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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 183 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

My first day at school was absolutely unplanned. I was around six years old. We used to stay in a small town. And just across the road, there was a primary school where my elder sister used to study. Now my elder sister was two and a half years older than me. When she used to go to school, for the whole duration, I was super bored because I had no one to play with. I clearly remember she was studying in class three. So she would go to school for six hours. And then after coming back, she would do the homework as well. So my playtime with my sister got reduced by a lot. So I started nagging to my parents that I also want to go to school. I don't, as I was not able to find anything to do during the daytime. Even if it was long time ago, I clearly remember the time was around March when the sessions had already been started. But I was so adamant that my father got me dressed up in one of the uniforms of my sister and sent me to school.

Band 6-7

I still remember the day when I went to the school for the first time. The school was a pre-school which was 10 minute drive from the house where I used to live. I still remember that day when I got up and I wore my new uniform. My mother dressed me up, she combed my hair, packed my lunch and then my father dropped me at the school. Initially I was hesitant and maybe anxious at that time that I cried and didn't want to enter the school leaving my father behind. But then a teacher was there to receive me and she took me to the class. From what I remember, I got really comfortable when I entered the classroom. I saw a lot of children of my age dressed similarly. The first day was really fun. We started with interaction session where our principal and the respective class teachers introduced themselves to us. Then we had a running activity and a clay modeling session followed by a really good meal which was served by the school. When I was leaving, my teacher also gave me a chocolate muffin for my good behavior on that day. Initially I was hesitant and didn't want to go to the school that's why I cried. But when I left the school the first day, I came back with a lot of memories, new friends and I was really happy.

Band 6-7

The first day of my school, it was at West Bengal. It was a summer morning. The name of the school is Kante Bablu School in West Bengal. The environment was very calm when I first entered the gate. What really overwhelmed me was the infrastructure of that very kind. I haven't seen it ever. The atmosphere made me calm and it gave me a sense of learning, growth and exposure towards me which will remain intact forever. Apart from that, the faculties and the staffs came in and held with every possible scenario. That kind of gave me something homely which boosted my communication, my confidence as well.

Band 6-7

I would like to share an experience with you about my first day at school. So when I was in middle school, I've changed my school due to my dad because his job is transferred. So we have to move into other city. So the day when I went to school, I felt very scared. I don't know why but I was feeling very nervous going to school. But when I entered into a classroom, it was very loud. Loudly the students are fighting. Some students are eating. Some students are like... They were so clumsy. So I have taken a seat and when first class began, the English teacher came and asked me to come here and introduce myself. So with feeling some nervous and confidence, I went there and introduced myself confidently. And I have made friends. At lunch, we went to canteen to eat. So I have given them a treat because it was my first day. So I have made so many friends on my first day of school. And it was a memorable day in my life.

Band 6-7

So in 2012, my father got transferred to a local village named Pyamlin, Uttar Pradesh. At that time I was just about 13 and 14 years of age. Then when I came to this small town, my parents decided to admit it into a good school. There were only two schools which are on top. One is Cerberus and another one is St. Francis. St. Francis is basically ICSC board and Cerberus is a CBSE board. So my dad instantly decided that he will make me to take admission in ICSC board. Then I gave my exam. I passed my exam and I got admission in 4th grade. When I got admission in 4th grade, it was Monday. That was my first day of school. I went there. Everything was very new to me. The people there, the teachers, the students, all were new to me. Although the classmates at that time were very good, but I was not feeling my best at that day because I was very much scared. What if someone say me anything or what if I get detached from them. What if any teacher have asked me something. So basically I was very shy and I was very stage-feared. Later that day I was sitting quietly in a corner, but during my lunch time one of my classmates came to me and asked me my name and from where I have come. And through that we two became friends. Her name is Sakhi and she is still my friend. We have been in a...

Band 6-7

As I completed my standard, I changed my school to Bhulka Vihar School, which was located nearby my area. On first day, I visited to Bhulka Vihar School in my school uniform. As I entered in my classroom, all new students were sitting on bench. I go to my respected place and sat there. After some time, teacher came welcoming us with sweets and cold drinks. Then we started our session with introduction. One by one, every student was standing near their place and giving introduction about themselves. The introduction of every student was too good. On my turn, I gave a beautiful speech about my daily routine, my lifestyle, how my parents work, how they work hard and they give me opportunity to study in this school. And after completion, everyone appreciated with clap. And that moment, it was too good for me, getting appreciation on first day. Further, we discussed about how we are going to study and work on. Like we will have different subjects like statistics, economics, accounting and many after that different faculties came and talked with us that they will going to take this lecture and so on.

