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Describe something you bought that you really wanted to return: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What you bought?
  • Why you wanted to return it?
  • What happened when you tried to return it?
  • And explain how you felt afterward.
Show all 319 answers

Cue 1:What you bought?

  • Begin by clearly stating the item you purchased and its significance to you.
  • Include details about where and when you bought it to set the context.

Example

I bought a pair of expensive wireless headphones from an online store during a sale. I had been wanting them for months because I love listening to music while commuting and exercising.

Cue 2:Why you wanted to return it?

  • Explain the specific reasons that led you to want to return the item.
  • Mention any expectations you had that were not met.

Example

After using the headphones for a few days, I realized that the sound quality was not as good as I had hoped. Additionally, they were uncomfortable to wear for long periods, which was disappointing since I had read many positive reviews.

Cue 3:What happened when you tried to return it?

  • Describe the process you went through to return the item.
  • Share any challenges or frustrations you faced during the return process.

Example

When I contacted customer service to initiate the return, I faced long wait times on the phone. They informed me that I needed to send the headphones back at my own expense, which I found frustrating. Eventually, I managed to send them back, but it took a lot longer than I expected.

Cue 4:And explain how you felt afterward.

  • Reflect on your emotions after the return process was completed.
  • Discuss any lessons learned from the experience.

Example

After finally returning the headphones, I felt relieved but also a bit frustrated with the whole experience. I learned to be more cautious when buying expensive items online and to read reviews more thoroughly before making a purchase.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, returning the headphones was a challenging experience, but it taught me valuable lessons about online shopping and managing expectations. I now feel more confident in making future purchases.

    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 response unclear. Avoid general statements that do not provide specific details about the item you bought or your feelings about returning it.

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    Tip

    Be specific about the item, including its name and features. Describe your feelings and experiences in detail to create a clearer picture.

    2: Neglecting Emotional Impact

    Failing to express your emotions can make your answer less engaging. It's important to convey how the experience affected you personally.

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    Tip

    Share your feelings before and after the return process. Use descriptive language to express your emotions, such as frustration or relief.

    Ignoring the Return Process

    Not explaining what happened during the return process can leave your answer incomplete. Candidates often skip this crucial part, which can lead to a lack of depth.

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    Tip

    Detail the steps you took to return the item, including any challenges faced. This adds depth to your story and shows your problem-solving skills.

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    All Answers

    Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

    Band 6-7

    So a couple of days back I bought a crystal ball from Amazon.com which is one of the most popular sites in India. So this crystal ball was basically consisting of reindeer picture inside, not exactly picture but illustration of reindeer which is placed on a enlightening lamp which when turned on with the help of an adapter glows. So basically it was an art piece that you can use to add as a decorative piece in your room especially during the night time. But why do I wanted to return it although I bought it for my team lead to show my gratitude on his birthday. It was really beautiful when I looked it in the pictures that was provided by the sellers on Amazon. But when it arrived I was having different opinions because I was lightning struck by the fact that it was so small. I expected the illustration of the deer to be far better looking. It was kind of blurry in there. Additionally the reviews were also fake. I came to know that after I bought this because the review said that the ball also rotated but in originality it was just a still light lamp. So instead of reindeer I chose another seller and another product for my team leader. The second one was also crystal ball but this time I bought it from a different seller which was more reliable. So I bought one that depicts kind of a solar system containing of all the planets and sun which came as I expected. So it was also not a rotatory one but it satisfied my needs as it was far more meaningful.

    Band 6-7

    So, recently I bought linen pants. I wanted to buy linen pants for quite some time and then I finally found one good looking pants and I bought them. The material was of good quality also, which helped in picking up those. Linen as a material also provides ease in movement and it has a very breathable quality to itself, making it very summer friendly. So, after buying it, it shrank, it shrank like from full length to a cropped length, making it look very out of place whenever I would wear it with anything, so it became a hassle for me to go on with that pants and I really wanted to return it back. But since I had already washed them once, the company did not issue the return. They had a policy where clothes once used, washed or not carrying the company tag are not eligible for return and now I am left with.

    Band 6-7

    I bought one book for preparing for my JEE entrance examination, which is an engineering entrance examination. So, in order to crack that entrance examination, we need to work and we need to study really hard. So, for that I ordered one book, which is having a PYQ, which is previous year questions. So, I ordered that book, but that delivery boy mistakenly gave and delivered the wrong product for me. It is not a book what I ordered. It is a book which was ordered by someone, but he delivered to me mistakenly. So, I called back to the customer service and I complained about this problem. I wanted some book, but that guy delivered the wrong book and it is not mine. So, I told all this kind of stuff to the delivery, that the customer supports. So, they agreed to me and the delivery boy came to me and he gave my book, what I ordered. I got that book and also I explained the situation to him and he understand that and he get the book back, what he delivered wrong and he gave the back to the customers who ordered that particular book and I think it was a best experience for me and sometimes I feel frustrated because I ordered a book for the emergency purpose. I need that book to prepare for my exam, but two days was gone because of these issues created by the delivery boy and after everything was solved, but the two days was lost. That issue, in order to solve this, it takes two days to solve the issue, but everything is fine now. I got the book. I am preparing well.

