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Describe something you received for free.: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What was it?
  • When and from whom did you receive it?
  • How did you feel?
Show all 142 answers

Cue 1:What was it?

  • Begin by clearly stating what the item or service was that you received for free.
  • Provide a brief description of its significance or usefulness to you.

Example

I received a beautiful handmade scarf from my grandmother. It was made from soft wool and had intricate patterns that reflected our cultural heritage.

Cue 2:When and from whom did you receive it?

  • Mention the occasion or event during which you received the item.
  • Specify who gave it to you and their relationship to you.

Example

I received the scarf last winter during my birthday celebration. My grandmother, who is very dear to me, gifted it to me as a surprise.

Cue 3:How did you feel?

  • Share your emotional response upon receiving the gift.
  • Explain why this feeling was significant to you.

Example

I felt incredibly touched and grateful when I received the scarf. It reminded me of the love and care my grandmother puts into everything she makes, making it even more special.

Conclusion

  • Summarize the importance of the gift in your life.
  • Reflect on how receiving this free item impacted your relationship with the giver.

Example

In conclusion, receiving the scarf from my grandmother not only warmed me physically during the cold months but also strengthened our bond. It serves as a constant reminder of her love and our family traditions.

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: Giving Vague Answers

Avoid being too general or vague in your response. Specific details make your answer more engaging and memorable. Vague answers can lead to a lack of clarity.

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Tip

Include specific details about the item you received, such as its appearance, purpose, and significance to you.

2: Neglecting Emotional Impact

Failing to express your feelings can make your answer less impactful. Emotions help to connect with the listener and make your story more relatable.

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Tip

Share how receiving the item made you feel at the moment and how it affects you now, using descriptive language.

Ignoring the Context

Not providing context about when and from whom you received the item can leave your answer feeling incomplete. Context adds depth to your story.

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Tip

Clearly explain the situation surrounding the gift, including the occasion and the relationship with the giver.

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IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

Reported by Leap students who gave IELTS

Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country
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Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

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Pitampura Test Centre, New Delhi

Answer

I like to taste different types of cuisine. Here I would like to talk about my favorite dish at my traditional festival of Onam which is Sadya. Sadya is popular in my city. We are experimenting these cuisines on Onam festival day. Onam is a famous festival in my city. All family members get together in my home and we make a delicious Sadya. There are many ingredients includes that Sadya. Moreover, we make a big feast that day as well as we create a lot of memories together and we wear that day the traditional dress called Sari and men wear the Dhotis. That festival is really important to us because the whole day we are conducting different kinds of games at our homes and all the family members came together. It's a memorable day in my life. This is the festival. We are making the Sambar and Aviyal. These all the kinds of foods are making with the vegetables.
Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood
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Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

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Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

Answer

The toy which I liked in my childhood was a panda doll, which makes me pleasant and makes me more blush. The pandas are the most beautiful creatures of the world, which looks gigantic and has pooshy cheeks and they are like stars in the clouds and they dream in me. Furthermore, these have been given by my father. My father is a very very beautiful artistic person, who makes me think of that. Every day you will face every difficulties and make you suffer and move forward. Pandas are always seen in Japanese countries. It is my lifelong dream to visit a Japanese country and click a photo with the original pandas, which makes sounds better.
Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language
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Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

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Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru

Answer

As India is a very large country full of diversity, so there are many places which have their own language and speak their native language. The place which I visited and I didn't know about their language was Leladakh, which is about 300 km away from my hometown and it is a very good place as it consists of different kind of trees, animals and have many scenic views and I visited over there last year in summers as it was the best time to visit because it has many, it was cold over there and we had summers in our area so it was the best time to visit over there and I went over there with my whole family.
Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned
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Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

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Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

Answer

When I was a kid, I had a little pencil box which had these four buttons which gave the pencil box an operative use. When you press the button, the box would open up. When you press the second button, a little part of it would slide out. Basically it was just a little electronical and a fun thing to have and I owned it when I was in 6th. One day after break, I was standing and talking there with one of my friends and another friend of mine was running through the hallway and accidentally she pushed my shoulder and my pencil box hit the ground and it broke into multiple pieces to the point that it was not functional anymore.
Describe a book you recently read
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Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

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CBD Belapur Test Centre, Navi Mumbai

Answer

It Ends With Us is a book I read recently. It's by the author Colleen Hoare. It's mainly a story about two teenagers, Atlas and Lily, and how they just handle their life going through high school, adolescence, and just domestic violence at home. Both of them come from very, very different families. However, they have one common determining factor between them, which is domestic violence. The abuse that they've seen their moms go through is just insane, and they connect through that on a different level. They're actually in the same high school, but they never speak to each other until Atlas actually crashes into an empty house next to Lily's villa. When Atlas is homeless and he doesn't have anywhere to go, he just comes and breaks into the house next to Lily's, and Lily helps him with all the daily necessities like clothes and food, medicines and stuff. Furthermore, their friendship blossoms into love, but it doesn't really fructify as Atlas has to leave. This book really gave me a lot of knowledge about domestic abuse and how to deal with it.