Band 6-7

I did my primary schooling in a school called Kendra Vidyalaya Haipal here in Bangalore. I don't remember clearly my first day of school but I vaguely remember it. The story basically comes from my mom who of course very clearly remembers what happened on the first day of my school. So it's an interesting story and here it goes. I was applying for different Kendra Vidyalaya schools because they were one of the top schools to study in. My sister was already studying at Kendra Vidyalaya Haipal and she's two years older than me. So my parents were very focused on sending me to the same school since I'd have a helping hand and a mentor. I remember going in for an interview to the principal's office on the first day of school and I was so confident that I was going to get in or I don't know if it was a tactic of my parents, I was already wearing the school uniform. So when I went in, I remember the principal asking me if I was sure I was going to get in and I said yeah of course, look at my marks and I'm confident so I'm of course going to get in. He laughed and he was really amused by the confidence I had and then eventually I did get an admit into the school. I think that gave me a sense of confidence and also I was really really proud that I could achieve something I thought of. The school taught me a lot of values and instilled a sense of leadership in me I remember. I remember promising my mother that I would be the class monitor in the first month of the first standard and as a twist of fate, I did become the monitor and I was very proud of this achievement and my mom thought I really had leadership qualities.

Band 6-7

To describe a surreal experience which I had on visiting my school on the first day was very memorable to me. After completing my pre-EKG, my parents had moved forward in getting a good admission for my primary education, so I was supposed to attend an interview to clear all the rounds and get an admission over there. The next day we went, my parents and I had reached the school and the moment I stepped onto the environment, it was very greenery and perplexing. The most attractive thing among the school was the zoo which was meant for primary school children to feed over there and I was having an overlook about the infrastructure which was very rigorous and there were extracurricular activities being arranged for school which was more favourite to me because I am well-versed in extracurricular activities like cricket and football. So, I thought of this environment is perfect for me and it would be better I would get a chance in studying in this school. After that, I noticed some classrooms which are modern and the teachers who are very kind enough for the students to solve their doubts and the interaction among the students was also perplexing and I thought I never expected this kind of teacher because my previous experience in my pre-EKG was not good, so my parents had to shift over for a good reputed school. Moreover, the food and other systems of the school was very attractive and there were a lot of positive reviews given by seniors.

Band 6-7

Yeah, the first day on my school, I was so nervous and I was also excited because I moved from countryside to the city side for my education and I joined my school at the class 3. It was so nervous because when I went and when I saw my friends, they were like from a previous school, they joined as a batch to this new school, so they were all friendly and making jokes and they were so happy with everyone. I was so nervous, I couldn't talk with anyone. Then later, I found a girl who was from my native, so we could catch up some things which we know together and thus we made a circle with others who were feeling left out and yeah, that was one memorable thing. And everyone, we wore colored dresses on the first day because we didn't get our uniforms properly. So, the first one month was like we were wearing colored dresses, we were showing off our new dresses and making the styling of our hairs and everything. So, that was really such an enjoyable, memorable moment, I would say. And I was also so nervous seeing the staffs because they were so much cleaner in wearing their coats. So, compared from my countryside school where they just wear a sari, it was like so different atmosphere for me and my school was so beautiful. At the start of the day, they had those fun things for kids to enter. They had the toys and they had some standing decorations which made the school look even more beautiful. And they did have drums, we were so enjoying when we entered inside the school. Some kids were crying as well. Well, I was a kid as well, but since the excitement overtook my fear and nervousness, it was

Band 6-7

In 8th standard, I approached to a new school because my old school was closed, so I approached to a new school called Arevata Concept School, which is one of the best schools during those days. I felt that this school will change my entire life, entire way of studying, so I joined in that school. On the day of joining, I felt very nervous because many of the students were new to me. I was nervous because I don't know whether I can make friends or I can talk to teachers properly as it is one of the biggest and best school. I felt that coping with the people, coping with the students will be a problem because I came from a background of very normal background and the school was very high background. I thought that coping with them will be a biggest issue, but when I joined in the school, the teachers are very friendly and I made friends within a span of 3 hours. I think this school explained me how the things should go on and also I got to learn that how the schools become the best. By having friendly teachers and lovely friends, it will be easy to cope up with them and it will be easy for us to learn new things and it will be easy for us to learn many new concepts and we can study very well. I felt that the first day of my school was very impressive and I still remember what I have done on my first day.
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