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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

    As I am very keen to shopping online or at the store, recently I bought a pair of shoes online from Flipkart and the parcel came after 10 days and when I opened the parcel, I seen that the box was really crashed from the one side and when I opened it, the quality of the shoes wasn't good as compared to the price of the shoes, so I didn't like it. Thanks for watching and don't forget to like and subscribe!

    Band 6-7

    So, Kanye West, the famous rapper, recently released a pair of new Yeezy 350s in a neon colourway. I found those shoes to be really appealing and interesting from the images available online. So, I decided to purchase the shoes for myself. They looked really good on the website, so I bought them. After a week when they arrived, I was really hyped up and excited for the shoes, but when I opened the box and really saw the shoes for myself, it felt like it was not up to the mark. Furthermore, the colour of the shoes was really hideous and not that appealing to the eyes. So, it was a waste of money in my opinion, as I did not enjoy the shoes. Although the shoes were comfortable, but they looked really ugly and hideous. And a second pair of thing that I bought online was a pair of wallet. Second thing that I bought online was a wallet. So, I bought a wallet thinking it was, you know, good quality material, original leather and brown colour. But as soon as the wallet arrived, it was not brown. It was some sort of greyish colour, which I did not really like. And second the wallet was not made out of leather. It was made out of PU leather or fake leather. So, the quality was not up to the mark for the price. And so, I returned the shoes and the wallet. After returning it, I felt really good because I would have not liked to use those products on a daily basis. They would have just been a waste of money in my opinion.

    Band 6-7

    Something that I recently bought was maybe about two months ago. It was a skirt from Savannah. It was a very pretty skirt. It was an off-white skirt with beautiful roses and stems and leaves and wonderful design work on the lace of the skirt. I was very eager to wear it. I wanted to wear it for a church service but I ended up getting the product very late. Maybe two days before the event and when I tried it on, I was absolutely disappointed because of how loosely the skirt was fitting me. It wasn't the fit that was shown in the picture. It wasn't what I expected and I was very disappointed. Not just because of the fitting but also the fact that the Indian fashion industry doesn't cater to all body types and heights because I am a 5'10 tall girl and I find it really hard to find clothes that fit right for my height. So I am hoping that in the future, the Indian fashion industry will broaden their reach or widen their horizon to more different types of body types and heights of people.

    Band 6-7

    Recently I have bought one microwave from online application called Amazon. The application was very good whenever you want to purchase electronic appliance. So I want to purchase a microwave. I purchased it on around two months ago and that was a Samsung microwave with a lattice technology. As I bought it, I viewed all the reviews on the online platform available and I read thoroughly regarding the applications of the microwave, how to use it and how this latest model was working. As soon as I received the parcel, I see that the color that I have ordered was not appropriate. I ordered black colored one and they sent me the red color one. So I eagerly want to change it because I want the black one that was suiting with my home appliances. So I want to change it. I wrote the feedback and applied form for the return policy, but I received the email that you can't change just because of the color, but the feedback was clearly stated that you can change anything you want. After that, I called for the customer care and they have told me that within one to three months, they will change my microwave and we'll get my difference soon as soon as possible. So I think it will be easier. But I am thinking that next time I have to purchase things from the offline store so I can go there and change it or refund, I will get a refund very easily.

    Band 6-7

    A few months ago, I bought a pair of wireless earbuds that I really wanted to return. I had been researching for a while and finally decided to buy them from an online shopping website. Because they were offering a good discount and the product had decent reviews, the main reason I bought them was to use during my workouts and while communicating. I was especially excited because they claim to have excellent battery life, noise cancellation and high quality sound. However, once they arrived and I started using them, I was extremely disappointed. First of all, the sound quality was very average and the bass was not almost non-existent. I immediately contacted Customer Care as service and asked to return the product. Unfortunately, since it was an electronic item, they had no written policies after it opened. This experience taught me to be more conscious and to read the written policies carefully before buying anything online, especially electronics.