All Answers

Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

Band 6-7

Yeah, recently I got a surprise trip to a famous hill station called Kodekanal. So I received this gift from my husband. So particularly he decided to take me to Kodekanal because it's my childhood dream destination. I never visited that place before but I heard a lot of stories about that place. So it's my dream to go to the destination at least once in my lifetime. So recently my husband planned a surprise trip to that particular place. It was about 3-4 days and we had a long drive to reach the destination from Chennai. So during that long drive we had lot of fun and we were singing songs together that made the trip so memorable and also regarding the destination, it felt like the childhood dream is coming true. So I have visited so many popular places like Guna Caves, Pillar Rock and on the second day we visited a lake which is located in a remote village called Mannavanur. So the weather on that day was too cloudy and we reached that lake around 3pm. So we were on the way and it started to drizzle. It is the best scenic view I have ever seen and the lake is located in front of a mountain. So that was the ranges of mountain and the lake is located in front of that and it was surrounded by a grassland which made an adventure at one take.

Band 6-7

So the gift that I received for free was a candle stand. The candle stand was a fairy candle stand which was made of steel and it resembled in the form of a woman. And in the middle there was a hole and on the hole we can put different types of candles of different orientations. So this candle stand was given to me by the candle shopkeeper on our regular streets when I bought 10 sets of candles on Diwali. So this candle stand was a blessing for us when we used to have celebrations, occasions. And I have used this candle stand vehemently to celebrate the birthdays of our family members when we used to put candles of different orientations based on their age. So it has given me a feeling of excitement and conjecture when I use this candle stand, when I use different colors of candles. Even the candle stand has a small watch into which we give it a unique demonstration. And this unique demonstration is also carried out with a piece of flower lotations where the lotus opens as soon as the candle is lit and the light spreads throughout it. So this candle stand has been extensively used by us when we have been celebrating birthdays. And we have also been celebrating religious festivals, we have lit the candles for puja. And this brought a feeling of happiness, a feeling of blessing when we can use that candle stand at our reasonable and oriented rate. So this was how we can use these candles at various product demonstration lines and extensive areas. So this candle was really a fascinating and pragmatic gift for me. Thank you.

Band 6-7

A gift is something that reminds us of the memories of the person who gave you. So this is the topic that I love to talk about and I will share the glimpse of a beautiful gift that someone gave me. So it was a gift, it was a beautiful kangri dham. It was given to me by my younger colleague or more oftenly I can say that from where he bought it from Cesar Rajputi where I had worked for approx 2-3 years. There are so many memories connected to this Himachal dham but I would like to talk about this because this place is very close to me and the thing called Himachal dham or this is a traditional feast made in the Indian Himalayas. I like this very much. In addition to this when I talk about Himachal dham, it is a conglomeration of about 5-6 dishes together. Among all the 7 dishes, the one that I like the most is the kadhi which is made up of tea leaves and the fritters are made up of tea leaves. I feel really out of the world or I was on clock 9 when I received the gift. It is very close to my heart because when I found this gift, it reminds me of the memories that I shared at this professional institute in the past years when there was daily festival. People used to offer Kangdi dham and from that time I also want to have that satchel top Kangdi dham but at that time I didn't get the time. So yes, I liked it so very much.

Band 6-7

Everyone feels happy upon getting gifts and items which they don't need to pay. Here I would like to talk about one of my experiences. I really remember on my last birthday me and my friend planned to visit a new cafe which was recently opened near my house. We decided to went there and enjoy the cozy environment. When we went there, the environment, the ambience was very pleasant. We felt happy. Moreover, the staff was truly helpful. They were asking us and they suggested us few items of their cafe which were good in taste. At the end when I told them it's my birthday today, I want a feast for my friends. They even offered us a cake as well. I was shocked. I thought how these people are so helpful that they are offering us cake. So I thought they will take money for it. They will charge some pennies for this cake. But at the end when we went to the counter and I was about to pay the bill, they said as they have opened this cafe recently and we were their first customers and moreover it's my birthday as well. So they gave me special discount of 100%. I was feeling over the moon. It was experience which I can't even explain in words. I was overwhelmed with joy as I didn't pay even a single penny for that luxurious treatment they have given, the wonderful food they served. I was thankful to them as they made my birthday special. I was truly grateful the way they attended us. I like the ambience of the place and the environment was amazing. I recommend my friends.

Band 6-7

When I look back in time, I cannot help but have a vivid description of my trip to Manali in my mind. It was freezing cold that day and I was reluctant to come out of bed. Though we had to do a trek, but we rather decided we would visit the market place that day. While visiting, we saw a good local cafe out there and decided to go there. I had ordered a hot piping tea and the classic Maggi along with it. And a lucky draw was going there and we decided to sign up for it. Particularly, I decided to sign up for it. And as soon as the host took out the chit in the name, it was mine. I was flabbergasted and amazed that it was my name. Moreover, I was curious too as to what the gift would be. And to my amusement, the gift was a book. And the book was Atomic Habits. I decided to read it while going back to Ahmedabad. And as soon as I started reading the book, it completely changed my perspective towards life. The trek was beautiful and the book made me realize that how beautiful these moments are in life. Moreover, it also made me understand the importance of small habits and manifestation which are very important in one's life. I still cannot help but think of this one gift which I received for free. Though it costed us a handsome amount that we spent on snacks, but it was worth it. It gave me the teachings which I would carry for my entire life.

