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Describe an unusual meal that you had: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • When did you eat it
  • Where did you eat it?
  • With whom you had the meal?
  • Why do you think it was unusual?
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14 unique answers with expert feedback

Show all 14 answers

Cue 1:When did you eat it?

  • Mention the specific time or occasion when you had the meal, such as a festival or a special event.
  • Explain any significance of that time, like it being a memorable day or a celebration.

Example

I had this unusual meal during Diwali last year. It was a festive occasion, and my family always tries to make it special with unique dishes.


Cue 2:Where did you eat it?

  • Describe the location where you had the meal, whether it was at home, a restaurant, or a friend's place.
  • Include details about the ambiance or setting that made it memorable.

Example

We had the meal at my aunt's house, which was beautifully decorated with lights and flowers. The atmosphere was vibrant, filled with laughter and joy.


Cue 3:With whom you had the meal?

  • Mention the people you shared the meal with, such as family, friends, or colleagues.
  • Highlight any special relationships or dynamics that made the meal enjoyable.

Example

I shared this meal with my cousins and my grandparents. It was heartwarming to see everyone together, sharing stories and enjoying each other's company.


Cue 4:Why do you think it was unusual?

  • Explain what made the meal different from your usual dining experiences, such as unique ingredients or cooking methods.
  • Share your feelings about trying something new and how it added to the experience.

Example

The meal was unusual because my aunt prepared a fusion dish combining traditional Indian flavors with Italian pasta. It was a delightful surprise, and I loved how the spices blended with the pasta, creating a unique taste.


Conclusion

    Example

    Overall, this unusual meal not only satisfied my taste buds but also created lasting memories with my family. It reminded me of the joy of experimenting with food and the importance of sharing special moments with 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: Rushing Through Your Answer

    Candidates often rush their responses, leading to incomplete answers. This can make it hard for the examiner to follow your story and understand the details.

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    Tip

    Take a moment to organize your thoughts before speaking. Aim to cover each cue clearly and provide enough detail for a full picture.


    2: Neglecting Personal Experience

    Some candidates fail to connect the meal to their personal experience, making their answer less engaging. Sharing personal stories makes your response more relatable.

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    Tip

    Include personal feelings or anecdotes about the meal. Explain how it made you feel or why it stood out to you.


    Ignoring Cultural Context

    Candidates often overlook the cultural significance of the meal, which can be crucial in explaining why it was unusual. This can lead to a lack of depth in your answer.

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    Tip

    Discuss any cultural aspects related to the meal, such as traditions or ingredients that are unique. This adds richness to your response.


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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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 8

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 6.5

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    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 5-6

    okay a few days ago I had a meal which I feel that it was unusual so I had this meal with my cousin so we went to a local restaurant shop and we got to know that that meal was not that much appropriate but we had it so we thought that okay it is a good meal we should have it that meal was pizza I thought that pizza is a type of cuisine that we can eat but that doesn't get any sort of ingredients we should eat a balanced diet that the nutrients that will give us energy in a very good way I know that nutrients are particularly made up of different sort of carbohydrates proteins fats and minerals so we think we should completely rely on these this sort of balanced diet that we should take the unusual meal that I had was pizza so I don't think so that pizza has that much of balance I thought they contain that accurate amount of proportion that we should eat that's it I would say that we should have a balanced diet that particular unusual meal that was pizza was not that much energetic so I would feel that we should have a balanced diet which would contain all type of like amount of nutrients or like suppose we have a lot of five it should contain fibers etc so that's it thank you

    Band 5-6

    After coming from my studies, me and my friends had just decided to get gathered at one place to have some nice food. It was after a long time when we all were meeting so we just decided to meet at a specific, at a common place that was facing east. I guess it was the month of May when we had visited there. Actually I just hate eating noodles so I was not gonna eat it but one of my friend had just suggested that it has the best noodles in the town. So after just eating that noodles it had just made my mind changed about that dish. I had just some vows about that thing from my mouth. It was just so delicious that it just changed my whole thinking about that one thing. I was pleased to my friend to have me suggested for that thing.

    Band 5

    The amusement that happened when I was in ninth standard in school was that my friend, he had a girlfriend and we were walking in the park and I saw that there was a goat in the park. I said, I hope to God that I am not the last one to go to the park. He said, it is not a goat, it is a cow. It is a cow.

    Band <5

    गुड़ मौनिंग सर, थान्क्यू सर, गिम्यू अपरचनाटी, आप मैंसे हैं। मैं सचीन प्रजापती सर, मैं घाटको परामा भाईनाग के लिए हुआ हूँ। मैं कामप्रैटर का बैचलेए रिक्रिक कर रहे हूँ, मुंबल यूनिर्विस्ति, 2000 सर, यादि. मैं कोटक मेहंडर पैंक के 2 वियरड को पणग कर रहा हूँ, जोप पांग के लिए हूँ। मैं कोटक मेहंडर पांग के 2 वियरड के लिए यादि. मैं कोटक मेहंडर पैंक के लिए हूँ।
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