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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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    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

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    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

    One occasion when I decided to wait for a thing was about 2 years ago when I was planning to buy a new laptop. At the first, my old laptop was becoming increasingly unreliable. It often... One occasion when I decided to wait for a thing was about 2 years ago when I was planning to buy a new laptop. At the first, my old laptop was becoming increasingly unreliable. It would often freeze or shut down without a warning. I was quite eager to replace it as soon as possible. However, after doing some research online, I discovered that a newer model with much better specifications was going to be released in a couple of months. Although it was tempting to purchase the available version immediately, I decided it would be wiser to wait for the upgrade one. During the wait period, I felt a bit impatient because I needed a reliable device for my studies and personal projects. Nevertheless, I kept reminding myself that being impatient would ultimately save me money and rage. I have machines that would long last and meet all my requirements. In addition, I am really glad I made that decision when the new model was finally released. It turned out to be exactly what I needed and I have been using it without any issues ever since. The experience taught me that something like gratification led to much better outcomes.

    Band 6-7

    This happened around the end of 2022, I was in my final year of school and my phone had started showing serious signs of VR randomness, downplay, laggy performance and even issues with charging. At that time, many of classmates were upgrading their phones and the pressure to do the same definitely there but I knew that a newer model with a much better specification and was due to be released early the following year. So despite my inconvenience, I chose to wait, it was not my easy performance and right now I am waiting for my anniversary admission, results of mixed excitement and nervousness because I have worked really hard over the past year and this outcome will shape the next big chapter of my life. I have applied to a few reputable institutions and while waiting the period feels long and uncertain and I am trying to stay on ground and positive, I made the decision to wait because I believe that acting impulsively would lead to short term satisfaction but possibly long term we can get in the case of the phone. For instance, the model available at the time did not offer the features or value I was looking for, I knew a better option while just a few months away and I didn't want to spend a significant amount of money on this new thing that I had shown which I had not bought. While waiting, I experienced a whole spectrum of emotions initially, there was a strong sense of restlessness, I kept questioning whether I had made the right decision especially when I saw others and immediately there was a bit of frustration to having to deal with the invitation and delays that when I could I have chose the easier route but over the time that feeling began to shift as I reminded myself of the reasons behind my choice, I started feeling more in control of emotional power that gave me a sense of maturity like I was prioritizing long term benefits over instant gratification.

    Band 6-7

    I struggled to make a decision when I was in my 3rd year, so I was very confused, I was in a very pathetic state where I don't know where to go, whether I want to choose higher studies or placements, I'm clueless. I just perplexed what to do next, then I decided ok, wait, I'll get a good answer, then I meditated and I used to be calm and think about this in a very calm manner, so as a outcome I decided to do Masters in Ireland and that was the best decision in my life, that was the best decision I ever made, but it was a very risky move I think, but however the outcome is very good, the outcome is really good, so now I felt happy and I preserve that decision which was made in the past, which was a right decision, so I always used to wait to analyse the thing what's going around me, what's happening around me, then I'll wait and I'll relax and I'll just predict the outcomes and then I'll decide what to do next, so for me waiting for something really meant something, so waiting always resulted me in a good way and moreover I'm ok with my decision for waiting for something.

    Band 6-7

    it was a story around 2008 when I was in fourth grade we went to buy a bag for me to have in the school the bag was amazing it was a spider-man bag it had net spider-man sketch on the back the zips were awesome and it was a crazy bag it was eye candy and at the same time another boy approach in the shop and he had some cylinder thing in his bag I didn't understand at that time what was that and after some time the boy also selected the same bag and the shop owner said this is the last piece they have and within next week the another shipment will be received for the same bag I was devastated and the another boy started crying for the bag and asked his mother what's in the bag and his mother told me it's an oxygen cylinder I felt really bad I'm in my perfect physical condition still I am getting worried that I don't get the bag another boy select that bag but seeing that boy in that condition made me realize I can wait for another week for the same bag and I decided to wait at that time on the same day I feel devastated and for the next week I carried my old bag to school

    Band 6-7

    This incident happened a few months back I was using an old mobile phone which I got as a gift from my father during my 15th birthday I have been using this mobile phone I have been using that mobile phone since then I have not changed it but recently I have been having recently I had issues regarding that mobile phone it is getting stuck in between suddenly switching off and it was difficult for me to maintain or do things in that mobile so I decided to buy a new mobile I had a particular brand in my mind it was iPhone 16 iPhone 15 Pro Max I went to the store and enquired about that particular phone and they told me that there is a there is 14 Pro Max available right now if you want you can get that 15 Pro Max will be taking another one month to get into the shops and to the customers everyone told me to get the available mobile right now but it was very difficult for me to get a mobile which was not in my dream so I thought I will wait for a few days or few months so that I will be able to get a mobile that I wanted so I waited for another one and half months and when the 15 Pro Max came into sale I eagerly went to the shop and got the mobile for myself and I was happy because I waited if I have heard the words of others and bought the mobile that was not in my list I would have been not happy

