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Describe your first day at school.: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • When & where did you go to?
  • What happened there?
  • How did you feel on that day?
Show all 179 answers

Cue 1:When & where did you go to?

  • Begin by mentioning the name of the school and its location to set the context.
  • Include the date or year to give a sense of time and personal significance.

Example

I started my first day at St. Xavier's School in Mumbai in June 2005. It was a bright sunny morning, and I remember feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness as I stepped into the school premises for the very first time.

Cue 2:What happened there?

  • Describe the activities that took place during your first day, such as meeting teachers and classmates.
  • Mention any memorable events or interactions that stood out to you.

Example

On that day, I was introduced to my class teacher, Mrs. Sharma, who was very welcoming. We had a brief orientation session where I met my classmates. I vividly remember playing games during recess, which helped break the ice and made me feel more comfortable.

Cue 3:How did you feel on that day?

  • Share your emotions and thoughts throughout the day, highlighting any changes in your feelings.
  • Reflect on how the experience shaped your view of school and learning.

Example

Initially, I felt anxious about fitting in, but as the day progressed, I started to feel more at ease. By the end of the day, I was filled with joy and anticipation for what the rest of the school year would bring.

Conclusion

  • Summarize your overall experience and its impact on your life.
  • Mention how that first day influenced your attitude towards school in general.

Example

Looking back, my first day at school was a pivotal moment in my life. It not only marked the beginning of my education but also taught me the importance of stepping out of my comfort zone. That day laid the foundation for many wonderful friendships and learning 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 Descriptions

Using vague language can make your response less engaging and informative. Specific details help the examiner understand your experience better.

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Tip

Include specific details about the location, activities, and people you encountered on your first day to create a vivid picture.

2: Don't Rush Your Response

Speaking too quickly can lead to unclear communication and missed details. It's important to pace yourself for better clarity.

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Tip

Take a moment to organize your thoughts before speaking, and practice speaking slowly to ensure your ideas are conveyed clearly.

Neglecting Emotions

Failing to express your feelings can make your answer less relatable. Emotions add depth to your story and engage the listener.

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Tip

Share how you felt during your first day, whether it was excitement, nervousness, or joy, to connect with the examiner on a personal level.

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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

It is quite an interesting topic because it reminds me of one of the golden period of my life. To be honest, I do not recall my first day in my primary school, but I vividly remember the first day of when I was promoted by the 7th grade. At that time, I studied in J.J. School, which is well-known in Pueblo area in Surat. The school was about 6 km from my house. I vividly remember we completely knew for this city because we were transferred from Baroda as my father's business was expanding. So that day, my father dropped me at the school First day, when I entered, the school has ample of places. I was so excited because I am sport lover. I was new totally for the new atmosphere. When I searched my class, then difficulty. I found my classroom. I shared with my dad Rohan. During the lunch time, we lunch together at the end of the college. We met on the gate waiting for vehicle, public vehicle for reach at home. I am very excited to listen. We live in same residential campus, so we together reach at home.

Band 6-7

when I am three years old and I go to school in KG class and I really excited on my first day of school to learn different things and meet a different person. I vividly remember that my first teacher is Mrs. Gwinder Kaur and who teach me rhymes and I really like her way of teaching on the first day and even she gave us a candies to every child on the first day even we dancing on the first day. Moreover we do number of activities play games even I there are a different color of chairs for these students which I really like because I really love colors and I meet different friends with the different colorful clothes. I vividly remember I wear a pink skirt on the first day of my school which I think I remember I am looking so great and my teachers praise my dress

Band 6-7

It was on the day when I was in UKG and that day, it was our convocation day. So, I went there with... This is the most memorable day I had in my schooling. So, it was a day on which I got graduated from UKG. And on that day, all our friends gathered, gave speeches and also played dramas. So, that day was the day which we were promoted from UKG to first class. So, our school has arranged a kind of function for that. And I remember my parents coming to my school and I was the most intelligent kid in my class. And I was given the opportunity to talk about India on the day. And I spoke about India in a very short speech. But it was very memorable because I was just 5 years or 6 years old and I gave a wonderful speech about India. Whereas my friend who I always quarreled with, he gave a speech about Pakistan which was ironical. And my father who was present in the ceremony was very proud of me. And even my teachers were very proud of me. I had to say a dialogue at the ending of the speech which said, I love India. And yes, I did that. And the moment I said, the audience erupted with claps. And I felt so happy that day that it was always memorable. And my father still remembers the day and feels proud of me.

Band 6-7

Well, everyone feel nervous when they had to go to the new place at the first day, whether it is school, college or at their job. So today I will describe my first day at school. I remember I was in 7th standard and I had to change my school due to some personal reason. I got admission in well-known school in my area. My father purchased a bag for me, new dress and everything which I needed for my new school for entrance. I went there for a first day, everything was new surrounding, new teachers, new friends and everything was so freshy and so as well as so confusing because there was no one to whom would I talk because I am an introvert person and therefore I feel shy talking to new person. So when I go there, I met across many teachers, many students over there, I feel nervous and I was sitting at the last bench in my school because I didn't know where, with whom to sit or where to start. When my teacher came into my class and she stood me up and told me to give me introduction to the class, I started and I tell my name and all the things I explained about me. So there was one girl who sit with me and now she is my bench mate as well as she is my boyfriend.

