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Describe Something That Surprised You: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What was the surprise?
  • When did it happen?
  • How you found about it?
  • How did you feel about it?
Show all 22 answers

Cue 1:What was the surprise?

  • Begin by clearly stating what surprised you and why it was unexpected.
  • Provide some context to help the listener understand the significance of the surprise.

Example

The surprise that I experienced was when my younger sister, who had been struggling with her studies, topped her class in the recent exams. I never expected her to achieve such a remarkable feat, especially since she had been feeling quite demotivated about her performance.


Cue 2:When did it happen?

  • Mention the specific time frame when this event occurred.
  • You can also include any relevant details about the day or occasion.

Example

This happened just a few weeks ago, right after the results were announced for the semester exams. It was a Saturday morning, and I was having breakfast when I received the news.


Cue 3:How you found out about it?

  • Describe how you received the news about the surprise.
  • You can mention who informed you and the manner in which they conveyed the information.

Example

I found out about it through a phone call from my mother. She was so excited and couldn’t stop praising my sister. I could hear the joy in her voice, which made me curious to know more.


Cue 4:How did you feel about it?

  • Share your emotional reaction to the surprise.
  • Explain why you felt that way and how it affected your relationship with the person involved.

Example

I felt an overwhelming sense of pride and happiness. It was a relief to see my sister succeed after all her hard work. This achievement brought us closer, and I felt motivated to support her even more in her future endeavors.


Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, this surprise not only filled me with joy but also taught me the importance of perseverance. It reminded me that with dedication and hard work, anyone can achieve their goals, and I am proud to be part of my sister's journey.


    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 unclear and unengaging. Specific details help the examiner understand your experience better and keep their interest.

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    Tip

    Include specific details about the surprise, such as what happened, where it took place, and any relevant context to make your story more vivid.


    2: Lack of Emotion

    Failing to express your feelings can make your response flat. Emotions are key to connecting with the listener and making your story memorable.

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    Tip

    Share your feelings about the surprise, such as excitement or confusion, to convey the impact it had on you and engage the examiner.


    Ignoring the Cues

    Not addressing all the cue prompts can lead to an incomplete answer. Each cue is designed to help structure your response effectively.

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    Tip

    Make sure to answer all the cues provided, such as when it happened and how you found out, to create a well-rounded 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

    Well, there are many surprises in our life, which... Hello 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30 Thank you for watching

    Band 6.5

    I would like to talk about an incident that happened recently. It was basically a surprise gift by my sister who was traveling from America to India during recent Christmas. So she surprised me with a Meta Raybans which is an AI glasses developed by Meta. Since I was very techno freak and I am quite interested in gadgets, I really liked the gift. In fact I wanted that particular gadget for a long time but I never wanted to put pressure on others to bring or buy it for me. I usually buy my own items. But this gift was really exciting. I never expected that that would arrive so soon. I am really thankful to my sister that she bought me and I use it daily. I record lot of videos with that. In fact it has helped me in my research as well. So I record lot of egocentric videos which helped me in my research. So I think I am quite happy about the gift although I am against taking such gift. So it really surprised me because I never expected that item to arrive so soon and I will start using that so often.
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