arrow back icon Top Answers

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 69 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.

bulb icon

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.

bulb icon

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.

bulb icon

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.

calendar icon

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

I started my first schooling when I was two and a half years old, as my mother said to me. Obviously, I don't remember anything about my age when I started it. As my mother describes it, I started going to school very early because I started speaking way before my age. I used to speak very fluently. So, they decided to enroll me in school and I started when I was two and a half years old. My mother says that I enjoyed going to school. She expected me to cry on the very first day, but to her surprise, I didn't even shed a tear. I joyfully went inside without even turning my head back to wave bye, say goodbye to her. She was very much devastated. She was extremely devastated when I didn't turn back to say her bye. So, I went inside. I used to be my teacher's pet. My teacher used to take care of my belongings. She used to take care of my classwork and homework. I just used to sit there like a doll. And my parents and my cousins, they used to do my homework. I used to be very much pampered when I was a kid. And I really liked going to school because I was an only child and I used to get bored at home. I loved being in the school and surrounded by my classmates and my friends where I had the scope to enjoy myself in the learning.

Band 6-7

So, I had started my schooling early in 2000s. So, I was working, sorry, I was studying in Sacred Hearts Higher Primary School. It was very close to my home. And I remember the first day, there was a sister, I am sorry, I barely remember her name though, but although she was a very nice teacher, on the very first day, because we were new to school and I was staying away from mom, there was a sudden change in the environment. So, maybe back in those days, I found it to be more traumatic scenario. So, I remember I had climbed up the window because all the doors were closed and I had to just look at my mom going. So, as soon as I started climbing the windows, I remember sister coming and, you know, just carrying me and I just slapped her for doing so. But moving forward, I feel like the school that I was studying, I have a lot of memories over there and I still have a lot of friends. I still have a friend who remembers from the first day of school. He tells me that the moment he saw me cry, he stopped crying, which was hilarious to listen to. And even now when I meet him, he tells me the exact same story. And I'm pretty sure down the lane, that sister still remembers me because of the slap that she had received.

Band 6-7

Unfortunately I don't remember the first day at school because I was just four years old but I could say about my first day of graduation and I was selected for the BSc psychology course in one of the prominent college in Kerala. I still remember the first day of my class. The first day we had an orientation session regarding certain topics like introducing the college or introducing the team members or introducing the lectures and many more. The first day was really embarrassing for me. Also I had a certain level of curiosity what is gonna happen there. The embarrassment was of I was scared of bragging by seniors but unluckily I was dragged by a senior boy and he asked me to sing a song but I couldn't do that. Really I was mortified at that moment and everyone around me started to scold me or irritate me in a very bad manner. The first day was not that one that I cherish all the time because I had a very bad day.

Band 6-7

Yes, if I have to speak about the first day at my school I would like to tell it was fantastic. I was so damn excited. I was so happy to meet new people. When I got into my school I was in first standard. That was 12 years back. First day when I got into my class, first standard G section, I sat next to two girls who were really nice. I sat next to two girls who were really nice to me. I met them, my best friends. I shared a lot of things with them. I told them about how excited I was, how happy I was to meet them. I also told them about my talents, of course. I told them about my artistic skills, my creativity, my passion towards martial arts, and many more. Those two friends are still my best friends. Their name is Anil and Shreya. Anil was really a soft-spoken girl who was a Malayali. I really love her and Shreya. Shreya was a really bold girl. She was extroverted just like me. We both had a super, super fun time together. We used to enjoy games together.

Band 6-7

My first day of school would have to be the orientation day for first standard students offered by the primary school section. I had to go to school on June 1st like my sister and I had to go to the classroom. It was very congested. There were parents and their kids. I found it very hard to breathe and I started crying. I really don't know what happened. I just started crying and I just didn't want to let my mother leave. The teachers prepared a mock class for us just to get us into that environment to make us feel comfortable from the next day onwards but it was a fail. None of the kids wanted to be there and we just wanted to go back home, watch TV, eat our snacks and remain peaceful. It was a very overwhelming experience for me because it was a new school. I had been in preschool at a different institution so it was very hard. It was very hard for me to adjust to the new environment. It was very difficult.

