leap-scholar-logo
hamburger-menu
arrow back icon Top Answers

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?
people images

27 unique answers with expert feedback

Band >7

00:00

/

00:00

One memorable item I received for free was a beautiful handcrafted leather wallet from a local artisan. I had visited a market during the traditional festival and while browsing through various stalls, the vendor offered me the wallet as a gift. Simply because I had admired his craftsmanship for quite some time. The wallet was not only practical but also exuded a sense of artistry with intricate stitching and a rich deep brown color. Furthermore, it was clear that a great deal of skill and attention to detail had gone into its creation. I felt incredibly grateful not just because of the quality of the gift but also it symbolized the kindness and generosity of the artisan. Nevertheless, what really stood out to me was the fact that the gift was given without any expectations of something in return, which made it even more meaningful. Receiving this thoughtful gift for free left a lasting impression on me as it reminded me that sometimes acts of kindness are not just driven by material value but by joy of giving. The experience also deepened my appreciation for the craftsmanship behind everyday objects. And how something as simple as a wallet can carry so much sentimental value. It made me reflect on how smallest gestures can have a profound impact not only on the recipient but also on the giver. Such experiences have shaped my perspective on life, teaching me to appreciate tangible rewards of kindness and human connection. It made me realize that true generosity is often expressed in most unexpected and heartwarming ways.

Follow up questions


How did receiving the wallet change your perspective on gifts?
Receiving the wallet made me realize that gifts don't always have to be materialistic. It highlighted the importance of kindness and the thought behind a gift, which can often mean more than its monetary value.

Have you ever given a gift without expecting anything in return?
Yes, I have given gifts without expecting anything back. I believe that the joy of giving can be very fulfilling. It’s a way to express appreciation and strengthen connections with others, just like the artisan did for me.

What do you think makes a gift truly special?
A truly special gift is one that comes from the heart and reflects the giver's thoughtfulness. It’s not about the price but the sentiment behind it. Personal touches and the story behind the gift can also add to its significance.

Band >7

00:00

/

00:00

So, my elder brother, who lives in Ireland, came to India last year to visit us and he is quite older to me and he is a scientist, a crop scientist, so when he came to India he bought a few gifts for me. Among those gifts, one of the things that I liked the most was Fossil Smart Watch. So, I am a tech enthusiast and buying new tech gadgets and exploring the tech buzz and news and everything, I like to try new gadgets and technologies. So, getting that watch was very exciting for me. When he gave it to me, I felt amazing and I was super happy and joyful and I started, the moment I received it, I unpacked it and then I started checking out all the features it had and all the cool things it can do like setting alarms, playing music, counting steps, heartbeat. So, it was a very featureful gift and one of the most precious gadgets of mine and one of the most cherished things that I have received as a present from anyone in my whole life and I still wear it every day and it is an amazing watch and I love exploring it and I felt so happy when he gave that watch to me, even though it has been quite old now, like I have been using it regularly and wearing it daily on daily basis from past one year and due to wear and tear and all those things and there were some mishaps as well.

Follow up questions


What other gifts have you received that were meaningful to you?
I have received several meaningful gifts over the years, but one that stands out is a handmade scrapbook from my best friend. It contained memories of our friendship, photos, and little notes that made me feel cherished. It was a heartfelt gift that I will always treasure.

How do you feel about receiving gifts versus giving them?
I enjoy both receiving and giving gifts. Receiving gifts makes me feel appreciated and loved, while giving gifts allows me to express my feelings and show others that I care. I believe that the thought behind a gift is what truly matters, regardless of its monetary value.

Do you think people appreciate free gifts more than purchased ones?
I think it depends on the context. Free gifts often carry a sentimental value, especially if they come from loved ones. However, purchased gifts can also be appreciated if they reflect the recipient's interests. Ultimately, the thought and effort behind the gift matter most.

calendar icon

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
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

location icon

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
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

location icon

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
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

location icon

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
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

location icon

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
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

location icon

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.

Band 6-7

00:00

/

00:00

During my life received a different kinds of free gift, here I would like to talk about a gift I received on my last birthday, I vividly remember that each moments it was happen on my last birthday, that gift was provide with my husband for me, it was a iphone news series, it cost around 1 lakh, that day he was surprise me, moreover that day lot of surprise for me, my all family members came in my home and we make a delicious cuisine, I like the biryani that's why we make that cuisine, furthermore he provide that gift after cutting my cake, it was a wonderful day in my life, I felt joyful and surprise that time he provide that gift for me in a amazing box, first time I received this kinds of gift, it was a big and a lot of features available in that phone, that was I was surprised, it cost around 1 lakh, that phone bought in a popular

Follow up questions


How do you feel about receiving gifts on special occasions?
I feel that receiving gifts on special occasions adds a special touch to the celebration. It shows that people care and appreciate you. Gifts can create lasting memories and strengthen relationships, making the occasion even more meaningful.

