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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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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    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
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    Anonymous student Band 8

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    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
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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

    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
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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 6-7

    I would like to describe about the free day at school. I remember clearly once we had a free period during our 12th standard and this was during the work experience period and we had three periods after the work experience period as free. So we planned to something innovative and our teacher told us we can do whatever we want. So we all decided to cook something and we all agreed upon making samosas. So for that the teacher asked us what all things we needed for the same and we made a list, created a list and handed over to the school staff to buy things for us and he did exactly as what we had asked and he bought all the necessary items and we started to cook together. Basically we divided ourselves into different groups. Some were involved in the cutting vegetables and some were involved in making the batter for the same and many of them all have contributed their own ideas into the cooking and the teacher was so excited because we were working together as a team. And secondly the most fun thing about this was it was very fun to do something at the school with our loved ones and that too cooking which we never thought of doing it at school. It was during the work experience period so we had a kitchen, we have individual stoves in the art and science room for cooking that is to be allowed. Apart from being fun it was very informative too because the teacher has guided through each and every step and how it is to be done.

    Band 6-7

    It was 2nd July 2024 and it was a Monday. I had a day off from my work and my work revolves around social media and it was a rainy day as well so it was a cheesecake for me. As I love rainy days I took a sip of hot tea with fried fries and as my work revolves around social media marketing it was a very productive day for me as I was able to create new concept ideas shoot videos at my home that would help me better my cardio so it was a great day for me and I especially spent my entire day with my dog and my cat and my family as well as I love to do that and it was a very enjoyable day because I learned so many new things on that day while creating new concepts and also enjoying my family time I also watched some shows and movies which I like very much and that's it that was the most enjoyable day for me. Thank you.

    Band 6-7

    The time I spent with my friends on my birthday was very special for me, and I believe that birthday is quite special for everyone, and everyone likes to celebrate it with their family or their friends, moreover, on my recent birthday last year, I celebrated my birthday with my friends, we had a small party in a resort which was quite fascinating for me, and my friends prepared different gifts for me, my friends are quite good and cooperating in my opinion, and I believe that company of our friends matter a lot, and a person should choose their friends wisely.

    Band 6-7

    There were a lot of times where I enjoyed during my college days and one among that is on the TechFest of my first year. So it was on February 14th of 2020, 70 and I along with my friends which named as Anubha and Krishnendu. So it was our first year and we were so excited to participate in the TechFest. And during that time, we were not participating in any of the programs and we were so enjoyable and we didn't have any work and any studies, teachers were busy with other works and all. So we planned to move all around the college and see whatever happening in that time. And during that time, so one of the team members, one of the other campaign members asked us to participate in the treasure hunt and we participated and it was more enjoyable because we were able to find out each treasure within seconds and we were able to crack all the things which have been hidden. And finally, we got first position, first in that treasure hunt and later we got awarded for the same and we even got a cash prize for that. And later after the treasure hunt, we went for a walk around the college and we did observe a lot of programs happening in the backyard. So there were NSS campaign which were made to donate blood to the poor, which were part of a blood donation. And we even helped the campaign members to achieve their goal and help in some providing some information that was relevant during that time. So it was our first time, even though it was some like serious one, we did enjoy it a lot because of the, because of we were able to find out all the things which have been hidden.

    Band 6-7

    I recall one such memorable day when I got a free day off from my school. It happened a few years ago during the monsoon season. What happened was that the night before, there was a heavy downpour which continued until the early hours of the morning. As a result, the school declared a holiday due to the waterlogging and poor weather conditions. It was really unexpected and it just made me feel more excited. I remember that on that day, I woke up and was expecting to get ready for school, but when I received the message on the school WhatsApp group that its classes had been cancelled, I cannot even describe the joy I felt at that moment. Because I rarely get any unplanned holidays, I wanted to make the most out of it. It was like a surprise vacation. So instead of staying indoors, I genuinely wanted to do something that I like. Firstly, I prepared breakfast with my mother, which was hot pakodas and tea, which is perfect for rainy weather. Then I curled up in my blanket and decided to watch a Bollywood movie, which I had been postponing for weeks and read a few chapters of the novel, which I had recently started. And then, in the evening, the weather was still gloomy, but calming. Thereafter, I sat on the balcony and enjoyed the sound of rain with a cup of coffee. It felt like the time had slowed down, which gave me a space for reflection, to get mentally recharged. I think everyone needs a time in their life when there is no pressure of deadlines or assignments to complete, or any rush to catch the school bus. A time so that they can ponder over their thoughts.

