to plan parties or events but one event in particular I really enjoyed organizing was the proposal to end off my sister. I have known my brother-in-law even before they got engaged so I hatched a plan with him where they went on the regular morning run and she and he proposed to her. In fact I had discussed the same plan with her and neither of them knew about the other plans so it ended up being a double proposal. I took them on the morning run and nobody suspected a thing and sharp at 8 15 a.m. both of them like on a queue got down on their knees pulled out their rings and proposed to each other. I had two friends who helped me organize this. They helped me pick out the rings and I'd say it was a very successful event because both my sister and my brother were left very happy and we returned home with big smiles on our faces.

Follow up questions


What challenges did you face while organizing the proposal?
One of the main challenges was keeping the plans a secret from both my sister and brother-in-law. I had to ensure that they didn't accidentally reveal anything to each other. Coordinating the timing for both proposals was also tricky, but it was worth it in the end.

How did you feel during the event?
I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. I wanted everything to go perfectly, and seeing both of them so happy made all the effort worthwhile. It was a memorable moment, and I felt proud to have played a part in such a significant occasion in their lives.

What advice would you give to someone planning a similar event?
I would advise them to communicate clearly with everyone involved and to plan every detail carefully. It's also important to think about the personalities of the people involved to ensure the event is meaningful to them. Lastly, having a reliable team to help is crucial.

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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

location icon

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.

Band 6-7

00:00

/

00:00

It was my parents 50th anniversary and I know that they did not want to have a big party and wanted to keep it low-key as lockdown was there in India as well. So I made all my relatives send a video to me saying good things about them and I combined all of the videos and made a clip for my parents and my parents were really happy when they saw it and I could just see it on their face how happy they are. So that was a success for me. Other than that it was really nice to hear some conversations that were down the memory lane and reminded me of a simpler time when we did not have this sort of connectivity like calling everyone online and talk to them but it was fun.

Follow up questions


How did you feel while organizing the video messages for your parents?
I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. I wanted to make sure that the video was special and captured the essence of their relationship. It was heartwarming to see the love and appreciation from family members, and it made me feel proud to contribute to their happiness.

What challenges did you face while organizing this event?
One of the main challenges was coordinating with all the relatives to ensure they sent their videos on time. Additionally, I had to edit the videos together, which required some technical skills. I also had to keep everything a secret from my parents, which was a bit tricky.

What other ways do you think you could celebrate special occasions during lockdown?
Apart from video messages, we could organize virtual gatherings or online games with family and friends. Sending personalized gifts or handwritten letters could also be meaningful. The key is to find creative ways to connect and celebrate, even from a distance.

Band 6-7

00:00

/

00:00

One of the few events that I have arranged in my entire lifetime, the one that has still stuck to my memories, had to be the inauguration, or to be precise, the celebration of the inauguration date of the Ethophilia Research Foundation, which is on 13th March. This event took place on 13th March 2024 last year, and probably this was the first event that I organized myself, or I was a major part of an event. I was helped by my seniors as well as my classmates to arrange everything. There are a lot of things I learned while doing this, such as managing an event as well as learning how to decorate things from my seniors, being more punctual about the steps and all.

Follow up questions


What challenges did you face while organizing the event?
One of the main challenges was coordinating with different teams and ensuring everyone was on the same page. There were also last-minute changes that required quick thinking and adaptability. However, with the support of my seniors and classmates, we managed to overcome these obstacles.

How did you feel after the event was successfully completed?
After the event, I felt a great sense of accomplishment and relief. It was rewarding to see all our hard work pay off and to witness the joy of the attendees. It also boosted my confidence in my organizational skills and made me eager to take on more responsibilities in the future.

What skills did you develop from organizing this event?
I developed several skills, including time management, teamwork, and communication. I learned how to delegate tasks effectively and ensure that everyone was contributing. Additionally, I gained experience in event planning and decoration, which are valuable skills for future projects.

Band 6-7

00:00

/

00:00

I remember the last time I celebrated my mother's birthday. It was a very immense pleasure, I feel, on the occasion of my mother's birthday. Before that, I prepared a lot for this event in order to succeed. I took help from my own sister. She and I together planned a lot before the event took place. As we were planning, we discussed a lot of things, how to organize things in a good manner. We also planned a surprise gift. Moreover, we planned a budget using our savings. Finally, the day arrived, my mother's birthday, on 14th September. It was very auspicious. We had never celebrated her birthday before. This was the first time we celebrated. We invited so many relatives and friends. It was a very surprising event for my mother and for me. Also, the organization and the event was very successful. I never imagined in my life it was going like that.

Follow up questions


What challenges did you face while organizing the event?
One of the main challenges was coordinating with everyone involved, especially with the surprise elements. We had to ensure that my mother wouldn't suspect anything. Additionally, managing the budget was tricky, as we wanted to make it special without overspending.

