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Describe Your Favourite Food: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What dish or food item it is?
  • How it is prepared or cooked?
  • How common this food item or dish is?
  • Why it is your favourite?
Show all 36 answers

Cue 1:What dish or food item it is?

  • Begin by naming your favorite food item clearly.
  • Provide a brief description of the dish, including its main ingredients.

Example

My favorite food is biryani, a fragrant rice dish that is often made with marinated meat, spices, and sometimes vegetables. It is a popular dish in India, especially in the northern regions.

Cue 2:How it is prepared or cooked?

  • Explain the cooking process in a simple way, mentioning key steps.
  • You can include any special techniques or ingredients that make it unique.

Example

Biryani is prepared by first marinating the meat in yogurt and spices for a few hours. Then, the rice is partially cooked separately. Finally, layers of marinated meat and rice are combined in a pot and cooked together on low heat, allowing the flavors to meld beautifully.

Cue 3:How common this food item or dish is?

  • Discuss the popularity of the dish in your region or country.
  • Mention any occasions or festivals where this dish is typically served.

Example

Biryani is extremely common in India and is often served at weddings, festivals, and family gatherings. It is a dish that brings people together, and you can find various regional variations across the country.

Cue 4:Why it is your favourite?

  • Share personal feelings or memories associated with the dish.
  • Explain what makes this dish special to you compared to others.

Example

Biryani is my favorite because it reminds me of family gatherings where we would all sit together and enjoy a hearty meal. The rich flavors and the aroma of spices evoke a sense of comfort and nostalgia for me.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, biryani is not just a dish for me; it represents love, family, and tradition. Its unique preparation and the joy it brings during special occasions make it my all-time favorite food.

    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 Description

    Providing vague answers can make your response uninteresting. It's important to give specific details about the dish to engage the listener.

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    Tip

    Include sensory details like taste, texture, and aroma to make your description vivid and appealing.

    2: Ignoring Cooking Process

    Failing to explain how the food is prepared can leave your answer incomplete. This is a key part of the cue card.

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    Tip

    Outline the main steps in the cooking process, mentioning any special techniques or ingredients that make it unique.

    Not Explaining Popularity

    Neglecting to discuss how common the dish is can miss an opportunity to connect with the audience's experiences.

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    Tip

    Mention where the dish is typically served, its cultural significance, or how often you and others enjoy it.

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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
    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

    My favorite dish is alfredo pasta also commonly known as white sauce pasta, it has been my favorite dish for a while now. So I had white sauce pasta first at a cafe and I loved it. It looked quite intimidating to make but when I actually tried it, it was quite easy which is also why I fell in love with it. It is one of the dishes which has made me fall in love with cooking. So I love it because of its creamy and cheesy texture. It is one of those dishes which I would have on a cozy movie night. To make a white sauce pasta, the ingredients which you need to make a white sauce pasta are always available in your pantry. You can use any veggies of your choice, flour, milk, cheese and you can amend the dish as you wish.

    Band 6-7

    My favorite dish is Biryani. It is quite famous not only in my home country but all over the world. I personally feel it is one of the Indian cuisine that is most loved by all the others. This particular dish is made up of rice, lots of onions, tomatoes, Indian masalas and curd. It is best enjoyed with a cup of curd and brinjal gravy. This biryani can be found in different types like a chicken can be added or a prawn, fish and it also can be prepared with only vegetables or paneer making it a great taste. The most thing I love about this dish is that it is rich with spices and has a perfect mix of rice, protein and other spices. There are a lot of famous biryani spots in the places of Chennai like SS Hyderabad, Maneer's Dum Biryani and I always enjoy either cooking or eating it outside.

    Band 6-7

    Coming from an Indian household and the country India which is so diverse in its cultures and traditions, the variety and range of food differs in various places. If I have to talk about my favourite food, it would definitely be the South Indian top tier food, Dosa. Despite coming from Northern India, I have always loved and preferred to eat Dosa. Whenever I went out with my friends or colleagues to order something in a restaurant, my first choice was always Dosa. It's prepared with a batter and served with three different types of chutneys or sauces. My favourite one is the coconut sauce which tastes scrumptious. It is mainly prepared in the southern regions of India but people all over the country likes to eat it as well. It is quite common if we talk about the southern region but the Eastern India or the Northern India prefer it quite less than what the South Indians does. It is a meal that is quite easy to prepare and it just needs dosa.

    Band 6-7

    Out of all dishes in the South Indian cuisine, biryani is the one which caught my attention deeply. And about biryani, there are various types of biryanis available in Kerala according to the flavor. As the flavor changes, the type and name of the biryani has been changed. And out of that, I like Thalassery biryani the most because the chicken is completely dipped with gravy and the rice is little bit spicy and also it is not much hard. So all of these features elaborate the taste of that dish. And it can be served in varieties of functions. So all of the South Indians would like this biryani very much. So I am not at all different from them. I also like that one. And I would like to introduce different type of Thalassery biryani according to their change in the amount of ingredients. So I also prepared that Thalassery biryani in my house also. So it was very delightful for me because all of the individuals in my family like that dishes. So it was great.