What do you think is more important: the gift itself or the thought behind it?
I believe the thought behind the gift is more important than the gift itself. A thoughtful gift shows that the giver understands and values the recipient's preferences and feelings. It reflects the effort and care put into choosing something special.

Have you ever given a gift that was particularly meaningful to someone?
Yes, I once gave a handmade scrapbook to my best friend on her birthday. It contained memories and messages from our friends. Seeing her emotional reaction made me realize how meaningful a personalized gift can be, and it strengthened our friendship.

Band 6-7

00:00

/

00:00

So, I bought something from Zepto, the hair rollers, for a function I was going to, actually a Christmas party, and I was expecting them to be a larger size, but they were not that large, and I asked them for a return, but they were not convinced that I was not getting a return or a refund, so I just tried my best to convince them, then I started at the start of the day, I actually talked to the 5 people, 5 people through the day, and at the end of the day, the 5th person was like, yeah, I'll give you your refund, and also you can keep the rollers, I was like, what? I actually didn't need the rollers, because I needed them in the particular size that I want, but they told that you can have it, the rollers have a nice gesture, and I actually loved it, like, it was a really nice gesture, and, yeah, so, however, no, I got the rollers for free, and I actually, they're not that bad, just not the size I wanted for the occasion. Thank you!

Follow up questions


How did you feel when you received the rollers for free?
I felt really surprised and grateful when I received the rollers for free. It was unexpected, especially after the hassle I went through to get my refund. The gesture made me appreciate the customer service more, even though I didn't need the rollers for the occasion.

Have you ever received anything else for free? What was it?
Yes, I once received a free sample of a skincare product at a beauty store. It was a small jar of moisturizer, and I was really happy to try it out without any cost. It encouraged me to explore more products from that brand.

Do you think receiving something for free changes your perception of a brand?
Absolutely! Receiving something for free can create a positive impression of a brand. It shows that they value their customers and are willing to go the extra mile. In my case, even though the rollers weren't the right size, the free gift made me feel appreciated as a customer.

Band 6-7

00:00

/

00:00

So the gift was given by the special friend of mine. It was a gold ring, IDT, you know, the ring was shining very bright. It was very amazing after seeing that it was given on my birthday. The special gift from my, the best and the loving friend. I enjoyed with that and I've also got a Victoria's Secret perfume which is also given by that friend. So I enjoyed, I enjoyed the day. It was very special to me as it is very close to me, the gift. I usually wear it every day and every time on my hand.

Follow up questions


What does the gold ring symbolize for you?
The gold ring symbolizes our friendship and the special bond we share. Every time I wear it, I remember the love and thoughtfulness of my friend, making it more than just a piece of jewelry.

How do you feel when you receive gifts from friends?
Receiving gifts from friends makes me feel appreciated and loved. It shows that they care about me and value our friendship, which adds a lot of joy to my life.

Do you think it's important to give gifts to friends?
Yes, I believe giving gifts is important as it strengthens relationships. It’s a way to express gratitude and affection, making the bond between friends even more special.
Show all 27 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.

bulb icon

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.

bulb icon

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.

bulb icon

Tip

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


calendar icon

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
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

location icon

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
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

location icon

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
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

location icon

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
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

location icon

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
anonymous person icon

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

location icon

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

00:00

/

00:00

A gift that I received from someone was my laptop, my HP laptop and it was gifted by my grandfather. I vividly remember it was the year 2019 and sorry 2020 and because of the coronavirus pandemic, our classes were going to be held online as well as our exams. So in order to ensure that I have proper connectivity and that I should be able to give exams with ease, he decided to buy me a laptop and although we did a lot of research and everything but at the end one of my relatives, he consulted us about, he gave us advice about the brand. So we went to the local market and to the store and we talked about the features and everything. Eventually we bought it on the same day that we went to see it and I remember the time, it was night at around 9 p.m. We bought it and I was really happy. I was feeling just great over the moon and when we came home I just opened the box with so much excitement that I tore it a bit. But yeah, it was really amazing and that memory is very precious to me.

Band 6-7

00:00

/

00:00

I recently received a shoe for my 23rd birthday from my group of friends in Bangalore. It was a surprise gift and 16 to 17 of them had pitched in thousand rupees each and purchased the shoe online. They had come home at 12 on my birthday and gifted me the shoe. I was truly shocked because I had mentioned the shoe to them roughly eight to nine months earlier to my birthday. It was quite surprising that they remembered the shoe as well as my size and it was extremely thoughtful of them to gift it to me considering that it was quite an expensive gift. It had truly made my day. Moreover the shoe made this birthday of mine one of the most memorable ones. It's a pink color Nike Air Jordan 1 low bleached corals which is a limited edition shoe. I'm sure they had put in a lot of thought as well as effort into getting it. It's a pink white and black colored shoe with black shoelaces. All of them are aware that pink happens to be my favorite color which made the gift all the more special. But what truly touched me more than the shoe was the effort and thought behind the gift from not just one or two people but from all 15 of them.

