Describe An Interesting Tradition In Your Country: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

What does it look like?
When did you see it?
Where did you see it?
Explain why it is interesting.

6 unique answers with expert feedback

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Cue 1:What does it look like?

Describe the visual aspects of the tradition, including colors, attire, and decorations.
Mention any specific symbols or items that are significant to the tradition.

Example

The tradition I want to describe is Diwali, the Festival of Lights. During this time, homes are adorned with colorful rangoli designs at the entrance, and people light small oil lamps called diyas. The streets are filled with vibrant decorations, and the atmosphere is alive with the glow of fireworks lighting up the night sky.

Cue 2:When did you see it?

Share a specific year or time when you experienced this tradition.
Mention if it was a recent event or if it has been a part of your life for many years.

Example

I saw this beautiful celebration last year in November. Diwali is celebrated every year, but last year was particularly special for me as I was able to celebrate it with my family after a long time.

Cue 3:Where did you see it?

Specify the location where you witnessed the tradition, such as your hometown or a specific community.
Include details about the setting, like whether it was in a public space or a private home.

Example

I experienced Diwali in my hometown, Jaipur. The entire city was lit up, but I particularly enjoyed the celebrations at my grandmother's house, where the family gathered to perform prayers and share sweets.

Cue 4:Explain why it is interesting.

Discuss the cultural significance of the tradition and what it represents.
Share personal feelings or memories associated with the tradition that make it special to you.

Example

Diwali is interesting because it symbolizes the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. For me, it is a time of joy and togetherness, where I reconnect with my roots and family. The laughter, the delicious food, and the shared stories make it a memorable experience every year.

Conclusion

Example

In conclusion, Diwali is not just a festival; it is a celebration of life, love, and unity. It brings people together, and every year, I look forward to experiencing its magic with my loved ones.

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: Being Vague in Descriptions

Candidates often give unclear or general descriptions of the tradition, which can make their answer less engaging. Specific details help the examiner understand and visualize the tradition better.

Tip

Use descriptive language and provide specific examples, such as colors, sounds, and feelings associated with the tradition.

2: Ignoring the Cues

Some candidates forget to address all the cues provided, leading to incomplete answers. This can result in a lower score for coherence and relevance.

Tip

Make sure to answer all the cues: describe what it looks like, when and where you saw it, and explain why it is interesting.

Lack of Personal Connection

Failing to share personal experiences or feelings about the tradition can make the response less engaging. Personal stories can captivate the examiner's interest.

Tip

Include your own experiences or emotions related to the tradition to make your answer more relatable and interesting.

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 7

In my country, India, the tradition which is very interesting is Diwali. Diwali is also called the festival of lights. Diwali is celebrated by many people like Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. Diwali marks a victory of light over the darkness. During Diwali, people decorate their homes with lights or with oil lamps which are called as Diya. And the colorful rangoli at the entrance of the home. People also light fireworks during Diwali. The main day during the occasion is the Lakshmi Puja. Lakshmi Puja. Lakshmi is also called the... People also exchange gifts during this occasion and people celebrate it with joy. The entire atmosphere during this occasion is filled with joy, laughter and the sense of togetherness.

Band 6-7

The engaging tradition in my country is welcoming people with water. It shows our hospitality and respect to them. Also we should wear a formal dress when the guest is arriving to the house. For instance we should wear a dupatta to visit a temple which shows the respected manner in the environment for the culture and also it reflects my tradition. So I have to follow the rules and regulations thoroughly without any disturbance. If it is not followed by any people they have to pay a penalty fees. Also they should not visit the temple for a year. Yes of course there is a lot of reasons why they are doing like this. To visit a temple it should be in a manner traditional way and we should not wear any western culture cloths inside the temple. It shows the disrespect to the gods as well as the environment. Also we are not following the rules. So we also have to be very well mannered. Where ever we are going we should have a well dressed and not relieving parts of our body which is a must going on my culture and in my country. This is the tradition we must follow in India. Where ever home or temple you go this is the must rule you be following.

Band 6-7

Every year before Eid al-Fitr, my people and individuals in this country start going around, running over malls, shops and stores to find specific ingredients that they would need to bake biscuits known as kahak. You may ask, why is it this important? Why do people go out of their way just to bake some biscuits? Simply, it's just biscuits. And the thing behind it would be the gathering. What really makes it special is how you see the whole family member just coming together, spending quality time chatting and laughing and joking while creating some delicious homemade desserts. It's a moment or it's a way to send joy and good vibes around. It helps us to connect and get away from our busy life and take a break for a while. It gives the holidays meaning, it's magic. And honestly, it's my favorite thing out of the whole thing. I tried learning how to join this event since last year and eventually I got better, gradually better. I started creating new styles and she is with the biscuit and even maybe picked up a new hobby.

Band 6

groom's house and they are staying there and one of the very interesting tradition in my country is based on Hindu cultural wedding and traditionally something which is very close to a person's heart and it shows really the culture of a particular country and basically speaking about Hindu traditional weddings there are ceremonies where bride and bridegroom get married and there is one of the most interesting thing we can see at the end of that particular wedding ceremony is Kanyadaanam which means that right hand of bride is given to the groom's right hand and it was done by father and it's particularly like the bride is moving to the groom's home and she is completely out of her family and she will be visiting only for holidays and all and it's basically after that Kanyadaanam it's a very common tradition we can see in Hindu cultures and it's basically for devotion, love, empathy and every mixture of feelings can be seen in that particular occasion and it's like then after the Kanyadaanam only the bride and the bridegroom will rotate the one fire which was continuously lighting on the stage and they will rotate continuously and after that only the wedding ceremony is completed so it's only can be witnessed in South India I think which is very interesting actually we can see and at that particular event happens there is a mixture of emotion in brides and her father's mind and the time from her birth to her marriage ceremony will be seen in the mind of father and he is gradually giving her child to some other family and she

Band 5-6

India is the land of festivals and my favorite festival of all is Holi and I would like to consider it my favorite tradition as well because it makes everything look so beautiful and enchanting with colors flowing in the air and people just having fun, dancing on music, playing with water and just enjoying themselves. There are some bad things about this festival as well when people just throw water balloons on vehicles while traveling which is not safe at all. I remember when I was walking on the road and somebody randomly threw a water balloon at me and I had something very important to be and well, I was wet. That sounds wrong.

Band 5

Hi, so an interesting tradition in our country is that I feel oiling, hair oiling is a very interesting tradition, so even I follow that one, so oiling, oiling reduces stress, so every day, so I follow this practice every day, so by following this, my body balances, okay, the body temperature balances and then, so it reduces the hair fall and yeah, by applying oil every day, so it will give smooth and shiny hair, so yeah, that is the one thing, I just think that is the most traditional thing.