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Describe an unforgettable experience that you had: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What the experience was?
  • When and where it happened?
  • What made it memorable?
  • And explain how it changed you.
Show all 117 answers

Cue 1:What the experience was?

  • Begin by clearly stating the unforgettable experience you had.
  • Make sure to include specific details that highlight why this experience stands out to you.

Example

One unforgettable experience I had was when I went on a solo trip to the beautiful hill station of Manali in Himachal Pradesh. It was my first time traveling alone, and I was both excited and nervous.

Cue 2:When and where it happened?

  • Provide the time frame of your experience, including the month and year.
  • Describe the location in a way that helps the listener visualize it.

Example

This trip took place in June 2022, during the summer holidays. Manali is a stunning place surrounded by snow-capped mountains and lush green valleys, which made it the perfect getaway from the heat of the plains.

Cue 3:What made it memorable?

  • Share specific moments or events that made this experience special.
  • Explain your feelings during these moments to convey the significance of the experience.

Example

What made this trip memorable was the sense of freedom I felt while exploring the local culture, trying adventure sports like paragliding, and meeting new friends from different parts of India. One evening, I sat by the river, watching the sunset, and I felt a deep sense of peace and happiness.

Cue 4:And explain how it changed you.

  • Reflect on the personal growth or insights you gained from this experience.
  • Discuss how this experience has influenced your perspective or future decisions.

Example

This experience changed me by boosting my confidence and independence. I learned that stepping out of my comfort zone can lead to wonderful experiences. It inspired me to travel more and embrace new challenges in life.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, my solo trip to Manali was not just a vacation; it was a transformative experience that taught me valuable life lessons and helped me grow as a person. I will always cherish the memories I made during that trip.

    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

    Using vague language can make your answer less engaging and informative. It's important to provide specific details about your experience to capture the listener's interest.

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    Tip

    Include specific names, places, and emotions to create a vivid picture of your unforgettable experience.

    2: Lack of Structure

    A disorganized response can confuse the listener. It's essential to follow a clear structure to ensure your answer flows logically and covers all cues.

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    Tip

    Use the provided cues as a guide to structure your answer: start with the experience, then the time and place, followed by what made it memorable, and finally how it changed you.

    Overly Short Answers

    Providing overly brief answers can make it seem like you have nothing to say. This can lead to a lower score as it may not demonstrate your speaking ability.

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    Tip

    Expand on each cue with detailed explanations and personal reflections to showcase your language skills and depth of thought.

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    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
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    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
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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 >7

    So the most unforgettable experience that I had was with a trip to Pondicherry with my college friends. So the trip was very chaotic. It was filled with chaotic experiences. I'll tell one of the story which would have spoiled our plan. So what happened was we booked a taxi, a rental car from an app on the Play Store. And the next day when we got there to collect the car, it was not there. It was just a scam location. Nothing was there. And we were 8 people and we got only one rental car which we got from a local rental shop nearby. And he only had one car which can sit only 5 people. We were 8. So we got into some problem. Luckily through apps like Ola, we got a taxi at a cheaper price. And we were able to visit Pondicherry on time. And the beaches and the enjoyment with friends was unforgettable. It was something I always want to, you know, have a first-hand experience again. And we also visited a few bakeries which were fantastic. They served French bakery items. And they also had few other things.

    Band 7

    I remember when I was around 18 years old, I was working with an NGO as my college internship. So there we went on a drive. I saw some children were very quiet and they were not engaged in any of the activities. So I asked them politely what happened? Why are you not playing with your friends? So they told me about a problem. They are sick for a very long time and there is no one to provide them medicine and they don't have much money to buy for themselves. That pinched my heart and my heart filled with sorrow. And from that day, I sort of taken a pledge that every month I'll donate some money to an NGO or any orphanage. I will donate medicine and clothes for the needy people and I have helped those children with medicines. I took them to the hospital and the whole treatment was paid by me. That day I realized that not everyone in the country is self-sufficient. So I felt blessed and I realized the importance of poverty. So that opened my mind and that not everyone is well-versed with everything. So that made me humble, polite and a soft-hearted person.

    Band 7

    So, an unforgettable experience which I wanted to share is my NPA training days back then in 2014-15 where of course like all the other officer trainees, I was also taken out of my comfort zones because we were given exhaustive, extensive training in sports activities, running, extracurricular, drill, weapon training, horse riding etc. So the entire training module was designed in such a way that the officer in us, the leader in us was chiseled out and we could emerge and pass out of the academy as bold officers ready to face any challenges which were waiting for us out there in the field. Apart from that, the indoor classes which were arranged in the academy made us legally aware of the penal provisions, the essential subjects that we had to study and forensic experiences and the lab visits, the Naxal attachments, the field attachments like army and other paramilitary attachments, the Bharat Darshan tours that were taken across the country helped us to gain a broad overview of what is the country, what are the challenges faced in the country and also to realize the problems faced by the grassroots of the society and also to try hard to find innovative solutions when we go out in the field. So all the basic foundation of our policing career was formed in National Police Academy which was indeed a forgettable, unforgettable experience.

