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?

179 unique answers with expert feedback

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 6.5

To be honest, the first day of my school, I don't remember it completely, but I vividly remember what had happened. I was brought to the school on the very first day, neatly tied, tucked in. To be honest, I don't completely remember what happened in that day, but I have a vivid remembrance of that day. On that day, I was neatly prepared to get into that school. My uniform was ironed, my hair was cleanly tied up, and both my parents came to drop me at the school. At that time, I was 3.5 years, I was joining LKG, that is the primary school in India. It's a school that is nearby to my home. It's a walkable distance only, maybe around one kilometer or less than that also. My siblings also studied there, so my parents thought it would be nice to join me in that school so that I can be taken care of my siblings. I can still remember one thing, the kids were crying, they don't want to leave their parents, they want to go home. So the teachers were taking care of the kids, poor teachers, but sure they did know how to handle the kids. And there were also helpers who took us to the classes, so parents were not allowed inside the classes. At that time, I really wanted to go with my parents, I don't want to stay in the school, I don't even know what is happening. The only thing that is on my mind is I want to go home, I don't want to be here because sitting among the 50 kids who are crying, literally, I felt something bad is going to happen, I think they are going to kidnap and I will be forever separated from my parents. That is what the mentality I was having at that time period. But later, after one week, I got used to going to school and I started loving it, to my surprise. I even got friends who are still in contact.

Band 6.5

My first day of schooling at grade 11 was very special to me because I was transferred from CBSE to metric relations school and my school was quite popular in my city. It has a large campus with playgrounds and much more activities. The first day as I went, everyone was welcoming. It includes teachers though. When I started to go and sit with a friend, everyone shared a space with me. They were very warm and kind and they got intro'd very quickly. After the teacher entered the classroom, I was asked to intro myself and with my introduction, they were very pleased that they would have me in their classroom because I am usually a very talkative person. I expose my thoughts and ideas deliberately. On my first day itself, I got my play time period, so it was very easy to mingle with my friends. Everyone liked me and treated me as their old friend, so I couldn't see any difference between my old schooling and new schooling.

Band 6

When I was a child, it was most embarrassing moment and awkward moment to me. First day of the school was a scary day for everyone in their childhood. Of course, I experienced that. At that first time, I went to the school. I don't know anybody. And I silently went to the school, went to the class and sat beside a person, unknown person, who was my current best friend till now from childhood and his name was Abid. At that time, however, I have been close to him. I offered a friendship and I got well-deserved friend in my life. Being a friend is not about always supporting in studies. Also, he supports me entire life. We need all such kind of friends in our life to be our backbone or to support in our future. Many aspects will not go always positive for us. The things always not ours. At that time, we may lose our hope, we may depressed or stressed. The most important moment was that where friendship goes helping to the person who was hopeless. But I thank my school giving a best friend to me and that was the scariest moment at the first day of my school.

Band 6

School is a place where every child makes the most amount of memories growing up. A school is so, so, so important in every child's life and has to be chosen very, very, very carefully. My first day of school was at the school called Jnanvika School in Purvaram, Goa. I think, I'm pretty sure I started school in 2010 in somewhere around the months of June or July. I don't exactly remember my first day of school because I was really, really young. However, I have some bits and pieces of the first day in my memory. I remember me and some of my friends had taken admission in the same school and we were so excited to be in the same class. And we were just looking forward to what this day holds for us. As soon as we entered and our parents dropped us to school, dropped us off to school, the teachers showed us our classroom, gave us our places, assigned our seats, spoke to us, told us to introduce ourselves and so much more. I still remember my class teacher, my first ever class teacher. Her name was Shweta ma'am and she was just the sweetest teacher ever. She handled us with so much care, grace and love. And she just had so much affection to give to all her students. And I think it was just the best first day ever.

Band 6

So talking about my first day at school is tragic and memorable. So I was 6 years old when I went to school the first time and I was so shy and grumpy at that time because I was an introvert. I have zero social skills with others and I'm really bad at speaking with others at random topics. So when I first went to the class, like my assignment class, I was met by my teacher. She welcomed me with a great smile and pampered my cheeks like a little one welcomed to the class. And I was so pleased with her behavior. And then my parents left me there and I started crying like hell. It's kind of weird to say that because I never, like I never left house when I was a kid and this is the first time I'm leaving my house to school and without my parents. I cried and cried a lot.

Band 6

Well, to talk about my school, I studied in a school named St. Joseph which was in Davankere in Karnataka. The first day of my school was always the most curious and wonderful one as I was always curious which teachers were assigned to us or the friends I am going to sit next to in the class and the subjects and the timetable they were going to allow to help. The most exciting part of the first day in the school is that we will be having new class, new friends and the subjects which we will be learning the next year. The increase in the level of the subject and even though I was almost scared or

Band 6

So, today's topic is my first day at a school, the school I studied in is International Indian School Jeddah. Firstly, I did my schooling in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in a school called IASJ. So, the first day, basically I still remember my parents dropped me there. It was a huge step in my life because suddenly I am meeting many new random people who I had to spend rest of my life with.

Band 5-6

My first day of my school was in LKG. That day I was fearing a lot and I cried a lot because that was the first time I was separating from my mom and it was typically very difficult for me but after a few days I analyzed that I have to go to school daily and I loved my teachers that they helped me for teaching learning and everything. Sometimes my mom helped me in my studies and I am glad to say that my teachers are my guru. In Hindi we use that word and I got much and more friends and they were very grateful to me and I'm very thankful to that. In my primary school I was going school at 1 o'clock to 6 o'clock. In my secondary school I get up at 6 o'clock. 6 to 1 I go. First I studied in Mumbai then after my father work we came Pondicherry. First it was very difficult to mingle in the atmosphere surrounding that ambience I didn't which was didn't set to us but after day by day I learned Tamil and I mingled with them. That was a different kind of experience with them and I loved my school teachers in Pondicherry. They helped me to speak in English. They didn't see me a north or north eastern side like that. They treated me as a student and they try to learn Hindi with me. They didn't see that they are teachers or like that.

Band 5-6

So, my first day of the school was at Don Bosco High Secondary School and that day was my first day. I felt so nervous and I was crying like anything to go to school before because ever since I started my schooling, I thought it was very difficult to go to school every day, like getting ready and waking up so early. My dad and mom faced, it was a very big task for them to send me to the school. So yeah, it was a mix of both the emotions like my parents were crying like anything and they were totally in a chaos to send me to the school and actually I feel very good to go to school that day.

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