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Describe a time you enjoyed a free day off work or school: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • When the day was?
  • What you did during the day?
  • Who you spent it with?
  • And explain why it was enjoyable.
Show all 116 answers

Cue 1:When the day was?

  • Mention a specific date or time frame to give context to your story.
  • Explain why this day was significant for you, such as a holiday or a personal reason.

Example

The day I enjoyed my free day off was on the 15th of August, which is India's Independence Day. I had planned this day off in advance to celebrate the occasion with my family.

Cue 2:What you did during the day?

  • Describe the activities you engaged in throughout the day.
  • Include a mix of relaxing and engaging activities to show how you made the most of your time.

Example

I started my day with a leisurely breakfast at home, followed by watching the flag hoisting ceremony on television. Later, I took a walk in the nearby park, enjoying the fresh air and the festive atmosphere. In the afternoon, I prepared a special lunch with my family, and we even watched a patriotic movie together.

Cue 3:Who you spent it with?

  • Mention the people you shared this day with, highlighting their importance to you.
  • Explain how their presence contributed to the enjoyment of the day.

Example

I spent this day with my parents and younger sister. Being together as a family made the day even more special, as we shared stories about our country's history and enjoyed each other's company.

Cue 4:And explain why it was enjoyable.

  • Reflect on the feelings and emotions you experienced during the day.
  • Discuss the significance of taking a break from work or school and how it impacted your well-being.

Example

This day was enjoyable because it allowed me to relax and reconnect with my family. After a hectic work schedule, having a day off to celebrate our independence and bond with loved ones was refreshing. I felt grateful and happy, which made the day memorable.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, my free day off on Independence Day was a perfect blend of relaxation and celebration. It reminded me of the importance of family and taking time for myself, making it a truly enjoyable experience.

    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 Too Vague

    Candidates often give very general answers without specific details. This makes the response less engaging and informative.

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    Tip

    Include specific details about the day, such as activities, locations, and feelings to make your answer more vivid and interesting.

    2: Ignoring the Cues

    Some candidates forget to address all the cues provided, leading to incomplete answers that may not fully satisfy the examiner's expectations.

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    Tip

    Make sure to answer all the cues: when the day was, what you did, who you were with, and why it was enjoyable.

    Overly Complicated Language

    Using complex vocabulary or sentence structures can confuse the listener and detract from the clarity of your message.

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    Tip

    Use clear and simple language to express your ideas. Focus on being understandable rather than using difficult words.

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    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
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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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    Reported by

    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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    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

    In 2020, when everyone at my mom's home, my father, mother, brother, sister and all the children, we enjoyed a lot. We made a lot of dishes and we played a lot of games, playing Antakshari and swimming, dancing, singing, lots of indoor games we played. That moment was unforgettable and always memorable.

    Band >7

    When I was in 12th grade in school, there was this day that was a day off and we all decided to celebrate the day as a farewell day. We all bought food, signed each other's t-shirts, went out to play and spend time together. We made a lot of memories that day and one of the most enjoyable and memorable days I've ever had. I would like to spend another day like that.

    Band 7

    After a very hectic week of exams I got a day off and it was a Sunday. It was a very bright sunny morning. When I got up I ate my favorite food that my mom makes a masala dosa. After which my friends and I planned for a day out. First we saw a movie. The movie was average but the time I spent with my friends was amazing. After which we went to have lunch in an Italian place. We had the most amazing pizza. I loved their mac and cheese and the special margaritas they make. I thoroughly enjoyed my day off. I was relaxed again. Later on in the night I watched my favorite show with my cup of coffee and I was completely relaxed in my zone by the end of the day. I was ready to tackle the next week. I was physically relieved. I was mentally relieved. I was feeling myself again and I felt quite happy by the end of the day.

    Band 7

    It was a Monday morning, 23rd March 2025, the last day of my board exam, and after I had finished my paper, after I had written the last sentence that ended with a full stop, I felt relieved, like a burden had been lifted off my shoulders. I went home, and I cried of exhaustion, and I slept, I slept for the entire day, that's what made it the most memorable day of the month. After years and years of studying the same topics, I finally felt relieved that I would not have to continue studying the same subjects anymore, I am freed of the burden of school, and after 14 years of schooling, this was the last day, the last testament of my patience and hard work. The day was made more memorable because I got to see my friends for the very last time hugging each other goodbye, the cherry on top.

