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Describe the time when you first talked in a foreign language: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • Where you were
  • Who you were with
  • What you talked about
  • And explain how you felt about it
Show all 104 answers

Cue 1:Where you were

  • Begin by describing the location where you first spoke in a foreign language, making it vivid and relatable.
  • Mention any specific details about the environment that made it memorable.

Example

I was at a language exchange event in my city, held at a local community center. The room was filled with people from different backgrounds, and there was a buzz of excitement in the air as everyone was eager to practice their language skills.

Cue 2:Who you were with

  • Introduce the person or people you were with during this experience.
  • Explain your relationship with them and why they were significant to this moment.

Example

I was paired with a native Spanish speaker named Carlos, who was also learning English. We were both nervous but excited to help each other improve our language skills.

Cue 3:What you talked about

  • Outline the main topics of conversation you had with the person.
  • Include any interesting or funny moments that occurred during your discussion.

Example

We talked about our favorite hobbies, food, and cultural differences. I remember laughing when Carlos tried to explain a traditional Spanish dish, and I struggled to pronounce it correctly.

Cue 4:And explain how you felt about it

  • Share your emotions during and after the conversation.
  • Reflect on how this experience impacted your confidence in speaking a foreign language.

Example

At first, I felt anxious and self-conscious about making mistakes. However, as we continued talking, I felt a sense of accomplishment and joy. It was liberating to express myself in a different language, and I left the event feeling more confident in my abilities.

Conclusion

    Example

    Overall, that experience was a turning point for me. It not only improved my language skills but also encouraged me to seek more opportunities to practice speaking in foreign languages. I realized that making mistakes is part of the learning process, and it made me more open to new experiences.

    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: Avoid Vague Responses

    Being vague can make your answer less engaging and informative. It may lead to a lack of detail that is crucial for a good score.

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    Tip

    Provide specific details about the location, people, and conversation to create a vivid picture for the examiner.

    2: Don't Overuse Simple Language

    Relying too much on simple words can limit your expression and fail to showcase your language skills. This may affect your fluency score.

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    Tip

    Incorporate a variety of vocabulary and sentence structures to demonstrate your language proficiency.

    Neglecting Emotional Impact

    Failing to express how you felt can make your answer less personal and relatable. Emotions add depth to your response.

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    Tip

    Share your feelings about the experience, such as excitement or nervousness, to connect better with the examiner.

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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
    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 >7

    Today, I am talking about the incidents when I firstly talked about foreign language. During my university time, there was a legal campaign in which I also took a part. As a participant, I am also in a duty to speak with the public as the public is the educated person so everyone understands the English well as compared to our national language so I prefer to talk in English. At that time, I felt very difficult to talk in English because this was the first time that I was talked in any other language rather than to our tongue language so I find it very difficult but with practice, I performed very well. I performed very well. Everyone much appreciated me because I interact with the public very well and public also give me a very good response after listen my talkings. As I am an advocate so I have under obligation to talk in more than the one language so I prefer to learn new vocabulary as well as grammar to enhance my English communication skills as I am nowadays prefer to get the opportunity to enhance my skills in abroad so I think that incidents taught me a lot of new things and give me a new experience that in which I polish myself and also ameliorate my communication skills.

    Band 7

    A memorable occasion when I spoke in a foreign language happened last year during a trip to New Delhi. I was waiting a metro station when I noticed a French tourist who seemed quite lost and confused about the route. Since I had studied French for a couple of years, I decided to approach her and offer help. At first, I was a bit hesitant because I wasn't sure whether my French would be accurate enough but I reminded myself that fortune favors the bold. When I greeted her in French, her face light lit up immediately as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She explained that she was trying to reach the lotus temple but couldn't understand the signs or announcements.

    Band 7

    The first time I spoke in a foreign language was when I went to Spain for my internship. I had just reached the city and since I was completely alone, I had no option but to communicate in Spanish. I remember walking into a small cafe near my accommodation. My heart was beating fast because it was the first time I had to speak to someone without relying on English. I wanted to ask for directions and order something to eat, so I gathered all the basic Spanish phrases I knew. I said a simple sentence like, ¿Dónde está? Esta a dirección and ordered food with a lot of hesitation. The waiter understood me immediately and even smiled, which made me feel so relieved. At that moment, I felt a mix of emotions, nervousness, excitement and a little sense of achievement. Even though my Spanish wasn't perfect, that small conversation gave me confidence. It felt empowering to realize that I could survive and handle things on my own in a completely new country. That moment almost felt like the beginning of my independence. The moment stayed with me because it wasn't just about speaking Spanish, it was about realizing my own confidence, independence and ability to adapt. It made the rest of my stay in Spain feel less scary and much more meaningful.

    Band 7

    I'm not much of a linguist and the only languages which I have studied religiously is English and Hindi, my mother tongue. But during lockdown, I did take a little bit of Chinese lessons on Duolingo. Though I never thought that they might come in handy, it was just because I wanted to explore something. However, they did come in handy when I met this Chinese lady in an area mall in Gurugram where she wanted help with the directions to a particular shop. I was able to help her with that because of my Chinese lessons. I think she was grateful about it but again because my Chinese is not up to that level, I wasn't able to connect much which I'm kind of sad about.

