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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 72 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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    Anonymous student Band 8

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    Anonymous student Band 6.5

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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 saw first time something unusual, something like beautiful on sky in Kolkata and I was just standing on the veranda and I looked at the sky and saw a beautiful rocket and it was looking like a bird and it was so beautiful and so mesmerizing I had not seen something like that before in my life and it was like I was feeling like I am flying on the sky because the way that rocket was flying on the sky it was so smooth it was so mesmerizing so much and like I had not seen that particular rocket before on the sky and it was looking like a bird and like in Kolkata we usually see like many planes but it was something different and the structure of the plane or rocket was totally different because it was like the color was red and it was the mixed color with the red and blue and it was fantastic the way it was flying on the sky and most importantly it was making something beautiful that rocket making something beautiful structure on the sky so it was memorable day in my life and nothing could be

    Band 6-7

    Yeah, so recently I went on a trip to a renowned launch pad where ISRO regularly launches rockets and also performs some experiments in relation to rockets and also propulsion. I visited Sriharikota two years back on the basis of a college trip actually. The main spectacle for which we had visited Sriharikota was to watch the launch of a rocket carrying one of the most advanced telescopes known to man. So basically, me and my classmates and everyone expected the rocket to be just a small spectacle of... We usually consider the rocket to be a small spectacle, for example, something in the lines of us watching a small homemade Diwali rocket shoot up into the sky, but what we had expected in contrast to what we saw in reality was so different. It all started off when the entire audience, including my batch mates, all of us started initiating the countdown by counting down from 10 to 1 and for a second when the launch was initiated I thought the sun had risen, but once I checked my watch it was just 12 o'clock. That's when I was completely able to comprehend the scale at which the rocket was being launched. It was an amazing experience and gave me a lot of hope.

    Band 6-7

    I live in my urban city, so it is very difficult to see the sky because due to the long buildings and polluted environment is not properly see to the environment directly, so here I would like to say that here I will talk about a day that I will see the sky which is looks very beautiful and charming, that day is the 15 August, that day my country India is independent from the British, that day our air force army is flying the jets and looks very beautiful, all types of colors are seen in the sky, white, green and orange color is our national flag color that is made by the air jets, this is my memorable moment for me, so I captured that moment with my camera, I take it and click some photos, my family members also with me, we enjoy a lot, this is my favorite day, I also recommend that to see that day everyone in the sky and makes our day is beautiful.

    Band 6-7

    was okay so one instant i remember uh was uh the seeing of a extraterritorial okay i'll start over uh so i remember uh one time i was my dear friend uh and i saw uh something in the star which was the moon and the venus uh they were aligned each other and after a decade or something uh that these two celestial bodies were seen together adjacent to each other the thing which i noticed in them was moon was brighter than the usual it appears and it gave a luminant and radiant bloom over the dark sky and due to that the sky had a very light uh color and the stars were twinkling very bright and when it and on the other hand the venus was red it gave a peachy red color which was very flabbergasted to watch and it was a very scenic view and the thing which made me memorable was i was with my friend uh i was with a friend who in some days was about to go abroad so these were the few moments uh we got that we spent together at a beach it had a scenic view with a cool breeze and the ambience was very good so i had a very memorable time with him and also the moment of the venus and moon meeting was just like a cherry on the top

    Band 6-7

    It was not long before when I saw a rainbow. I have seen it many times but this was different. I was really really amazed because that rainbow was really bright and I saw it clearly in the rain and the sunlight. Both were falling right into my eyes and that thing was completely different from the previous ones that I saw in my life. It was a beautiful scenario for me because I was really really stressed out by my life and I just needed a hazard free moment for my life for a few minutes but it wasn't the time for me to get that rest because I was already struggling and grappling with those documentations which was needed by my counselor and when I saw that I was standing near the gate under a shed and I was amazed that how beautiful nature can be. I really forgot my stress, my every document at that particular time because it was really shocking for a citizen of Ujjain, India to see such a beautiful rainbow and that too a complete rainbow not even a glance. I saw it for like 2 or 3 minutes. I didn't see it, I stared at it. I completely stared at it, I was completely submerged into my own thoughts when I saw it and I can't describe that thing in words because it was not describable.

