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Describe when someone gave you something you really wanted /a gift your received: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • Who gave it to you?
  • What was the thing?
  • When you received it?
  • Why you needed it?
  • How you felt about it?
Show all 90 answers

Cue 1:Who gave it to you?

  • Begin by introducing the person who gave you the gift, mentioning your relationship with them.
  • Share a brief background about why this person is significant to you.

Example

The gift was given to me by my younger sister, Priya. She has always been my closest companion and knows me better than anyone else.


Cue 2:What was the thing?

  • Clearly describe the gift you received, including its name and any special features.
  • Explain why this particular item was something you really wanted.

Example

The gift was a beautiful leather backpack that I had been eyeing for months. It was stylish and perfect for my college needs, with enough space for my books and laptop.


Cue 3:When you received it?

  • Mention the occasion or event during which you received the gift.
  • Provide a timeline to give context, such as the month or year.

Example

I received it on my birthday last year, which made the moment even more special as I had been hinting at wanting it for a while.


Cue 4:Why you needed it?

  • Explain the practical reasons for wanting the gift, such as utility or necessity.
  • Share any emotional reasons that made the gift more significant.

Example

I needed the backpack for my daily college commute, as my old bag was falling apart. It also represented my sister's understanding of my needs and style.


Cue 5:How you felt about it?

  • Describe your emotional reaction upon receiving the gift.
  • Share how this gift impacted your relationship with the giver.

Example

I felt incredibly grateful and happy when I unwrapped it. It made me realize how thoughtful my sister is, and it strengthened our bond even more.


Conclusion

  • Summarize the importance of the gift in your life.
  • Reflect on how this experience has influenced your views on giving and receiving gifts.

Example

In conclusion, this gift was not just a backpack; it was a symbol of love and understanding. It taught me the value of thoughtful gifts and how they can strengthen relationships.


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: Lack of Detail in Responses

Providing vague answers can make your response less engaging and informative. It's important to give specific details to create a vivid picture for the examiner.

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Tip

Use descriptive language and include specific examples about the gift, such as its appearance, significance, and your feelings.


2: Ignoring the Cues

Failing to address all the cues can lead to an incomplete answer. Each cue is designed to guide your response and ensure you cover all aspects of the topic.

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Tip

Make sure to answer each cue in order, providing a clear and structured response that flows logically.


Overly Simple Language

Using very basic language can limit your score. It's important to demonstrate a range of vocabulary and grammatical structures to impress the examiner.

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Tip

Practice using varied vocabulary and complex sentences to express your thoughts more clearly and effectively.


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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

I recently received Hot Wheels as a present from my best friend on my birthday. It was one of the most beautiful car that I ever seen. It was mesmerizing. I had always wanted it. I always found cars very beautiful and very eye-catching. I had always wanted toy cars. It was my dream to have one of those but I couldn't buy it because it was very expensive. But this time however my friend got me this because she knew I had always wished for that and she got me that because she loves me and I was so happy that day. I felt so special and I also received a letter from her which was very heartwarming. I would always cherish those gifts. I still have the letter with me inside a book kept safe.

Band 6-7

A special gift that someone gave me was on my birthday, my last birthday. I got something very special and something so close to my heart and it was a simple gift which was a coloring set but that gift made me cry, literally I cried seeing that gift. It was given by my husband. Why I needed that gift was like actually when I was a kid I always loved to do drawing and painting and all those stuff but at the time I didn't get the proper encouragement and also nobody really encouraged me in those things and I never got such gifts at that time. My husband after knowing how much I love those things, how much I love those cute things, he gifted me on my last birthday which I never expected and I was just literally in tears when I saw that gift and that gift made me feel so special and I went back to my childhood days when I craved for such gifts and that gift actually made me realize how much he cared for my small desires and how much he took efforts to get me all those things so that that made me emotional and I was overwhelmed seeing the gift and it was so special to me.

Band 6-7

Recently, I received a bracelet on my birthday that was on 23rd of May. I have received this bracelet as a gift from my cousin sister. It was so beautiful, such a cool bracelet with this all intricate design on it, stones. Everything about this bracelet was very beautiful, stunning, gorgeous. It was everything I was searching for. It looked great, it goes well with my vibe. It matches every dress in my wardrobe. It was so beautiful and perfect. I was really grateful for that gift. It was so meaningful of her to give me such a very beautiful thing. I was so grateful for her. It was something that I never had it in my wardrobe or in my accessories. It was such a cool gift that I was really meaning to buy it. She gifted me before me thinking to buy.

