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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

So, 2009 July 1 was my first day of kindergarten. That was the first time I have stepped into an education field. I was 6 years old when I joined my kindergarten and the name of my school was Janata Sikshan Samiti High School. So, I was living in Malapur. I have been to school in a bus. First day of school, in bus I was sitting at the back seat with one of my new friend called Rahul. I reached school at 9.30 sharp and our class teacher enters with a white sari and her name was Ritu. She was so kind and very sweet to us. And Prem was my bench mate who was sitting beside me. After two hours, we got a short break. I brought fruits to have for my short break and later we had a physical training session for one hour. Thereafter, we were left for lunch. I bought my favourite dish which was Maggi. But, I got scoldings from my teacher since it was not good to have Maggi. After that, at the time of 4.30, the last bell rings and we go to home.

Band 6-7

So, my first day in my school called as Utpal Sanghvi Global School was in 2008 when I was in first grade. I don't remember much of this day, but definitely the memories do have a flashback. When I entered the building, I was so nervous. I didn't know anyone at the school. I was ready to make new friends as I'm an extrovert, trying to be friendly and gel in the environment. I spoke to many teachers. Everyone was so excited for their first experience of their school, excited to see all the books and the crayons and the different types of classes like dance, drama. We had so much of activities. We played with everyone. We had a chit-chat session. We had an introduction session with everyone. Also, I made four of my new friends, which are definitely my closest friends, I think made on the very first day of my school. I usually sit with them every day. On the first day...

Band 6-7

To be very honest, I don't actually remember how was the exact day of my school because I was barely 2 or 3 years old maybe. But as far as I remember, I went to kindergarten at the age of 2.5 or 3 maybe and first of all I remember was that I was crying and crying a lot. Just that the experience of going away from your parents for the very first time alone and doing something on your own was, I feel really just stress on your mind and the day when I actually sat in the bus, I was crying and then I just didn't look up and was just looking on the floor and when I went to the school first of all.

Band 6-7

On my first day of school I was not at all excited. I would say that I was like crying on any words of the time on that day but fortunately my teacher was very kind to me. She tried to handle me very calmly and even offered me some candies so that I convinced to sit in the class properly without having any issue. She also made sure that I don't feel like very strange and or a stranger in the class. Additionally there were some cute children at the time and they also from my neighbor who started to talk to me and my mood getting better on that day. That was the first time that I spent a lot of time outside my house. In addition to this I also experienced various kind of games that I didn't played before in my house. And finally I will say that that was a very good and scaring experience for me simultaneously because it was the first time I went out from the home that long and make very good friend and meet a very good teacher.

Band 6-7

So, the first day at my school, I studied in Kamal English School, which is in Bangalore, Padmanabhan Nagar. It was a school which I really wanted to go as also my friend used to go over there. This school was recommended by my father's friend. So even I was very excited to go to this school. So before entering the school, you need to write an exam, like an entrance exam to get in this school. So I had written the exam and I had scored really well. So I was really happy, my parents were happy. So I joined this school when I was in UKG. On the first day of school, I still remember my mom woke me up early in the morning. I got ready, I took shower, I prayed. You know the first day of wearing the school dress, it feels really happy to wear the clothes. And I had really nice, good uniform. It was not bad because few schools have really bad uniform. I had really good uniform. So my father and my mom took me to the school. We went, they spoke to my class teacher. I was really happy. But once I entered, I started feeling nervous because I had left my parents. I was feeling, you know, I was feeling really nervous and I was missing them suddenly. And I went, they made us to sit in the classroom. I sat with two or three girls and suddenly I was really nervous at that point. And the girl who was sitting beside me, she started crying. So even I got emotional after some time, she was crying, crying, crying for a long time. Then looking at her.

Band 6-7

I was in Sharjah till I completed my twelfth, so my first day of school was in my school named New Indian Model School, Sharjah. And there, as you know, we had different nationalities, and everyone didn't speak in my mother tongue. So it was very hard for me. And I remember that first day, it was my sister who took me to the class, and I wasn't willing to go in. I cried my eyes out, and the teacher had to finally push me inside the classroom and shut the door, which made me even more anxious. And I remember sitting with two kids who were Pakistanis, and I couldn't even talk to them as they spoke different languages. It was very stressful. After sitting for hours crying, I finally had the chance to get out of the classroom once the class was over. My sister again came to pick me up, and on the way to home, in the bus, I saw that my cousin sister was also there, whose first day was also today, I mean that day. So we both shared our experiences, and I felt a bit of calm in my heart as I came to know that someone else is also going through the same thing that I'm going through.

Band 6-7

Whether it is really difficult to describe the day because it has been a long time. The first day I attended the school but still I am able to recall some of the memories which were created on the very first day when I stepped into the school. The school, it was a local school in my village, in my village only and what do I remember, what do I, what I am able to recall that my father, he went to drop me for the first day and I was the only child from my family who went to the school without creating any trouble. I was very curious, I was excited to go to school. When my bag was packed, my new books and notebooks, my lunch box, I was ready in my new uniform. This all added mirth to my life and I was very excited and when I reached at the school I found my teachers also very affable and they tried to make all the children very comfortable because we were going there for the first day and when I started, when I opened, I was curious to open my books and my notebooks and how the day passed, even I don't remember but what do I remember that I always and that was the day that did not create any fear but it created an excitement inside me so that I go to the school every day.

Band 6-7

Though it's quite a long time when I went to my school for the very first time, but I still remember my first day at school. My parents went to drop me on my first day of school. I was very nervous. The whole time I sat quiet, did not talk with anyone, and I was feeling very low. But around lunch, teacher asked all of us to gather around a round table and sit together and have the lunch together. And that was when I got to know two of my best friends, whom I'm still having that friendship with, and we chatted for long hours. And after lunch, teacher did not ask us to return to our studies. We kept talking and we shared our food also. Then we played a bit with our lunchboxes, giving our lunchboxes to each other, and you know, a sort of game we started playing. It was very engaging for kids at that age, and I still cherish that first day of my school.

Band 6-7

I still remember when I went to school on my first day, I went with my father. The school name was Citizen Model School, nearest about my home. And other children of my neighbor also eagerly interested to go there. In my first day when I went to the school, I met my teacher. Her name was Raman and she was so beautiful. She was very gorgeous and calm mind lady. She also used to teach us English as well as Mathematics. And I knew all about the day. I wore a uniform and met with many children named Raman, Suman, Geeta, Mingtu also. Along with I did lot of activities with my teacher and principal also. As well as I felt very happy about to go to school. From the day I also feel, still I feel very happy that I gain more knowledge from that day to till day. In my daily life routine, it helped me a lot to boost my physical strength as well as mental health also. And I also believe everyone should study and go to school for their maintained discipline and other time schedule.

Band 6-7

To all the students, my first day at school was really beautiful and a good memory. I remember the beautiful fragrant flowers at the courtyard attracted me to my school. When I reached the school, my class teacher came out of the classroom and say a hi to me and she took me to the class and when all the children came to the class, the teacher started taking the attendances. Every time when she calls the name of student, she gave chocolates to them. Her first class was alphabets. She taught A to Z. We also started saying whatever she taught repeatedly. When my maths teacher came to the class, I was bit nervous because I was really bad in mathematics. Therefore, teacher used to call me to the front and tell me to do the mathematical problems on the board every day. That was my first day at school.
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