    Band 6-7

    Biryani, I love biryani and it is my favorite dish whenever I will hungry I will cook biryani and the biryani is very famous in Hyderabad. Hyderabad located in Telangana so it is very common and it is very famous. Biryani all people will come and eat here other states people come and eat here so biryani is very common dish and in the biryani the chicken or mutton will go and all Indian spices will be added so the taste will be enhanced that's why all people love biryani um it will cook in a chicken gravy so I love to eat because the taste was so awesome that's why I love biryani. Biryani is a very famous and very tasty dish so that's the reason all people love biryani yes so the biryani is prepared in the big vessel basmati rice and all other spices will add it so no one can hate this dish all all love this dish

    Band 6-7

    Being a foodie person, I can say that there are variety of foods that I like. However, the most favorite of mine is chicken biryani. And I can say this is the favorite one because the aromatic taste of this is very delicious. And the method this biryani is cooked is fabulous. And you can say amazing method that is cooked along with rice and chicken masalas. And there are cloves and other ingredients like onions and capsicums which make it very aromatic in taste. This is the most shopped dish around in India. And I think this is the favorite dish of many people over here. Moreover, there are two types of biryani dishes available. One is called Hyderabadi Biryani which got its name from the city where it was first introduced. And other is Muradabadi Biryani. And the same thing happens with this biryani also. It is also named after the city where it started.

    Band 6-7

    Well, I am glad to answer this question. This is because I'd classify myself as a quintessential foodie. So, if I were to talk about one of my favorite foods, I'd suppose I will go for rice. So, let me walk you through it. If my memory serves me well, it's a matter of nearly five years back when I learned the culinary skills from my mother. And moreover, I have a gifted hand in the cooking. And the reason why I love the rice most, this is because it's not only as easy to make it, but also it's one of the most mouth-watering, you know, dishes for me. And since it's quite easy to prepare, I love to make it every now and then. And moreover, it's quite popular in my country. And whenever our kids and kids are wasted, no function is supposed to be done without the use of rice. Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you that, that how this dish is made. Well, the ingredients are quite simple. We only need some vegetables, water, and as well as some salt. So, it's made within, you know, half an hour. Although it's not as healthy, but I can't help eating it because whenever I have this particular dish called rice, my mouth starts watering it. And as far as my feeling is concerned, I am, I fly literally high after eating this dish. And it has become my one of the favorite dishes these days. And I'm wholeheartedly thankful to my mother because had he not made me acquainted with these culinary skills, I would have been on edge because being a foodie, I love to eat it, you know, every time.

    Band 6-7

    Well, the most comfort food or the most favorite food of mine is the chicken curry. Okay, why it is favorite because it is easy one which I can get it sooner and how it is prepared I just wanted to explain is that it has, it contains various varieties of spices and all. So, the thing is that this chicken that you prepare can be, you can be prepared in the various ways like you can add some veggies or you can go with the roti or you can go with the rice or you can just have a kind of starter as well. So this food can be taken in the various forms depending upon your cravings. So this is usually prepared in the various, in the various styles and in the various curries it will be prepared like starters or something like a gravy curry or into a biryani or in any phase. And earlier I was not a much fan of the chicken but later I understood the, you know, the protein content importance of it and how good it is for the body to develop as well. So slowly I try to, you know, cook it in the various forms and slowly I try to have it in the, in my lunch during basically while coming with the breakfast I try to have it in the form of, you know, boiled chicken so that it would be easy to digest as well. And one more thing I would like to add to this is that you can actually prepare this chicken in the various forms and it's easy to feed the kids as well when you use the minced chicken as well. Okay, kids usually show very less interest towards the veggies and so...

    Band 6-7

    okay so the food I enjoy the most is none other than biryani because as biryani has high rich of masalas that as a South Indian we add more more rich masalas which enhances the taste of the biryani and so it is made using chicken, mutton chops or else even beef so it is a combination of rice, onions, chicken tomatoes and then little bit of ginger garlic paste and then chili powder and some spices which adds the taste of hot and sour and then lemon so these are the combinations we add in biryani and as for the sides we use curd and onion mixture right it's called as raita so it's a perfect meal to have the occasions and for the special parties we do take biryanis as an order and we eat them and when we eat them we feel so heavenly that feels that makes us nothing else gives that feel of eating biryani and why I love them I love biryani the most is because of its rich flavors as I had mentioned before its rich flavors still stays in my tongue now even when I'm talking to you now like the flavor and everything is just watering my mouth so yeah the only reason I love biryani is because of its rich flavors

    Band 6-7

    Well, my favorite food is chicken, chicken curry, any type of chicken curry or else with biryani. So basically this chicken curry is, why it is my favorite because I am a person who loves non-veg. Maybe I will be someone who loves to eat non-veg for 24, maybe almost all days of a week. So that is something which I get from my childhood only because I used to have like at least a fish once a day. It was like that. That was how I raised. So how this chicken becomes my favorite it is because it is tender, the soft thing and I find that much tastier than any forms of non-veg and how it is prepared is, I like to marinate it for at least one day maximum to cook it next day so that chicken becomes very juicier. By saying that only my mouth is watering. So what are the spices I add is, I always marinate this with curd only, curd and some kinds of masalas and after that, maybe for half a day or after one day, this is very simple. I put it in cooker with onion, some spices and then with curry leaves and tomatoes and then without water.
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