Describe When Someone Gave You Something: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

Who gave it to you?
What was the thing?
When did you receive it?
How did you feel about it?

17 unique answers with expert feedback

Show all 17 answers

Cue 1:Who gave it to you?

Start by introducing the person who gave you the gift. Mention your relationship with them.
Explain why this person chose to give you something special.

Example

The gift was given to me by my younger sister, Priya. We have a close bond, and she always knows how to make me feel special.

Cue 2:What was the thing?

Describe the item you received in detail. Mention its significance or uniqueness.
Share any specific features that made it memorable for you.

Example

She gave me a beautiful handmade bracelet that she crafted herself. It was made of colorful beads and had a charm that represented our family.

Cue 3:When did you receive it?

Mention the occasion or event during which you received the gift.
Provide some context about the timing and why it was meaningful.

Example

I received this bracelet on my birthday last year. It was a surprise gift, and I was touched that she had put so much effort into making it for me.

Cue 4:How did you feel about it?

Express your emotions upon receiving the gift. Use descriptive language to convey your feelings.
Explain why this gift was particularly meaningful to you.

Example

When I opened the gift, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy and gratitude. It was not just a bracelet; it symbolized the love and thoughtfulness of my sister.

Conclusion

Example

In conclusion, receiving that handmade bracelet from my sister was a memorable moment for me. It reminded me of our strong bond and the importance of family, making it a cherished gift that I will always treasure.

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 include specific details about the gift and the giver to create a vivid picture.

Tip

Use descriptive language and include personal anecdotes to enhance your answer. For example, explain why the gift was meaningful to you.

2: Ignoring the Emotional Aspect

Failing to express your feelings about receiving the gift can make your response feel flat. Emotions add depth and connection to your story.

Tip

Share your emotions clearly. Describe how the gift made you feel at the moment and why it was significant to you.

Rushing Through the Answer

Speaking too quickly can lead to unclear communication and missed opportunities to elaborate on your points. Take your time to articulate your thoughts.

Tip

Pace your speech and pause between points. This allows you to think and gives the listener time to absorb your story.

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

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

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

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

My sister give me a smart watch on my birthday. I am very excited to see this watch because I already have a gym trainer who give me idea if you have a smart watch you can record your steps, your workout, your daily routine and it's easy to see and manage for the thing. The color of that smart watch is very beautiful, it's like pink purplish and furthermore the all in all items or the storage is very high and I am very excited to use this watch and I share the picture of this watch with my friends and other family members. They are all appreciate the choice of my sisters, this sister is really a blessing if she gives you so it is your duty to take care for this watch. In return I also decide to give some surprise gift to my sister. As she surprise me I also want to surprise her to give a something exciting in her birthday. And sometime when we are sitting and we discuss with the other sibling what is the gift I want to give her and she says to give her some good advice how she can invest his money and how if you want to purchase a house you give her the good.

Band 6

So yes, my special gift was a watch given by my father and he gave it in the year 2022. Although it was very normal golden colored watch, wrist watch, but I felt very emotional at that moment because my father is now a aged person, he falls in the category of senior citizens and for a moment I just had a thought that why he is giving me these kind of gifts, so authentic, so aesthetic and so valuable. So that thought made me very emotional and it was very touching feeling because I and my father shared a very crispy bond. It is very hard on the outer side and it is very soft on the inside. So yes, it was very very emotional part of my life and yet very special.

Band 6

Buying and receiving gifts are most common in my country. When I passed 10th examination, I have received a gift from my friend. It was an iPhone 14s. I did not expect such a gift from my friend. It is a surprise gift I have received from my friend. I did not expect such a gift from my dear. It has a lot of qualities such as good camera quality. It has a lot of features. The picture quality is exceptionally good. I did not expect such an amazing gift that dedicated from my friend. I felt happy and proud after receiving this gift. This is a wonderful experience. I have received a gift from my dear friend Mr. Raju. He is my dear friend and I did not expect such a gift from him. This is an experience that he gave a wonderful gift when I passed 10th standard examination.

Band 6

I would like to share my experience when someone gave me a gift. This is a memorable gift for me. It is on my birthday, 22 September, this year only. My girlfriend gave me a memorable gift that I can hold for entire life. My girlfriend made me a false story about gift that I gave this and this, but that gift he gave me, she gave me is very priceless. Now, on my birthday, he arranged one party and invited me and my friends. We went there and then she wished me happy birthday, Nishant, and then continued our party. At party, he made me a suspense, she made a suspense for my gift and continued for two to three hours. After we finished the lunch, then we go for dance at floor and then she play my favorite song that I love most. Then she gave me a gift that is a watch that I like mostly. It is a HMT series watch. It is my favorite branded watch and I like it most. When she gave me the watch, I feel very happy and I have not a word to describe the feeling that I feel that time. So, it is enjoyable and happy moment for me.

Band 6

My best friend named Vaishnavi gave a beautiful small bear keychain to me when I was in the tender age of 10 and I felt very sad because she gave it to me because there was a management issue in my school and I had to go away to a different school away, far away from my friends so it was very emotional for me at the time, I felt very sad and she gave it to me as a surprise for Valentine's Day and I really wanted to give something back to her but it wasn't the time, I had a lot of tests coming up and I really liked how she conveyed it to me and I felt a lot of bundled up emotions inside of me.

Band 5

Yeah, I remember that on my birthday, my close friend who has been living in Delhi, I have met her only for one time only and we have become so much close through social media and yeah, on my birthday, she has secretly gifted me a present and I was not aware of that that anything has been given to me or those and after the parcel has reached near me, then he has called me and tell that he has surprised me with a gift, said that there has been parcel arriving at your home, you just please check it and then I got to know that she has sent a parcel and after opening it, it is beautiful, it's a beautiful sense, a pack of scent which has four different types of scents and it was a good gift and I can say it's a nice choice of her and I appreciate her efforts for lifting me and actually, it's a first gift in my whole lifetime, I've never ever received any gifts from anyone, not even from my mother and father also, so yeah, it was a great experience for me and it was very surprisingly to get it from her, so actually, I am thankful.

Band 5

Hello, since next year my birthday is 13th March 2024, I am receiving a ticket network which bound by a jewel and diamond ring which are delicate as well as oval shape which contains golden chain. This gift written from my mother when I was little bit disappointed because I think my whole family forget about my birthday. So, when I was enter to my room, when I saw my lights are off, there was a huge surprise as your birthday means I got a diamond necklace which are very pretty, which are give by my parents, I feel very proud and humble to receive a gift. When I was receive a gift, then I feel myself very blessed with God and I am thankful for this humbleness. Thank you for watching.

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