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Describe an interesting discussion you had with your friend: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What was the discussion about?
  • What opinions you and your friend had?
  • Why do you think the discussion was interesting?
  • And how you felt about it.
Show all 41 answers

Cue 1:What was the discussion about?

  • Begin by introducing the topic of discussion clearly and concisely.
  • Mention the context in which the discussion took place, such as during a casual meet-up or over a phone call.

Example

Recently, I had an interesting discussion with my friend about the impact of social media on our lives. We were sitting in a park, enjoying some snacks, and the topic came up naturally as we were scrolling through our phones.

Cue 2:What opinions you and your friend had?

  • Share your perspective on the topic and how it differs or aligns with your friend's view.
  • Use specific examples to illustrate your points, making the discussion more relatable.

Example

I expressed my belief that social media can be both beneficial and harmful. I think it helps us stay connected with friends and family, especially during the pandemic. However, my friend argued that it often leads to anxiety and unrealistic comparisons. We both agreed that moderation is key.

Cue 3:Why do you think the discussion was interesting?

  • Explain what made the discussion engaging, such as differing viewpoints or personal experiences.
  • Highlight any new insights or realizations that emerged from the conversation.

Example

The discussion was interesting because we both had different experiences with social media. My friend shared a story about how it affected her mental health, which made me reflect on my own usage. It was enlightening to hear how our backgrounds shaped our views.

Cue 4:And how you felt about it.

  • Convey your feelings during and after the discussion, emphasizing any emotional impact.
  • Mention how the discussion influenced your thoughts or actions moving forward.

Example

I felt a mix of emotions during our conversation. At first, I was defensive about my social media habits, but by the end, I felt grateful for the honest exchange. It encouraged me to be more mindful of my online presence and its effects on my well-being.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, discussing social media with my friend was not only enjoyable but also thought-provoking. It reminded me of the importance of open conversations about topics that affect us deeply. Such discussions can lead to personal growth and a better understanding of each other.

    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 Responses

    Avoid giving vague or general answers that lack detail. This can make your response uninteresting and fail to showcase your language skills.

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    Tip

    Provide specific examples and details about the discussion to make your answer more engaging and informative.

    2: Ignoring the Cues

    Neglecting to address all the cues can lead to an incomplete answer. This may result in a lower score for coherence and task response.

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    Tip

    Make sure to cover each cue in your response, ensuring a well-rounded and structured answer.

    Overly Complex Language

    Using overly complex vocabulary or grammar can confuse the listener and detract from your message. Clarity is key.

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    Tip

    Use clear and simple language to express your ideas effectively, focusing on fluency and coherence.

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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

    Mostly I like to discuss many things with my friends, but these days I am mostly discussing about my future or my career. So last time I had a discussion with my friend about the careers that we will be going to pursue in future. I was talking that mostly I have social careers as I have psychology in my past years from my school. So I would like to pursue psychology as my career in future. So I told him all things about that, that I want to go for family and relationship counselling because I think I would feel more interested in that topic. Because mostly whenever we talk of, whenever anything happens in my family also, I always give the suggestions to everyone. So I am good at consulting someone, so I think I would like to go for counselling. And he said that he would like to become a lawyer because it's also a very good job as well as a professional job. These days lawyers are mostly needed everywhere in everything. So he told me about all the things or some laws or criminology. I was really interested and I listened to him very carefully. So this was the last discussion that we had. It was very interesting because I came to know about many more careers and options. And he also told me about my career options also. I have some knowledge about health, so I told him about health. So that was very curious, very interesting, very attractive, very different discussion.