    Band 6-7

    so the product I wanted that I bought but I really wanted to return was my G-Shock watch digital watch which was in fireball edition I'm a big fan of fireball series so I wanted to buy that watch I went to the store and I bought that watch which was orange in color since it was a dragon small edition I was completely lost in it and I just bought it but later I recognized that orange color watches can't be matched with every

    Band 6-7

    In Edinburgh, I visited there as a research student for 3 months. I bought a shoe from an online store called Temu. From there it arrived after 5 days and it was actually really low quality material, made up of really low quality material. And it was not also my size. So the size I chose was 9 and accordingly in India I am able to perfectly fit in that shoe size. But in UK it was smaller. So I had to return it back to the site and for that I did some online procedures. In India actually there is a process of returning items. The person comes to your home and collects it from there. But here I have to go to a special service where I have to actually post it so that it can be returned. It was for the first time so it was free of cost for me. And also going there was a really bad experience. I went there and there was a shopkeeper who was actually very rude to me. And I was really confused because I was doing it for the first time. I asked him many details about how to do it and he answered very rudely. But after all at the end I was able to return it and I was able to get all my refunds. After returning it I actually felt really good but also like I have that bad impression of the shopkeeper and really bad experience while returning it.

    Band 6-7

    Okay, so the thing that I bought recently was a dress that was a woolen dress, a really warm woolen dress. I bought it for a vacation that we were planning, a group of my friends were planning. But now the vacation got cancelled due to some reason and I just can't wear the dress in my normal day-to-day life because that's a really thick, warm dress. That's why... and I live in a very hot and humid city, so I can't wear the dress in my regular life. I'm just hoping to plan another vacation so that I can wear the dress because now I can't return the dress because I bought it online through a platform and I bought it with very much enthusiasm. So, I got that much earlier than I should and the window to return the dress got expired and I have no choice but to keep the dress right now. And when I realized that the vacation has been cancelled and now I have to keep that outfit, I felt really really bad because that outfit was really expensive. It is very expensive. I'm just hoping to plan another vacation, plan a vacation and get a chance to wear that beautiful dress because that dress is really awesome but it's just that I can't wear anytime soon and now I just have to keep that dress.

    Band 6-7

    A few years ago, I bought myself an iPad from Apple. The new iPad has just launched a few weeks ago, and I wanted to get my hands on the newest iPad. I believed that it would be the perfect companion for me as a student who had just joined college. And so, when I made the purchase, I ended up shelling a lot of money. It was really expensive. When I got it, I was disappointed by the looks and also the user experience. I was incredibly happy with it for the first few days, because this was the first time I had bought myself an iPad. But after a few months had passed, I began to get tired of it. Consequently, it reached the point where I had to pass it down to my dad, who had actual use for it. Moreover, the iPad had an engraving on the back case. My name was engraved on the back of the iPad, which made it so that I couldn't give it back to the seller. And so, we were kind of stuck with the iPad for a very long time and couldn't really sell it. The engraving in the back brought down the price of the iPad by a lot. So, this was difficult to navigate and trying and selling the iPad was our next course of action.

    Band 6-7

    Recently, I bought myself a dinner jacket. I fell prey to the online advertisements and for the spur of the moment, I decided to buy it. Once I received the item, I felt cheated. The quality was extremely poor, the fit was pathetic and the color that was seen on the mobile screen was totally different from that has been delivered to me. I tried calling the call center multiple times and expressed my dissatisfaction. Now I am planning to return it and am expecting a total refund for it. I hope I will not fall prey for these cheap advertisements and not waste my money in the future. I think I learnt a valuable lesson.

    Band 6-7

    The thing, I actually had bought a shirt, a t-shirt from the H&M store, it's at the forum, forum mall near my house. The H&M specializes in producing and selling the best fashion, fashionistic clothes. The reason why I wanted to return it was, it's, it was undersized and it was being very tight and I wasn't even, and I couldn't even put on the shirt on me. It was very tight. I thought, I mean they had the private rooms to get it checked, but I thought it would fit me anyway, so I just purchased it and brought it back home. This happened two months ago. I realized, once I realized I couldn't put it on, I had to go back to the store. When I went, I went and asked the cashier or the store manager for a return. He said, he clearly said there was no return policy. This, I was very disappointed and I took it back home again, but I wasn't that disappointed because the tables turned immediately when a request from a charity organization came and I donated it the next day to the charity, to the nonprofit organization and when I did this, I was on cloud nine on, because I was helping in such a

    Band 6-7

    so I bought a dress online three months ago while it was displayed on the website it was in blue in color but then when I actually received the product it was brown in color I ordered and it in blue in color because blue really suits me and brown does not really go well on my skin tone so when I tried so this was the reason I wanted to return it but when I tried to return it the return policy wasn't mentioned it says you cannot return it and you have to return it within 24 hours after purchasing it it was very disappointing since after taking everyone's opinion and you know coming to a conclusion that I should finally return the product but then as I mentioned the policy only suggests 24 hours return and it was past 24 hours so I couldn't return it I felt very disappointed because usually other websites help and not allow you to return it for seven days or so but then this website didn't have this policy so that was a bit disappointing because I really wanted to wear this dress for a special occasion and that too in my favorite color though I'm not disappointed by the design of the material but then the color doesn't go really well on me so that doesn't matter if if all other factors are contributing so I really wanted to do it in blue color so that I could look you know feel myself and feel happy because a good outfit makes your day
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