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Describe a unique animal you've encountered.: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What animal?
  • Where & when did you see it?
  • What makes it unique? How did you feel about it?
Show all 27 answers

Cue 1:What animal?

  • Begin by naming the animal and giving a brief description of its appearance.
  • Mention any interesting facts about the animal that highlight its uniqueness.

Example

The unique animal I encountered was a Nilgai, also known as the blue bull. It is a large antelope with a striking blue-grey coat and long legs, which makes it stand out in the grasslands of India.

Cue 2:Where & when did you see it?

  • Describe the location where you saw the animal, including any relevant details about the environment.
  • Mention the time of year or occasion when you saw it to provide context.

Example

I saw the Nilgai during a trip to the Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur last summer. It was early morning, and the park was serene, with the sun rising over the wetlands.

Cue 3:What makes it unique? How did you feel about it?

  • Explain what makes the animal special or different from other animals you have seen.
  • Share your feelings about the encounter and any thoughts it provoked.

Example

The Nilgai is unique because it is the largest antelope in India and is known for its agility and speed. Seeing it in its natural habitat was exhilarating; I felt a deep appreciation for wildlife and the beauty of nature.

Conclusion

  • Summarize your overall experience with the animal.
  • Reflect on how this encounter has impacted your view on wildlife conservation.

Example

In conclusion, encountering the Nilgai was a memorable experience that deepened my respect for wildlife. It reminded me of the importance of protecting such unique animals and their habitats for future generations.

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: Lack of Specific Details

Avoid vague descriptions of the animal. Not providing specific details can make your answer less engaging and informative.

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Tip

Include specific characteristics of the animal, such as its color, size, and behavior, to create a vivid image for the listener.

2: Ignoring the Emotional Impact

Failing to express your feelings about the encounter can make your response less personal and relatable.

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Tip

Share your emotions and thoughts during the encounter, explaining how it affected you and why it was memorable.

Rushing Through the Story

Speaking too quickly can lead to unclear communication and missed important points about the animal and your experience.

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Tip

Take your time to structure your answer, ensuring you cover each cue clearly and thoughtfully, while maintaining a steady pace.

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IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

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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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Reported by

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 >7

Well, an animal which really unique is chameleon. It is so unique because it can change its color so quickly depending on the environment. This unique ability of chameleon I believe protect him from the foreigner attacks. It can suddenly adapt the environment color into itself and get involved so deeply that it becomes very challenging for a person to recognize where it's hiding. Moreover, this ability of chameleon act as its protection shield towards its enemy. These chameleons are usually found in the tropical areas where there are lots of bushes and trees, mostly jungles and forests. This color-changing ability is really heart-captivating. I was mesmerized when I saw a chameleon changing its color so quickly within no span of time before me. I vividly remember that I have a friend who has a chameleon at her place. We often used to visit her place just to see the mesmerizing capacity of chameleon to change its color and get adapted accordingly to the environment. We have been to her place many times just to record the chameleon's activities, its overall growth.

Band >7

One of the most unique animals that I have encountered is the smooth-coated otter and I witnessed a smooth-coated otter in the mangroves of Anzir-Leh, Eshcharin, which is located in the western coast of the state of Maharashtra. And otters are relatively very elusive creatures as they do not like to display themselves in the presence of humans and furthermore, the animals are very rare to be encountered in the first place in a wild setting, however, I had the opportunity to witness an otter during one of my study surveys and it was pure by chance that I had the ability or the opportunity to witness an otter and it was one of my, it was one of the most significant experiences of my life because otters are, otters are an endangered species in the IUCN's data list and having the opportunity to witness them, see them as they are in the wild,

Band 6-7

I can't say this one is a unique animal I have entered but it's definitely a special encounter for me. It's a leopard. Last year I was out with my friends for a trip and during that trip we went on a wildlife safari in an open jeep and when we were like traveling inside the forest suddenly we encountered a leopard probably a few feet away from our jeep. I can't still forget that day. It gave me thrills so much because I never seen an animal that close in my life that to a wildlife one. Still today it gives me chill just when I think about it. It was very special to me.

Band 6-7

I recently encountered deer in Rock Island, Andaman when I was vacationing there last December. I would like to say I found it very unique because first of all I had never seen a deer from so close and it is so fascinating because I did not actually know how deer behaves when you go close to it or try to feed it. There were a lot of deer all over the island and the people visiting with us were trying to play with the deer, feed them their feed and try to get photos with them. They were actually quite friendly with the people because they were not getting scared of the touch or they were of no danger to the people and even though there was some hesitation in the deer because obviously humans were strangers to them but we still managed to get some pictures with the deer because it was quite a new experience. One more fascinating thing about the deer was that one that I did not know, even though there were a lot of deer on the whole island, they were mostly found individually and not in groups which was a new information for me.

