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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

    So, the worst thing that I brought is my iPhone and that too the latest phone. It was damn expensive and it was out of my budget. But still I brought this phone because of how enthusiastic I am with this technology and everything. Additionally, when I bought this phone I was really happy but after like one or two days I am not getting into this system of iOS, how it works and it felt weird in a way that I cannot explain. So, I regretted buying this after again few days I tried retaining it but when I went to store it had a minus patch which was a violation of the retain policy that why I cannot return this phone and from then onwards it was permanently with me. But if I take a look at it right now I have a mixed feeling because it was out of budget but I am really happy with this phone because I really love playing games and the way this phone gave me the output that I needed is really amazing and it's a 110D Herd display which is like a very hi-fi technology in a phone and it's butter smooth and you can watch all the films, every video game or any YouTube videos in a high resolution compared to any other phones. So, I have a mixed opinion that it's overall good and it's necessary part but cost wise it's not effective for me and yes although I am happy I also regret that I spent this much money. Furthermore, I would like to add that it's a really weird experience that I brought this phone and I don't know how to do or manage with this.

    Band 6

    gave me the discount of 75%. Although I received it very soon in almost 2 days, I have tried it. I was very excited to use it because it has a unique shape of spider's web. But for my misfortune or for my bad luck, it did not work well. I was very sad and I felt very depressed as I was very excited about it. But as life has to move, I tried to return it as it does not work. After going to website, I found out that they are showing the window of return is closed and he said it has only 2 days. As I was out of town, I opened it after 4 days from receiving. The headphones are very nice and funky in look but not a good thing in performance. I tried asking them and also emailed them using their customer support number. But there is no response. I really want to return it as I don't want something that doesn't work in my house because it will make me feel useless or I have taken the wrong decision. It will always haunt me because I want it to work and it is very expensive.

    Band 6

    Honestly speaking, I want to describe a thing which I bought recently but now want to return it. The thing is the my new smartphone which I bought on my recent last birthday but I after purchased this mobile on my birthday my parents gifted me a new mobile also then it has two mobile for me but I have no use of two mobile as one person need basically one mobile so I tried to return this extra mobile but the shopkeeper refused to take the mobile back I requested him very times but he did not accept it then I resell the another phone with some discount to another person in my village of course I got some loss in that deal but it's okay to have only one mobile I feel like down in the dumps to lose my money for that one silly mistake but after at the end getting one mobile on my birthday I became happy also mobile phone are useful in our life as it provide several things to us firstly it will connect us with our family as well as we can search anything on this mobile so it is very useful for me

    Band 6

    The thing which I wanted to return after buying is my hair dryer which I bought it from the Bangalore city mall last year. The hair dryer wasn't good because the dryer doesn't work properly and my hair got tangled into the blades, moreover the efficiency of the dryer was not satisfiable and I could see the product was the second hand product. In addition to it, it had too many scratches over it. I bought the product for my personal use and now it is no more contributing to my needs after spending so much of money on the product. My hair is so frizzy and I have sinusitis problem and that is the reason I wanted to return the hair dryer. When I walked up to the store, the manager said the warranty period is over and it is very difficult to get it returned now. The wear and tear will not be covered under the warranty period but that is disgusting that I haven't used the dryer properly.

    Band 6

    I recently got a gym gloves which is not of my size. When I asked the Amazon to return it, they claimed that it's an auditable product. But the size which is not fitting me. So I was supposed to return it and get a next size so that I can use it for my gym regularly. Without the gloves, the grips for lifting the dumbbells will get very tough. And I also get cons on my ends of my fingers because of lifting slightly heavy weights. And there was no regulation when I was buying the product which says that I am not supposed to return it. But after purchasing the item, they claimed that I will have to return it within 4 days of delivery. But I was not in town. Once I reached back home and I tried the gloves, it was not fitting me. So I applied for return back of the product. For which Amazon claims the return time limit is over and we cannot take it back. Which I felt a little more awkward. Thank you for watching.

