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Describe something that you can't live without (not a computer/phone): IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What is it?
  • What do you do with it?
  • How it helps you in your life?
  • And explain why you can't live without it.
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59 unique answers with expert feedback

Show all 59 answers

Cue 1:What is it?

  • Begin by clearly stating what the item is and its significance in your life.
  • Provide a brief background on how you came to value this item.

Example

The item I can't live without is my journal. I started writing in it during my college days as a way to express my thoughts and feelings.


Cue 2:What do you do with it?

  • Describe the activities you engage in with this item.
  • Mention any specific routines or practices you have developed around it.

Example

I use my journal daily to jot down my thoughts, plan my day, and reflect on my experiences. Every morning, I spend about 15 minutes writing about my goals and what I am grateful for.


Cue 3:How it helps you in your life?

  • Explain the benefits this item brings to your life, both emotionally and practically.
  • Share any personal anecdotes that highlight its importance.

Example

My journal helps me manage stress and anxiety. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I write down my worries, which makes them feel more manageable. It also helps me track my personal growth over time.


Cue 4:And explain why you can't live without it.

  • Conclude with a strong statement about the emotional connection you have with this item.
  • Reflect on how your life would be different without it.

Example

I can't live without my journal because it serves as my emotional outlet. Without it, I would struggle to process my thoughts and feelings, which would negatively impact my mental health.


Conclusion

    Example

    In summary, my journal is more than just a book; it is a vital part of my daily routine and mental well-being. It helps me stay organized, reflect on my life, and cope with challenges, making it truly irreplaceable.


    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 makes your answer unclear. Avoid general statements that do not provide specific details about the item you can't live without.

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    Tip

    Be specific about the item. Describe its features and why it is important to you to create a vivid picture for the examiner.


    2: Lack of Personal Connection

    Failing to explain your personal connection to the item can make your response less engaging. It's important to share your feelings and experiences.

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    Tip

    Include personal anecdotes or stories about how this item has impacted your life to make your answer more relatable.


    Ignoring Cue Card Questions

    Not addressing all the cue card questions can lead to an incomplete answer. Each part of the cue card is important for a well-rounded response.

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    Tip

    Structure your answer by clearly addressing each cue. Use phrases like 'First, I will explain...' to ensure you cover all points.


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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 6-7

    I can't live without prayer. In the morning when I wake up I start praying before I put my foot down and then after before leaving my house I pray. I pray for everyone and then I apply holy water then I leave my home. It is important to pray every morning before you leave home because your day goes well. I know sometimes it doesn't go that much well what you expected but still you have to pray to keep you safe and sound and that's why I pray every morning before I leave from work. I pray for work and sometimes I pray whenever I am in trouble or I get anxiety I pray. Every time I pray I keep my mind calm and then it will help me to get over my anxiety and when I am in tension I pray more and then I go to sleep when I'm at home because if I'm taking any tension about anyone any person or anything I pray and I go to sleep. When I pray and I go to sleep I sleep well and I don't take any tensions and I don't get up in between because of the tension or anxiety so that's why I pray. Mostly when I go for holiday sometimes I forgot to pray but still when I think I'm in some anxiety or tension I pray every

    Band 6-7

    Something I can't live without would be books, mostly fiction books. After a long day at college, I find it relaxing to read a fiction genre of books and imagine myself as the main character and throughout the storyline there are multiple plot twists and amazing lines that touch my heart sometimes. There are times when I have cried because I related to a character too much and it made me cry a lot. There are also times when I have laughed a lot because of a character's humour. After a long day, I would like to sit near a window, listen to music and read books.

    Band 6-7

    It is something without which I can't live is food. I love it. My favorite food is made by my mother, that is very simple, rice and dal. I can't live without it if I didn't eat it once in a week because it works as a stress booster for me. Whenever I feel sad or I have a stress regarding anything like education or work, to extract it from my mind, I tell to my mother to make for me. She knows that if I eat that, I will get relaxed and I will make myself very comfortable so that I can think and work upon my negative things or I can balance my life with it. That's all.

    Band 6-7

    Something that I cannot live without is my collection of perfumes. I believe that every occasion demands for a different kind of smell and hence a different perfume. And so I am a strong believer of how a person showcases themselves to the outside world, helps others to perceive how their personality is and how they are going to act accordingly. And hence, I believe that one of the ways by which you can showcase your personality and your ability and enthusiasm towards some particular thing is going to strongly affect the person's point of view. And perfume is a great way to do that. And so I am, I personally would not like others to think about the wrong things for me. And hence, I think that perfume is a very important thing in my life, and I cannot live without it.