    Band 6-7

    Recently, I had a discussion with one of my friend who is a gym trainer near my house. So I wanted to do a physique called bulk body which suits my appearance. So I just contacted him for discussion of this proper diet and proper training for this respective body achievement. So when I had a discussion, I shared few experiences, my knowledge on bulking my body and what terms, what kinds of workouts, plates and diet should be done. At some point of time, I went wrong in some particular topics, so which I had a wrong knowledge about it. Then my friend helped me and gave me some ideas and perfect answers for what, which I was, where I was wrong and he told me that what should be done to get a proper physique of a bulk to my body and he gave me a proper split of workouts which I need to follow from Monday to Friday and rest on Saturday and Sunday. And as a result, I got few insights from him about how the body works on dieting and with working splits. So at last, I was very much thankful for him by giving me a wonderful insights on various things I was not knowing about.

    Band 6-7

    Discussion helps a person to increase a person's effectiveness and efficiency and overall productivity and of course it also aids to inculcate our communication skills. Here I would like to talk about a time when I had a conversation or discussion with my friend and it's just very interesting for me. About two years ago when I was in college and pursuing my graduation, there was an assignment which was given by my teacher and that assignment topic was on the farming rules which was introduced by the government and me and my friend got the topic from ma'am. So we discussed about it, how government introduced these rules and how it will improve the overall lifestyle of the Indian farmers and we came to know about that these rules are not very good for the farmers as it is just detrimental for their overall financial security and of course for their future also and additionally my friends told me that it is beneficial for our farmers but I searched overall aspects of those rules and it was just unbeneficial for the Indian farmers so we concluded that these farming policies which was made by the government is not beneficial and of course it will not help the farmers that much and it will just help the businessmen in India and we just submit our assignment to our teacher and we will get, we heard good results.

    Band 6-7

    In the third year of my college, we need to submit a project and in that time, me and my partner were searching for the topic and we gave a list of topics to our guide and our teacher was not interested in the topics so we were tense about that and from the first time, I have researched a topic which is simple and the guide is not interested in that but we asked again that if this topic is simple and easy to do but the guide asked the main head of our department and the head told us bring a sample and then we gave a sample that the head was also interested in that so when we completed the project, the teachers were so amazed and asking about that where we get all the details in the project and the external also were amazed that the project was too good and we were so happy and me and my team got A plus in that project and we were so happy in that time, it was when the exams were over and we felt very happy and the students were proud of us that the exams gone good

    Band 6-7

    So, recently me and my friend we had a discussion or we had not kind of a debate a friendly debate maybe like we were like talking about the merits and demerits of going abroad for a direct PhD or to stay here in India and have like here in India do a PhD in the top institute like ISC or IIT any IIT. So my point was like even though the situation is hard but the fundings are much much higher compared to the all the institutes we have in India the exposure we get from abroad is much much more we have a better peer group we have a better setup there the lab setups are already there and they are always like 10 to 20 years ahead of us in terms of research. So that was my point and he was saying that currently the many things are changing abroad specially in US, Europe and funding wise specifically in our field which is electronics India the government of India is spending a lot more than the foreign government. So his point was that going abroad getting settled down there struggling to find or struggling to have a comfortable life there at the same time if the funding is similar to what we have in India then it's better to stay in India and you know prosper than going abroad but the thing is like outside all the abroad universities have better ranking they have better image they have better reputation and that is a point which we both agreed to. So it was a friendly discussion and I mean we concluded that either ways we have some benefits and disadvantages.

    Band 6-7

    Yeah, well, I remembered a conversation with my friend. It was a really fantastic experience because he explains me about the future, what he was able to learn and focus on his idea and his goals that really attracts me to work with him to achieve his goals. And we often meet after work and we share our experiences about our work. And sometimes we also go to restaurants and malls to explore and find new items and experiences. And we had a strong bond between us, but we want to expand our relation to next level. Yeah, but it's a hope, but we haven't finalized this. But when I spent a lot of time with him, it's really fascinating for me. And he also felt the same when he met me.

