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Describe something that surprised you and made you happy: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What it was?
  • Who did this?
  • How you found out about it and what you did?
  • And explain why it surprised you and made you happy.
Show all 57 answers

Cue 1:What it was?

  • Begin by clearly stating what the surprising event was.
  • Provide some context about the event to engage the listener.

Example

The surprise that made me incredibly happy was when I received a scholarship for my master's degree. I had applied for it months ago and had almost forgotten about it.


Cue 2:Who did this?

  • Mention the organization or person responsible for the surprise.
  • Explain their significance in your life or studies.

Example

The scholarship was awarded by a well-known educational foundation in India that supports students pursuing higher education. This foundation has helped many students like me, and being chosen felt like a huge honor.


Cue 3:How you found out about it and what you did?

  • Describe how you learned about the scholarship award.
  • Share your immediate reaction and any actions you took afterward.

Example

I found out about the scholarship through an email notification while I was studying at home. When I read the subject line, my heart raced, and I quickly opened it. I was overjoyed and immediately called my family to share the good news.


Cue 4:And explain why it surprised you and made you happy.

  • Reflect on your feelings of surprise and happiness.
  • Connect the event to your future aspirations or goals.

Example

It surprised me because I didn’t expect to receive such a prestigious scholarship, given the number of applicants. It made me happy because it not only eased my financial burden but also motivated me to work harder in my studies, knowing that someone believed in my potential.


Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, receiving the scholarship was a life-changing moment for me. It reminded me of the importance of perseverance and the joy that comes from unexpected good news.


    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 About the Surprise

    Candidates often give unclear descriptions of what surprised them. This can make it hard for the examiner to understand the significance of the event.

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    Tip

    Be specific about the event. Use clear details to explain what happened and why it was surprising.


    2: Neglecting Emotional Impact

    Some candidates forget to express their feelings about the surprise. This can make their response less engaging and personal.

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    Tip

    Share your emotions. Explain how the surprise made you feel happy and why it was meaningful to you.


    Rushing Through the Explanation

    Candidates often rush their answers, skipping important details. This can lead to a disorganized response that lacks depth.

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    Tip

    Take your time. Structure your answer by addressing each cue clearly and thoroughly to create a complete picture.


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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
    anonymous person icon

    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 6-7

    As a child I always watched movies as well as other programs which included adventure programs. I was a fan of people riding bicycles in hilly areas as a part of adventure. So when my parents got me my birthday gift as a cycle on my 13th birthday I was very happy because it was a dream come true moment for me. On my birthday morning they folded my eyes to see the view and I was really very happy that I jumped of joy. I really went and looked it all over it was a very beautiful and from my viewpoint a very adventurous one. The thing which I didn't know was how to ride a bicycle. That was something I needed to learn because bicycle is already with me I need to know how to ride it. So I tried on my own to ride the bicycle the very first day I got them but unfortunately I wasn't able to do it myself and my cousins when they came over taught me how to ride the bicycle and I rode it for the first time with so much proudness in me.

    Band 6-7

    Something that surprised me and made me happy was at one time when my parents flew from Haryana to Bangalore to surprise me for my graduation party. So the graduation was planned ahead of one month or something but my parents had some other work and they were busy with the preparations so I thought they could not make it to the party and I also assumed that because they will be busy with work and family business they will not make it and my mom had also sent me a gift through courier already congratulating me and wishing me all the best for my future. And the day of my graduation as I was waiting for the auto to arrive, the auto that was going to take me to the venue I saw my parents coming and hugging me from behind and I was shook and I didn't know what to do I was just standing there and it was raining and what surprised me even more was that my grandfather who was actually a veteran at that time had made a small video clip of congratulating me and he had also sent me a gift card that I could use later on and my parents because I like sweets from a certain shop near my hometown so they got me the sweet parcel all the way from Haryana to Bangalore. It was heartwarming actually to see them put so much effort. It was not exactly the surprise it was also the thought that went beyond it. They thought about it and they booked the tickets prior. They planned to get sweets from my favorite shop. All those that brought tears to my eyes. So yeah that was the situation.

    Band 6-7

    One of the important situations of my life that was very surprising and that made me happy was the first time when I saw my cute little dog with four little paws and a cute little wiggly tail, that is Zimba. It was I think around 7-8 years back, that's when I first saw Zimba at my house. So she was the best surprise that I have ever received in my life. I finished my classes, I think I was in 10th at that time. I finished my classes and I just returned home and that's when I saw her. And when I asked about whose dog was it, like was it staying with us, that's when I got to know that my brother had got it from Kunu Manali when he had been for trucking. And that's when he found out about her as she was walking behind and before him. So that's when she found out about Zimba and got it home. She is not just the loyal animal like they describe in words. She was more than that to us. She was the most honorable member of our family and it was very difficult for us gradually to survive without her. And that's how important she was. And we had to change our extracurricular activities since her arrival. Like everyday my father had to wake up early to take her out for a walk and my mother had to cook at the exact time that when she feels hungry. And my brother was responsible for her economy like he was the one who was responsible for getting her the matching clothes.

