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Describe an occasion when someone gave you positive advice or suggestions about your work/study: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • Who is the person?
  • What he/she said?
  • How the advice/suggestion affected you?
  • And explain how you felt about the advice/suggestions.
Show all 161 answers

Cue 1:Who is the person?

  • Introduce the person who gave you the advice, mentioning their relationship to you, such as a teacher, mentor, or friend.
  • Provide some context about their background or expertise that makes their advice valuable.

Example

The person who gave me positive advice was my college professor, Dr. Sharma. He was not only my mentor but also an expert in the field of environmental science, which is my area of study.

Cue 2:What he/she said?

  • Summarize the key points of the advice or suggestions they provided.
  • Make sure to include specific phrases or ideas that stood out to you.

Example

Dr. Sharma suggested that I focus on practical projects to enhance my understanding of theoretical concepts. He said, 'Real-world experience will make your resume stand out and deepen your knowledge.'

Cue 3:How the advice/suggestion affected you?

  • Explain how you implemented the advice in your work or studies.
  • Discuss any changes in your approach or mindset as a result of the advice.

Example

After his suggestion, I started participating in various environmental projects and internships. This hands-on experience helped me grasp complex theories better and boosted my confidence in my abilities.

Cue 4:And explain how you felt about the advice/suggestions.

  • Share your feelings about receiving the advice and how it impacted your relationship with the person.
  • Reflect on the long-term benefits of the advice on your personal and professional growth.

Example

I felt grateful and inspired by Dr. Sharma's advice. It strengthened my respect for him and motivated me to pursue my studies with more passion. I realized that good guidance can truly shape one's career.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, receiving positive advice from Dr. Sharma not only improved my academic performance but also instilled a sense of direction in my career. It reminded me of the importance of seeking guidance and learning from experienced individuals.

    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: Lack of Specificity

    Being vague about the advice received can weaken your response. Specific details help illustrate the impact of the advice and make your answer more engaging.

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    Tip

    Include specific examples of what the person said and how it directly influenced your work or study.

    2: Ignoring Personal Feelings

    Failing to express your feelings about the advice can make your response less personal. Sharing your emotions adds depth to your answer.

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    Tip

    Describe how the advice made you feel, whether it was motivated, inspired, or relieved.

    Overly Complex Language

    Using complicated vocabulary or structures can confuse the listener. Clarity is key in speaking tasks, especially for non-native speakers.

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    Tip

    Use simple and clear language to convey your thoughts effectively, ensuring your message is understood.

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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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    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 had just finished my 10th and like, the paper was too tough. I was just awaiting for my result. Then, half of the students from my class were choosing the option to pursue 11th and 12th. But my dad suggested me that if you do 11th and 12th or high school you can say, it will waste your time. He suggested me to do a central government diploma in mechatronics. But he also said that getting admitted to that course is not an easy option. Because more than 1200 students apply for that course. But I got selected and right now I am in the final year of this course, which was like the wonderful decision my dad has ever made in his life. Of course, it was beneficial for me because if I had done 11th and 12th, if I want to do bachelor in future, for that I will need to give an entrance exam or JEE. But right now I am pursuing diploma, I can get direct admission into second year without giving JEE exam or any other entrance exam. That was the most satisfying part.

    Band 6-7

    I take Maths tuition. One of my student's parent has told me how to improve my vocabulary and how to improve my teaching skills. So I am working on that and it is giving me a positive result. However, what else should I say? Two minutes. Okay. Generally my practice and my teaching is good. No one has commented negative about it. Everyone has told me positive things about my teaching. However, I am trying my best to improve my skills and teach better and I see that my students understand the concept clearly and wherever I feel they are not taking interest, I try to inculcate interest in them and make them to start liking the subject.

    Band 6-7

    Here, I would like to talk about my husband who gives advice, a positive advice and suggestions about my studies. My marriage was done in 2023 when I am studying for my post graduation. I was struggled very much in my studies. After my marriage, he helped me so much in my studies to maintain my classes, all these were helped by my husband and he also supported in my studies and my activities. When I attended my SEM examination, it became a small failure in one of my subjects and I was very desperate in that time. Then he really supported me, he told me that never be give up, you should write, you can achieve that one paper in your life, I will also help and he also helped me in the home hold works also for my studies. At that time, he told that don't do anything in the home, you just study and overcome that situation. At that time, I felt my decision of my marriage, it was very good and he is very supportive in my studies and I felt very motivated for the examinations and I overcome that examination and I just passed my MCA because of my husband and I think it is the great positive advice which I get in my life and the suggestion for my studies. I think he made me to done that examination very well, so no one can suggest me or given us such a positive advice.

