Describe an argument you overheard: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

Who was involved?
When did it happen? What was it about?
How was it resolved?

24 unique answers with expert feedback

Show all 24 answers

Cue 1:Who was involved?

Identify the people involved in the argument clearly.
Mention your relationship to them, if any, to provide context.

Example

I overheard an argument between my two colleagues, Riya and Aman, during a team meeting. They have been working together on a project for the past few weeks, and I could sense some tension between them.

Cue 2:When did it happen? What was it about?

Describe the time and place where the argument took place.
Summarize the main topic of the argument to give a clear picture.

Example

This happened last Friday in our office conference room. The argument was about the direction of our project. Riya believed we should focus on a more innovative approach, while Aman insisted on sticking to the original plan.

Cue 3:How was it resolved?

Explain how the argument was addressed or resolved.
Mention any actions taken by the individuals or a mediator to settle the dispute.

Example

The argument was eventually resolved by our manager, who stepped in to mediate. She suggested that they both present their ideas in a more structured way, allowing the team to vote on which approach to take. This helped them find common ground and move forward.

Conclusion

Summarize the key points of the argument and its resolution.
Reflect on what you learned from witnessing the argument.

Example

In conclusion, witnessing this argument taught me the importance of open communication in a team. It also highlighted how different perspectives can lead to better solutions when managed properly.

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: Ignoring Key Details

Candidates often skip important details about the people involved or the context of the argument. This can make the story less engaging and informative.

Tip

Make sure to include who was involved and the background of the argument to provide a clearer picture.

2: Rushing Through the Resolution

Many candidates quickly mention how the argument was resolved without explaining the process. This can leave listeners confused about the outcome.

Tip

Take time to describe how the argument was resolved, including any discussions or actions taken to reach a conclusion.

Lack of Personal Reflection

Some candidates fail to share their thoughts or feelings about the argument, making their response less personal and relatable.

Tip

Include your perspective on the argument and its resolution to make your answer more engaging and reflective.

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

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

An argument I overheard recently was between two of my neighbours. One evening I was heading for a bath and I heard a sudden noise of certain things breaking and I went to look what it was through the window near my bedroom and at that time I saw my two neighbours arguing with each other and one was throwing certain things at the other's premises and while overhearing the things they were uttering towards each other, I came to the conclusion that they were arguing over the waste disposal of one's house. It started with a silly talk and it got worse over time. Then both of them started to physically attack each other and one of the lady's husband came and took her inside the house but the other lady kept arguing and eventually her family members also came and took her inside. That's how the argument ended. Even though I overheard the whole conversation, I didn't get personally involved in that because I barely knew the people and the real reason for their fight as these people usually argue with each other a lot.

Band 6

Recently, I went over to my friend's house. It was kind of an unplanned hangout. It just happened suddenly because we hadn't seen each other in a long time. So I visited her house with five other friends and we were just talking and hanging out in her room and she said that she had to go talk to her dad for something. So a few of my friends and I went over to the kitchen to help her mom with preparing the food and I said that I had to use the restroom. So I went on my way to the restroom. I overheard my friend and her dad talking about something. They were being a bit loud so it would have been a bit difficult not to overhear. I really was not trying to eavesdrop but I caught glimpses of her father being very angry. They were apparently talking about some party, something to do with her overspending and neglecting her studies recently. He was talking about how she was being a bad student and how she would get bad grades if she kept on going in that way. It was a very awkward position that I was put in because I didn't know how to console her after the fight but at the same time, I had to maintain that I didn't actually hear anything that went on. It was a bit difficult at first but it just went away, I don't know. We just ended up talking to her. She broke down in the middle of talking and me and my other friends were trying to tell her that it's going to get better and that she does not have to worry about school as much. I don't know what I'm saying.

Band 6

The argument was between my parents. I think it was, I guess, last week or 4-5 days ago when they had started arguing about the trip which I had asked them if I could go. I wanted to go to Goa and I had asked them the permission. My father had given me the permission but my mother was not ready to send me to Goa with my friends. She thought that now is not the right time to go with my friends and they didn't want to have that conversation in front of me. So, they had gone into their room and I had overheard that conversation from outside. They were arguing. My father was telling that I should be more confident and it will make me more independent in what I am doing. My mother had thought that I am at a still younger age and going there would influence me in a bad way. So, they had a fight for almost one and half hour and it got resolved when I went in there and I talked to both of them and had a very one on one conversation with them and I told all that I felt and I did cry during that conversation but it got resolved eventually.

Band 5-6

The argument that I overheard was in a restaurant. What happened is, it started off as an argument, then it eventually turned into a hand-in-hand fight. It was for the silliest reason you could ever imagine. What happened was, the person sitting in the customer lane, they asked the waiter if they can get more curry, extra curry. This is very usual. So we had to come out of the restaurant, without even washing the hand, we were waiting outside the restaurant, seeing when will the fight be over, I just want to wash my hand and leave this place. This happened. This is the most outlandish argument which turned into a fight that I remember.

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