    Band 7

    The first time I spoke in a foreign language was about two years ago when I attended an English communication workshop at my college. It was organized by our English department to help students improve their speaking skills. Since English is not my first language, I was quite nervous at the beginning. I remember sitting with a group of classmates and one of our teachers, who encouraged everyone to introduce themselves in English and share their hobbies. When it was my turn, I introduced myself confidently and talked about my interests, such as playing cricket and reading books. Later, we had a small conversation about our favorite movies, and I managed to speak entirely in English without switching to my mother tongue. At first, I was a bit anxious because I was afraid of making mistakes in grammar or pronunciation. However, once I started speaking, I felt more relaxed and I realized that communication is more about expressing ideas clearly than being perfect. My teacher even appreciated my effort, which really boosted my confidence. That experience was very special for me because it was the first time I used English in a real conversation outside the classroom sitting. It motivated me to practice more and become fluent. Now, I enjoy speaking English every day, and I can clearly see how that small step helped me improve both my language skills and confidence.

    Band 7

    Let me share an experience of the first time I talked in a foreign language. I had to speak Spanish for a school competition wherein I had to go to Delhi with my friends and my teachers to participate in a competition where there were 64 candidates. We were all given a topic in which we had to talk for about a minute and the person with the most fluency would win. I was able to blast through the competition and when I reached the semi-finals where the stakes could not have been higher, I lost. That was the first time I felt devastated. I knew the stakes were the highest at that time and all my friends and teachers depended on me but yet I failed to win. Now that I remember about that time, I feel extremely happy that I was able to perform well in a language that I had barely known for two years and it also motivated me to learn that language further. Moreover, I have started watching Netflix series in that language and I have also started using Duolingo which is an app that helps me learn that Spanish. I believe that learning a language is extremely important for everybody and they should learn at least one other language than their native language.

    Band 7

    Generally, I am more comfortable speaking in my native language and I use it when conversing with my family and local friends. However, I have an extensive group of friends from various countries, mostly I talk to my international friends in English. I have a few acquaintances who reside in France and they have been helping me with my French learning. This really proved handy as I was able to converse with the Paris local in the French language. It happened last year, I had decided to enroll in a Culinary and Baking course. Upon researching, I realized most of the good Culinary courses are in the French. Again, I sought assistance from my French friends, I spoke to them and shared my interest and requested them to arrange a video call with the primary tutor of this course, so that I could gain helpful information and plan my visit to France. The call was arranged for the next day. Unfortunately, the tutor had little experience with English, so I resorted to communicating with him in French. I was a bit anxious about the whole thing, would he be able to understand me? To my surprise, he was unable to understand my language when I spoke in French, so he answered in French and it is the first time when I talked in a foreign language.

    Band 7

    The first time I spoke in a foreign language was during my college days around 6 years ago. It happened at a language exchange event organized by our university where students from different countries came together to practice English. I was paired with a student from Germany and we started a conversation about our hobbies and daily routine. At first, I felt quite nervous because I was worried about making mistakes or not being understood. However, once the conversation got going, I gradually became more confident. I realized that the other person was very patient and encouraging, which made me feel more at ease. By the end of the session, I felt proud of myself for overcoming my fear and managing to communicate effectively. Looking back, that experience was really motivating and inspired me to improve my English further. It also taught me that making mistakes is a natural part of learning a language and confidence is more important than perfection.

    Band 7

    I would like to talk about a time when I spoke a foreign language which was English. It happened around two years ago when I was traveling to Delhi. I met a tourist from the United States who was struggling to ask for direction to metro station. Because he didn't understand Hindi, I decided to help him by speaking in English. So at first, I was a bit nervous because English is not my mother tongue and I was worried that I might make grammatical mistakes. But however, once I started, I realized that he understood me quite well and that gave me confidence. So we had a very short conversation where I explained how to get to the metro and also recommended some local food. So the experience made me feel proud and happy because I could actually use a foreign language to communicate in real life and it also motivated me to improve my speaking skills further and I realized that learning a language is not just about passing exams but also connecting with people from different cultures.

    Band 7

    Well, I would like to talk about the first time I had a proper conversation in French, which is not my mother tongue. This experience took place about three years ago when I was on a short trip to Paris with a couple of close friends. At that time, I had been learning French for about six months through online courses and language exchange apps. I wasn't fluent by any stretch of the imagination, but I had learned enough to hold a basic conversation. Like, you know, I have to beat the bullet and give it a try at some point, so I decided to take the plunge while ordering food at a small cafe near the Eiffel Tower. The waiter didn't speak much in English, so I had no choice but to switch gears and use my French. I started with a simple greeting, Bonjour, there was a cafe, I was to my surprise, he understood my language perfectly and responded with a smiley, even complimented my accent, which made me laugh. At first, I was nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, afraid I'd say something wrong or embarrass myself, but as the conversation went on, I started to relax. I felt amazing to actually use what I had learned in a real-world setting, honestly, it was a turning point in my life, looking back, the moment was a real confidence booster, it not only helped improve my speaking skills, but also gave me the courage to keep pushing forward. All in all, it was a memorable milestone, also, I realized that making mistakes is just part of the process and also life, and the locals actually appreciate the effort. All in all, it was a memorable milestone for me and it really opened the door to the more immersive learning experience, so it was the amazing experience I have ever heard.
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