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Describe an expensive hobby you can't pursue daily.: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What is it?
  • Why is it expensive?
  • Why do you wish to pursue it?
Show all 43 answers

Cue 1:What is it?

  • Begin by clearly stating the hobby you are referring to.
  • Provide a brief description of what the hobby entails and why it interests you.

Example

One expensive hobby that I can't pursue daily is scuba diving. It involves exploring underwater ecosystems and experiencing marine life up close, which I find incredibly fascinating.


Cue 2:Why is it expensive?

  • Discuss the costs associated with the hobby, such as equipment, training, and travel.
  • Mention any additional expenses that may arise, like maintenance or membership fees.

Example

Scuba diving is quite expensive due to the high costs of the necessary equipment, such as wetsuits, tanks, and regulators, which can easily add up to several thousand rupees. Additionally, I need to pay for training courses and travel to dive sites, which further increases the overall expense.


Cue 3:Why do you wish to pursue it?

  • Explain your passion for the hobby and what you hope to gain from it.
  • Share any personal experiences or aspirations related to this hobby.

Example

I wish to pursue scuba diving because it allows me to connect with nature in a unique way. I have always been captivated by the ocean, and diving gives me the chance to explore its beauty. I dream of visiting the Great Barrier Reef one day and witnessing its vibrant marine life firsthand.


Conclusion

  • Summarize your feelings about the hobby and its significance in your life.
  • Mention any future plans or hopes related to pursuing this hobby.

Example

In conclusion, while scuba diving is an expensive hobby that I can't engage in daily, it holds a special place in my heart. I hope to save up and dive more frequently in the future, as it brings me immense joy and a sense of adventure.


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

Avoid being too general when describing your hobby. Vague answers can make it hard for the examiner to understand your passion and interest in the hobby.

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Tip

Provide specific details about the hobby, such as what it involves, your experiences, and any unique aspects that make it special to you.


2: Ignoring Financial Aspects

Not explaining why the hobby is expensive can lead to an incomplete answer. The examiner expects to understand the financial implications of your hobby.

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Tip

Clearly outline the costs involved, such as equipment, materials, or membership fees, and explain how these contribute to the overall expense.


Lack of Personal Connection

Failing to express your personal desire to pursue the hobby can make your answer less engaging. The examiner wants to hear your motivations and feelings.

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Tip

Share your personal reasons for wanting to pursue the hobby, such as enjoyment, relaxation, or personal growth, to create a more compelling narrative.


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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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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 6-7

I have an expensive hobby of shopping. I like to shop so many new clothes and shoes and accessories for myself. I usually like shopping very much whenever I go to the malls or even if I go to a movie theatre to see a movie, I would randomly go to a shop in the mall and buy myself some new stuff. There are many occasions when I like to do shopping, especially on my anniversary or on my birthday or on some festivals like Holi or Diwali, etc. And I like it very much because it makes me look good and I like to have new stuff in my wardrobe. As the old clothes, whenever I feel I am not very photogenic in my old clothes, I would like to buy some new stuff. Recently, I have bought a new suit for myself. It comes with a trouser and a whole dupatta set also that looks very ethnic and very ethereal. And whenever I feel low and whenever I feel like I have nothing much to do, I would like to pursue this hobby. But it is a bit expensive and the cost involved is very much on the higher side. But I still want to do it. Obviously, I cannot do it most of the time. But on occasions, I would definitely do it because it makes me feel good and it makes me feel confident. I would also like to go to the spa and would have a nice haircut maybe so that overall I have a new look and my look changes and I feel more beautiful, I think. So, yeah, that's why this is the shopping and going to the salon is my expensive hobby that I can say.

Band 6-7

I'm gonna share about the most expensive hobby which I can't pursue daily. It is adventure. I just love doing adventure. I love going on hikes and skydiving, bungee jumping and many other adventure sports. It is very lavish and almost impossible for a middle class to pursue in his daily life because it is very expensive because of its equipments, risks involved in that adventure and the need of highly trained manpower in that particular sort of adventure thing. For an example, if we take skydiving, it involves a plane, a trainer who will jump with you and a cameraman who will record you. So airways is one of the most expensive source of transportation but I still wish to pursue it because it gives you that adrenaline rush and makes you feel that you are living. And for an instance, while you are skydiving, you feel like you are flying like a bird as you reach your terminal velocity and you feel living.

Band 6-7

My expensive hobby is shopping. As shopping I can't do it daily because it would be very expensive and it is my expensive hobby because whenever I go to shopping I just cannot buy the things that are cheap. Maybe because I am a plus size girl and I won't find the clothes which are available in my sizes which are also cheap. However, I like to purchase expensive things mostly. Like whenever I go to buy some makeup products I will always go on the section of Dior instead of Huda Beauty which are the normal price range products which I could definitely afford. But no, I have to go to Dior and I have to try those products out and then I would know that they are expensive and their feel is good. So, I have to purchase the expensive product and whenever I go for buying shoes I just can't feel comfortable in normal or cheap shoes. I just have to get the expensive ones. So, yes shopping can be one of my expensive hobbies.