    Band 6-7

    Dr. Sarika Sarma, my principal at Ardhun Public Schools is working. She advised me to improve my communication skill in English. She told me that I am an excellent teacher in my subject but I am lagging down because of some communication skill in my subject and dealing with the student parents. She gave me so many suggestions. With the help of that I can improve my speaking skill also. She suggested me to join any spoken classes or watch English movies, web series and if it is possible talk with everyone in English only. I don't have stage fear but she pushed me to do a good anchoring and so that she wants to improve my communication skill. I took her advice very seriously. I work on my communication skill. I joined some classes before I was hesitating to talk with my colleague even in English but right now I can fluently talk with everyone and whenever there is any function in my school she is ready to keep me as an anchor as I work on my communication skill so hard and I become a very good speaker. So that advice gave my career a new shape and improvement.

    Band 6-7

    Last year, when I completed my graduation, I decided to start preparing for competitive exams. Therefore, I used to study for long hours continuously. Due to which, I started feeling exhausted very easily. Also, my productive study was declining. So, I discussed this with my sister. So, she suggested me that instead of studying for long hours straight, Last year, when I completed my graduation, I decided to start preparing for competitive exams. Therefore, I used to study for long hours continuously without even taking a break. This affected my physical health, also my mental health. Last year, when I completed my graduation, I decided to start preparing for competitive exams. Therefore, I used to study for long hours continuously without even taking a break. This affected my physical health, also my mental health. So, after experiencing all this, I shared this with my sister. So, she suggested me that instead of studying for long hours continuously, you should take breaks in between so that your mind can be refreshed. And it will also help you to do productive study. So, I liked her advice and I started working on it from the very next day. And I was shocked by seeing the results that I was seeing the positive changes in me. So, I really thank her after all this.

    Band 6-7

    It was my parents who advised me, basically my mother who advised me to wake up at 4 am. When I was at 12th standard, I usually wake up around 7 o'clock. But my mother suggested me to wake up at 4 am and sleep at time. Because I usually sleep for 3-4 hours. So, I applied it and it was great experience for me. It was a great experience for me. I experienced a lot of things when I wake up at 4 am. It was very silence and the birds are singing. Overall it was a great experience. When I study, I am more focused than in day time. Thank you for watching.

    Band 6-7

    Ok, so this happened very recently during my working hours or in my office. So, while I was working on one of the queue or one of the tasks, I was unable to reach the target and I was facing very difficulty in handling all the tasks one after other. So, my office colleague, his name is Ahmad Yasir, he helped me to organize my tasks and he made sure that I am making checklist and following the workflow and I am keeping the calendar to my daily tasks and he suggested me to do the tasks on the priority list like to do the tasks which are highly influential on the first and then demanding the urgency, you need to shift the works and check the workflows, checklist and the calendars on an hourly basis and make sure you are meeting the targets on the daily basis. Not the daily basis but on the hourly basis and you are making sure that all the requirements are being fulfilled and making sure that I am getting free time enough to have my lunch, breakfast without any worries. So, yeah, I would say that specific change helped me a lot and it provided me a lot of free time, it made me responsible and ideally it gave me an organized, structured way of working in the office without being worried or without wasting the time on the rubbish things, I would say. So, it is very good.

    Band 6-7

    Being a professional content writer, we used to receive advices from our supervisor or our editors. So during one instance, I was advised by my editor to work on the personal statement, specifically on the motivational part. When I looked into the term, I understood where I was lacking and immediately I chose to focus on research methodologies and also comprehending the needs of the client. So with that, I was able to understand how to create impactful motivation for the personal statement. Once I was finished with my own research and I connected with my editor and made all the arrangements for it.

    Band 6-7

    Well, during my senior secondary education, I was very confused about my stream. After the 10th exams, I was persuading my parents that which stream I should choose, but they said it's your decision, so you have to choose yourself. I was in a dilemma, so I didn't know what to do, so I just asked my teacher who lived next door. Actually, his name is Harsh Sabharwal, and I can trust him because he has been helping me recently. Also, I just asked him that what stream I should choose, then he suggested that you should go for medical as it is your strong aspect. Also, it is very good for you to choose it as you can score better and you can develop your career in it, so after listening to his advice, I just chose medical, and it affected my life in a very good way. It was just like a blessing in disguise, although my friends just suggested me to choose non-medical as they were all choosing it, but I said that my most weak point is math, so I will not choose it, otherwise my career will be affected. As I just followed his advice, then I just chose medical, and afterward, I just thanked him because it helped me in overall development of my subject, also I am able to pursue my desired career.

    Band 6-7

    If I talk about my past incidents which makes me wise, so there is a, in my previous organization I always love to do my, I always love to finish my cases and resolve them in a faster speed as compared to other colleagues, yes. Once upon a time, there is a TL called, his name is Vishal Tiwari, he complimented me and by saying, how come Bhandari you always finishes your work so smoothly and in a faster speed than other peoples. So I said to him, I always love to finish my work very early from the other people so I can enjoy my free time which is chatting with other colleagues and also I have time to do other things, finishing a work in a faster rate always helps you to be creative and to finish something which you started very early, it's kind of you already one step ahead of other peoples, so it's about a, he complimented me about my work and yeah.
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