Band 6-7

Something that I received for free as a gift was my current mobile phone. My father gifted it to me three years ago as my birthday gift. I was extremely thrilled to receive a new mobile phone as a birthday gift because I needed it. My old mobile phone was broken. I had been using it with extreme difficulty since a few months and when I told my father that I needed a new one, so he made sure that he would give me as a surprise for my birthday. I needed a new mobile phone because I was starting my college soon and my college was far away from my home, so a proper functional mobile phone was a necessity. I was extremely happy to receive that mobile phone as a gift. I spent a few days transferring all my data from my old mobile phone into the new one. I took care of it like a child takes care of his or her new toy. I bought various accessories from my mobile phone like tempered and back cover and other stuff like that. My mom was also very happy seeing me so excited about a new mobile phone. I thanked my father, I hugged him and I promised him that whenever I need the next mobile phone, I will buy it from my own hard-earned money. He was extremely happy to hear that. As part of a return gift, I took my father out for dinner and I paid for it myself from the money that I had earned during my job. It was an amazing experience and it is a very cherished memory of mine and I am extremely grateful to my father for making my wish come true like that.

Band 6-7

A gift that I received recently was an Apple iWatch Series SE, which was given by the Apple Store of my city. There was an offer by the Apple Store that gave the gift to the users who consistently walked 10,000 steps a day throughout 2-3 months. I became eligible for this gift by showing consistency in my daily workout sessions and planned each and every activity of my day to gain those extra steps and convert myself into a more athletic person. I have always wanted an Apple iWatch, so this was the perfect opportunity for me. I got this watch on Boxing Day, ironically, which made it a perfect gift in itself, and I felt over the moon when I got to know about this news. And since then, I have been wearing this Apple Watch daily, even while sleeping, so it is the best gift I already knew I could have asked for.

Band 6-7

I would like to talk about an air-conditioning that I had received for free. In my grandmother's village, every year, an event will be taking place on occasion of Sankranti. When I attended the event of Sankranti, by walking on the streets of events, I just have a look on one colorful shop called Lakidra or something. We just need to write our names and check our luck. Likewise, I just write my name and put it there and I left from the event. After few days, I got a call regarding I had received an air-conditioner on an occasion of Sankranti event. I was very happy after listening this because I was from a poor family, always concerned about money and regarding the things like whatever I want to buy, I need suggestions from others. After listening this, I was frequently taught about how air-conditioner works and started searching about the uses and utilities. After coming to the conclusion, I heard about it is very useful in summer because it provides cooling in the houses. Likewise, this was an awesome experience receiving an air-conditioner.

Band 6-7

well in this world I don't think anything is available for free or gets any get or anyone gets anything for free but there is only one thing that I have received entirely freely that is the gift of salvation from Jesus Christ about 2,000 years ago he died for me and my sins and to reconcile me with the father so that I wouldn't face the wrath of God's anger and the wages of my sin I wouldn't be punished for my mistakes and shortcomings but I was forgiven and justified righteous in the blood of Jesus Christ and was made holy if I could feel something about it I think I can only feel grateful and be bound to Jesus Christ all my life giving him the respect and reverence he deserves although Christianity is believed as a religion I think it is more than just a religion and I think it is a way of life the only free gift I received is the gift of salvation and finally gone you kindness kindness kindness kindness kindness kindness kind well in this world I don't believe we can receive anything for free without investing emotions money or efforts but the one thing you can get for free or give away for free is kindness kindness doesn't cost anything besides kindness doesn't bring heartless I don't think we can receive anything in this world free of cost besides without investing emotions efforts or money nothing comes to hand however the only thing that someone can give or receive for free is kindness you don't have to be rich to be kind and you don't have to be poor to receive kindness kindness is an act of love and service so being by being kind is B is the biggest gift that you could give anybody I fondly remember being helped by a stranger to get on the metro when I was in Singapore I didn't have a pass to go through the gates I was helped by a stranger and I was taught the procedure and he even paid for my ticket so that is kindness I have received and I really felt good about it and it made my day because on that day without the man's help I wouldn't have gone to my destination and fulfilled my purpose for that day such in such a way kindness can design or change people's lives without even having an impact on yourself by being kind you can you may not get money but you can always get satisfaction is what I believe and I've been trying to practice kindness in my everyday life though sometimes I forget I always try to get back to being kind so that is the one thing you can't receive for free that is being kind and I have received kindness in many ways and I am felt grateful for

Band 6-7

An educational offer from a very renowned institution for my bachelors degree was given to me for free, we can also refer it as a scholarship, but I had to pay nothing for the whole four year degree. I would definitely not say it was something I got for free because I have invested a lot of time and it was a gift for my hard work and my grades in my higher secondary. However, the feel of not to give burden to my parents for my bachelors education always gave me a relief.
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