    Band 6-7

    Personally, I feel like shopping is a therapy and nowadays we have the great options like online shopping but sometimes I choose online shopping over offline shopping as they have many options and it could be really very relevant and comfy when we sit at home and order any things by selecting the things appropriately. I had bought a smartwatch charger because I had lost one and when I bought it and I tried it on my smartwatch and unfortunately it was not working so I thought to return it back and due to some busy schedule I couldn't return it in 2-3 days but it delayed but finally I had returned it. The delivery partner who had to take the parcel back, he didn't approach me and I was unaware of the reason and I was in the loss. By this I can understand that online shopping could be a boon or a bane that is we can't trust over the agency sometimes or if you buy in any of the websites they could be fraud so before buying anything online we need to check the websites and reviews and many other things which will be relevant to be safety and to find the good products trustworthy ones so that you don't get fraud.

    Band 6-7

    I would love to share an experience about a thing that I bought recently and I wanted to return it right after I used it. The thing I bought is a pen which I gifted to my father for his birthday present. I really wanted to gift him a pen because he is a keen learner and he really wants to explore new things, learn new things, so I wanted to gift him a pen because it helps him to keep him inspired and motivated. I was awestruck when I saw this pen while I was shopping with my mother for my father's birthday present. I was wonderstruck while I saw it and my mother also liked it and I was keen to purchase that pen. For example, I was mesmerized by its beauty, its decoration and all the things. My mother told me never judge a book by its cover but I didn't hear her and I bought this pen. When I gifted it to my father as his birthday present, he tried the pen but it didn't work. I got to know that I was tricked by the shop owner. I learned that and I went near the shop owner. Moreover, he said that it's not working, you have used it and he blamed me for this reason and I was struck there. I couldn't come to the senses. It was all his doings but he blamed it on me. So I couldn't do much and I returned back to my home. I apologized to my father because it was his birthday present. So we should always remember the saying never judge a book by its cover and I thought of my mother's saying. So we should never judge a book by its cover. It's a lesson to me.

    Band 6-7

    A month ago I bought a bottle from this superstore which is really famous in my society and it looked really fancy and I just thought that it will be really good to serve the guest wine in that bottle but after I got home I realized that how I have had a lot of them and so the moment I tried to return it back to the company they denied and they refused to take it back so that was when it hit me hard to the heart that how I shouldn't be too materialistic or make decisions so impulsively that will make me regret my decision later so that's how you

    Band 6-7

    I recently bought a beautiful blue coloured gown for my sister's engagement. I ordered it from one of the online shopping sites and in the pictures when I ordered it looked so pretty that I thought this is a perfect gown to be worn during her engagement. But when I received the parcel, I realised the colour of the gown was completely different and it turned to be green which was absolutely not suiting my skin tone. And when I tried the gown, it was not fitting me right, giving me an inappropriate, uncomfortable feeling while I was wearing it. So I decided to return it and I placed a return order to return it back to the online shopping site. Although they had mentioned that within the 7 days of the order, you can return the product. But when I actually started returning, there were a lot of complications and they didn't accept my return request, because of which I had to keep the gown and my money got wasted. This was really a sad incident and I have already officially complained on the online portal site, although they haven't yet reverted me back regarding the mail and the message which I have sent to them about this product. I hope to get a revert mail from them soon.

    Band 6-7

    Shopping is the process of buying things, whether it can be through online means like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra or other things or we can purchase anything from offline markets or going to their desired shops and most of the people around the globe love shopping and today I would like to describe something that I bought that I really wanted to return. The thing was a laptop that I purchased in my class 9th and I vividly remember that it was a Intel i9 laptop which claimed to be gaming specific laptop that is made to play high resolution games without any lag or heating issue as it consisted of 16GB RAM, 4GB RAM of graphics card and it also has a 10th generation Intel Core CPU and other many additional features like in-depth cooling, water liquid cooling systems, heating, webnance and other much more. But the problem actually started on the first day of the purchase as when I bought it and I directly installed GTA 5th generation game in it and the game is very huge as it consists of more than 500GB and according to the game developers the laptop should run it very smoothly but however something wrong happened with the laptop as there was a manufacturing defect due to which the laptop cannot reach the peak performance it should deliver so the game started to lag and the frame rates per second started to drop and I directly contacted the shop dealer and they refused to return by saying that this defect does not exist.
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