    Band 6

    I have brought a pair of sandals during my 5th grade for my daily uses. I had asked my mother to buy me the size of 7 but during entering of the size my mom made a mistake by entering number 3 in the size box. I was very eagerly waiting to receive that parcel. I had already told my friends that I am getting a new Puma sandals. I was on my toes to get it and show off to my friends. But I had told all my friends the date when it will be delivered and all the timings and all. When the delivery person arrived near my home we were playing hide and seek. I had gathered all my friends for opening the package but once I opened the package the size was very short. The sandals would only fit two small toddlers. My friends started teasing me saying that I have ordered a nice pair of sandals. It was very embarrassing for me.

    Band 6

    The thing that I bought was a lipstick, basically I am so much into makeup, I love lipsticks, I love eyeshadows, I love exploring makeup in general. What happened was, I got this, actually when I saw it through online, I found this dark brown shade, it will actually suit my skin tone, so I thought okay, let's buy this, then I bought that and it had the worst, when it was delivered, it was really bad, it wasn't good at all, it was very reddish in colour instead of brown, it was a bright red, it was a Taylor Swift red, a crimson red kind of thing, well I wanted a very maroonish shade to be honest, so then I asked this particular app, I decided to return the product and they were like, no, no, you opened the product and it cannot be returned, was their statement from the feedback group and I was like, no, I won't return this product because I wanted a certain colour and it showed as a certain colour in online and now when it was delivered, it is more like a crimson red or a ruby red, so I don't want it, then I had to talk to the executive saying, I have purchased so many things from the app, I have never returned something, if I am returning something, there is a reason that I am returning it, once it was returned, I felt sad that it wasn't my shade because that was the time where I started adding into makeup and I felt like maybe my skin tone doesn't have a lot of shades, today I am wearing a good colour of lipstick because I have found a good one.

    Band 6

    When I got into my college in India, I did a lot of shopping in H&M and I tried jeans which was not in my size and I tried to return it to the shopper. They helped me a lot. They were very helpful about the sizes and they were very kind to the customers. They helped me to figure out which size do I fit and they really let me decide what is my actual size. The overall experience was very good and they were very helpful and welcoming. So overall it was a good experience to shop in H&M and I think their services are great.

    Band 6

    The thing that I felt to return was a sneaker which I had recently bought through a site named snapkicks. I am a big fan of shoes and basically I am a sneaker head and I love to collect different varieties of shoes and currently I have a huge collection of nearly 9 shoes of different brands and at that time I was looking for a sneaker named pine green which was from a Nike brand. So, I looked on an offline shop and online store while I got it in an offer rate from a site named snapkicks which was a quite good site that I have earlier purchased from that site and I doesn't feel bad for it but I however managed to get a fund and order through that site and it takes almost 5 days to reach me. I was much more excited to open that package and when I opened that it felt very much a local quality of the product and also I came to know that it was not that original project it was a 7a copy of the product and I felt so sad about it and the size also was not at all correct for me it was too tight and I felt so sad about that product and when I searched here and there for that return option it is said that there is no return option for that particular shoe which was a great tragedy for me and I felt so sad about it because I eagerly waited for that shoe for nearly 5 days and whenever I got that shoe I feel much more sadder because of that quality. That made me very much angry towards that site and there is mistake of mine because I haven't even checked earlier that if there is replace option available or not.

    Band 6

    So, I remember a time when I bought a jeans. So, I wanted to return that jeans because the fitting was not good and afterwards I got so busy because of some marriage functions to attend and I had to go in my friend's reception because she was living miles away from me and I didn't attend her wedding. So, for that I had to leave my city and because of that I was unavailable and didn't reach to the shop at the right time and when I went there to the shop after the reception then the shopkeeper told me that now we can't take this product because you have used it but I couldn't use that product but I begged to them but they didn't listen to me then after coming to home I felt very disappointed with the behavior of shopkeeper and decided to try from next time I will try whatever I will shop I will try first then I will take it
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