Band 6-7

Well, there was a unique animal which I encountered, and I cannot name that animal since I've never heard of it before. One day, when I actually encountered an animal at my farmhouse, which was located 120 kilometers away from our main city in Jharkhand, and that farmhouse is located in the midst of the forest, surrounded by trees around. So one morning, I was at my window of my balcony, and a tree was close to my window, where I encountered this strange-looking animal. It appeared to me like a squirrel, but then it was white in color, because of which I mistook it for a rabbit. When I saw him climbing up the tree rapidly, I thought it might be a squirrel, but then I saw it was white in color, and it had a long tail. So I offered him some peanuts and some chickpeas, which squirrels mostly like, but however, I felt that he did not like my offering because he did not eat it up. So because of this, I was quite dubious towards that animal. I was closely observing it when I saw it hunting down a bird, but that made me obvious that it's a carnivore animal. So I became very much frightened about it, like, because I've never seen such a creature before in my life. I closed all my doors and windows, and I was very much frightened, what if the animal harms me? However, I told my parents about it, and they weren't believing me, and I don't know what the name of animal is.

Band 6-7

A unique animal I have come across is koala bear. Last month myself and some of my friends visited zoo. We decided on zoo in the last minute but we came across it very interesting as we go through. There I came across this animal named koala bear. That was the first time I saw that animal. Previously I heard so much about this but I never have really seen it in person. So what makes the unique about this animal is its personality. How lazy, quiet this animal is. Although it's lazy, quiet and it doesn't move at all. When I first saw it, it was on a tree just sitting there and closing its eyes and minding its own business. Over the time I kept looking at it seeing that what does this animal do. But literally that koala bear didn't move its tail also a little bit. So I was so amazed and astounded by its personality. I felt this is really cute and I started to record it on my phone so that I can show to my family and friends and also made a suggestion about this animal like how unique it is. On one hand this is minding its own business and on other hand the zoo is filled because of this koala bear. And also back in my place I saw just a pictures and stickers of this but I never know that this animal is really existed and it is present in zoo. If I have to mention and add, I am going home and I am buying everything related to koala bear like stickers and backpacks and everything related to this.

Band 6-7

A unique animal which I, recently I had gone to safari with my parents to Nagarole Tiger Reserve. That early morning we set up on a, we set up on a ride inside the forest, to the deep forest. Furthermore, in our journey we first saw deers which is very common in our country, in that area. Deers also, the next we spotted elephants, both male and female, the tuskers and as we continued our journey, we began to see monkeys, langurs, orangutans and many other common animals. What struck my mind was, as we were travelling, I saw a blue-red bird sitting on a tree and I asked the safari driver to stop the car. Then as we saw near it, it was a kingfisher, which was a unique animal which I hadn't seen till that date. It was the first time when I saw that animal. It had a huge, it had a long black beak and the feathers were blue and red. It struck my mind, it was so colourful.

Band 6-7

So, an unique animal I have encountered would be a chameleon, I really don't know, maybe it's a unique plant, but for me it's most unique one, because when I was studying six gender, I saw an animal, just it was climbing the tree and it started to change colors according to the branches, leaves, wherever it goes, so at that age I thought it was just a magic, so I was calling my friends and asking them to see there and watch that, so they were also really surprised to see the camouflage of chameleon, and after some years I get to know about it, and I realized that it was the most unique animal, because every animal has its own uniqueness and everything, but I think when the chameleon has the ability to change colors, and it acts as a barrier to the predators, so I think it's the most unique animal, and I felt like I need to adopt a chameleon, and I wish in future I could do that, so it would be so interesting to be with a unique animal.

Band 6-7

Yeah, I found a unique animal, the animal's name is Adnanathan Chameleon. The chameleon is actually unique because it changes colors. I actually found it in Sakleshpur forest which is located in Bangalore, the capital city of Karnataka. It was actually very surprising that I was not able to notice the animal next to me because of its changing abilities. It was really outstanding when I found out that the chameleon was next to me and I was a little frightened when I got to know. But it was a very friendly animal. And if I say, they have ability to catch insects from 1 km. I have at least saw it from my eyes that it caught an insect from 1 km when I couldn't you know, see it properly.

Band 6-7

A unique animal that I have encountered recently would be a bumblebee. Actually, it belongs to the insect category, but I believe it would make sense in the context. I came across a bumblebee via an Instagram post that said that the actual dimensions of the bumblebee are not fit for making it fly. Mathematically or according to the laws of physics, a bumblebee with all its dimensions and the wings that have been given by nature should not be able to fly. However, defying all these odds, it does fly, which seems fascinating to me. And it does increase my belief that not everything in the universe has to make sense to you. And just because it does not make sense to us does not give us the right to deny its existence. Thanks for watching!
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