Band 6

00:00

/

00:00

A gift that I have received in the past for free would be from my sister about a year ago for my birthday and she had gifted me this beautiful album that had pictures from when I was little up until my 20 year old self and the album had intricate designs and beautiful colours and moreover she is someone who is very creative and very artistic so she had expressed this through painting the album cover with cute messages and very pretty colouring and yeah this was incredibly meaningful it truly touched my heart and I shed a few tears but it really showed me that people make observations and your life does mean something the pictures also had many little funny comments next to it as well as describing overall timeline of what year and the event that was happening at that time considering that one of my love languages or the way that I express love is gift-giving as personally I would describe myself as someone who cannot communicate as well I tend to express that to my loved ones to gifts and usually ones that are homemade by crafting and therefore someone recognizing that and doing that for me was truly something that was very meaningful and it showed an immense amount of love towards me and I value that a lot

Band 6

00:00

/

00:00

Till now I haven't received anything for free because I was the only one who gives to other people just to make them happy but no one gives to me. However, recently one of my father's friend has gifted him a iWatch just for free of cost. He didn't ask for money neither my father paid for it. When I first saw the watch I was astonished and surprised because for a middle class family buying an iWatch worth 1,45,000 is a big thing. Like we do purchase some gold or purchase some TV of that certain cost but generally we won't purchase tiny gadgets like mobile phone and iWatch of that cost because if I buy things which are too much expensive or hefty, if we lose the items then it will be heavy on us to get it back. So generally we won't buy it. So I was not so happy about the purchase because my mind is tuned like I need to buy only low expensive inexpensive items.

Band 5-6

00:00

/

00:00

Here I would like to talk about, I have recently something which is for free, generally no one can give a free product for a gift, no one can give a free product, here I would like to talk about last vacation when my parents go for the shopping in a big bazaar, there is a issue of shopping around 10,000, they give free gifts, we don't know about that and we do the shopping, after the shopping our bill is around more than 12,000, after that we just bring the bill and we can throw out there, but after sometime the big bazaar assistant come and give us our gift, because we know that we will forget the asking for gift, after that we are not sane, so firstly he told me what I was talking about, but when he told me that we have a policy about the big bazaar nowadays, he gave us free gift, he gave us free gift, I am feeling so happy from that time, because we have taken the free gift, because we have been shopping around 10,000 and it has been nice to him, and after that he held my hand and gave me the free gift, and all those things are effective on our happiness and communication with the client and customer, and we have an experience of shopping with the big bazaar only.

Band 5-6

00:00

/

00:00

इतने का लगो किना बनदा फ्री का? हाँ? बिन्नू की पता आणा? स्टेड़ है. बहुत फ्री के लिए मुझे करता हूँ. मुझे बिन्नू की पता आणा बनदा फ्री का है. इसे मुझे बहुत एक्षण है. वर्स्ट वाच्च है. मैंके पादर में बना आना नहीं था, मुझे आणा करने के लिए. अगर में चाहिए बाते है, मुझे पादर के लिए खिलांचा है. इसे मुझे पादर के लिए खिलाचा है. मैं बहुत एक्षण है, यह वाच्च में, वह यह के लिए कहिस रहता हूँ. मुझे वो बहुत आशिक, में वह वो बहुत दिलना पूरिमाची। इसलिए, जब मैं आशिक करता हूँ, मैं बहुत नवाच्च करके हूँ, मैं बहुत अशिक थी, और पर, मैं यह वाच्च के लिए खिलाचा हुँ, यह बहुत अशिक देखना थी और यह बहुत क्राइट भी ज़रूर थी, मैं बहुत अशिक देखना थी,

Band 5

00:00

/

00:00

It was a one watch I have received from the shop and I shopped in the mall and many many many more things I buy and the voucher card is over 10,000 rupees and give me a free gift watch and then I am very very very happy because of it's my dream to watch a smart watch oh and when I wear it's my wrist like two two two two too much good good good stop I love the free I love the free free gifts from the other and because of the one is signed for relationship friendships and other relations to make a make a giver give or receive a gift from her or him it's too much good and I like the to buy and buy a gift for the other and receive a gift for other especially on the my birthday because of all a person give me a smaller big things to make me a happy and my my friend knows I like to do this thing that's why he or she give to me this thing and I am the very very very happy on the my day and I like that
ielts logo

Get the IELTS Prep App

Star rating icon

4.2

1M+ Installs

app download banner image

Get the app link on your phone

+91

Or download app from

google play storeapp store
master ielts speaking ad

Want to know your score on this topic?

Check your score now