How did your mother react to the surprise?
My mother's reaction was priceless! She was genuinely surprised and overwhelmed with joy. Seeing her smile and happiness made all the effort worthwhile. It was heartwarming to see her surrounded by family and friends, celebrating her special day.

What did you learn from organizing this event?
I learned the importance of planning and teamwork. Working with my sister taught me how to communicate effectively and delegate tasks. It also showed me how rewarding it is to create memorable experiences for loved ones, which motivates me to organize more events in the future.
Show all 21 answers

Cue 1:What the event was?

  • Begin by clearly stating the event you organized, including its name and purpose.
  • Mention the significance of the event to you and the people involved.

Example

The event I organized was my sister's wedding reception. It was a grand celebration that brought together family and friends to celebrate her new journey in life.


Cue 2:How you prepared for it?

  • Describe the steps you took to plan the event, including any research or decisions made.
  • Highlight any challenges faced during the preparation and how you overcame them.

Example

I started preparing for the reception three months in advance. I created a checklist of tasks, such as booking the venue, catering, and decorations. One challenge was finding a suitable venue that could accommodate all our guests, but after visiting several places, I found one that was perfect.


Cue 3:Who helped you to organize it?

  • Mention the key people who assisted you in organizing the event.
  • Explain the roles they played and how their support was valuable.

Example

My parents were incredibly supportive throughout the process. My mother helped with the catering choices, while my father took care of the logistics. Additionally, my friends assisted with decorations and managing the guest list, which made the whole process smoother.


Cue 4:And explain why you think it was a successful event.

  • Reflect on the outcomes of the event and how it met your expectations.
  • Share specific moments or feedback that made you feel it was successful.

Example

The reception was a huge success, with over 200 guests attending. Everyone enjoyed the food and the music, and I received many compliments on the decorations. Seeing my sister happy and surrounded by loved ones made all the hard work worth it.


Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, organizing my sister's wedding reception was a fulfilling experience. It taught me valuable lessons in planning and teamwork, and the joy it brought to our family made it one of the happiest days of my life.


    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. It's important to provide specific details about the event to engage the listener and demonstrate your language skills.

    bulb icon

    Tip

    Use descriptive language and specific examples to illustrate your points, such as mentioning the location, activities, and emotions involved in the event.


    2: Ignoring Preparation Details

    Failing to explain how you prepared for the event can make your answer seem incomplete. Preparation is a key aspect of organizing any event and should be highlighted.

    bulb icon

    Tip

    Outline your preparation steps clearly, including planning, gathering resources, and coordinating with others to show your organizational skills.


    Lack of Reflection on Success

    Not explaining why the event was successful can leave your answer lacking depth. Reflecting on success helps to convey your understanding of effective event management.

    bulb icon

    Tip

    Discuss specific outcomes, such as positive feedback or memorable moments, to illustrate why the event was successful and what you learned from the experience.


    calendar icon

    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

    location icon

    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

    Currently, there was not as such occasion where I felt very happy but the most recent one that I remember was occasion of my sister where she got married. It was a very much overwhelming circumstance because marriage is something that is very important for Indian family. At the same time, me being at the age of 20 was very much excited to deal with the obstacles that could be part of this ceremony. But at the same time, I was helped with my family members as well as we hired a consultant to help.

    Band 6-7

    I'm generally not one to plan parties or events but one event in particular I really enjoyed organizing was the proposal to end off my sister. I have known my brother-in-law even before they got engaged so I hatched a plan with him where they went on the regular morning run and she and he proposed to her. In fact I had discussed the same plan with her and neither of them knew about the other plans so it ended up being a double proposal. I took them on the morning run and nobody suspected a thing and sharp at 8 15 a.m. both of them like on a queue got down on their knees pulled out their rings and proposed to each other. I had two friends who helped me organize this. They helped me pick out the rings and I'd say it was a very successful event because both my sister and my brother were left very happy and we returned home with big smiles on our faces.

    Band 6-7

    I remember the last time I celebrated my mother's birthday. It was a very immense pleasure, I feel, on the occasion of my mother's birthday. Before that, I prepared a lot for this event in order to succeed. I took help from my own sister. She and I together planned a lot before the event took place. As we were planning, we discussed a lot of things, how to organize things in a good manner. We also planned a surprise gift. Moreover, we planned a budget using our savings. Finally, the day arrived, my mother's birthday, on 14th September. It was very auspicious. We had never celebrated her birthday before. This was the first time we celebrated. We invited so many relatives and friends. It was a very surprising event for my mother and for me. Also, the organization and the event was very successful. I never imagined in my life it was going like that.

