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Describe a time when you saw something in the sky: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What you saw in the sky
  • When/where you saw it
  • What it looked like / any details
  • And explain why it was memorable
Show all 82 answers

Cue 1:What you saw in the sky

  • Begin by clearly stating what you saw in the sky, such as a rainbow, a shooting star, or a unique cloud formation.
  • Use descriptive language to create a vivid image of the sight.

Example

I saw a beautiful rainbow stretching across the sky after a light rain shower. The colors were vibrant, with shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet blending seamlessly into one another.

Cue 2:When/where you saw it

  • Mention the specific time and location where you witnessed this sight.
  • Provide context about the weather or the situation at that time.

Example

This happened last summer while I was visiting my grandparents' village in Kerala. It was late afternoon, and the sun was just beginning to set, creating a perfect backdrop for the rainbow.

Cue 3:What it looked like / any details

  • Describe the appearance of the sight in detail, including colors, shapes, and any other notable features.
  • Share any personal feelings or thoughts you had while observing it.

Example

The rainbow was a full arc, and it seemed to touch the ground at both ends. The colors were so bright and clear, almost like they were painted in the sky. I felt a sense of joy and wonder as I watched it, reminding me of my childhood when I used to chase rainbows.

Cue 4:And explain why it was memorable

  • Reflect on why this experience stood out to you and what it meant personally.
  • Connect it to any emotions or memories that it evoked.

Example

This moment was memorable because it reminded me of my childhood and the simple joys of life. It also symbolized hope and beauty after a storm, which resonated with me deeply during a challenging time in my life.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, seeing that rainbow was not just a visual treat but also a meaningful experience that brought back fond memories and a sense of hope. It taught me to appreciate the beauty around us, even in difficult times.

    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 less engaging and informative. Candidates often fail to provide specific details about what they saw, which can lead to a lack of clarity.

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    Tip

    Include specific details about the object in the sky, such as its color, shape, and size, to create a vivid image for the listener.

    2: Ignoring the Cue Card Structure

    Not following the cue card prompts can result in an unorganized response. Candidates may miss important aspects of the question, leading to incomplete answers.

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    Tip

    Address each cue in order: describe what you saw, when and where, details about it, and why it was memorable to ensure a structured response.

    Overly Short Answers

    Providing overly brief answers can make it seem like you are not engaged or knowledgeable. Candidates often give one-sentence responses that lack depth.

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    Tip

    Expand your answers by adding personal feelings, thoughts, or stories related to the experience to make your response more engaging.

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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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    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.
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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 >7

    It was once upon a time, it was middle of the night, around 12 a.m. or 1 a.m. Between that, me and my sister went to the terrace. And there we look up on the sky. At that time we suddenly see a shining bright light like dot moving from one side to another side. We were amazed, what is that? So, then we confused that why, what's that going from this side to another side? And it's not a airplane, but it looks like a star. It looked like a star, but it's not a star. We could confirm that it's not a star. It's moving around from one side to another side. And then we confused and another day we again went to the terrace to see that. And again the next day we saw the same thing, same mystery there. So, then we decide to search about it on the mobile phone internet. So, some of them have answered like it was satellite. So, that you are seeing it moving like from one side to another side. And we then confirmed that it's satellite. And yeah, that was it.

    Band >7

    The most memorable instance of me seeing something interesting in the sky was when I saw, a few years back, when I saw the red moon in the sky, it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for me because it happens only in like 600 or 500 years, as such the moon happens to be in the red color that you don't see in most of your everyday life and it was very memorable to me as I am a very science fanatic so I do hear much more interesting stuff like that and it's a once-in-a-lifetime for any of us alive today, we would not be able to witness that in any other time in our lifetime and it was very intriguing to me. And it was a very gradual process once the moon was the normal color, white color, and it slowly turned into the red color as such and it was a full moon that day.

    Band 7

    So, recently, I observed planets during the planet parade, both by my naked eye and through a telescope. So, when I was in Pondicherry University, the physics department arranged a planet-watching night on the terrace of the department, where all the students from other departments were invited to join the program. Me and my friends went there around 5 p.m. in the evening, and we waited along with all other enthusiasts to watch the planet through the telescope, but the best part was the people who had knowledge about the location of all the planets, they made us first see and look at everything through our naked eye, and told us how to distinguish all of them. Moreover, I was really in awe to visualize the planets through the telescope. The planet parade is basically where 4 or 5 planets are on the same line of their orbits, and all of them looked very distinct through the telescope. I observed Jupiter, which was huge, and Saturn, I observed the ring around it.

