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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 294 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

    Something which I bought that I wanted to return was the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic that I bought for myself on my birthday. It was during the Big Billion Day sales and I had to wait for a long time just to get this order. I waited approximately 2 weeks just to get the product in my hands and was eagerly waiting for this for a long time because I have never had a smartwatch in my entire life. So I wanted it to be special. So I insisted on getting this smartwatch instead of getting the other watches in the market for which had a better rate compared to this. Although when I received the watch it was okay. Later I found out that the battery does not last a lot and it dies quickly. Also the eSIM feature which was the most important feature for me was not compatible with my phone because Airtel does not provide eSIM facilities for its pre-paid plans. So I was stuck in a very difficult situation because I really like the aesthetics of the watch and would like to keep this. However I was reluctant to give it back as it was my first watch and I waited for so long. I decided to keep it with myself and don't really worry about the rest of the negative things. Eventually I got a postpaid plan for my watch and was able to use the eSIM feature so I guess it was okay.

    Band 6-7

    Recently I bought a handbag. First of all, it was not much expensive as well as a regular bag. The specification of the bag is a fur bag and it contained only one compartment. I liked it because it looked aesthetic so that I bought it. The disadvantage of the bag is I don't have any location to travel with the bag. Unfortunately, I couldn't return it and it kept inside my cupboard. Thank you for watching.

    Band 6-7

    Once I did a online shopping on Amazon and I buy a pair of pants for myself and when they placed the order at my home and I tried to wear it, it was unfit to wear and after that I tried to return them as I had already paid my amount. I called them back and requested to return pair of pants as those were unfit to me and they responded quite nicely and the delivery guy came again and I returned my pair of pants. Yes, after that I really felt quite happy and they did a great service.

    Band 6-7

    Something that I bought recently that I would like to return is a DIY bracelet kit that I bought for my friend's birthday. She's brought me multiple presents for my birthday and although this was the only one that I could get her, I was feeling quite satisfied with my gift selection and I really hoped that she would like it. However, on the day that I went to deliver this present to her, I could very clearly see the look of dissatisfaction on her face and I could tell that she didn't like it. So at that moment, we had an awkward back and forth of whether or not I should return the gift which meanwhile left me feeling demotivated and filled with thoughts that I can do better because she has done more for me and she has told me many times that I deserve more than the gift she gives me. So for once, I wanted to give her something that she would be happy of and that I would be proud of. After this incident, I went back on Amazon and I tried to return the gift. However, there was a no return policy which was quite a bad day for me to find out because I had recently promised my friend that I would return it. So this was quite a tumultuous situation that I found myself in last month and I tried to pull myself back out of it, however, due to these legal and quite binding constraints, I found myself trapped in a web of my own complications. I was looking forward to this gift quite a lot because I had my phone out and I was recording my friend's reactions, but now that I have her real-life reaction caught on my camera, I can never...

    Band 6-7

    I bought a watch from the market. Actually I wanted to buy a watch which is having a black strap but accidentally the shopkeeper provided me a watch which had blue strap. When I tried to return back due to this problem, he just denied because the seal of the watch box was open. But that watch box was not opened by me, it was by him only but he refused and denied that it was opened by me. Thus I have to argue with him but in the argument he was not able to accept that and thus he refused to get that watch returned back. My heart was broken by this, I felt very much awkward due to this. I didn't felt that this kind of situation will happen because most of the shopkeepers are very kind and they usually accept their mistakes but this shopkeeper was very much adamant on his decision not to exchange that watch. Thus I have to bring that watch back to my home and it was very very disappointing for me. From the next time I am surely decided to boycott that shopkeeper for any of the purchases.

    Band 6-7

    Nowadays I have been a shopaholic person when I was a child I didn't shop too much because I didn't know anything about clothes if I want to wear any attire I just ask my parents to bring that and they always brought me things during my college days I have heard about a lot of websites that sell good materials to their customers then I installed one of the applications called Myndra actually Myndra is a clothing website where we can see a lot of collections including ethnic as well as modern wear two days ago I had a birthday party so I ordered one jumpsuit from there when I see that dress on the website it was so elegant and beautiful but I got that dress within 24 hours it doesn't look like that picture that made me so upset and nervous then I thought that I should replace that cloth in future I also decided to not order any kind of dress from online to be honest I didn't have much time to go to a shop

    Band 6-7

    It was last year when my husband wanted to buy a bicycle for his nephew. At that time we were searching for a good bicycle and we went to different shops. So we got one from that shop, I mean we bought one cycle from that shop and we returned to home. At the shop the cycle looks very good condition, it seems to be in a very good condition and we got, we thought we got it for less price after speaking to the owner. But after coming to home, when my, when our nephew started his riding on the bicycle, suddenly the chain got struck and we were unable to clear that chain from the cycle and the brakes were also not in a proper condition. So we thought okay, let it be returned to the shop. So we went to the shop and spoke with that owner, but he didn't agree with us. Finally he came to argument and he spoke in a very bad language. My husband literally got into fight with that shopkeeper. At last finally we succeeded in returning that cycle. So after that my husband felt very bad and I suggested my husband that so whenever we want to buy a new bicycle or anything, we have to check thoroughly and then only we have to buy or else if we keep on returning things like this, that won't seem good.

    Band 6-7

    Due to the development in technology, there are plethora amount of sources available where we can buy multiple type of things. Here I would like to talk about one thing which I bought recently and I want to return it. Talking about a dress, now a days Raksha Bandhan is coming so that I want to buy a dress and I decided to visit a local market. About one week ago I visited a local market in Vadodara and I brought a dress, a lemon color dress which looks very pretty and it was beautiful but I am in a hurry so that I do not wear, I do not check it properly and when I come back at my home and I have a time to sew it, I sew it and wear it to try it once. On that time I realized that the dress have a small hole in front so that I want to return it but after that I visited that shop again and I told them I want to return it because of the damage. They told me that you should not return it because we do not have a return policy. I feel very bad so I feel that I should take care about it and I should sew it when I bought it. The return policy is not the good way, that's why I feel that it is not good.

    Band 6-7

    Recently, my parents and I were decluttering our house and we started with the kitchen. So we were planning to declutter the whole kitchen and take out all the old containers and boxes that were used to stock up our dry groceries and we were planning to buy new containers. So I went on Amazon online and searched through different containers that we can buy and found a few good ones, transparent ones with black lids and I ordered around 8 of those but when they arrived, they were not of good quality. The mouth of the containers were having rough edges and the lid was also not enclosing properly. So the quality was not as good as expected. Therefore I had to return those containers but there were slight issues regarding the procedures of the return as the seller of the containers has to accept. So there were slight complications of it but eventually I was able to return those and buy even better good quality containers which now we have used to fill.

    Band 6-7

    I bought a pressure cooker from Amazon online and actually I am disappointed because the cooker was not working properly and I am desperately want to replace it and get my refund but the company does not respond. I am thoroughly feeling very bad because when I started cooking, the cooking does not work well and there is some problem in the cooker itself. So, what it is damaged, so I now want to, I was very eagerly want to return that one but the company is not responding. Actually, I regret to bought that cooker but now I can't do anything because they are not responding back. I lost my money because of a useless product that I bought.
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