Band 6-7

At the age of 3, it was my first day to go to school. I was visiting all over the day. I was nervous and couldn't able to communicate with other kids and could barely make friends. At first, it was the hardest task, but merely I managed to speak, share food, and ask doubts if I had anything to talk about and learn things about subjects or other things. In fact, I would love the idea of sharing food which could make a communication between the other kids. Moreover, it's a great way of learning with other kids and it's informative, the process, the things we bring at school like books and colorful ways to learn and look over. There will be a playground to play with friends and there are many different activities to learn and enjoy. Such practices makes to go again and have spent time, but leaving home would be a creepy time because at the age of 3, we were connected to our home and parents could barely leave their hand and proceed individually into such sudden practice of going to school.

Band 6-7

As a child, I had joined Morton High School, which is located at Syeth Road, in the year 1993. My first year of school serves as a very interesting memory. I remember teachers and students meeting for the first time and interacting with each other. We had introduced ourselves to the teachers, as well as the teachers introduced themselves to the students. We also got to know about the various facilities and amenities that were readily available for the students to access. Most important facility provided by the school being the wonderful garden. It was a huge garden with numerous trees and an attached playground where students could play football and basketball and other sports. There was also an adjoined cafeteria next to the garden, which used to serve delicious and hot meals to the students on a chargeable basis.

Band 6-7

When I was a kid, around four years old, I started learning and going to school, but I don't remember much about that time. I remember that when I was six years old, I moved to a new city, which is basically a bigger one than my older hometown, and I was admitted in a school, prestigious school, basically of that city. When I first entered the class, I see new faces, a new teacher, and I'm literally very afraid of facing new people, new minds, so furthermore, I go to my seat, I went to my seat and started talking with my partner, later after some communication, I started making friends and involving with teachers. I used to be one of the most important persons in the class that teacher look up to. In addition to this, I'm always ready to help others. I'm the kindest and tenacious person that teachers love, that teacher loves, so despite all the difficulties I have faced in my initial school days, I passed with a great score and having great friends beside me that are really keen to help me.

Band 6-7

So now I'm going to talk about my first day of school. So I did my schooling in CSI Uttar Pradesh High Secondary School which is located in Purushivakkam, Chennai. So actually what I felt is I was very anxiety and I was very excited and I was very nervous on the first day. But the things that went on there was little chill. They were having games and all that extra-curricular activities to just keep the child engaged. So it was a good experience but all over my expectations about school was not good after the first day. But going on, but going on the 10th and 12th days I was like really good and just comfortable with the teachers and everyone and my friends. So it was one of the most experienced happiness in my life. Thank you. So to just continue, I'm sorry not is the time now. So just continue like yeah but my parents were so nervous that they thought that I would be tensed or I will just cry after some time. But I think I'm not like that. I was a type it takes time to engage but if once I'm engaged it's that's over that's it. And my first day was all about as I told before it was about games, it was about the competitions that was some like clay competitions. I think I won the first or second prize I'm not very sure. But I think it's one of the most beautiful experience because as a kid we just we have been in our like our own comfort zone and going to moving on to the bright zone. It's like something else which just keep kept you engaged. But that time I felt that why these parents are these teachers are so rude at me to just learn my alphabets. But now without the alphabets I can't do nothing. So I really feel like proud and yeah every student should feel proud for just learning alphabets because as a baby you're just going to learn something new. So yeah it's student experience. My first day was a fun filled day actually. So it's that's it. Thank you.

Band 6-7

So, I had a feeble memory about my first day at school and I did my pre-schooling in Little Flower Nursery School, Ayyampara. And my parents told me that I was so anxious and also very excited in my first day at school. Generally, most of the students will be devastated and will be sad for going to the school. But I was so happy and excited. And my first day, I was in a situation that what will happen and all. And also, I don't speak too much to my friends. I am not a person who will start talk to new people. That I need some time to make interactions with other students. So, after making interaction, then I will be so energetic and all. And I was so naughty. And on the first day itself, I think I fell down in playing with someone and I got injured. And I was so shy and afraid to say that to my teacher. And when they found that I always, that the blood was coming from the injury. And that's the way how they found out. And I was so excited.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
ielts logo

Get the IELTS Prep App

Star rating icon

4.2

1M+ Installs

 app download banner image

Get the app link on your phone

+91

Or download app from

google play storeapp store
master ielts speaking ad