Band 6-7

One of the most experienced and unerasable memory in one's life is the first day at school. Many of them love the first day at school because you can gather many friends around you, you can talk, you can smile, everything would be so great. When I joined school on first day, before that night I didn't even sleep because of the excitement. I realized that I would get new friends, new family and new everything because school life is one of the most memories and most precious days in our life and the first day of the school would be so overwhelmed with joy. On first day at school, we used to go by crying but I didn't cry because I had lot of excitement in the first day of school. Even though my parents cried about the day, but I didn't cry about it. I enjoyed it, I enjoyed the day. I made friends, I made friends. One of the most enjoyable day in my life is the school days.

Band 6-7

My first day at my school was around 10 years back and my first school that I went to was RBK Global School that was situated in Mumbai, it's the heart of Maharashtra of course. And my school was one of the most popular school in B.Ro right, so everybody loved my school. Where did you go? What happened there? How did you feel about it? When and where did you go? What happened there? My first day at my school was around 10 years back and my first school that I went to was RBK Global School that was situated in Mumbai, it's the heart of Maharashtra of course. My school was very popular among all of the other schools. On the first day of my school when I sat down next to a girl, I wasn't really familiar with anyone around me of course because it was my first day. But when the teacher called out my name, telling me to stand up and introduce myself, I reluctantly stood up and introduced myself in front of everyone. I was very nervous at first but then as the day passed and me and the other girls and boys as we got together and got to know more about each other, we started bonding and becoming friends. And by the next day of school I was pretty familiar with many of my classmates and they were very fun to be around.

Band 6-7

First days of school, well that is the most difficult of days one would say. You don't know anybody, you don't know the place, you don't know what to do, where to go. So I think the first day of school approach should be quite scientific and methodical. So I would first go to the reception desk, find out where my class is and after that I would go to the library because that's important to me and find out every detail there is about the library, what it provides, the sources. Then, cheekily, quite cheekily might I add, I would ask the staff if they know any teachers that would teach me according to the classes that I have and if they did I would ask them to describe the teachers if they could and the classes. And then maybe after that go towards my classes and then see and maybe try to make a couple of friends. Moreover, I would like to meet the sporting department to see what sports there are because I love sports. I am a nerd but I am also a sporty nerd so I would go to a sporting game with my book in hand.

Band 6-7

I'm not sure if I can vividly remember my first day at school but if I were to reflect on it, I think what my mind is making me reflect on is how I was very anxious and I did not want to go to school. I was around 3 or 4 years old at that time and I lived in another city back then. I did not reside in Delhi. My mother dropped me to school and she met the teachers and they greeted me with a warm smile but I remember crying a lot and not wanting to leave my mother. After that, the school engaged us in a lot of different activities and made the students interact with one another. I remember feeling happy at the end of the day and having a good first day. I think this first day at school is symbolic of how life in general makes us feel whenever we are venturing into a new place or entering a new phase of our life. We always feel that anxiety and that unease in our body but when we actually participate or when we actually go ahead and absorb ourselves into that experience, we end up having a good time which makes us realize that all the anxiety and all the worry was just a mental roadblock. If we actually immerse ourselves into the world and don't try to give in to the fears, I think we will be limitless.

Band 6-7

Okay, I got into the nursery school when I was a child, so at that time, I was so nervous. This was the first time that I went to the school and I had no idea who were the people there, what kind of person I was going to meet. I have nothing in my mind. So, I went to my classroom and I got to know one girl and she is very smart. I am very dumb in the way she is very smart and she has taken care of me. She told me everything that she is this, she is that, you have to be like this in the school, you have to be like that. So, if you are this way, people will respect you, people will treat you as a good girl. So, you should not treat others like dumb, you should not scold, you should not yell. I mean these, the rules and responsibilities you have to carry when you are going to the college, these things she told me. At that time, I realized, okay, that I have one girl that I can lean on. So, I was still very happy to sitting beside her and sharing everything. So, yeah, at that moment I felt, okay, school days will be the best days yet and yeah, school days had the best days in my life.

Band 6-7

My first day at school was when I was three years old. I went to Playview School in Buzapur, Bihar. It was situated in, I don't remember my first day exactly, very vividly. But I felt, I must have felt nervous and anxious also because I was away from my parents. At the same time I was excited also because for the first time I wore my school uniform and my parents bought me new bag, lunch box, stationery. Additionally, I was so fond of stationery when I was a kid. So, therefore I used to buy everything in pink colour since I am a girl. And I, my, furthermore my bottles, my bags, my lunch box, everything used to be in pink colour. And I still remember my Playway teacher who was there. She was a Bengali and she used to teach us. She was so nice and so kind. Now that I am 25 years old, I still remember her. And let me tell you one thing, she was so beautiful. She was so beautiful and she used to make us feel so loved. Furthermore, I didn't used to feel like that I was in a school. Very early on, I started liking to go to school.
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