Band 6-7

The best gift that I received on my 21st birthday this year was a trip ticket to Switzerland. It was a solo trip and I had been begging my parents for this particular trip for so long and they were not convinced at first but they surprised me with the tickets on my birthday and I was so happy and I was so shocked at the same time and I remember they gave the tickets to me on the birthday and everything was done and I left for the trip in July and I was so happy with the way they surprised me and the shocked me at the same time. The other thing that mattered the most with the gift was that the fact that I wanted to take a solo trip for so long and it was something that I wanted to do by myself to explore new culture to go to different places and see how other people in the world are living and it was something that I think it's very important when it comes to normal human being and my parents were kind of against it because again I'm a girl and I'm their daughter and they are quite strict when it compared to being a solo traveler but when they agreed to it and they allowed me to go over there they were fully convinced that I'm ready to actually live alone by myself and actually be able to take care of myself and this was something that I am going to cherish for the rest of my life. The trip was really amazing I was really astonished and I hope that I can repay them back with the same energy and the same surprise that they gave me I can repay it back to them and hopefully make them even more happier with the outcomes that they've made me so yeah

Band 6-7

I received this timeless novel called Time of Country which is written by the author Vibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay. This is a very important gift that is very close to my heart. It was given by my boyfriend on my birthday. I had wanted this novel for a long time but I really could not get time to buy it. So when I was discussing about this novel with him, I just expressed my desire to have this novel in my collection. The best part is that when he heard it, he had remembered it for a long time. So on my birthday, he gave it to me. It was wrapped in a beautifully designed wrapping paper and the best part of the gift was that it had a very small, short, crisp note, handwritten note by him which added a special touch to the gift. So it is one of the best gifts that I have received till date which I had wanted for a very long time.

Band 6-7

Well, I am a person who really likes the traditional Punjabi suits with dupattas and Punjabi suits. So three months ago, my birthday was there. So my best friend Pradeep Kaur, she lives in Canada. She sent me a gift, a gift in India. So firstly, I was very shocked at the time because I didn't expect from her. I thought she was very busy at her own work, then I feel very happy and joyful at that time. Moreover, when I opened it, it was a very beautiful suit and a cute soft toy, which is really beautiful. And I also received a handmade card, which is made by her and write a special note for me with my birthday wishes and memories. I feel very happy because she knows I need a suit for my brother's marriage. So I feel very happy at that time, so I love it. Lastly, I am a person who was happy with a small gesture.

Band 6-7

My friend who is like my brother gifted me a bracelet on my birthday. I really like bracelets and when he gave me the bracelet I was feeling very emotional because someone remembered what I like and it feels so much good that someone is caring for me, someone is remembering what I like and I usually get emotional when someone do things for me. I am very kind of emotional person and when he gave it to me I was literally crying because of happiness. They were the happy tears, I really appreciate his efforts and everyone's effort.

Band 6-7

When you receive something you really wanted, you feel a joy that you cannot express in words. A similar incident occurred to me when I received the second book in the Harry Potter series, The Chamber of Secrets. It had just released in the market and I had been begging my mom to go and buy me one copy. But she just wouldn't pay heed to my demands. I begged her, I threw tantrums and she finally gave in. But when we went to the store, the bookstore owner informed me that sadly the number of copies that they possessed had finished. All the fans had already bought them. I was so saddened by the notion that my favourite book was out of stock. It was the eve of my birthday, I still remember. Then at midnight, my father whispered in my ear, Darlene, wake up. I have got your gift. I replied angrily to my father in my sleep. Basically I muttered, I don't want anything. But he said that it's good, open your eyes. And I opened them. And lo and behold, it was The Chamber of Secrets. My dad had already gotten a copy for my birthday. And I felt pure joy when I saw it. I spent the entire night reading it and finished it in a mere span of two days. Hence, the book holds a special memory in my heart. I really wanted the book and I got it, thanks to my dad.

Band 6-7

Recently, my closest friend who is currently in Australia sent me a package with a lot of goodies and gifts. I was really delighted receiving them and was excited to open it. In the package, I found a bracelet that had a magnet attached to it and it comes in pairs. One of the pair is with her and the other one is with me. The significance of the magnet is that when we meet, the magnets attach, which is a subtle thing to notice, but it has a very deep meaning. Additionally, I received this two days back and the reason I need it is because she left the country around two years back and I don't really have anything with me to remind myself of her and I mentioned this to her so she came up with a plan to send this bracelet to me that had this feature and receiving the same really made me happy and I just love her and this really helps me get closer to her as a person.

Band 6-7

The gift that I was... The gift that I received... The gift that... The gift that I wanted from so long and I've been desiring it for past 5 years was gifted recently by my dad on my birthday which was on 17th May 2025. Actually I needed iPad for my studies and also I have a habit of drawing so I would like to use my iPad for digital drawings and paintings. When I received the gift from my dad I was immensely happy and truly overwhelmed. I couldn't express my feelings as I've been desiring it from so long. I also cried for about 2 minutes and hugged him very tightly as I was very happy and couldn't express my emotions at that point of time. I circulated that message that I have received this particular thing as a gift from my dad to everyone close to me like all my friends and family and relatives and all of them were very happy as they knew I wanted this thing from so long for my studies and for my digital art.
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