    Band 6-7

    The answer for your question, something I can't live without is my book. Book in the sense, the novel which I used to read on a regular basis. I am a nerdy kind of person. I like to read books on a daily basis. I used to read the novels usually from the authors like Chetan Bhagat, Durjaya Dutta and some other foreign authors. I cannot name them now. But I like to read books, basically novels. I am interested in reading the novels because I don't know, it gives me a satisfaction. I can visualize the novel and I would like to read books to gain knowledge also. I usually read both fiction and non-fiction. But I prefer to read non-fiction more. I am more into non-fiction because I would like to imagine non-fictional characters. It gives me pleasure while reading. My favorite book I have read so far is She is White Right Into My Heart. It's a book by Suteep Navakar. It's actually a nice book. It deals with three friends who are facing struggles in their college life. Their friendship, love and betrayal. Everything will be portrayed in the book very nicely by the author. I like that book. I feel like credited to the book's main leader. So I feel like reading books.

    Band 6-7

    So, I have a lot of hobbies and as a curious person, I love doing everything and I want to be perfect in every single thing but my main hobbies are singing, dancing and self-talk. It's like singing helps me reduce the anxiety and depression like whenever I am sad or something it helps me reduce the anxiety and stress. I do dance when I am bored and I have nothing to do then I dance and if you talk about self-talk I usually am like an organized person. I love self-talking because I think that self-talk is the best way to know more about you, to get to know yourself in a better way and so I love self-talking and I would say that self-talk is the best thing you can do.

    Band 6-7

    Well, apart from my phone, an object that I can't live without is definitely my scooter. It's more like my companion. I bought this scooter like 3 years ago and it was a special thing for me. Actually I bought this scooter with my first earnings and I have started working since then. So it has a special part in my heart. It is a Honda scooter, Honda Dio and it was one of the most trendy scooter in that time and even also. And it is pitch black in color and I also decorated it my own style. Of course it is on EMIs but also I bought this from my earnings. That's why it's so special for me. Before that I was a stay-at-home person but after I got my scooter, I always go outing with my friends and shopping and also the running errands is also easier for me. And I always wanted to be in a...

    Band 6-7

    My most important thing in my life is my family. I can't live without them. They have shown me how to be brave in life and they have always been in support of whatever I have been doing. And they have shown me the confidence, how to be confident in our own self. Furthermore, I feel like if they haven't been there, I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be talking this. I can't live without my family. My family is the most important thing to me. They have shown me what care is, what supporting is, what boosting confidence is. They have always given me the support I wanted in my life and they have shown me how to believe in myself. Whenever I am talking about my family, I feel like it is not enough that I have given credit to them. But they are like my strongest pillars of all the time. My mother, father and sister. Three of them have been of great help every time whenever I am facing a problem. They have always found the solutions to what I am facing and they boosted my confidence to face it strongly. Furthermore, if I thank them, it won't be enough. So, every time I tell them to be confident in me and believe in me so I can pay back my gratitude towards them. It just has been my luck that I got this type of family who can believe that their daughter will do something achievable in her time. That is a great great help every time for me. Most of the time whenever I am feeling sad or whenever I am losing confidence, they always tell me that it is natural to feel down. But you should get up, you should give up that feeling of getting down and you should be more proud of what you are becoming.

    Band 6-7

    Something that I can't live without is my mehendi cones because I'm a henna artist since I was in sixth grade. I started my artist life when I was very young and I love doing that whenever I am doing this thing, my mind will be relaxed and I can be so happy whenever I'm doing that. I'm also a professional mehendi artist for brides too and I also earn from this. Moreover, I still keep learning how to improve my skills in henna art and I'm also making henna cones and selling it. So, I'm earning much more than I can earn at this age. So, that's the one thing I can't live without. There is a lot of thing that I can't live without but this is the one most specific thing that I can mention here. So, it's a lifesaver. When I learned how to do henna art, it was very very good. So, I can have my own money without asking for anyone. I can have my own money. I can spend money without anyone's permission. I can own anything with my own money. So, I think it's a good thing to have a skill like henna art or any kind of art. I was also a baker before but I stopped it because I can't handle both education and business together. But this is I can do when the weekend comes because wedding day is coming.

    Band 6-7

    sometimes I feel I cannot live without doing exercise daily in the morning because doing exercise keeps us physically fit and it also improves mental health and I feel without doing it I feel like whole day laziness and bored and I cannot perform activities very actively exercise should be done every day it is must do activity because doing it has lot of health benefits it increase strength and keeps our body fit and we can be protected from various diseases and our brain power also increases we can do read and write and many other activities very actively exercise which has to be done by every person because it modules us to a great extent by keeping our body fit we can protect and stay healthy for a long long period of time and we can also keep stay away from doctors I also do exercise in the morning and also in the evening times sometimes
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