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Describe an important old thing that your family has kept for a long time: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What it is
  • How/when your family first got this thing
  • How long your family has kept it
  • And explain why this thing is important to your family
Show all 46 answers

Cue 1:What it is

  • Begin by clearly identifying the old item your family has kept.
  • Provide a brief description of its appearance and significance.

Example

The important old thing that my family has kept for a long time is a beautiful brass lamp. It has intricate designs carved on its surface and stands about two feet tall. The lamp has a warm, golden hue that adds a special charm to our home.

Cue 2:How/when your family first got this thing

  • Share the story of how your family acquired the item, including any special circumstances.
  • Mention who brought it into the family and any relevant historical context.

Example

My grandfather bought this lamp during his trip to Varanasi in the 1960s. He was captivated by its craftsmanship and decided to bring it home as a souvenir. It has been in our family ever since, passed down through generations.

Cue 3:How long your family has kept it

  • State the duration for which your family has owned the item.
  • Emphasize its longevity and any changes in its condition over the years.

Example

We have kept this lamp for over 60 years now. Although it has aged and shows some signs of wear, we have always taken great care to preserve it, ensuring it remains a cherished part of our family heritage.

Cue 4:And explain why this thing is important to your family

  • Discuss the sentimental value of the item and its connection to family traditions.
  • Explain how it represents your family's history and values.

Example

This lamp is important to our family because it symbolizes our heritage and the values of craftsmanship and tradition. Every Diwali, we light it to celebrate the festival, reminding us of our roots and the stories of our ancestors. It brings us together and keeps our family history alive.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, this brass lamp is not just an old object; it is a treasured family heirloom that connects us to our past and reinforces our family bonds. Its presence in our home serves as a constant reminder of our history and the love that has been passed down through 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: Avoid Vague Descriptions

    Using vague language can make your answer unclear and unengaging. It's important to provide specific details about the item to make your response more interesting.

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    Tip

    Include specific characteristics of the item, such as its age, appearance, and any unique features that make it special.

    2: Don't Rush Through Your Answer

    Rushing can lead to missing important details and making your speech sound disorganized. Take your time to think through each part of your answer.

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    Tip

    Practice pacing your speech by pausing briefly after each cue to ensure you cover all points clearly.

    Neglecting Emotional Connection

    Failing to explain why the item is important can make your answer less impactful. Personal stories create a stronger connection with the listener.

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    Tip

    Share a personal story or memory related to the item that highlights its significance to your family.

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    Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood
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    Anonymous student Band 8

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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

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    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.
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    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.
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    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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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

    So, one of the most old or valuable object in my family is a sword which was rewarded to my great grandfather by a king of Satara who, my great grandfather was in a, as a Patil ki in a village of Satara district Karad where he fought alongside with Shivaji Maharaj's army and at that time he received a sword which is almost 80 to 90 kilos in weight. This sword was given to my great grandfather for about 2000 to 300 years ago and this sword really meant a lot for us, our family and we have still kept it. It is a silver plated sword with a case which is having some jewellery work on it. The sword is I guess 5 foot in height and this sword represents our status and symbol in our society. As a Patil ki we have to, we have the responsibility of village and this sword represents our responsibility towards people, means it was, it is a symbol of our reputation in society, means people judge us based on our abilities to co-op with people and the working we do for their benefits.

    Band 6-7

    So the important old thing that my family has kept till the date is my old childhood photographs. It's very important for me because I can just go through my childhood, how it was, what I was doing exactly because my father as a photographer took all the photos of me including playing, eating, everything is just wrapped in a single album. So I love enjoying and going through it more often. So this is what my family has kept right now for a long period and also this is not only important for me, it is also important to my family as they can enjoy by saying this, they can just memorize the things, memorize how I was behaving, how I was acting and the playfulness, cheerfulness of me. So this is most important, crucial and precious thing what my family has given to me and it is also our oldest thing, I mean it was still 20 years back so I can just collect all the memories. Moreover, I can just go through it and also in the future I can show this to my children. They can see my photos and they can just be proud of how I was and also even have many memories with many family members. This is my first birthday celebration till date, every photo is there. So just going through my old photos remind me how I was in real life, I was enjoying with my family members.

    Band 6-7

    I come from a Punjabi Indian family and Punjab is very rich in heritage, so one thing that I have always noticed that is a part of our life and family at home is this big wooden box you can say, and it is, it's really big, it's length could be like six feet, it's four feet deep and about three to four feet wide and we use it to store many things, it could be important documents or old utensils that we use rarely or just blankets, old photographs and stuff, some souvenirs. I have noticed that almost every Punjabi family has one and it is known as Peti in our native language, the Peti in my house belongs to my grandmother, so it's about like 50 years old and it's a very inseparable part of our lives, we have changed homes, we have shifted for like five to six times ever since I was born and we have always taken it along with us and whenever we have anything miscellaneous or anything super important, we just use it, so I think it's a very essential part of our life and whenever we look at it, we feel this sense of connection that we have to our rich Punjabi heritage, even though we have a lot of modern furniture pieces in our home, that wooden box especially reminds us that what our roots are, where we come from and everything, so I guess