    Band 7

    It was on June 12th during my high school year, the first year, 11th grade. This day was spent with my favourite friends who had been there with me through my entire academic journey. It was an unplanned day, we had actually planned to go out on go-karting. Even though go-karting might seem something relaxing and not that great, it was the most memorable experience due to the fact that it was unplanned and we got to spend a lot of quality time there, fighting with each other about who's the winner and competing. It was all a memorable experience and an incredibly beautiful moment. They say when the moment is incredible, you don't use your phones because of the fact that you're living in the moment and that's what happened that day. We had loads of fun, we had later gone out to this incredible Japanese restaurant, which the reason that I was chosen is due to its captivating sushi with the most impeccable taste and directly coming from Japanese chefs. So yeah, to end off it, we had corona ice cream and went back home. It was like a really incredible night, we got to spend a lot of quality time together and it's going to be a memory that's going to make my youth seem like it was worth it.

    Band 7

    One of the most enjoyable free days I had was last year during a surprise holiday from work. It was a weekday and we were informed at the last minute that the office would be closed due to maintenance work. I was so happy because I wasn't expecting it at all. Since I had no plans, I decided to make the most of the day. I slept in a little longer than usual, then made myself a nice breakfast with pancakes and coffee. After that, I watched my favorite movie, Moana, which always makes me feel relaxed and positive. In the afternoon, I went for a walk in the park near my house and spent some time reading a novel under the trees. It was peaceful and gave me a break from my usual busy routine. The best part of the day was that I didn't have to worry about work or time.

    Band 7

    Today I am going to talk about a day, which was 14th November, it was Children's Day. We were in school, after the end of the classes, we went to the Golconda Fort. It was an historical monument and also a very good place to visit and to entertain ourselves. On that day, it was my teacher's birthday, to celebrate her birthday, we went to the Golconda Fort. There we had a lot of entertainment, we had a lot of games there and also we got lunch. We had a breakfast, lunch and many other activities we did there. Moreover that, I felt on the seventh heaven, after reaching there. Also, we had numerous different types of amusement, things were there. We enjoyed a lot, I can't forget that day, because it was one of the special day of mine. So, in that free time, I did all the sort of things, which I was planning to, we have planned a lot. We surprised our teacher, by bringing the cake, she felt very happy, she was extremely happy. After that, we came back to the home and we were in the uniform only.

    Band 7

    If I had to talk about a day, a free day off from work, then it would definitely be the last day of medicine. I had taken a casual leave on that fine day as it was very difficult for me to keep track with friends, family, my loved ones. I felt disconnected from the world, the current affairs and I really thought I needed a break. I decided to go out with my friends, we watched the movie Mission Impossible which was definitely an amazing watch and I would recommend it to everyone. It was followed by lunch at a very popular restaurant that I had been wanting to try for a long time. Chillies! I felt so good to have lunch and go out with my friends, my loved ones in spite of having to attend to calls or maybe prepare discharges or any work related stuff. It was that day that we introspected clearly on how far we've come. We used to meet and hang out every day and now we meet once in five weeks. Internship indeed has changed our lives.

    Band 7

    One particularly enjoyable day off from school occurred during the mid-monsoon season last year, when classes were cancelled due to continuous heavy rainfall and local flooding. The announcement came early in the morning, and it felt like a pleasant and much-needed break from our otherwise hectic academic schedule. Rather than wasting the day, I decided to make it both restful and productive. I began the morning by curling up with the novel I had been meaning to finish, To Kill a Mockingbird. That was a book, deeply resonated with me due to its powerful theme. Later in the day, I met up with my closest school friend at a cozy cafe nearby. We enjoyed some warm snacks and hot chocolate while having a meaningful conversation that ranged from school life to future aspirations. It was a rare moment where we could connect without the usual pressure of assignments or deadlines looming over us. What made this day particularly memorable was not just the break from the routine, but the mental clarity and emotional recharge it provided. I thoroughly enjoyed the day because it gave me time to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with myself and with others. In today's fast-paced academic environment, such unstructured time is often undervalued, yet it plays a crucial role in maintaining balance and overall well-being. That day reminded me that rest is not unproductive. In fact, it is important for sustained motivation and creativity.

    Band 7

    I had a day of work recently when I took a leave on Friday last week to go to a school reunion from my graduation days. I went to the campus of my alma mater and I got to attended with some of my very close friends. Furthermore it was a wonderful time because I was going to the campus after a very long duration. We couldn't be there during COVID, hence it was such a struggle when our graduation happened online. It was devastating emotionally and so this experience was a great way to heal some wounds from that time. Some of the few things that I truly enjoyed doing that day was spending quality time with my friends, reconnecting with them, catching up on what we were up to since all this time passed. I got to re-explore the campus because there were some new developments and constructions that had happened while we were not there, which are wonderful and they provide such great resources for students education at that institution. I also had the opportunity to meet some of my old professors and discuss, like we did in the old days, subjects that we are all passionate about and that we miss talking about. I got to eat the food that I used to eat as a student and it just brought back such good memories for me.
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