    Band 6-7

    Sky is full of surprises. Whenever I see up, I always feel amazed. A time when I saw something in the sky and it stuck in my mind was an aeroplane. It was a Sunday morning in the summers. I was in Delhi with my family and the place is near Indira Gandhi International Airport. I was sitting and looking at the sky. Suddenly I saw an aeroplane. It has wide and huge wings. Flying from a very small height, I can clearly see every part of it and the loud noise it is making. It was a very memorable moment for me because at that time I haven't seen any aeroplanes from such a close distance. It is very great to see it in front of my eyes.

    Band 6-7

    Being a hordophile, I usually like to travel across different cities so that I can spend quality time with my kids and kins. I remember my last trip to Chandigarh when I was at the Sukuna Lake and enjoy the boating with my family. We were also enjoying the Naril Pani as a beverage and talking about our experience and the feelings we were having during the boating. One day time my siblings were clicking pictures and recording. Accidentally I look upon the sky. It was the time of evening and the sun is about to set. When I look upon the sun, it was a yellowish and orangish in the blue sky. The birds were going back to their nests. It was a very good time and that was a breathtaking view. I was not able to get out of that. It took all my concentration and the reflection of sunset was in the water. That was a very surreal view. Then I immediately told my family to look upon the sun. They were very happy and that moment I remember that was very magical when the reflection was in water and the birds were going. They were looking totally black due to the sunset time and the view I can't forget for my whole life. I am a nature loving person. I usually like to watch something like this whenever I have the time and I remember that sunset was my best sunset and I don't think some

    Band 6-7

    I saw, the time when I saw pink sunset, pink sky, pink sky during the sunset, when I was in, when I was in a beach in Goa, like Baga beach, I saw a pink sky and it was very fascinating to see pink sky during a sunset, it was like a ice, like cooler to ice and it was a, it was very memorable because I have never saw that thing in my life and it was the first and last time that I saw the pink color, pink colored sky with a sunset on a beach, water reflect, the sky was reflecting on a water and it looks very scenic, I haven't, I want to again see that view again in my life but I haven't seen a while.

    Band 6-7

    So, this thing which I saw in the sky that make me a memorable thing is like a rainbow above the moon. So, it was like a pretty morning, well, early morning, the rain, it's already rained and there was like, when the rain is completed, the weather was so pleasant and the sun was rising on the eastern side. So, on the opposite where the moon is setting, I do see a beautiful rainbow which is like something which we used to usually see on the imagination world where it is indescribable and I do see like little birds over there which make some kind of an imagination world over. So, that was a memorable thing for me and it is also like just for one day or few months, it doesn't take a longer time to stay on the sky. Instead, it was having the different shades and started just disappearing slowly where we are unable to call someone quickly to get, to show that or to take a picture of it. It was just for a moment and well, it is just started disappearing when the sunrise starts and the sun shades and the rises, like sun rises and it shades when it occupies the sky. It started fading slowly on the opposite side where the rainbow also started shading, like fading slowly as well as like it was my first time seeing the rainbow above the moon. We usually used to see above the sun or in the, like in the evening or after the rain. I usually used to see after these, like after these kinds of time and near the sun. So, this was my first time I saw above the moon which was a memorable thing for me.

    Band 6-7

    I remember one evening last year when I was sitting on the terrace on my house. It was around summer time so the sky was very clear and full of stars. While I was relaxing and I suddenly noticed a bright object moving very fast across the sky. At first I thought it was an airplane but it was very fast moving and disappeared within a few seconds later I realized it must have been a shooting star. It was with my younger cousin at that time and she got really excited because she had already read about shooting stars in books. We both quickly made a wish because there is a belief in my culture that if you see a shooting star and make a wish it will come true. The moment was quite beautiful.
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