    Band 6-7

    So, it was when I was giving GATE examination in 2023, then I was not expecting to get into a top university like IISc Bangalore, especially in India, that is the top research institute I was kind of expecting more sort of institutes below IISc like some IITs, but even though I applied for my own branch in IISc and several other branches, I thought if I would not get my preferred branch, maybe I can get some other branch in IISc. But when the result came out and I got the mail from them, like I was selected in that institute, IISc, that surprised me and when I saw that, I was like extremely proud of me and I was happy about the result. Suddenly, I remember, I get out of my bed and just call my parents, told them about my results, go to my friend's house and celebrated with them. I still feel goosebumps about thinking about the result on that day. So, I was very happy about that. It was an unexpected moment for me to realize even then and then when I came to IISc in 2023, I was extremely proud of my decision to write GATE exam.

    Band 6-7

    the thing that made me happy and also surprised that was my test I was obviously I was always a regular and an average student in my class but in my final exams I tried and gave my best in the exams and due to when I get the result it's completely changed my mind it gave me happiness and surprised my parents as well as my mind also because I've never expected that I did get that much that much of marks in my whole career of whole time and also it made me happy because

    Band 6-7

    A few years back, on my wedding day, my husband surprised me with a family visa because my husband worked in Qatar as a technician and after my marriage, he went to Qatar. So I felt a lonely life with my son. My son had one year old at that time. So on a wedding day, my husband told me that we got a family visa. So within two days, he will purchase a ticket so I can travel to Qatar. And the most amazing thing I was surprised is about my first journey to Qatar in a flight. And when I reached at the airport, I was very surprised about the amenities provided by the airport. And the first step to the flight was very fascinating thing about me because I found everything happy and it was very surprising for me. My kid was also very surprised with the new environment and that excitement gave me more pleasure in my life. And when I reached at the Qatar airport, the Qatar staff welcomed us with a lot of flowers because my husband's friends was there at the immigration office.

    Band 6-7

    it was my birthday surprise my friend gave me that surprise to me last year March 25th at 12 o'clock he gave me a surprise like all the brothers and sisters gather one gather in one house and they are waiting for me and when I when I go there they will give me a surprise like wishing me as a birthday party then I I will feel very happy because I never had that type of surprise in my birthday it will make me very happy and very surprised

    Band 6

    So, I would like to describe an incident that surprised me and which in turn made me happy as well. This day is the most memorable one. This happened on 7th October, my birthday and my parents were out of town, so it was just me and my sister at home and we didn't have any plans to celebrate this birthday. So, it was just a normal day, but they did end up wishing me and I was happy about it. But the best part, what happened was, my sister had planned a surprise without letting out any clues, so I wasn't expecting anything like that, I was just hoping it would be a normal day, but then when she bought that surprise, it just amazed me, how could she have planned all those without me knowing anything. So, she had planned for a birthday celebration with my friends, furthermore, the best part of this was, she had bought a gift with her savings, so she had accumulated all her savings just to buy a present. That really was the moment she made my day very very precious and to this day I question her why did you have to spend so much on buying such expensive gifts or organising such a big party, but then she says it's just her affection towards me. I have honestly never organised anything like this before to anybody and that was an extremely joyful moment.

    Band 6

    Well, I have surprised with a smartphone that has given by my brother. Since I have been using a keypad phones for a long time. In keypad phones, we cannot find a camera, WhatsApp, Facebook, Internet, all these things. We can only find that it is only used for texting messages and calling purposes. Later, my brother has been decided to buy me a smartphone. He surprised me in my birthday. I have been very surprised that I have got a brand new smartphone. It is branded as Samsung. The smartphone has all types of features like camera, WhatsApp, Facebook, all the things. It was a very memorable day. I have not forgotten about that. At last, when I am recalling the moments of that day, I will feel very nostalgic and I will feel that I have been a part of that moment again.

    Band 6

    when I was in college my boyfriend gifted me a promise ring as a birthday present for my 21st birthday since then I have never taken it off I still vividly remember it was 12 a.m. he literally surprised me with a big birthday bash with all my close friends and family went down on one knee and promised me with that promise ring what shook me was I was not even aware about everything that he had planned behind my back whenever I look at that ring it provides me positivity and emotional support even in stressful situations since then I have never taken it off because it basically symbolizes love commitment and emotional support to me

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