    Band 6-7

    I work as an Educational Instructor, in the year 2024-25, the academic year, it was the time for the school to go for the inspection for the process of affiliation, and I was given the in-charge of all the document work, such as lesson planning, monthly planning, year plan, organizing the events, writing the reports, so on. In addition to that, I was elected as the orienter of the inspection, and moreover, I was given lot of responsibilities, like preparing the students to answer the questions, maintaining the records of each student, such as, and it was, I worked hard for that, and sometimes I used to burn the midnight oil, and sleep at 2-3 am, again, I used to get up at 4 am, I hardly got 2-3 hours of sleep, and I went extra mile to complete the task which was entrusted to me.

    Band 6-7

    It was my parents 50th anniversary and I know that they did not want to have a big party and wanted to keep it low-key as lockdown was there in India as well. So I made all my relatives send a video to me saying good things about them and I combined all of the videos and made a clip for my parents and my parents were really happy when they saw it and I could just see it on their face how happy they are. So that was a success for me. Other than that it was really nice to hear some conversations that were down the memory lane and reminded me of a simpler time when we did not have this sort of connectivity like calling everyone online and talk to them but it was fun.

    Band 6-7

    One of the few events that I have arranged in my entire lifetime, the one that has still stuck to my memories, had to be the inauguration, or to be precise, the celebration of the inauguration date of the Ethophilia Research Foundation, which is on 13th March. This event took place on 13th March 2024 last year, and probably this was the first event that I organized myself, or I was a major part of an event. I was helped by my seniors as well as my classmates to arrange everything. There are a lot of things I learned while doing this, such as managing an event as well as learning how to decorate things from my seniors, being more punctual about the steps and all.

    Band 6-7

    Here today, I would like to talk about the time when I organized a happy event successfully. Recently, my brother came from Canada on his birthday. On that time, I organized a birthday party for him at the restaurant which is nearby my house. I organized this birthday party by calling many decorations people for decorating the restaurant. I also ordered the beautiful cake from the bakery. The theme is black because his favorite color is black. For making this event successfully, my parents also helped me by providing the money and also his friends are helping me to collect all the resources which is used in this birthday party and also invited his school friends because he came from Canada from many years. He came from Canada from 3 years so he cannot meet with their friends so we called them. I think that this event is successful because when he entered the restaurant, he felt very happy by seeing all the decorations and also welcomed me for making his birthday party in a big way so that's why I think that I organized this birthday party successfully.

    Band 6-7

    I would like to speak about my sister's wedding. I took a main part in organizing everything. I actually came 10 days before the wedding so I could help my parents in organizing everything. On the day of the wedding, we received our guests and I actually arranged all the food for them. Moreover, I also took care of the rooms and everything for them. Consequently, we also received our in-laws at the wedding ceremony and arranged their rooms and also their food. Moreover, when it comes to the events, I came up with a lot of ideas to make the wedding more fun. We added a few games in the wedding and also I arranged the mehendi session and sangeet. I personally went and selected the songs so that they would dance and have a lot of fun. At the end of the wedding, that is mainly during the reception, I personally took care of the gifts and stored them properly so my sister could open them later. And also, I arranged the food for my sister and my brother-in-law. I am the one who ate at the last. Overall, it was a good experience and I am very happy that I took a vital part in it.

    Band 6-7

    Okay, so on 31st of December, I had my birthday, so at that time I want to celebrate with my friends and family, I want to gather all the friends, all the close relatives that are with me through all the difficult situation all the time. So I really want, because before my birthday there is something happened that is very difficult and for me I have so many bad situation arises, at that time my friends and family helped me a lot, so on my birthday I decided to organize and that time my father who is very a busy person and that time my father has really helped me a lot to organize the event and after we organized my birthday party, actually I organized my birthday party with the help of my father, so firstly I just prepare a few invites to the close relatives and send it to them, after on the day of the celebration we have a karaoke and we have a dances of my friends who prepare a surprise dance for me and after that I gave a beautiful speech to my parents that they support me in very difficult situation, I mean every terms and every terms of life they help me a lot and I think it's a very fantastic event, why? Because all my friends and family are all together and it's very, nowadays it's very hard that everyone gets time for me because everyone busy in their own schedule but I really happy that everyone has got time for me to come in my birthday and after that we dance a lot, we cut the cake, we taste the food of, I booked a very Italian-Spanish very famous restaurant of the hotel dinner, so

    Band 6-7

    Hi, the happy moment or the successful event that I have organized in my lifetime was organizing a birthday party for my mother and I feel it's so special because those are the times which I can reflect my love towards her. I prepared it with a group of people of my neighbors and it was a very successful event. By the end of the day, I could see the happiness on my mom's face. So I feel that that is a successful and special moment to me which is close to my heart. And celebrating birthdays are a happy day in everyday's life because it's only a one day in 365 days where we get some time for ourselves and the time to spend with our close people or showcase or give our love towards them and getting preparations to be done for them. All that together, I felt so much engaged and involved in doing so.
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