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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 44 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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    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 6

    The thing that surprised me and made me happy at that time was back in the year 2021, at that time, it was my first day of college, so I did not have any mode of transport to travel to my college, so on the first day, I travelled to the college on my friend's bike, and at that time, I wanted my own two-wheeler bike, so that I can also ride and go to the college, so at that time, on the second or third day, I got to know that my father bought me a new two-wheeler bike, which is an Activa 5G, so I was very overwhelmed and surprised at that time, because I was not expecting to get a two-wheeler bike as a gift from my father, because there were some financial crises, so I thought it will be very difficult to ask also, so it was very surprising that my father gave me a two-wheeler bike, so that I can travel on my own to the college, and also I was very thankful, and it was one of the best days of my life.

    Band 6

    What surprised me in the recent days is Congress party winning Karnataka election in 2023 general elections. There are mainly two reasons why I think that is very significant is a though the central government is very powerful and is capable of manipulating the election process though the still the Congress party managed to win a decent majority. Second point, second reason why I would, why I liked, why I was surprised is given the communal flavor that is being spread across in the society. In spite of that people rejected the communal agenda of the opposing party and has chosen Congress for their this thing. The reason for choosing Congress primarily looks because of the free guarantees they provided that free electricity would be provided, free bus fare for ladies those are the kind of things that were provided. So that is the reason I believe they have been able to win this elections. This is very important because with good public support you can still defeat a very strong powerful central government in center.

    Band 6

    Something that surprised and made me happy was when I got the Dyson Airwrap. It was gifted by my husband and I was really happy after getting this because I was able to style my hair differently and I liked the way it was working and I was really happy.

    Band 6

    The experience that has surprised me and made me very happy was back when I was in the hostel studying my BSc degree, that is for agriculture. It was my birthday and I was least expecting anyone to wish me because I was away from home. Though I was in the second year in the college, I was a very introvert person and didn't make friends with much people. Because of these things, I don't expect anyone to wish me on my birthday. I didn't even think someone would remember that it was my birthday. I was, as usual, doing my routines, studying, working and then I went to bed around 11-11.30pm. And the next day was 7th April and that was my birthday. And I really wished deep inside my heart that someone should actually wish me but I was not expecting anyone to do so. I started sleeping and suddenly, around 12 o'clock I guess, there was a knock on my door and I just opened. I think I didn't close the door, the door was actually open and I heard like someone was coming or something. Okay I thought maybe one or two were coming to wish me on my birthday but suddenly the door opened and they come with a cake and there are 15 people I guess, 12-15 of my friends are coming to my room, they switch on the light, they start shooting the video like I'm getting up from the bed right from the start and they sing the birthday song and we cut the cake, take photos. It was the best memory ever because I never expected and I'm so thankful for this.

    Band 6

    It was on my last birthday, my husband unexpectedly gave me a gift, it was a teddy bear. I like teddy bear very much, childhood onwards I like that, but till now no one gave me such a wonderful gift, but unexpectedly my husband gave me that. After getting that teddy bear I was on cloud nine and I feel very happy after getting the gift and also it was the first time in my birthday I am cutting a cake and I am celebrating with my friends and everything it was a surprise and I am very proud to be a wife of him and it was like my eyes are filled with tears and I cried with happy, also my son gave me a surprise gift, he drew a beautiful picture of our family, my mother, father and this is me and like that even a pencil drawing, but it was also a precious surprise for me and I think it was the most beautiful birthday for me in my entire life and I am a very eager beaver person and so I am also planning to make something surprising my husband's and my son's birthday and this type of a small surprise is making us very much happy in our life and it was a bright day for me and it was a very memorable moment for me.

    Band 6

    Something, it's a very interesting experience from, for me, it is a very, it is a very, it is a very, it is a very achievable and interesting experience that I have had, which was, I have, which was a rough fabric made by me and my colleague, her name is Namita. So, basically, we have a, we have a graduation project in our bachelor, in our bachelor degree in last semester. So, we decided to do, so, we decided to do ecoframe, eco printing on fabrics and on fabrics with the help of trees, with the help of a plant leaves and trees leaves with flowers, seasonal flowers. So, and, and with some chemicals for a darker tone. So, so, when, when we are in the, when we are doing research about the whole idea and we, so, we research about the whole idea and gather some information and then we talk to our mentor about the same situation and he said, yes, you can do this because we have already our small homegrown, homegrown brand called Details and they, they assure, they see confidence in both of us. So, they, he, he shows the confidence in both of us and we started by doing some, some small patch, patch,

    Band 6

    Actually, every boy's dream is to buy the bike which he loved most, right? Actually, I also have a dream bike for me. It's Royal Enfield Classic 350. Because it has some royal look which is full of dignity. Because of that, I shared this to my father so many times, we can buy. But my father told, okay, let's see, let's see, like that. One day, in my second year, I think so, I reached over my age 18. When I chose the holidays, our college gave us, I went to my hometown. On that day, after reaching to my hometown, my father has picked up me. And directly he took me to the showroom, Royal Enfield showroom. And he brought the showroom on that day. Actually, it's a great surprise for me. I didn't expect that. I thought he was taking me to my brother's house. Because my brother's house is near to that. And he told me that, just we are going, we can go around and then we can go to home. So, I think, okay, what is there, let's roam with my father. I also think like that. And he gave me, he directly stopped in the front of Royal Enfield showroom. I thought his friend will come, but he bought, he bought a classic 350 black color bike. Actually, it's a memorable moment, I can't forget it. Because it's my dream bike. And as well as, it's a favorite bike to my father also. So that, I can't forget.

    Band 6

    Recently, my husband surprised me with a gift for my anniversary which was a gold ring. He purchased the gold ring when I went out with my friends. He presented it to me on my anniversary.

    Band 6

    I was admitted in the hospital for severe fever and it got worse after a few days and some symptoms of fix started to appear and the medication was of high dose and I really felt tired. After the medications when I was recovering from the illness, my friends made a sudden surprising visit. I was alone with my parents during my stay at the hospital. Watching them made me immensely happy. They brought a rose for me and they say they prayed for me and just before coming to the hospital they went to the church and prayed for me, prayed for my recovery and those words were very kind and showing lot of affection and love towards me which made me hugely happy and those moments were melodious memory in my life because I never expected someone visit me in such an occasion and that too in a very surprising manner and these friends are famous for their surprising visits and surprising activities. They used to surprise their friends.

    Band 6

    There are many moments which made me feel surprised and happy, but among those one such moment was, which I am going to share in IELTS exam today, is the moment when I was residing in the hostel that was in Agra, and my college name was Queen Victoria Girls' Intercollege, and since I was a hosteller, we used to have very rare opportunities only on our holidays to go home, and it was a long period of 4-5 months when we had no contact with our parents, but one fine day, it was a regular activity, it was a time for play activities and we have to go to the playground, and when I was going, and when like on the way, when we went out, I saw outside the visitor lounge, one old lady was sitting, and even I could not recognize her, because it was not, my mind was not ready to accept her, then I saw very closely, it was my grandmom, and that made me so much surprised and gave me intense joy and happiness to see her, and I never thought that she would come, because she was in her 70s in those days, but she made it possible, and she came to see me, because it was 4-5 months when she has not seen me, and she came all the way, even though she was, her home was there, only my grandparents home was in Agra, but then still she came alone to visit me, she brought some homemade cooked food, which she herself prepared, all my favorite stuff she brought, and those feelings still mesmerized me, now my grandmom is not there, but the time I spent with her filled me with great joy and happiness, and I really am fortunate to have a grandmom like that.
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