    Band 7

    The most unforgettable experience I had was on my birthday three years ago. My birthday is on May 17th. So this experience happened on May 17th, 2022. My boyfriend had surprised me with a very very unforgettable moment of bursting firecrackers. From childhood, I am a huge fan of firecrackers, especially the ones that fly to the sky and burst into colours. Since our family was not financially stable, buying firecrackers was, you know, very luxurious and it was an unnecessary spending for my family. But generally, people in other houses and in temple functions or festivals or any other friends' or relatives' birthday parties, they used to crack firecrackers. And that made me a little upset. I don't remember sharing these stories with my boyfriend, but somehow he knew. So he planned a surprise. Middle of the night, it was 11.30, he took me to a deserted place. Deserted place is, you know, like a field, a paddy field, a lawn, a lawn full of grass. And then he just lit up everything. Every firecracker went to the sky and it was beautiful, especially in the night, in the dark night, all the colours filled the sky and it was amazing to see. I will never forget that moment because I felt very loved and cherished at that very moment. It means a lot to me.

    Band 7

    The most thrilling experience was the recent India vs England taste match. This match was particularly exhilarating because India clinched victory by a mere 6 runs. Initially it seemed like India was on the brink of defeat with England, needing just a few runs and plenty of wickets in hand. However, the outstanding bowling performance by Mohamed Siraj turned the tables. His ability to maintain pressure and taking crucial wickets at the right moment was truly capitative. This match taught me the importance of perseverance and focusing on the process rather than the outcome. It was a testament to how determination and teamwork can lead to success against all odds.

    Band 7

    An unforgettable experience I had was when I went to Europe. I visited Spain, Italy, France and Monaco. And it was an unforgettable experience because it was my first time on a cruise ship. We went around all four countries and I was with my family and with my friends which was a very joyous time for me. It was a very exciting and adventurous trip because we tried so many new things and we visited many new places. We visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa which is a monument I'll never forget because it was so tall and seeing such a peculiar design of a building, something that's always leaning and still never falling down, that amazed me. Secondly, what made it memorable was the fact that I had my friends around all the time. We would enjoy, we would sneak out of our rooms late in the night while our parents were sleeping and we would go to the pool or drink some hot chocolate and sit by the sea, listen to the waves clashing against the ship's port sides. And it was just an experience that cannot be described with words. Furthermore, this trip changed me completely. It changed me because it taught me how to enjoy moments where I'm not doing anything. It taught me how to embrace moments where I'm just sitting around peacefully with my family, with my friends and enjoying things like the view outside, looking at how different people from all over the world, how they celebrate their cultures and how people from my country as well act around others. And it really made me realise how grateful I am for my life.

    Band 7

    An unforgettable experience that I had happened at the beginning of this year when I went on a trip to Nainital with two of my friends and my brother. It was hands down one of the best trips of my life. We had so much fun, we explored different places, did a lot of adventure activities, ate a lot of food, played pool and interacted with so many people. And I think it was once in a lifetime of an experience. I had always heard people and friends ramble about how their trip with friends was one of the best experiences and I always thought that they are just exaggerating what was happening. But I only believed it until I actually went on a trip like that. Moreover, when you are with friends and when you are with family, it's a totally different experience. I enjoy travelling with my family a lot as well but with my friends it was something entirely different. I was always at ease, it didn't feel like I had to fit in, I could be myself, everyone was enjoying. We used to play cards at night and then wake up late or one day we even got up at 6 am to do a trek for 3 km. Even though it was very hard but since I went with my friends, I loved every bit of it. So I would say that is one unforgettable experience for me.

    Band 7

    One of the most unforgettable experiences that I had was last year, around this time. So I performed in front of an entire audience and it was a very memorable experience for me because I do not do this very often. This experience increased my confidence and I will always remember it. The place is 15 minutes from my house, so it's not very far and I often go by that place and remember my performance and how everybody loved it, people clapped after my performance and after the entire show they commented on how good I was. This has motivated me to perform again in a few more months. So I performed a medley of at least 7-8 songs and my performance was 7-8 minutes long. Along with me, another person also performed with me and yeah, we enjoyed a lot. We made lots of memories and a lot of my friends also came to watch this performance and after the entire thing we went out for dinner and had fun.

    Band 7

    If I had to describe an unforgettable time that I had, it would be the trip to Grahan that I took last year, somewhere around the New Year's, most probably 26th or 27th of December. Grahan is a small city which lies in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, which is to the northern part of India. It is one of the most beautiful states as it is covered in mountains, snows there, it snows in Himachal somewhere around the second half of the year. I travelled to Grahan by a bus which I took from New Delhi. It was an overnight journey. While I slept for the most part of it, but in the morning when I woke up for the tea break, my eyes were mesmerized by the view I saw. I was surrounded by mountains, every side of it, there were green or white mountains as it had snowed recently. For the first two days when I reached Grahan, I spent my time in rest and rejuvenation as it was important for me to get acclimatized with the weather before starting my trek for the peak. On the third day, my trek began and we started hiking in 2 am in the night for the peak. It took us 5 hours to reach to the top as it was a 3 km long hike. We hiked non-stop as we wanted to see the view of sunrise and our hard work did pay off. We saw the most beautiful sunrise that a person can see in their lifetime. There were golden rays coming out of pure horizon and their reflection can be seen on the white mountains which had just turned to gold because of the sunlight. Additionally, the second best thing that I liked about my trip was the hot springs of Grahan.

    Band 7

    Last month I visited Sandan valley along with my friend where we observed stars with telescope and that was very mesmerizing memory for all of us. From the telescope we watched the Jupiter, the Saturn and our Milky Way, the band of asteroids and they also explained us the constellation, how the zodiac constellation works and the philosophy behind it. They burst some myth related to astrology. This myth busting session regarding astrology has really opened my eyes. Since then I did not believe in astrology anymore. It was very great experience to see the stars from my own eyes through the very powerful telescopes.
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