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Describe a time you saw children behave badly in public: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • Where was it?
  • What were the children doing?
  • How do others react to it?
  • And explain how you feel about it.
Show all 151 answers

Cue 1:Where was it?

  • Begin by describing the location where you witnessed the children's behavior, making it relatable and vivid.
  • Mention any specific details about the environment that contributed to the situation.

Example

I was at a busy shopping mall in Mumbai last summer, a place filled with families and children enjoying their day out. The mall was bustling with activity, and the atmosphere was lively, with music playing and people chatting.

Cue 2:What were the children doing?

  • Clearly explain the actions of the children that you considered to be bad behavior.
  • Provide specific examples of what they did that stood out to you.

Example

While I was waiting for my friend near a toy store, I noticed a group of three children, probably around 7 to 10 years old. They were running around, shouting loudly, and even knocking over some displays. At one point, one of them threw a toy at another child, which was quite alarming.

Cue 3:How do others react to it?

  • Describe the reactions of the adults and other children around the situation.
  • Mention if anyone intervened or if people just ignored the behavior.

Example

The adults around seemed quite shocked. Some parents looked at their children with concern, while others just shook their heads in disapproval. A store employee approached the group and asked them to calm down, but the children just laughed and continued their antics.

Cue 4:And explain how you feel about it.

  • Share your personal feelings about the situation, whether you found it amusing, concerning, or frustrating.
  • Reflect on what this behavior might indicate about parenting or social norms.

Example

I felt a mix of frustration and concern. It was troubling to see such behavior in public, as it reflects a lack of discipline. I wondered if the parents were aware of how their children were acting. I believe that children need guidance on how to behave in public spaces.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, witnessing children behave badly in public can be quite unsettling. It serves as a reminder of the importance of teaching children proper behavior and respect for others in shared spaces. Such experiences highlight the role of parents and society in shaping children's conduct.

    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: Vague Descriptions

    Using vague language can make your answer unclear. Candidates often fail to provide specific details about the situation, which can lead to a lack of engagement from the examiner.

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    Tip

    Include specific details about the location, actions of the children, and the reactions of others to create a vivid picture.

    2: Neglecting Personal Feelings

    Not expressing your personal feelings about the situation can make your response less engaging. Candidates often forget to share their emotional reactions, which are important for a complete answer.

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    Tip

    Reflect on how the behavior affected you and share your feelings to add depth to your response.

    Ignoring Others' Reactions

    Failing to mention how others reacted can leave your answer incomplete. Candidates sometimes focus only on the children and miss the broader context of the situation.

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    Tip

    Describe how bystanders or parents reacted to the children's behavior to provide a fuller picture of the event.

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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

    So, this was the scenario I have seen in 2015, where the children were thefting some random things in the shop, which the shopkeeper was unable to see, unable to manage or unable to see the scenario. So, I have seen this one, this is a very normal behavior for, I think, as a child, but coming to the, coming to the adolescence or adulting, it will become a behavior, it will become an emotional behavior, where they want to theft the things or being in judge or it will become a trauma, if they catch the, if they catch the child and it become their trauma, which was not a good thing or not a good sign. So moreover, I want to, I want to change the perspective of a child, who are thefting the, any things from the shops, because it's not correct, it's not well-behaved manners, so I just want to, I just want to encourage the children to be a good discipline, the main thing is parenting also, being parents, they have to control the child for not thefting any things, so this will become a very good environment to the society and they will grow, they will grow day by day and they will be happy for many years.

    Band 6-7

    One time when I and my mother decided to go from Mandya to Bengaluru in the bus stand in Mandya bus stand we came across a group of child children who were extremely naughty they were talking dancing on the road and they were not ready to give respect to their parents also we were literally fanned off and the surroundings were what they are doing they actually they are also so so so what to call okay I forgot leave it and also what I thought is raising a child is very important for a parent being a parent we make sure we should make sure our child is growing healthy

    Band 6-7

    The time when I saw children behave badly in public was when I went to my with my cousin to a place called Decathlon, it is a sports center. So the group of few children were playing nearby and they were so much engaged in the game they were playing that they pushed my cousin aside and she fell on ground and she was crying for help and suddenly we rushed to her and we held her and told her that it was no issue and those people standing there and watching also felt really bad for her. Moreover, their parents also felt embarrassed and pleaded sorry but we told it was not an issue at all. Later on, I even felt really bad for my cousin that she had had a tragic incident at this place. Also, we had to, in addition to that, we never had came to that place because of this situation and we had to return home soon and we were not unable to enjoy our visit to Decathlon because of these children who caused great displeasure to our children.

    Band 6-7

    Last time when I visited to my cousin's school for annual day program, we were really enjoying the program with various performances by different groups of kids in different genres and in the meantime I wanted to go for the washroom so I was going to the washroom and on the hallway I noticed that a boy is getting bullied by a group of people and getting teased. He was on the verge of cry and he was about to break down. At that moment I noticed the event and I tried to stop it. They were just a bunch of kindergarten students who were bullying the kid and I felt really bad of noticing such bad attitude at that young age and I thought it's the right time to correct. So I took them out to the playground and tried to speak with each and everyone. At the first I tried to pacify the boy and make sure that he's alright and there isn't any major bite marks or injuries to him. He was alright and I went on at the right time so that he was just disturbed mentally. I tried to motivate him and make him strong. Later on I tried to speak with the guys who tried to bully him and noticed that there were few minor petty issues in between them. It might be petty for us but it's major for them. I tried to inculcate good in them and eventually it led to a good conversation between them and tried to make it through a fun activity so that they can reunite with each other.

