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Describe a time when you were waiting for something special that would happen: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What you waited for
  • Where you waited
  • Why it was special
  • And explain how you felt when you were waiting
Show all 3 answers

Cue 1:What you waited for

  • Clearly state the event or occasion you were waiting for, such as a festival, exam results, or a family gathering.
  • Mention any specific details that made this event significant to you.

Example

I was waiting for my sister’s wedding, which was a grand event in our family. It was special because it was the first wedding in our family in over a decade, and everyone was excited to celebrate together.


Cue 2:Where you waited

  • Describe the location where you were waiting, whether it was at home, a venue, or somewhere else.
  • Include details about the atmosphere and the people around you.

Example

I waited at our home, which was beautifully decorated for the wedding. The living room was filled with flowers and lights, and my relatives were buzzing with excitement, making the atmosphere lively and joyful.


Cue 3:Why it was special

  • Explain the personal significance of the event and why it mattered to you.
  • Share any cultural or emotional aspects that added to its importance.

Example

This wedding was special not only because it was a family reunion but also because it represented our traditions and values. It was a time for us to come together, celebrate love, and strengthen our family bonds.


Cue 4:And explain how you felt when you were waiting

  • Describe your emotions during the waiting period, whether you felt anxious, excited, or nostalgic.
  • Share any specific thoughts or memories that came to mind while waiting.

Example

While waiting, I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. I was eager to see my sister in her bridal attire and to witness the rituals. I also reminisced about our childhood memories, which made the wait feel even more special.


Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, waiting for my sister’s wedding was an unforgettable experience filled with anticipation and joy. It reminded me of the importance of family and the beautiful moments we share together.


    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: Being Vague About Details

    Candidates often provide unclear or general answers, which can make their response less engaging. Specific details help create a vivid picture for the examiner.

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    Tip

    Include specific information about what you waited for, where you were, and why it was special to make your answer more interesting.


    2: Ignoring Emotional Aspects

    Some candidates forget to express their feelings during the waiting period. Emotions add depth to your story and make it more relatable.

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    Tip

    Describe how you felt while waiting, using adjectives to convey your excitement or anxiety, to enhance your response.


    Rushing Through the Answer

    Candidates may rush their answers, leading to incomplete thoughts or missing key points. This can affect clarity and coherence.

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    Tip

    Take your time to structure your response, ensuring you cover all cues clearly and logically, which will improve your overall fluency.


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    IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

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    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    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
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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

    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
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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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    Reported by

    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

    Certainly, there was a time when I was waiting for my admission in Amritsar well-known university GNDU. I want to pursue a bachelor's in physiotherapy in that university. The university is located in Amritsar. That is a very well-known university. I wanted to get enrolled in that course from that particular university itself. Moreover, it was back in 2019 when I wanted to get enrolled but somehow I couldn't enroll in that due to my less score. I was feeling very anxious. The reason I was feeling so anxious was I was waiting from 8 am to 8 pm in the evening. In that moment, I was feeling very anxious. I was very nervous whether I would get enrolled in that particular course or not. What will I do if I didn't get enrolled? I was very anxious. I was very confused. At the same point, I was feeling a bit confident that I would get enrolled but due to some quota or we can say due to some corruption going these days, I was not able to get enrolled.

    Band 6

    I would like to share one of my experiences when I was waiting for something special. That was my 22nd birthday where my mother gave me an iPhone and I thought that no one can give me anything but I heard something when my mother talked with my sister then I felt so happy and that was one of my special gift for my birthday and for iPhone and iPad.

    Band 6

    is today I would like to talk about a time when I am waiting for something it was a it was a day of the result of my MSc microbiology exam exam exam result after completion of my three year BSc I joined for post-graduation in Vivekananda College which is located in Tamil Nadu and until and still today I'm remembering those days it was very tough journey because studying masters is it's not as it's not a joke I had I had sit a long time for my studies my nights were sleepless I was I was I spent a lot of time for that MSc studies those days I understood one thing is that if I studied this like during the time of my bachelor's degree I tend to become a I tend to become a university rank holder but the exams was very tough and after the exam we have to wait around two months for the exam results one day I heard about that the university is going to announce the exams result that day I was I went to my friend home and I was sitting alone in a in the balcony of her her home and my friend was checking the exam results and finally she said that you had passed that exam and

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