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

You should say

What you were waiting for
How long you waited
Why it was special
And explain how you felt while waiting

5 unique answers with expert feedback

Show all 5 answers

Cue 1:What you were waiting for

Clearly state what the special event or item was that you were waiting for.
Provide some context about why this particular thing was significant to you.

Example

I was waiting for my admission results from a prestigious university. This was a crucial moment for me as it would determine my future academic path.

Cue 2:How long you waited

Mention the duration of the wait and how it felt to wait for that long.
You can include any activities you did to pass the time during the wait.

Example

I waited for about two weeks, which felt like an eternity. Each day seemed to drag on, and I found myself constantly checking my email and refreshing the university's website.

Cue 3:Why it was special

Explain the importance of the event or item in your life.
Discuss any personal aspirations or dreams that were tied to this waiting period.

Example

This was special because getting into this university was my dream since high school. It represented not just academic achievement but also a step towards my career goals in engineering.

Cue 4:And explain how you felt while waiting

Share your emotions during the waiting period, whether it was excitement, anxiety, or hope.
You can also mention how you coped with these feelings.

Example

While waiting, I felt a mix of excitement and anxiety. I was hopeful but also worried about the possibility of rejection. To cope, I talked to my friends and family, who encouraged me and helped me stay positive.

Conclusion

Example

In conclusion, waiting for my admission results was a significant experience that taught me patience and resilience. Ultimately, it made the moment I received my acceptance letter even more rewarding, as it confirmed my hard work and dedication.

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 without specific details. This can make the response less engaging and informative.

Tip

Include specific details about what you were waiting for, how long it took, and why it was special to create a vivid picture.

2: Rushing Through the Response

Many candidates rush their answers, leading to a lack of clarity and depth. This can result in missing important points.

Tip

Take your time to structure your response. Use the cues to guide your answer and ensure you cover each point thoroughly.

Neglecting Emotional Aspects

Some candidates forget to express their feelings during the waiting period, which can make their story less relatable and engaging.

Tip

Share your emotions and thoughts while waiting. Describe how you felt to connect with the listener and enhance your narrative.

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

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 >7

I'm going to describe a time when I was very sad and very much distressed about the situation I was in. It was the time when I was waiting for my fiancé who was in Canada for his job purpose and I was away from him about two and a half years. It was a very long time and in the starting it felt that time is going very quickly and we will meet soon. But after the time when it came near of marriage, it felt like a day was getting an year to complete and he was there for his employment so he can't come anyway without the permission of the employers and also without the proper I would say arrangements. I was feeling sad, stressed and very unhappy that time but after meeting him after so long I felt very happy. I was not in a good mood those days but when he has come and just made me feel special I just felt top of the world and I forgot all the worries of my life therefore it became like a dream come true for me that he has come to me and met me.

Band 6-7

during the winters, during the rains all for the main season that comes during summer. Generally the weight for the swimming contest is consisting of certain taper planning such as the taper week. Of course that makes the weight less daunting so I reduce the volume of work done during the taper week but increase the intensity. So the feeling during the taper week or the waiting period is that initially there will be this terrifying feeling or nervousness entering into the competition or as the competition gets closer but of course during the taper week my nervous system wakes up so I feel sharper, my instincts are fast, my reaction speeds are fast and I feel much more comfortable in while doing the sport but no matter what whenever the competition comes around I feel that pinch of nervousness and stiffness in my body but of course when the competition arrives and I have to dive and enter the race I have to just let go and let my body take over and do its own thing

Band 6

So, I have to share a little story with you. When I was waiting for my girlfriend, after a long time, I met her. I think after a year I met her, I called her and told, I came to your town and I want to meet you. She is there and she listened, I am in her town. She became very happy and she told me, just wait for 30 minutes in the cafe and she will come there to meet me. The 30 minutes, those 30 minutes are really precious 30 minutes for me because I continuously thinking about her and thinking about her, what she wear today, which color of lipstick she put on her lips and I'll think about her and I don't know how 30 minutes will pass within few seconds, like it will spend like, I spend that, these 30 minutes in 5 minutes because I think about her, I make things in my mind, like when she came, I talk with her like this and I'll give her a gift, I told her I'll miss her very much and ask her, she also

Band 6

I would like to talk about the time I was waiting my app expectance letter for university. It happened a few years ago after I had applied my dream program. The waiting period was almost 2 months and everyday I kept checking my emails hoping for good news. During that time I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. Sometimes I worried that I might not get accepted but I tried to stay positive and keep myself busy with other activities. Finally when I received the email saying I had been accepted I felt an incredible sense of joy and relief. The I wait had been worth it and it was one of the happiest moments in my life. All of that experience taught me patience and how anticipation can make a special moment even more memorable.

Band 6

I was waiting for the fifth year birthday of my nephew because he's someone very special to my life. Since from his birth, I only experienced good things in my life and apart from my parents, I would consider him as my responsibility and moreover, I also consider him as my own son rather than as a nephew. That kind of bond we usually share together. So, it is been two months I'm waiting till now. It's his birthday in July 18. So, I'm waiting for two months now and however, I'm planning for his birthday like in terms of decorative items, how to decorate, in what theme we have to celebrate his birthday and how I should dress up myself and how I should dress him and how everything goes, everything have to go. So, that is special because as I said before, he's very, very special to me, not only to me, for everyone in my family because he is a small, he's very young in our family. However, we also teaching the value of culture, tradition. That is how it is.

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