Describe an unusual but interesting building you would like to visit: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

Where it is?
How it looks like?
Why you went there?

35 unique answers with expert feedback

Show all 35 answers

Cue 1:Where it is?

Begin by mentioning the location of the building, including the city and country.
You can also add a brief context about why this location is significant or interesting.

Example

The building I would like to visit is the Lotus Temple, located in New Delhi, India. It is situated in a beautiful garden area, making it a serene place amidst the bustling city.

Cue 2:How it looks like?

Describe the architectural style and unique features of the building.
Use vivid adjectives to paint a picture of its appearance and surroundings.

Example

The Lotus Temple is designed in the shape of a lotus flower, with 27 free-standing marble petals. The white marble shines brightly under the sun, and the surrounding pools of water reflect its beauty, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

Cue 3:Why you went there?

Explain your motivation for wanting to visit this building, whether it's for its architecture, cultural significance, or personal interest.
You can also mention any experiences or feelings you hope to gain from the visit.

Example

I want to visit the Lotus Temple because I am fascinated by its unique architecture and the peaceful environment it offers. I have heard that it is a place for meditation and reflection, and I believe it would be a great opportunity for me to experience tranquility away from my busy life.

Conclusion

Example

In conclusion, the Lotus Temple is not just an architectural marvel but also a symbol of peace and unity. I am eager to visit it and immerse myself in its beauty and serenity.

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. Candidates often fail to provide specific details about the building, which can lead to a lack of interest from the examiner.

Tip

Use descriptive adjectives and specific examples to paint a clear picture of the building's appearance and features.

2: Ignoring the Cues

Not addressing all the cues can result in an incomplete answer. Candidates sometimes focus on one aspect and neglect others, which can affect their overall score.

Tip

Make sure to answer all the cues: location, appearance, and your reasons for wanting to visit the building.

Overly Simple Language

Using overly simple or repetitive language can make your response sound unprepared. Candidates may miss the chance to showcase their vocabulary and fluency.

Tip

Incorporate a variety of vocabulary and sentence structures to demonstrate your language skills and keep the response 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 6-7

One of the most usual buildings I have ever seen in the British Air Arab located in Dubai. Right at Arab and I had a chance to see it up close during my short trip to Mumbai, Dubai a few years ago and it has truly left a lasting impression of me. It stands on its own artificial island that is connected to the mainland by the private bridge. The building is white and blue during the day, at night it is illuminated with colourful lights. I have never been inside it but I hear it's filled with a decoration, gold discovery and massive algorithm. What makes the usual is not just its striking design but also its distribution. It markets itself as a 7 star hotel. What is far behind the official hotel rating system and it looks like when I first saw it I was completely amazed. It felt like something from another world seeing the British Air Arab up close gave me a sense of awe not only because of its sheer beauty from always but always and also because of the imagination that brought it to life. What makes it market itself as a 7 star hotel which is far behind the official hotel rating system everything. It is the heights of luxury from a helicopter pair of the roads and the feel of woods.

Band 6-7

So, there was a time when I visited an abandoned palace, which is in Ujjain. Ujjain is a city in Vaidya Pradesh. So, back to the point, I visited an abandoned palace, which was very scary, and it was completely empty. There was not even a single person out there. It was all dark. And when I went there, I was checking out the entire building. It was terrifying, because all I can see is dead rats, and their bodies scattered all around the building. I was terrified. The interesting story is why exactly I went there. So, I went there to grab my phone. So, we were walking on a road, and all of a sudden, I met an accident, through which my phone was in the air, and then it went right in the backyard of that building. I was there to search my phone, and what I saw was completely insane. Not just that, when I went further in, so the building structure was like, there were two rooms near the backyard, and there was a huge hall, and there were three to four bedrooms near the hall, on the right side, and there was this kitchen, and there was this basement also, where maids and peons used to live back then.

Band 6-7

An unusual but interesting building that I would like to visit is definitely the tower or leaning tower of Pisa, it is located in Italy and it just amazes me so much because how it is slightly tilted without falling down, this just blew away the force of gravity explored by the Newton, this is just really amazing and I want to visit it because it is something new, it is unique, it is not like the other towers made up of concrete and bricks stand still but it is slightly tilted and that's what is questionable, that is what's amazing about this, that is what it enhances, it enhances its visual appearance and it just drags, it just brings all the explorers towards itself.

Band 6-7

An unusual building which I would like to visit is Ellora Caves in Maharashtra, in India. One of the biggest reasons that I wanted to visit this specific building is that it is constructed within a single rock. It is made up of a graphite stone which is sculpted deep down into the earth which is 300 feet of height and also as per the history and as per the books it was told that it was mentioned in the books that it was built because the Maharaja was sick and the queen wanted to build a Shiva temple if he is out of danger. So once the king was out of danger, he started building the temple because as his wife mentioned that she would never eat food until the top of the temple is visible to her. So he started sculpting the temple from top of the temple to the underground level. So it is a monumental space and also a historical place. So I would really like to visit that building.

Band 6-7

I would love to visit a building named Eiffel Tower located in the city of Paris. It is known to be the most lovable place to visit and lot of people visit there to propose their loved ones for marriages and it is known to be a famous spot among tourists. It is the most beautiful tower I have seen. In night the LED lights glow and it shows star creating image in the tower. I love to see how they have introduced new technology into an old tower. It is very nice to see how we are developing and enriching our old buildings and cultures by preserving them for the future generation. I would love to see people from the future generation come and visit this tower and always remember it is the tower where people engage and it is tower of love. Lot of big celebrities have proposed here to their wives.

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