Describe a time when you worked in a group.: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

What did the work involve?
When & where was this work done?
How did you feel about it?

39 unique answers with expert feedback

What challenges did you face while working in a group?

One of the main challenges was coordinating between two PhD guides, as their expectations sometimes conflicted. Additionally, managing my time effectively was difficult due to overlapping tasks. However, I learned to communicate openly and adapt my schedule to meet both of their needs.

How did you ensure effective communication within the group?

I made it a point to have regular check-ins with both of my guides. I also used shared documents to keep everyone updated on progress. This way, I could clarify any doubts and ensure that everyone was on the same page, which significantly improved our collaboration.

What skills did you develop while working on this project?

I developed strong time management skills by creating a detailed schedule. I also enhanced my communication skills, learning how to articulate my ideas clearly and listen to feedback. Additionally, I gained a deeper understanding of teamwork dynamics and the importance of flexibility.

Band 6-7

00:00

I've always been a strong believer in teamwork. Ever since I started my professional career with Deloitte USI, I've always been a part of some or the other team, be it a professional accounting team or even the events committee. Every team has a different experience to offer. You tend to learn a lot about your colleagues, the people you work with, and also the people you interact with. Without teamwork, getting anything done is almost impossible, except for people who love doing stuff on their own. But I do think that teamwork is extremely necessary for your own personal growth, as well as the growth of other individuals. It just makes life easier by dividing the work, and it doesn't really end up burdening one with more than what they can handle.

Follow up questions

What challenges have you faced while working in a team?

One of the main challenges I've faced is differing opinions among team members. Sometimes, it can be difficult to reach a consensus, especially when everyone has strong ideas. However, I've learned that open communication and compromise are key to overcoming these challenges.

How do you think teamwork contributes to personal growth?

Teamwork exposes you to diverse perspectives and skills. It helps you develop communication and collaboration skills, which are essential in any career. Additionally, working with others can boost your confidence and teach you how to handle conflicts constructively.

Can you share a specific project where teamwork was crucial?

Certainly! During a major audit project at Deloitte, our team had to collaborate closely to meet tight deadlines. Each member had specific roles, and we relied on each other's strengths. This experience taught me the importance of trust and accountability in achieving our goals.

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.

Band 6-7

00:00

There is a very recent instance when I got the privilege to work in a group. I was actually the head of the group, so my responsibility and accountability was very at a high level because I was accountable to the department as well as to my juniors. Moreover, I was also accountable for the teams that were coming into our competition. So I was made head for the National Mood Code competition. It was held in the year 2024 in hybrid format and my major work related to the documentation. Apart from that, I was also involved in the account department and any other information that team wanted in order for them to get registered. I learnt a lot of values and qualities from that competition. As I was heading that competition, I learnt how to work with my team, how to coordinate with them accordingly, how to understand each and every person's point of view and combining all of them so that there are less number of confrontations with each other and also how do you solve the ego problem that arises when different teams from different colleges are coming to participate in your competition. Apart from that, I also learnt compassion, humility, how to understand my juniors and how to help them gain confidence so that they can work better for the betterment of the college as a whole. It also made me gain confidence, moreover it was very happy and it was really successful competition when I was head of it.

Follow up questions

What challenges did you face while leading the group?

One of the main challenges was managing different personalities and ensuring everyone felt heard. There were moments of disagreement, especially when it came to decision-making. I had to mediate discussions and find common ground to keep the team focused on our goals.

How did you motivate your team during the competition?

I motivated my team by setting clear goals and celebrating small achievements along the way. I encouraged open communication and made sure everyone felt valued. Additionally, I shared inspiring stories from past competitions to boost their morale and confidence.

What skills do you think are essential for effective teamwork?

Effective teamwork requires strong communication skills, empathy, and the ability to compromise. It's also important to have good organizational skills to keep everyone on track and ensure that tasks are completed efficiently. Lastly, leadership skills are crucial to guide the team towards success.