    Band 6-7

    So, one of the important things that my family got from Sindh Pakistan before shifting to India was an art painting and that painting was from a very famous painter in the Pakistan and this painting was really important about the Sindh culture. The culture it represented from the Mowan Jodaro times and this culture is famous for the Sindhi outfits and how people of Sindh lived and what was the architectural designs of the Sindh. This painting is really memorable for my parents and they have placed this painting in front of the living room. It has been loved by the number of visitors they visit and they really admire the painting and the artistic work that has been taken into consideration of how beautifully this painting has been curated and designed. Some of the things that this painting has is this really amazing architectural monument design with people sitting in front of the monument and playing some of the musical instruments plus the colors and the texture of the painting is so appealing that it is really eye catching and also it has some of the Urdu phrases written over it.

    Band 6-7

    An important thing that my family has kept for a long time is a hand-woven mat that belongs to my great-grandmother. It is a very beautiful mat which is light pink in color and it has white water, it has intricate weaving and it is a handcrafted masterpiece. It has been passed down from generation to generation. My great-grandmother passed it on to my grandmother and eventually she gave it to my mother and my mother gave it to me recently as a gift.

    Band 6-7

    An old thing that my family has kept for a long time is jewellery. My family has been carrying jewellery since centuries I feel. Firstly it was my grandfather's grandmother, then it was my dad's grandmother, then it was my grandmother, now it's my mom, later it will be my aunt, then it will be me, then it will be my sister-in-law and I think we got it a long time ago. It is a beautiful set made of gold and it has pretty emeralds on it. I don't know how long does it go back. I don't know when we got it but it's a pretty piece and I think that if we put it up for auction it will go up for quite a good price. It is too expensive and it feels very rich. It feels as if it's from the times of kings and queens and when India was not even independent. So yeah, a thing that my family has kept in the family is jewellery and especially that one set, that one piece, it has mesmerised me all the time irrespective of where I am but whenever I talk about it I see it in front of my eyes and I look at me wearing it. I imagine myself wearing it and I cannot take my eyes off it. I think I should get it someday but I am happy to pass it to my sister-in-law who will marry my brother and come in this family. I'll welcome her.

    Band 6-7

    So, we have a brass statue which is there with our family for almost a decade now. It is very important for our family because this statue has given us lots of blessings. This is our firm belief. We have carried this statue to different places as we have shifted our houses a couple of times in this one decade. This is something very special because it looks very magnificent and it is very unique. It is very rare. This statue has been gifted by one of our very close relative. Unfortunately, that person is no longer alive with us. So, this statue also reminds us of that person and the memories we have shared with him and his family. So, this is very precious for us. We have kept this for almost a decade. And what else can I say about it? I think it is not a very expensive thing for anybody, but definitely it is very valuable. It is very precious and it has a lot of memories attached with us. However, we need to take good care of this statue because it is made up of metal. So, we need to get some chemicals from Amazon so that we can use it.

    Band 6-7

    One old thing my family has kept around is the old car we have had for almost 10 years now. And my dad keeps it like a treasure he has found somewhere else. It's a Honda WR-V car and it runs really fine, you know. It's still in the action and still quite strong. We have gotten two new cars after that too. But my dad just doesn't want to give this one up because it's a little close to his heart. And he says that this guy has watched us grow up and he doesn't want to let it go.

    Band 6-7

    My family has a DVD player which is close to my childhood. With the DVD player we have a lot of memories. We used to watch movies. My father used to bring rent CDs which has movies in it and we used to watch movies with a DVD player. We used to enjoy a lot. Our family will come together, would come together and has a lot of memories with that DVD player. We cousins has, most importantly cousins would like to play DVD players as a game console. Yeah, we used to play a lot of games. But our childhood memories are right now in CDs. So the DVD player in our home is very valuable because we can retake and re-go to our childhood. We can watch our entire childhood through that DVD player. And because, why it is important? Because it has something connection between our childhood and the memories. The DVD player is the first thing that my father bought with his salary. The TV and the DVD player they both come in hand in hand. We have both the TV and a DVD player. But we can take another TV but not another DVD player. I think so.

    Band 6-7

    sits in a circle and eats together. The importance of this plate is to get the family a feeling of unity. They are always united and eating together. It is a very round, big, very thick, golden-coloured plate which in material is of steel. It does not stain that easily, washes off easily. So she feels. My great-grandmother taught and incorporated this in generations that when we sit to eat, the food will be served to everybody in a single portion over there. Everybody eats at their own fill and everybody decides that, okay, we have to sit together, eat together, how to divide portions, be happy. When we are sitting together, how we are talking, having fun, realising everybody's preferences, everybody's nature, everybody's, the whole day, what we have done, what we are going to do, they are exchanging views. That way, the whole scenario changes and that's how that plate is holding so much importance in the family. It has ran into the family for generations. Even today, we all sit together, we all eat in that one plate, following the generation's rule of maintaining a very healthy eating habit at the same time.
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