Band 6-7

An expensive hobby I can't pursue daily would be painting. I mean, I love painting. But the paints, the cost of the paper, and the brushes is so high, it's unaffordable. I paint once every two months now, to get these huge canvases and these acrylic paints. First of all, the availability is an issue. But then, spending 1,000 or 2,000 on a canvas, it just makes no sense. I still do love to practice, and I wish to do it. And in order to fund all my practice, I'm planning to get a good job. And that is also a reason why I'm doing my Master's, right? To fund my painting. Painting is a skill that I sort of had inherently, I would say. It was passed on from my mother, who was also a great painter. And I never went to a drawing class or a painting class. And one fine day, I realized I could paint. But it was with those cheap watercolor paints and those watercolor brush pens that you get. And I was decent with it. But when I took it further, like a level above what I was doing, it just got expensive.

Band 6-7

I have many hobbies but one of the most expensive hobbies that I have would be making a song. I'm a songwriter, a rapper and releasing a song really cost a lot of penny because there's a lot of process involved in releasing just one song. You have to buy a beat or collaborate with a good producer, go to a studio, record it and you have to come up with a music video and get a copyright claim. There's a lot of process involved in it but I want to pursue it because in my heart to heart I feel like that's the only thing that I should be doing and we got only one life to live and I don't believe reincarnation so I got only one shot. That's why I want to pursue it.

Band 6-7

Recently, I've came across a new hobby that's been going on between the people, which is of buying of luxury bags. Some people would go around buying expensive luxury bags just so they can resell them again. They don't usually buy the bag for the practical purpose of using it, but more with a retail perspective. And the bags have been ranged from exquisite big amounts which could go to lakhs and crores, but their retail value is also quite worth it. And the thing about this is, the whole industry or hobby as such is far too expensive for a normal and ordinary man to achieve something like that. Although there are many hobbies, not just about buying a luxury bag and reselling it for the purpose. Hobbies like golfing is something I've also found to be on the expensive side. For golfing, even the equipments of the golf clubs, the outfits, the attire, the shoes and the golf course would end up causing a lot of money. But a hobby is a hobby. One can get, if one is capable of buying a luxury item and reselling it and it's a part of a hobby, that's really good as well. And if one has a hobby of painting, which doesn't necessarily cost as much, it's still a hobby. Yeah, but still, an expensive hobby has been established in quite a few states.

Band 5-6

My expensive hobby is shopping. I always wanted to shop from top brands. I can't do it daily because I'm having only very less pocket money. Because of lack of money, I can't do it daily. I always wanted to shop Pinterest girly clothes. And sometimes I just wanted to buy Pinterest girly stuff and all. And sometimes I just wanted to be like a modern bossy girl stuff. So, I'll be like thinking in contrast. So, according to my thoughts and my moods, I'd love to shop whenever I have money. I'd love to shop whenever I have money. Because of lack of money, I'm just a student but I'll have only pocket money. So, because of lack of money, I can't shop daily. But I'd love to shop daily when I get a permanent job. I can pursue this hobby of mine. I'm very much fond of shopping from top brands.

Band 5-6

okay so my expensive hobby is poetry but the poetry inputs are very costly and I think I'll enjoy this poetry so that's why I love it and I love to hear about anything about poetry so that's why I love it so much and it is very regular I can't persuade Delhi because it's inputs are very costly and my parents can afford that and it is not was it friendly so that's why I love

Band 5-6

I love watching movies a lot going to the cinema theater to watch movies is my favorite activity to do unfortunately it is a little expensive so I cannot afford to go to theaters every day to watch movies so to compensate this I have subscribed different platforms OTT platforms like Netflix, Disney, Hotstar so that I don't feel bored up so these apps make me engaged and help me enjoy my time but still whenever I have a friend to accompany with then I will surely go to the cinemas to watch movies I don't care if it is a Hollywood Bollywood anime but I love watching movies in theater with the company of all the people there even though there are they are old movies I still love to watch them and also moreover the popcorn and the snacks that we get at the theaters I'd love to have them snack on them but they are pretty expensive like the popcorn cost like 300 at a theater but at roadside starts it's just rupees 20 something so these are my these are so expensive even though I love to do such things I cannot make it my routine because of the high price other than that I also like to enjoy adventure activities like visiting the amusement parks but I cannot do that on a regular basis

Band 5-6

I would like to discuss about spa treatment because I think it's very expensive nowadays as everyone are really concentrating on this due to their lifestyles because we need a we are not caring about a proper health care so that because of this it is very costly and various types of spa treatments are there for our depend upon the conditions so you many
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