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Describe your favourite way to relax.: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What is it?
  • How effective is it for you?
  • When and how do you relax?
Show all 67 answers

Cue 1:What is it?

  • Begin by clearly stating your favourite way to relax, such as reading, meditating, or watching movies.
  • Provide a brief explanation of why this activity is your preferred method of relaxation.

Example

My favourite way to relax is by reading books. I find that immersing myself in a good story allows me to escape from the stresses of daily life and enter a different world.


Cue 2:How effective is it for you?

  • Discuss the benefits you experience from this activity, such as reduced stress or improved mood.
  • Mention any specific instances where this method of relaxation has helped you cope with challenges.

Example

Reading is incredibly effective for me as it helps me unwind after a long day at work. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, diving into a novel not only distracts me but also lifts my spirits. For instance, after a particularly stressful week, I read a gripping mystery that kept me engaged for hours.


Cue 3:When and how do you relax?

  • Describe the times when you usually engage in this relaxing activity, such as in the evenings or on weekends.
  • Explain your routine or environment when you relax, like a cozy corner at home or a park.

Example

I usually relax by reading in the evenings, right after dinner. I have a cozy nook in my living room with a comfortable chair and a warm lamp, which creates the perfect atmosphere for getting lost in a book. On weekends, I also enjoy reading at a nearby park, surrounded by nature.


Conclusion

  • Summarize the key points about your favourite way to relax.
  • Reiterate why this method is significant to you and how it contributes to your overall well-being.

Example

In conclusion, reading is my favourite way to relax because it transports me to different worlds and helps me manage stress effectively. It is a cherished part of my daily routine that contributes significantly to my mental well-being.


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: Being Too Vague

Candidates often give very general answers without specific details. This can make the response less engaging and informative, leading to a lower score.

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Tip

Provide specific examples of your relaxation method, including details about what you do, where you do it, and why you enjoy it.


2: Lack of Structure

A disorganized response can confuse the listener. Failing to address the cues in a logical order may result in a less coherent answer.

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Tip

Follow the cue card prompts in order: start with what it is, then discuss its effectiveness, and finally explain when and how you relax.


Overly Short Responses

Some candidates give very brief answers, which can limit the opportunity to showcase language skills and depth of thought.

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Tip

Expand your answers by including personal anecdotes or feelings related to your relaxation method to create a more engaging narrative.


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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

My favorite way to relax is by reading a book. I like reading books, mostly fictional. I feel reading books is an enriching experience. People generally read books before bedtime and so do I. The most recent book that I read was Book Lovers. It's a fictional book written by Emily Henry about two people who like to read books just like I do. And I also read news in my free time and I watch movies and series but I don't really enjoy that as much as I enjoy reading books.

Band 6-7

My favorite way to relax is taking a hot shower, changing into the most comfortable clothes I own, putting out some candles, some scented candles and playing some soft mellow music and just reading or writing a journal. It's very effective because it helps me relax from all the stress and I personally tend to overthink a lot and find myself just going crazy over a few things that happen day-to-day so it helps me calm my mind down and it helps me relax. How often? I would say I do it at least once a week, every Sunday. Sunday is like the self-care day for me and I will just sit and relax every Sunday without thinking, without using phone or social media and I will just sit and read or write and yeah it definitely calms me down.

Band 6-7

For me, relaxation is about finding that quiet space within myself where I can let go of my worries and concerns and simply be. It's about taking a deep breath, feeling the air fill my lungs and exhaling slowly, letting go of all the tension and stress that's built up inside of me. It's about listening to music sometimes that soothes my soul and letting the melodies transport me to a place of calm and tranquility. It's about taking a walk sometimes in the open, specifically in a lawn or a garden. Usually in the morning, I like to feel the sun on my skin and the wind in my hair and reminding myself of the beauty and the wonder of the world around me. However, relaxation is not just about what we do. It's also, I think, it's about how we think. It's about cultivating the mindset of calm and clarity and being kind to ourselves as well as people around us. Whenever I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I prefer to sit in silence or probably take a nap. So I want to leave you on that note. That's it. Thank you.

