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Describe a time you made a decision to wait for something: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • When did it happen?
  • What are you waiting for?
  • Why did you make the decision?
  • Explain how you felt while waiting.
Show all 105 answers

Cue 1:When did it happen?

  • Begin by mentioning the specific time and context when you made the decision to wait.
  • Provide details about the situation that led to your decision.

Example

This happened last year during the festive season in India. I had been eagerly waiting for the launch of a new smartphone that was set to be released just before Diwali. I decided to wait instead of buying an older model.

Cue 2:What are you waiting for?

  • Clearly state what you were waiting for and why it was significant to you.
  • Mention any specific features or reasons that made you want to wait for this particular item.

Example

I was waiting for the latest smartphone model because it promised advanced features like a better camera and longer battery life. As a tech enthusiast, I wanted to ensure I had the best device for photography during the festive celebrations.

Cue 3:Why did you make the decision?

  • Explain your reasoning behind the decision to wait rather than settle for something available immediately.
  • Discuss any influences, such as friends or reviews, that contributed to your decision.

Example

I made the decision to wait because I had read positive reviews about the new model, and my friends who had similar interests encouraged me to hold off. I believed that the wait would be worth it for the enhanced features.

Cue 4:Explain how you felt while waiting.

  • Share your emotions during the waiting period, whether it was excitement, anxiety, or impatience.
  • Reflect on how the anticipation affected your daily life.

Example

While waiting, I felt a mix of excitement and impatience. Every day, I would check for updates and countdown the days until the launch. It was thrilling to think about how much I would enjoy using the new phone, especially during the festive season.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, waiting for the new smartphone was a significant decision for me. It taught me the value of patience and the joy of anticipation. When I finally got the phone, it felt even more rewarding, and I was glad I chose to wait.

    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: Rushing Through Your Answer

    Candidates often rush their responses, missing important details. This can lead to a lack of clarity and depth in their answers, making it hard for the examiner to follow.

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    Tip

    Take a moment to think before speaking. Structure your answer by addressing each cue clearly and providing relevant details.

    2: Being Vague or General

    Using vague language or general statements can weaken your response. It makes it difficult for the examiner to understand your experience and feelings.

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    Tip

    Use specific examples and descriptive language to illustrate your experience. This will make your answer more engaging and memorable.

    Neglecting Emotional Aspects

    Failing to express your feelings during the waiting period can make your answer less relatable. Emotions add depth and connection to your story.

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    Tip

    Reflect on your emotions during the waiting period. Share how you felt and why those feelings were significant to your experience.

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    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 want to describe the time when I made a decision to work in the government sector as I am a nurse by profession and working in a private sector, I finally made a decision to work in the public sector, public division, for that I gave an entrance exam and then I waited for about a year for the result and finally the result came and that waiting period was quite anxiety, full of anxiety and I really felt disheartened during the waiting period but as the result came and I passed with flying colours.

    Band 6-7

    So, I would like to describe about an incident that has happened in my past. So, I ordered a brand new Lenovo laptop. It essentially has a certain type of gaming features in it. And it does have a huge RAM along with some moderate specifications. And it's on sale on an e-commerce website. So, I thought of ordering it because my previous laptop was not functioning well. I'm just burning the midnight oil in order to run this particular laptop. But I was reluctant to buy a brand new laptop because I thought it might dysfunction my workspace. But eventually, I just broke the ice and ordered a brand new laptop. But certainly, this e-commerce website took a very long time for almost like 2 months in order to just deliver this new laptop. And waiting is not my cup of tea because I just find very reluctant to wait. And I would like something to happen in a snap of second. So, these factors has really stressed me a lot because of waiting and anxiety that was building inside me. But overall, the laptop has delivered after almost a month. And the laptop was very much functional, doesn't have any damages. So, that was a good thing. And it still is functioning well. But I just remind whenever I see my laptop that how much time it took to came near me.

    Band 6-7

    I would like to talk about a time when I decided to wait for buying a new smartphone about a year ago. My old phone was getting quite slow and I really wanted to replace it immediately. At that time there was already a popular model available in the market but I had read online that the company was planning to launch an upgraded version within a few months. At first it was very tempting to buy the order version straight away because I was frustrated with my slow device. However, after considering the situation carefully I decided to wait. The main reason was that the new model was expected to have a much better camera and battery life which were very important feature for me. During those three months of waiting it was a bit inconvenient to use my old phone but in the end I felt that I had made the right decision. When the new model was finally released I brought it and I was really satisfied with the performance. I also felt proud of myself for being patient and not rushing into a quick decision. In conclusion, this experience taught me that sometimes waiting can bring better results although it requires patience. It often saves money and provides more satisfaction in the long run.

    Band 6-7

    It happened like four months before. I have applied for Masters in IIT. So, the IIT Masters seats will be done through counselling, which is called Co-op, where you can enter your preferences and based upon the counselling, you'll be allotted the seat. Initially, I was offered IIT Gandhinagar and IIT Guwahati eventually, but I thought I don't deserve this kind of new IITs. I'll be waiting for old IITs with maybe top tier IITs. So, the wait was around one and a half months. On third round, I didn't get any seat. So, that's the time when my parents and friends were really frustrated because I didn't take the chance of going to an IIT. But I stayed with the decision and waited for two more weeks. Then at last, there came IIT Delhi, which was a dream college for me. At last, with thorough decisions and evaluation, I still reject IIT Delhi because I want to go for Masters in abroad and that decision was final.