    Band 6-7

    When the topic is about that when did I make a decision to wait for something, I would like to start with that I waited for actually my phone. My parents had always provided me with whatever I had asked for them and I'm extremely grateful for that. But when it came to getting a new phone, I always wanted to wait for it. And I was actually waiting for it because I wanted a good score in my 12th board. That is and as a reward to that result, I wanted the phone. That is why I waited for it. And to my surprise into everybody's surprise, actually not to my surprise, I would say to my confidence, I actually got 90% in my 12th board examinations. And I'm extremely proud of it. And so are my parents. So they got me a phone. And to be very honest, I'm extremely proud of it. Every day I pick it up and I use it. I feel like it's a reward of my extreme hard work that I did to gain those marks. And I will never forget it. And it's a gift that I will cherish and it is a very useful gift. And it was worth waiting for it rather than just asking for it and getting everything that I wanted, like I have always wanted. I feel that it is good that I had to work for it. And I myself had that mindset of working for it and then achieving it rather than just getting it. The gift is extremely something that I wake up every day and see and feel so proud about myself. And it is like an achievement to myself that yes, because I had good grades, that is why I got it rather than just going and buying it because it broke or something. Actually, my previous phone, I used it for four years. And my goal was exactly the same that I have said earlier that I wanted good marks in my 12th. And after that only I was going to get a new phone, which I completed and I'm extremely proud about it. Yeah, thank you.

    Band 6-7

    I have taken a decision after my college time. After my graduation, that was the days of missing college. And most of the days I wasted useless. I didn't do anything. After some days, I chose to do something, to get a job or something. After I applied for some jobs, I didn't seem interested. So, I decided to do a course that is relevant to my degree. So, I took this course to study some relevant skills, some softwares and some construction experience. So that I could elevate my skills and elevate to get a better position on my desired road. So, I could get a good side job. I studied for about 6 months on this course. I took a course on some softwares like AutoCAD, which allows me to do the drafting of a plan. And SketchUp, which includes 3D modeling of a building. And project management softwares like PrimeOverrun.

    Band 6-7

    Well, I am not a person who always love to wait for a long period of time. I just want to do the task and always keen to do the work at the same time when it's a lot to me. And I always want to fulfill my wishes as soon as possible but I remember the time when I need to wait for a long period to do a trip as it was the time of after my senior secondary When I completed my senior secondary examination and I got a good grade in that, my parents said that they will definitely give me a trip to Goa And after getting my result, I asked my parents to book the tickets for the Goa trip but due to the COVID-19 cases which is increasing daily at that time So we were not able to get any tickets and there may be some information related to the lockdown which will be soon happen on that time So my parents gave advice that we need to stay at home after the lockdown is over, after the situation will be get correct We will definitely book a ticket for you and you will go to Goa shortly because I just want to make this solo trip and gain the experience of life I was very keen to do this as soon as possible but I need to wait for one and half year to make this trip as the condition get well and COVID-19 cases start reducing Then my parents will book the ticket and I went to Goa and enjoyed a lot there

    Band 6-7

    Well, I waited when I was about to get my result for my NEET exams and I waited for a while to know my results as it was and very curious, I was very curious to know my results. So that was the time I waited for that, but after waiting for 3 months, I was able to know that I had very good results and I passed with a very good marks and hence it was a very better experience for me as my results were appreciative by my teachers as well as my friends.

    Band 6-7

    A time that I made a decision to wait for something is few days back. I waited to do IELTS after receiving my results of degree. I made that decision based on I wanted to make sure that I pass the exam since I already got a conditional of a letter from a reputed university. So, I waited because then if I don't got passed, I could have gradually studied IELTS and do it very slowly rather than hurried. So, I missed. I waited for that. The feeling that I got when I waited is that I was very impatient. I couldn't got hold of time and all. I panicked over my future and also I done some research about few other courses that I can take while. But when my result got back, I scored a really nice score. And I met the condition that is required in my conditional of a letter. Now, the only pending thing I got is my IELTS score card. And I think I will score that better. So, waiting is something really good if you are not sure. It means you take good and right decisions at right time. There is no need to hurry for making a decision. You have to think it over.
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