    Band 6-7

    Sometimes I go to park in the evening time when I complete my household chores. So one day I was there in the evening and the people, the children, those who were playing, they were in the teenage and they were playing cricket. In between there were two groups of the elder boys, they were playing, in between they started fighting and they were using very harsh and abusive language and people were there in their surroundings, standing nearby, they were watching but nobody was there to come in between to stop them and it was really very disgusting to see without saying or pausing them. Moreover, the people were only observers and it was really very bad for me to see as an adult. So I went there and I stopped them somehow to manage the situation and both the parties were at last settled down, they managed to keep aside the things and lastly they just met their hands with each other and in this way the situation was cooled down. It was the situation.

    Band 6-7

    I was on a walk with my mother on Thursday evening. It was a peaceful evening with children playing in the park. My neighbor had also brought their dog for an evening walk. The weather was very soothing. The sky had been painted yellow due to the color of the dusk of sun. A hawker suddenly entered the village. All the children were fascinated due to the toys that were hanging to his stick. There were beautiful butterflies, balls, some aeroplanes and some sweets. All the children started persuading their mother to buy them the sweets. But suddenly there was a kiosk around us. There was one particular child who used to live right next to a house. He was Ramesh of 6 years old. He started pulling his mother's cloths and convincing her to buy him the toy. His mother did not bring her wallet along with her. So she was reluctant to lend money from anybody around us and to buy toys. But Ramesh was such a stubborn boy, he started enacting loudly and very irresponsibly. His mother was ashamed in front of everybody. In the end, his mother finally asked one of the neighbors to lend her money and she bought him a toy. But later when he went home, his mother put down a lecture on him in order to make him responsible from the next time and not put a kiosk in the public area.

    Band 6-7

    Children are very mischievous by nature. They always try to have the things that they want. But they often behave badly to achieve their motives. Today I would like to talk about an incident which I saw in a garden. Actually it was the evening and I was going to a evening walk in the garden which is located near my home. There are a lot of vendors like the snacks shops and the ice cream man and other toys selling sellers around the park. And that time I saw a child while walking. I saw a child behave badly with his mother to get a toy. It was unexpected behavior of a child to behave like this kind of aggression and he had called with his mother to convince her to buy the toy. Actually the mother was unable to buy the toy because she didn't have enough money to buy the toy. Other people in the park were very disturbed and very disheartened after looking at the mother. So it was a very bad experience of me.

    Band 6-7

    I was recently travelling in an Air India flight where I was sitting beside a 12 year old child along with his mother. The child was very restless and nasty. It is expected of children to be notorious and have fun wherever they are. But it is also responsibility of parents to take care of their children following etiquettes and decent manner in public places. The child particularly whom I am talking about was not very well mannered in terms of greeting people, talking to them. He was continuously shouting and touching other people's accessories. The mother was not very concerned about her child's behaviour and that is something that bothered me more than the child's activities itself. Children usually are innocent at such ages. They hardly know what they are doing, that they are being offensive when they engage in such activities in public places. It is the responsibility of the parents in such cases to intervene and teach them the correct etiquettes to be followed in public places. I feel that this is the age which is crucial for children to imbibe certain attitudes which is going to help them for a very long time in the future. And if not done correctly, this could potentially lead to children taking social behaviour, social etiquettes very lightly. This would affect their interactive and social adherence skills when they grow up and go on to higher levels of education and work. I feel that alongside parents, it is also the responsibility of parents to take care of their children.

    Band 6-7

    Recently, when I had one of the parents visit one of my friends in my hostel, my friend's brother also tagged along with his parents, who was behaving in a very rude way to his parents. He was using all the words that are disrespectful and he was in a mood that he was superior to everybody. He was thinking that he is greater than a girl or his parents. He was not being respectful to them at all. Everybody around him were getting angry, too, looking at his behavior and they wanted to tell him that you need to respect your parents for all that they have done for you in your life, that your life is based on them giving birth to you and taking care of you and hence you are the man that you are right now. My friend also tried explaining that to him but he was still in a very angry state. I feel that the boy was brought up in a condition where the parents showed immense love but forgot to teach about the respect that he has to give to other people and especially the ones in the family. There should be respect wherever there is love is what I believe. So these things like respecting parents and everybody around should be taught as a child which will reflect in him even after he is grown up. So this is important for everybody in the society and everybody should be respecting each other and being modest about their accomplishments.

    Band 6-7

    Last Monday, I went for an evening walk with my neighborhood friends, here I saw some of the children were quarreling with each other, at first I can see them they were quarreling with abusing language, over the time they start hitting each other with the foot or punching each other, 5 of the children make the team and start hitting one kid, moreover the parents of those children were sitting there and taking it was very normal, and I felt so bad that they didn't react, how they should react, I feel really bad, they should teach people how to react, how to behave in public, parents play a very crucial role in teaching children to behave socially, in my point of view.
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