Band 6-7

My favorite way to relax is weirdly by cooking. In my opinion, cooking is very therapeutic. I like how I am in control of what I put into my dish, how I choose to cook it, and the results are in my control. I think it is therapeutic and relaxing for me because I'm a control freak. It is effective in, you know, calming my energies, making me feel like I have accomplished something. I believe I am a person who enjoys finishing tasks, so I derive relaxation from it. So, being able to complete a dish that I have, like, you know, seen somewhere over on the internet or read a recipe about and being able to finish it and enjoy the fruits of my labor is really nice for me.

Band 6-7

My favorite way to relax is to create an art or just go for a walk or dancing. These are all my favorite way to relax. When I start doing the art, I really forget all the things that happens for me and I just concentrate on the art. It makes me more, more, more free. I feel art is expressing the emotions of the person and going for a walk in a fresh breeze makes me feel fresh and more relaxed. And sometimes doing exercises and dancing may also help me to get relaxed.

Band 6-7

In our society, relaxation is often neglected but is one of the crucial part of one's life. Relaxation can help one boost their productivity and results. For me, relaxation is a simple measure like listening to music and going on a long walk. Relaxation is important for me to keep my things in control and to get my things right. For relaxation, I sometimes listen to music and cycle around the neighborhood. Relaxation can be beneficial in terms of health and prosperity. Relaxation can boost the performance and it helps one to stress out.

Band 6-7

So my favorite way to relax is going out with my friends, going out with my friends to have fun in a car and also having a good meal with them to make myself happy and having fun, going to park. This is the way to relax my mind and also there are so many but this is the most relative one.

Band 6-7

Meditation is my favorite way to relax. Just inhale and exhale and concentrate on your breathing is the way I like to relax. When I do, when I got so much stress, I, I like to focus on my breathing. And when, um, when I, when I'm focusing on my breathing, I just can't think of anything. And my, I feel so calm without overthinking, without any thoughts in my head. Everything seems clear. That's why I like meditation. And after meditation, when you open your eyes, everything seems to be clear. You get confidence, you get enough confidence to do your next work, next schedule. That's why I like meditation. And because of my next thing, next thing to the meditation, uh, after closing your eyes, you can also hear some of your favorite songs, which help you to release endorphins and other hormones, which makes you happy.

Band 6-7

Okay, so first of all, a way I like to relax is by watching movies or TV at home. I do this very often maybe three or four times a week when I'm working or when I'm studying. And I pick something which is comedy and which is very light hearted because it makes me forget about all the stress and I have that I have and it makes me laugh. So I like this type of relaxing because it does not require it much effort. And I sit on my couch with some snack and a blanket, which is very comfortable. And I also like to spend time with my family whenever I feel bored. Because that is something that whenever after the whole tiring day, we sit and talk about my whole day. And after watching movie, I feel very happy and it's very relaxing. Because there are a lot of things in my life which is going on. And after all of these, the best part about relaxing is I sit at home. I have a comfort zone, a cozy environment, which is my bedroom. And I sometimes also relax there, I feel sleepy at times. So I relax there, which is also very nice. So it does not make me feel bored. And it's very calm. And there is a lot of silence as well. So it's very relaxing.

Band 6-7

yes my favorite way to relax is absolutely yoga and meditation so because of my work stress being a dentist I usually do yoga and meditation in the morning and the evening I include a lot of yoga poses which relaxes my body a lot of stretches and I do Sudarshan kriya which I have learned from the ashram in Bangalore so this is my perfect way to relax and other way to relax is listening to the music so which gives me a healing effect actually listening music means I listen to like a calming melody music this is my favorite way usually other way to relax is cooking which is therapeutic for me I cook a lot of varieties I love cooking I love trying out new recipes and feeding my family which gives me a joy and fulfillment and relaxation also
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