    Band 6-7

    So this is more of a career decision or more of a decision of pursuing my higher studies. This happened like 3-4 years back. I had completed my Bachelors in Electronics and Communications Engineering. But I always wanted to learn Computer Science. But I couldn't turn in my Bachelors due to my mark and my suggestions from all of my dad's friends. Moreover, I was always inclined towards software rather than the hardware part of the courses that I had taken in my Bachelors. So initially I planned right after my Bachelors to do a Masters in Computer Science in the United States. But it turned out that if you don't have a Bachelors in Computer Science, it becomes very competitive to get a proper admit in a good school in the US. So I took some suggestions and advice from my friends and well-wishers and my brother as well. From which I came to realize that after you work for a couple of years from software experience, and when you get a good enough software experience, then you can start applying. By then you will have some real life skills as well, actual project and then work experience as well. That's what I did. Waiting felt like the hardest thing that I had to do. Seeing all my peers and my students get into and start doing their degree in some other stream that they love. But I had to wait and then stay back. But I did try to stay back but I never stopped having this dream. So that's what I'm trying to do now after 4 years of Masters.

    Band 6-7

    Well, when I was in my 11th class, I got, I was very glad to get my new mobile phone. Even my parents promised me that they'll buy iPhone to me of a pro model. So I was very happy and even I was very interested to use it even because I was not having my own personal mobile before it. So after waiting for about one week, my parents suddenly came to me with a sad mood and said to me that we are not getting a good budget to buy you an iPhone. So they had, so they made a decision that I would buy only the Android phone in a cheaper prices or I would wait for an iPhone. So after making some decisions, after having a lot of discussions with my friend that what I have to do, I had made a decision that I'll wait for it and the waiting experience was very bad for me because I was very happy to buy a new mobile phone. And even after not getting it, I was facing a lot of problems because I was only using my mother's mobile phone to do all the works of my schools, even attending online meetings and classes. But however, after waiting for about five to six months, I got my new mobile phone, which was the recently launched mobile phone, iPhone 15 Pro. And I was very glad after seeing it because I had never experienced an opening of the new mobile phone and using it. And I would prefer that a person should wait for a good thing, even when the person should wait for a good thing, if he's not having a good budget to buy that thing, so he can have a good thing instead of having the managing things.

    Band 6-7

    Last month, I was expecting to watch a film called Drishyam in the theatres. I was planning to go to the theatre and get the tickets reserved. Then I decided, let me wait for the movie to be released in OTT platform. That was a good decision just because I didn't spend the money unnecessarily. I saved the money and when the film was released in OTT platform, I could enjoy that sitting in my living room. So I thought it was a wise decision from my side.

    Band 6-7

    Well, most of the time people have to wait for something they want like when I was in my college at that time I wanted a phone which was very prominent for me because I had to complete my academic homework and I needed a phone. So I called my father and I told him like I want my phone because I need it and I had to complete my task. So after sometime he text me on whatsapp that you have to wait for sometime because we are trying to give you a best phone and so I had to wait and it was very frustrating time for me because long time went and still I was waiting for my phone and finally during Diwali time my father surprised me with redmi note 8 pro phone which was launched by redmi company so it was updated version and when I received that phone I felt very delighted and I was like over the moon at that time I felt very good with my parents because I got my dream phone and it was my day and I got this from my parents and it was all surprise from them.

    Band 6-7

    well as a big fan of gaming I was a big fan of a game which was coming out next year called GTA 6 and I have waited for a long time and I'm still waiting for it and I think it's it's it's worth the wait because as they have released trailers and they have released setbacks and some of the gameplays that will be where that will be in the game so looking through all this kind of makes me excited and makes me want to wait for the game to develop to be better and you know to have no mistake and I feel like waiting for it is a responsibility is a discipline for me to save my money and so that I could afford that game because it because it costs a bit too much so I feel like it's worth the wait and I and I feel like while once if it comes out it's going to be really good size it's going to be really great because it's based on the real-life experience so I have played the previous games that it has been released but now has there is a new one coming out so I feel like waiting for it is is is a bit it's a bit worth and is a bit great

    Band 6-7

    I would love to share an experience in which I decided to wait for something. It was during COVID when all of us were stuck at home due to quarantine and lockdown. It happened in 2022 to 2023 where I finally went for summer vacation to India and international flights were all available at my place as well. I made the decision to wait because obviously the COVID-19 cases were really serious and people were not seriously taking the precautions as well so I had to wait so that it was safe for me and my family to go together and visit a few places but we should always remember that safety comes first no matter what and that's why I decided to wait and after waiting for two long years I finally went to India my hometown and then I visited a few places nearby as well like hill stations such as Kodaikanal, Munnar and even Darjeeling. It was beautiful the weather was really chilly which was a very pleasant change from the weather I'm exposed to that is summer so I really loved the area the greenery and the air was really pleasant and I really enjoyed it. When I was waiting I was really impatient because I am a very extrovert person and I love going out but I but being an extrovert person I wasn't able to go out which kind of made me really sad because all at home all I could do when I was free was read a book or watch a movie or spend time with my family.
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