    Band 7

    So, what I saw in the sky that is etched in my memory till date is pretty much as simple as the sun, but what made this so special is where I saw it. So, I was on a trip, I was in Switzerland and traveling between the cities on a bus and I was surrounded by the beautiful mountains of Switzerland and I saw the sun right in between two mountains, which reminded me of the painting I used to do as a kid. Whenever I was asked to draw a scenic visual, I would always draw two mountains and a sun in between arising or setting and I believe that most kids these days or at least when I was a kid, most of us used to draw the same picture more or less when asked to draw a scene. So, it's really etched in my heart too and that moment was very memorable for me and till date, if I close my eyes, I can picture that scene of the beautiful orange-yellow sky with the sun in between the two mountains.

    Band 6-7

    During my childhood memories, I have recalled a memory which I saw in the sky. I still remember when I used to play with my friends during my free time, I observed a huge sound from the sky. When I looked up, I noticed it was an aircraft. For me, it was a memorable detail which I observed. I have never experienced such a memory and I have never sat on an aircraft and I had this eager to know what it is.

    Band 6-7

    it with me. During my childhood memories I clearly remember when I remember a time when I saw shooting star in a night sky while I was travelling with my friends. It was quite a late night and the sky was very clear and countless stars shining brightly. Suddenly bright streak of the light moved quickly across the sky and disappeared within seconds. Everyone became excited and silent at the same time because it felt like a rare and special moment. Seeing the shooting star made me feel amazed, reminded me the past and the beautiful the universe is. It is a simple experience but left a strong expression on my mind. And although after an hour I got to know that this was my dream. So yeah and it was 7 o'clock in the morning. So this was the dream I saw at the night.

    Band 6-7

    It was a month ago when I saw a rainbow in the sky. It was beautiful. I clearly remember it. I remember it because it's seven colors, the view here, mainly violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. They were making the sky look so beautiful and it was visible from far away. So, that's why I remember it. The sky itself was looking very beautiful because of the two colors, the blue, dark blue, white, there. Those were looking like I saw something in the sky. It was a month ago when I saw the rainbow. So, I can't forget. In my views, it was the beautiful day of my life. I might not forget it anyway. I liked watching it from far away. It was so huge, so big that I asked my family also to view it. They all saw it. My children were so happy with the view.

    Band 6-7

    It was two years back, when I was at the Nahargarh Fort, which is at an height. Shooting star. As a child, I had heard about it. As a child, I thought, are shooting stars real or not? I just contemplated the thought, if shooting stars are real. As a child, I had always contemplated the thought, if shooting stars are real or not. And this was concluded by me two years back, when I was at Nahargarh Fort. At night, it was 7 pm. And we were just sitting there with my friends. I saw a shooting star. It was a memorable experience for me. Moreover, it was the first time for me and the people with me, who were accompanying me, to experience such a blissful night together. And since then, I have been telling people about my experience. Because many people don't believe it. Additionally, not many have experienced it. So, it became a good experience.

    Band 6-7

    Okay, so this is just a wonderful question because I clearly remember the incident. One day after my night class in my school, I think I was in my 11th grade. So I was coming in a van and while I was coming, it was around like around 8 p.m. So when I suddenly looked at the sky, something like a metroid or comet that was in the sky at that time. So I am not sure what exactly it is, but it looked very bright. Usually this comet and metroid will look like a star, right? But when I look at it that time, that particular night, it looked very bright like a, you know, like a metroid piece falling towards the earth, you know. So it looked that much bright. So I was really happy and wondering what it was. I immediately opened my mobile and I checked what is this and is there any recent UFO or any metroid activity happening in India like that. But I couldn't find any particular source of news regarding that. I told my friends what I saw, but no one ever believed that. So I think I am the only person who saw that, but I called my friend who lived apart and when I asked him, he said he also saw something similar. But I don't know apart from both of us, no one else has watched that, I think. So it is one of the most memorable incident for me, like because it's one of the very, very rare sight that I have never experienced before as well as other people not even sure about what I have seen, right? So it is most probably metroid only, but when I look at it that time, it may, it might have suddenly felt like some invisible UFO that appeared suddenly out of nowhere. But this is one of the most unforgettable moment that has happened in my life. When you want to describe me an incident that I saw something in the sky, it is obviously this incident. Yes.

    Band 6-7

    One of the time that I saw an object in the sky was when my school had organized an astronomical night. In this night an astronomer comes to our school and explains the different objects in the night sky and there is also a telescope organized for us to look at the sky and observe stars and any other planets which are visible on this day. The thing that I saw was the Venus planet. It looks like a shiny and bright object and lightly golden in color. It was absolutely beautiful to see that in the sky. The shininess and the nature of the object was very attention grabbing in nature. This was a very memorable event because I love my school and I miss my school and all my closest friends were there on that day with me. We discussed a lot about astronomy as I am very interested in that subject and that's why it is a very memorable event. The night sky usually doesn't reveal itself as because there are a lot of unnatural lights, the man made object lights going around is on during the night which is called as light traffic. But in our school it is a plain land where we are away from all those things and we could observe a lot of stars and asteroids and other objects.
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