    Band 6-7

    So, recently, me and my friend, we had discussed about our career as we have chosen into the teaching field. We both have finished our entity, which is nursery teachers training in Bangalore at the institution of these institutions. So, we discussed about taking our career to the abroad teaching way in which we have enquired like consultancies here, like if we are both are planned to do the masters in ECE, which is early childhood education. And we had also came across that teaching field is in quite often demand in Canada, UK and Australia, in which we had to plan according to our funding of the fee and also staying accommodations as well. So, overall it was costing a budget, which we did not think about it, but still somehow we managed to take a loan from the bank in which like we will be able to repay them in the future. So, this was the one of the decision we both have discussed and took part to take her career job aspects to the abroad place. I had chosen for Canada. Why? Because now in Canada, the teaching fields are in very high demand in which they are seeking for teaching field and healthcare sectors such as pharma, medicines, etc. Furthermore, my friend has planned to take up her teaching field in special needs educator for children in Canada, which is one of the easiest way for her to teach for the special kids as she always has a helping nature. Here in India, she almost have three years of experience in special tutor. So, she wants to further carry that in Canada as well. So, we both have discussed this.

    Band 6-7

    We have always ongoing discussions with one of our friends because whenever we are sitting with our friends, there are some topics that we are definitely discussing. But one chat that I remember with my friend clearly was with my best friend Vrinda. There was a time in my life when I was feeling very much demotivated due to current situations going on in my life. So by listening to my problems, she suggested me an idea for my mental health. She guided me to go for a yoga session or a meditation session because it will help me to gain clear insights of my life, what is actually going in my head and it will calm my mind and I will feel very much relaxed because I will be completely stress free after that. So I took her suggestion very seriously and I immediately looked up on Instagram or Google search engine for nearby yoga sessions and some meditation classes. Also, she suggested me a meditation course on Instagram and I quickly enrolled in that course. To my surprise, after getting my first session done, I felt that the burden has finally off my chest and I was completely relieved. Also, she helped me a lot during that time. So there was a discussion that is always important for me because I got valuable knowledge that despite having a busy schedule, how one can manage time so that they can be fit as well as mentally as well as physically.

    Band 6-7

    The discussion we had about like is about being a vegan is a good thing or being a non vegetarian is a good thing. I was a supportive of non vegetarian and he was a supportive of vegan. So we had discussion on this for more than a one and a half hour and nearly about two hours. We come to an opinion where he is a vegan and he has opinion why we have to be vegan in a way and why we don't have to kill animals to fulfill our needs if we can choose a food where we are not harming someone why we shouldn't use vegan food. And my opinion was even if you think practically we are killing someone for having anything even we are trying to have grains like rice or even another grains. So still you are killing the bombs and insects to having some food. The whole cycle is based on that. We are in the ecosystem cycle that which is based on we even we are going to have something we are like unconsciously or consciously we are going to kill someone to have something. That was the point. The reason I still remember the conversation because it was so fascinating and we are still remember it because it was huge. We both were opinionated with our stance and we are still he still supports vegan and I still support non-vegetarian because non-vegetarian has a lot more protein a lot more nutrition than we can cover than vegetarian diet and not everyone can hire a nutritionist for.

    Band 6-7

    A discussion that I had with my friend and I considered interesting was when we debated on the topic whether social media is good for us or not. So me and my friends, we were basically just sitting and discussing about normal day to day life when one of my friend whose name was Trisha asked me if social media was hindering my studies or not. On a personal level I told her that for me it was a distraction as it deviated me from my studies and I was not able to focus while my phone was on my table. She on the other hand insisted that social media could be used to our advantage and does not necessarily always, does not always cause problems. We had this discussion for about 15-30 minutes, both of us were continuously putting our points across each other. For me it was interesting because it was less of a fight and more of a discussion, we tried to get our point to the other person and while I agree that she was also right at that point, my sole focus was to make her understand on what I was trying to say because my opinion was something that I held very strongly. But later I understood that social media can hinder or can for that matter of fact also help you in your studies, it all depends on how you perceive it.
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