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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

    Well, I love shopping and I really love to purchase different type of things because it helped me to explore with different type of items in the world as well as it gives me pleasure whenever I explore with the different type of things and even I love shopping from different type of even nations sometimes from even streets but here I will talk about the thing which I purchased but now I really want to return it because of some reasons. From Amazon, actually I really found of doing the shopping online and from Amazon I purchased a smart watch and it was really costly as compared to as compared to the market price. I think because I at that point of time I felt that because of the quality it was expensive but so I ordered for the same but when I received my parcel it was not working properly and apart from it it's the steps that the watch is showing of my walking are not accurate as well as the stripe which I ordered was of black color but I ordered for the orange so it was the factor that dissatisfied me the lot. If I talk about its features then its features were not working well so I decided to return that watch but I was not able to return that watch because the company told me that it was not your money will not be refundable so I really.

    Band 6-7

    In this modern era, everyone like to buy something online instead of going to shops and markets. And now I would like to talk about the product that I ordered online and I really want to return it because of the quality of the product and it was the western dress. I decided to wear western dress on my birthday and I ordered it because my all family members agree with me and they allowed me to wear western dress on my birthday and I was very excited when I placed the order and I felt over the moon when my order is like to received to me but when I received the order I felt disappointed because I ordered in blue color but I received in purple color and it's not my favorite color so I felt very upset by the company's product and suddenly I saw there is a 7 day return policy available and at that time I was on 7th and I requested them to return this order but they did not respond me and one of my friends suggested me that you have to call to customer care and I also take her advice and call the customer care but there also they did not respond me and after few days they called me and the delivery boy received my order and

    Band 6-7

    I love shopping. Mostly I prefer to buy from physical through shops as it helps me to ensure quality and make better choices. As well on last Sunday I was searching a pair of shoes online as the websites name was Westside. And I selected a pair of shoes which was white in colour as they were of brand Luna Blue. They were very pretty. So I decided to buy online as it was my first experience. So I ordered them as I got a discount of 5% as well. After when I received that pair of shoes, I wore it as they were not of my perfect size as the size was bigger. So I thought to return them but due to some conditions that were written on while I was making the order of the shoes. But I didn't notice them due to which I wasn't able to return that shoes. Because I mentioned earlier that I got a discount of 5% but the condition was that if you will get that 5% discount you will be unable to return the shoes. So I was facing such a problem. After that I felt very bad about not returning the shoes.

    Band 6-7

    My birthday was recently so for that particular event I got myself a blue Fila sneaker from the Fila website. The reason I wanted to return this product was because first the size didn't fit. I ordered a size 6. On the size chart it said that it's 38.5 but when I tried it, it was really small and it really led to bruises on my ankles. So I decided that I want to return it. At the same time the color was not as what it advertised. It was a sky blue color with a pop and it was so beautiful on the website but when I when it came it was so dull as if it has been washed by something and the return procedure itself was very problematic. Usually when I buy stuff from Amazon the return is very smooth and Amazon agent collector agent comes and they get and they take the stuff back but for Fila they had me they had me pack the box again go to a nearby courier service and then I had to courier it back to their location in Mumbai and I had to pay for the courier fee as well unless they found that the size was not perfect and the reason I stated was not correct they won't return my courier money or my money for this

    Band 6-7

    Hi, there's something that I bought recently and it happens to be a expensive sneaker which I really want to return. Now this sneaker, although good looking, it's extremely expensive, but it's not worth the money that's paid. And even after wearing it a couple of times, I just couldn't find it good enough for the money. I really regret buying the shoe and now the 30 day time period of returning the shoe has elapsed. I cannot even return it. I should have instead bought some clothes, they would have been really useful for me.

    Band 6-7

    Okay, so let me think. The one thing which I bought that I really wanted was a little toy which is known as cash register. It's a little plastic thing in which it's a whole get-up and a set-up of a real cash register. You do chang and the money pops out, obviously fake money. Moreover, it was very intriguing for me since I was a little kid and that was a huge big of a deal obviously for me. So I begged my parents to get it for me and it was a huge, huge, huge hassle, like a very big hassle to get them to buy that for me. One day after so many struggles, they just bought it for me because it was my never-ending cries. So, after I got that toy in my home, I played it for two minutes and then I understood that it's just a stupid little toy. It has a little number keypad thing, you enter money and then there is a little fake barcode object. You hold and just check the barcode just for show and then it's over. And then I cried that I didn't want it and it costed like around 50 riyals which is a lot to be honest in that era. So yeah, I was like I just want to return it and after I returned it, after my parents returned it, I felt really like self-satisfied because I didn't want to waste the money and I was happy that in the end I made the right decision even though it had

    Band 6-7

    Yes, I bought inline skates one year before and I wanted to return it because it has bad adjustment with my feet and also it was a little large against my feet so I wanted to return it but when I realized it, it was too late and I can't return it, I couldn't return it, sorry and recently I sold it on WheelX where you can sell second hand products and I sold it in exact amount as I bought so it was good experience and also the skates I bought was little old because it was one year old and I also want to buy new skates.

    Band 6-7

    Once a day, in my free time, I don't know what to do, then I open a shopping app in my phone and ordered a trouser for me. It is pink in color and about 7 and 6 days, the delivery man came and handed me the trouser. Yeah, the color was very nice, but the trouser was too short for me, short for me. Then, I took my phone and wanted to return it, but my mom told me, if it is short for you, then why you didn't give it to your siblings, then I thought about it. After all, as a consequence, I handed it over to my siblings.

    Band 6-7

    Something which I recently bought but and I really wanted a return what comes to my mind is actually a shirt, a flannel shirt which I bought online two weeks ago. I would start off the conversation by saying I'm not a person who really buys clothes or accessories online because I always prefer going to store and buying it from seeing it face-to-face. So I wasn't I'm not a type of person who would like to get things online because some might be fake, some sizes might not be accurate. So when I went to the shop the other day which is some three weeks back if I'm recollecting correct, I checked their dresses. I actually selected a particular shirt and when I checked the price it was kind of expensive. It costed around 100 dirhams for that flannel shirt for the particular shirt. So when I checked online it was my first order online so they told you can apply 30% off for the particular clothes for the same product which I checked online for when I checked when I went to the shop. So I thought yeah I'll get it on I'll get it from online 30% addition off is a good price good offer. So instead of just crying over spilt milk I just bought the shirt online but I actually made a mistake in selecting a size in which my size which I actually needed was a medium but what happened was I actually ordered a XL. It was of my negligence and as soon as the shirt got delivered which was delivered after four five days, since the day I ordered, I actually cut the tag off first because I really needed the shirt and I was kind of in a long period of wait to get it. I cut off the tag at the spot I got itself instead of this

    Band 6-7

    Honestly speaking, I prefer online shopping over offline shopping as it provides wide range of information and wide range of material to me for my shopping as the stock is wide. Recently, I shopped for a black colour t-shirt which costed for 500 to 600 and fortunately the delivery of the product was delayed by 2 or 3 days. However, when I received it, I was very shattered and disappointed. As I already mentioned, I purchased the black colour t-shirt but what I received was in yellowish colour which was extremely weird and hit the eyes of mine. Then I complained to the customer care services and again unfortunately, I did not receive any good services. I emailed them and even whatsapp them. After 5 to 6 working days, I received some feedback and services by them and as a result, I was able to exchange my t-shirt and it took me about a month to exchange that. At the end, I would say that there were some issues that lacked me.
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