Band 6-7

00:00

I remember a time when I was aligned with many of my friends during the first year of my Bachelor of Dental Surgery. The professor, my professor, the head of the department asked us to make a small presentation which was not only visually appealing but also informative and easy to access and easy to display in a normal class setting. And I along with all of my friends we sat down and we tried really hard to just make it a success but unfortunately we could not because our aspirations were bigger than our intelligent portion. However, in the last couple of days before the day of our submission, we made a beautiful chart showing the various kind of tooth eruption which we wanted to show it in a visually appealing manner but one of my friends, he was the most gifted one and he drew all the charts and wrote down all the numbers and eventually presented it to our professor. I won't lie, the professor was not too happy by seeing this because he expected more from us but teamwork, it formed something in me, it taught me to work in groups and also it was a great friendship building exercise. I will always cherish that thought.

Follow up questions

What challenges did you face while working in a group?

We faced several challenges, including differing opinions on how to approach the presentation and time management issues. Some team members had different ideas about the content and design, which led to disagreements. Additionally, balancing our academic workload with this project was quite difficult.

How did you resolve conflicts within the group?

We resolved conflicts by holding open discussions where everyone could voice their opinions. We tried to find common ground and compromise on certain aspects of the project. It was important to listen to each other and respect different viewpoints, which ultimately helped us work better together.

What skills did you learn from this group experience?

I learned valuable skills such as communication, collaboration, and time management. Working in a group taught me how to delegate tasks based on each member's strengths and how to support each other. It also improved my ability to give and receive constructive feedback, which is essential in teamwork.

Band 6-7

00:00

The work involves my project work, which we have to work in the laboratory on the microorganisms where we need to do it in a very sterilized environment. This work, we have done it when I'm in my BTEC final year as my project work. This teamwork actually includes four of my friends. I always feel a very close environment with my friends when I work with them because our close companion, whenever we work with them, it feels like the work moves much better. So if one people work on one topic, other used to work on the other and we always used to communicate in a friendly manner, which worked out very well. As a better result, we got a first place in our project work. Also, we did successful because it worked as a teamwork actually. Without a team, all the work shouldn't have been completed as within the given time.

Follow up questions

What challenges did you face while working in a group?

One of the main challenges was coordinating our schedules since we all had different commitments. Additionally, sometimes we had differing opinions on how to approach certain tasks, but we managed to resolve these issues through open communication and compromise.

How do you think teamwork can improve the quality of work?

Teamwork allows for a diversity of ideas and skills, which can lead to more innovative solutions. When team members collaborate, they can provide feedback and support each other, ultimately enhancing the quality of the final output. It also helps in distributing the workload effectively.

What skills do you think are important for effective teamwork?

Effective communication is crucial, as it ensures everyone is on the same page. Additionally, problem-solving skills, adaptability, and the ability to listen to others' ideas are important. Trust and respect among team members also play a significant role in successful collaboration.

Show all 39 answers

Cue 1:What did the work involve?

Begin by clearly stating the project or task you worked on as a group.
Mention the specific roles of each group member and how you contributed.

Example

The work involved organizing a cultural event at our college. Each member had a specific role; I was responsible for coordinating the performances, while others handled logistics and promotions.

Cue 2:When & where was this work done?

Provide a specific timeframe for when the group work took place.
Describe the location where the work was conducted, highlighting any relevant details.

Example

This project took place last year during the spring semester, and we worked on it in our college auditorium, which was a vibrant space that added to the excitement of the event.

Cue 3:How did you feel about it?

Share your personal feelings about working in a group, including any challenges and successes.
Reflect on what you learned from the experience and how it impacted you.

Example

I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness throughout the project. Working in a group taught me the importance of collaboration and communication, and I was proud when the event turned out to be a huge success.

Conclusion

Summarize the overall experience and its significance to you.
Mention how this experience has influenced your perspective on teamwork.

Example

In conclusion, this group project was a valuable experience that not only strengthened my teamwork skills but also boosted my confidence in organizing events. It made me appreciate the power of collaboration.

Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.