    Band 6-7

    Holidays are wonderful to have as kids and I really love to have a day off at school when I was a kid. There was once when there was a heavy rain which caused water loggages and water stored in our school. At first we were not aware about that there is a holiday in school. So we all packed our bags and we went to school. Our driver uncle came and picked us up for the school and later when we reached our school the water was logged everywhere. So the officials said that there is a holiday as we would not be able to accommodate students as water was everywhere in the school. So we as a children enjoyed and we as a children loved hearing that that we are going to go back home and enjoy our cartoons and I personally enjoy watching Tom and Jerry. So I was thrilled that I would be able to watch my favorite cartoon going back at home and I would love to enjoy with popcorn or a sundae ice cream which my mom usually used to prepare for me while watching cartoons.

    Band 6-7

    I would like to narrate an anecdote from a time when I was in my 10th grade. So this was a day just before our prelims examination was going to start and we had school on normal time on that day. So we had to reach school at 8 o'clock, it was 7.30 and I was waiting for my school bus to arrive and suddenly it started raining very heavily. It had been raining cats and dogs since the past night but the school hadn't sent us any notification that it was going to be a holiday so we were waiting for our school bus to arrive. However, exactly at 7.30 when I was ready and I was waiting for my bus, the school sent us a message that it is going to be a holiday and that day I enjoyed a lot because however we have had holidays in the past obviously, but when it is an unexpected off, it is more enjoyable than a scheduled holiday. I went back to sleep, it was a very pleasant weather on that day as it was raining. Later in that day, I went to my neighbour's house, we played cards, there was no electricity so we all sat together in the balcony, chatted all day long and just had a very good time with each other.

    Band 6-7

    The time I enjoy a free day in my college or after school was after my exams. I spent one whole day with my friend. We were sitting and chatting about a lot of life lessons. She used to share her experience and I used to share my experience. It was very nice. We went for a walk. We ate in a restaurant and we watched some things. We roamed around the streets. It was after a long time I had met her. I felt more happy by seeing her and enjoying each and every moment with her. She gave me a piece of advice which I took but I probably won't follow the advice. She gave me a gift. It was nice. After 7 years I met her. It was very nice and I felt happy more and more. In fact, if some problem comes to me, I used to go and speak to her. Which made me more happy. I enjoyed every second with her.

    Band 6-7

    It's more like a celebration for us when we get off from school or work, that is during the summer holidays. I used to enjoy the summer holidays and the day we get off, we'll enjoy, we celebrate, we play. We used to go to the relative's house and we used to play each and every game that we are going to, even my cousins, all will get the same off from the work or school. So we all will celebrate it and we enjoy the moment and we all get together and we play, we sing, we dance and we enjoy each and every moment and we used to cherish that moment even after 20 years, that even now we used to talk about the games which we played when we are in a childhood or like day off where we get together. And yeah, even during off days, we used to go to parties and to the trips to the beachy land where we enjoy very much and yeah, once in a year, we'll get summer holidays and in that summer holidays, all our family will go to the beach places and we enjoy it. It's almost 300 kilometers from our home where there is no beachy places in our places. So we used to travel 300 and we used to enjoy there and we used to go to all the temples which we are very fond of and yeah, we are very curious or we are very celebrating the holidays.

    Band 6-7

    It's a very good question and I personally like holidays very much because I find them necessary to rejuvenate our energies that we kind of drain during the work and other kind of things that we do during the weekdays. So the holiday that I enjoyed the most was the holy weekend. I spent that weekend with my brothers, brothers who had came to my home to play Holi. We enjoyed that day very much and beginning of the day was just a normal thing. They came, we ate and drink together. Then in afternoon we go to the terrace and at the terrace we started our DJ and at the DJ we started dancing, we brought the colors and a water gun to play with. We started playing with colors, we started throwing water at each other. The colors we used were herbal colors, so we weren't thinking of any kind of damage we will do to other people.
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