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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

    I have bought some clothes for myself and for my family members. The thing I have noticed on the clothes that all the clothes were not fitting properly to my family. So everybody noticed some different issues. I have noticed that the clothes were defective. My father noticed that it was not fitting well to his body. My mother looked very carefully towards it and saw that there are some defects in the material. So I went to the store and I tried to replace it as soon as possible. But at that time they were not very responsive. I was very worried as this cost a lot for me. So they were trying to neglect that the clothes were proper. There is more defect. There might be some issues during travelling or taking out. So they were blaming on me. I tried to mail on their official website. Still they were not able to reply me properly. I have tried to mail continuously for multiple days to their managers as well as to the main office. I have also tried to connect to the main headquarters so that I can get the proper solution according to my requirement. I have tried these things for more than a month. Finally I got some results and I got replaced from it. At that time they were very sorry about it that the service was not good.

    Band 6-7

    Last month, I bought a new smartphone. I purchased it from a mobile shop in my city. It is a Samsung phone with a big screen and good camera quality. And it because my old phone was very slow and the battery did not last longer. Also, I needed a better phone for my online classes and video calls with my family. I saved my money for many months to buy this phone. When I finally bought it, I felt very happy and proud. The phone works really well. I can take clear photos, watch videos and use apps smoothly. This was an important purchase for me and I use the phone every day. I feel that it was a good decision and totally worth the money. And good decision, I buy the phone.

    Band 6-7

    It's not something new to me that I am buying something and afterwards I'm not able to return because there is no option of return so it's quite often that I used to do this mistake and recently I bought a lip balm which was very costly it's around 1500 for a lip balm and I really feel guilty about it that I bought it. When I went to the website for return there was no option of returning so I was not able to return it. It was really good, the item was really nice, it was very hydrating and it gave a tint effect on your lips when you apply it but obviously it's a very much costly that for a lip balm I am investing 1500 this doesn't make any sense because a normal lip balm is to come around 200 and I am buying this in triple price of it so yeah and afterwards I felt really guilty that I'm not paying for my lip balm my father paid for my lip balm and I really don't want to say them that what I bought because I really told them that I bought a cream or a sunscreen like that stuff for that this amount is and afterwards if they are gonna find that they're gonna be very upset because it's not a normal thing for us to buy a lip balm for 1500 because neither my mom brought so much pricey items nor I do but mistakenly I bought this and I really don't think I was gonna do that again

    Band 6-7

    Recently I bought a gym pant for my gym sections but it wasn't according to my expectations. The material and the quality of the product was really not satisfactory. So I really wanted to return it but due to my hectic schedule I had no time to go to the app and give a return. So I absolutely forgot about that and I kept it here without even throwing the cover out. After a week I realized that the time to return it was over and I had to use it but I didn't use it as a gym pant but rather I used it as a normal pyjama set pant or a nightwear pant. So it was really sad for me because I wanted a gym pant for my gym session as it was more comfortable to use but I ended up wasting money and it was of no use which really made me awful.

    Band 6-7

    I actually bought a hair straightener which is like a comb. I was amused by the way they presented it to me when I went to the shop. It was so good. The way it made the frizzy hair look straight was such a pleasure to watch with your naked eyes. I bought it immediately and then I realized I was scammed. I really wanted to return it but the shop said no refunds available. It's hard to accept the truth that I was fooled by them. This straightener was not actually working and it never made my frizzy hair look straight. My frizzy hair always looked frizzy and when we try hard to make it look straight it only lasted for a half an hour and then my hair was back to normal. I didn't expect it to be that way and I immediately started writing reviews to that shop saying that the way you presented and the way I have it in my house it's not the same. The one you showcased me was so good that I immediately felt the urge to buy it and after buying it it's not worth the hype.

    Band 6-7

    Every item which I buy, you know, after I buy that item, I wanted to return as soon as possible because in India, we usually go shopping with our family and my parents used to force us to buy some things like dresses which I don't like. So, like, I have to buy that item for our parents' happiness. I can't even buy a torn jean which would be a fashion at that time but in Indian households that are, you know, that has become an inappropriate clothing if I want a torn jean. So, I couldn't buy that. Even if I go separately for a shopping, I don't want to buy that item. Like, if I wear it and it would be nice to me, it would suit me but still I couldn't buy that because my parents will never allow to wear that kind of item. So, every item I bought will be, you know, worth of dissatisfaction. So, I have never bought an item that satisfied me.

    Band 6-7

    I am very fond of shopping and I love shopping online nowadays. Few days back I bought a top from an online site and when I received it, it was not really good. Stuff was not good and also the color is not suiting me. Then I tried to return it and I went to the page from where I ordered it. Then I found out that I am not able to return it because there is no return policy with the product. That's why I was unable to return it and I feel very bad after it because this is such a waste of money. I don't want it, I don't like it then why should I take it. I want to return it but I am not able to return it. I feel a lot of wastage of money for that thing.

    Band 6-7

    Being a shopaholic, I used to purchase a lot of things from supermarkets, malls and also from social media. But today I am here describing a thing that I bought recently and I want to return it. I am talking about my Apple Watch. I think for me it's a waste of money because the Apple Watch is very common and there are not a lot of features in the watch. So I want to return it and I recently purchased that watch from a mall of Apple and I was very disappointed by the Apple company because I think that Apple products are the best but one day one of my friend Akhil came to me and he showed me his Samsung watch that is pretty well and full of lot of features and I was surprised to see that that watch is half of the rate of my watch and mine watch is not that efficient and good. So I went to the Apple store near the supermarket and I am trying to get refund because Apple give a policy of one year return so I think that's the first experience that I return the Apple products.

    Band 6-7

    I really wanted to buy a beach colored formal pant for a very long time, so I decided to buy a beach colored formal pant for a very long time, and after surfing through different e-shopping websites, I finally found one that felt suitable to my taste. So I had ordered that pant, but when I received the pant, the quality of the pant was not up to the mark. Additionally, it was see-through and the color of the pant was also not very bright as I thought it would be. In addition to that, there were no buttons on the pant, whereas I wanted a button and a chain with the pant. Moreover, the photo that was uploaded on the website of that particular product was not the same that I had received. So later on, I tried to return it to the seller, but the seller did not accept the return. According to the seller, the image that was given in the website and the product that I received was same and there were no variations. So the seller ultimately did not accept the return and I was quite upset because it was a waste of my money and also time and I was very frustrated at the fact that the seller just did not accept it.

    Band 6-7

    Very recently I bought a foot massager that was just to help me with my pain, the leg pain which I usually get during the night time. So I bought it, once at the shop I was really satisfied with the features of the item but as I bought it home I somehow felt that it was not really easy to use, like the plug in and you know it was not wireless and I felt that if I want to carry it to some comfortable place where I don't have any plug in facility it would be quite difficult to use it. Also it needed to be charged every 2 hours which was quite a hassle so therefore I just thought of returning it. The return process was not very easy because it was a non-returnable item however I tried my best to persuade the store and they accepted my request and I was able to return it. As I came back home I still was thinking did I really made a good decision of returning it. Maybe I would have made it, I would have tried using it, charged it, no problem in that. However then I was really happy because I found something of my own choice, I got another machine which was really easy to use and it was not that, it required charging every 2 hours, it could work for like 12 hours, you can use it, it was wireless, very easy to use and it was a good decision.
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