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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

When I was 3 years old, that was my first experience that I got for school. That was my kindergarten in Shishiniketan Public School 66, that's situated in Mohali, in Punjab, in India. And that was my first day, my grandfather dropped me on a scooter. I was crying out loud that day, that was a bad day for me. But now, it's nostalgia, I feel so good and I was crying out loud, my grandfather was not, you know, he was also like me only, he was also emotional. But my teachers encouraged me, they made me happy, like other students were playing, dancing in the garden area. So from there, I got excited, I also indulged in those activities. On that day, probably 3 or 4 hours, I have to remain in the school, so that day, there was a garden period, I accidentally fall, a student, you know, pushed me and there was an injury on my knee, but that was literally very hard for me. But that's okay, everyone, you know, feels these experiences, so that's not an issue. But now, nostalgia hits me so hard that, what were those days, yeah, I mean, yes, so thanks.

Band 6-7

Honestly, I don't remember the first day of my primary school, but I do remember my first day at my new school, which was after I moved from the primary school because that school was only till the fifth class for further education. I had to move from that school. I remember when I first moved for my sixth class in a new school, I was very nervous because it was going to be my first day with the new students and also I felt somehow very upset because I had to leave my friends from the back of the school. So I remember when I first visited the school with my grandfather, one of the teachers took me to my class. When I entered the class, I was very nervous. I was feeling so anxious and when my teacher asked me to introduce myself to the whole class, I couldn't speak a word. I was just standing there without opening my mouth or saying something, but when a student asked me my name and from which school I came from, it really inspired me and encouraged me to speak. Then I just introduced myself and told them about my back school. After that, my teacher made me sit with that girl and I am very grateful.

Band 6-7

So, it was my first day after transferring to a school called SRNHS, so after going to that school, I was kind of nervous at the starting. This school is located in Hanmakonda Warangal, but when I visited over there, it was like very big school, and I don't know any person in that school. So after joining for the first time, the day was very nervous, and the teacher told me to sit in one classroom. So in the break time, I came outside to watch over, and roaming around the corridor, I forgot the class, and the class name was not mentioned on door, and only room number was mentioned. So I forgot the room number, also I don't remember anyone from my class. So that's the reason I forgot where my class is. So after searching for one hour or two, I did not find any. So I directly approached one of the faculty over there, and with that panicness, I asked him to locate my class. He helped me with his good gesture, and showed me the class where I should sit. After going to the class, it was kind of a relief that I found my class. So the day was very much full of panic, and full of nervousness. I managed the day, and it was kind of good.

Band 6-7

I must tell you my first day experience at school. It was during 1995 I started going to the school that is St. John's Metropolitan High Secondary School. Further, I must tell you how I felt that day. Every single face that I saw during my first day at school was completely not familiar. I started crying. I was shouting at the top of my lungs to go back home but I wasn't allowed by the teachers. Consequently, I felt like a fish out of water. Though many students there came to me themselves to talk, I wasn't in a position to ice break myself with them. I felt why on the earth did I go.

Band 6-7

I went to my school called DM high school. When I was four years old, I went for the first time to my primary school, that is the DM high school and I felt great there because since I was a child, I made good friends and obviously I was crying because I never wanted to leave my parents and I was crying them like you know, they could be with me, so I think it was a very good thing, how I feel is like, so it all was a good memory for me. So, secondly when I went there, I feel like never to leave the school and initially I was crying, but then later I felt like this is the best place for me, for my education, so I didn't leave it. But when I see those images of my childhood, I really miss and I feel like to go there.

Band 6-7

I went to a school called Vyasa Vidyalaya near my residential area. It is located in Puzhidivakkam, Chennai. It is a matriculation high secondary school and I did my high schooling there. Adding on, the day that I visited that school was very heart pounding for me because it was a new environment and a lot of new kids were in there who were of not my type. Furthermore, the school was not as big as my old school but however I could see that the teachers and the faculties that were in school were very kind and welcoming to me. What I observed on the first day was the students were very aggressive and they were very hyperactive and finally I would say that the school had a very good prayer system to initiate the day and I think I spent a very good time in the school until I finished it.

Band 6-7

I feel that the school time is the best time that we live. It's like full of memories and full of emotions. We don't have any stress or responsibilities and it's the best time of our life and when we are into it we feel like we are so much burdened, we have so much pressure but actually we later realized that it was the golden period of our life. So when I first went to the school like the play school I was very like a child, always I was a child, like I used to cry a lot. My mother tells me this as I don't remember anything but yeah she tells me that I used to cry so much that my teacher has to call my parents to come and take me home and I was very emotional, homesick and I did not ever wanted to leave my mother and I used to cry a lot but when I went to a school like in pre-nursery when I went to a school it was great like I was not even crying I was full happy, seeing the swings, seeing the playground I was all excited but my mom tells me now that when I saw the other children crying I just cried and it's like very funny to listen that I was so quietly dependent on other people and it's fine I was a kid so yeah no regrets but

Band 6-7

I studied in Crescent Public School, Chalakudi. I joined... Chal... Chal... I joined my school... Chal... I joined my school... Chal... Chal... My school's name is Crescent Public School, Chalakudi. I joined there... for 3rd standard. I had studied 3rd standard twice. Once I was in State Syllabus in SH Girls High Secondary School, Chalakudi. And then I moved to Crescent Public School, Chalakudi. First day of school was most memorable day that I have ever had from that school. During the first day, all the new admissions... all the new students were called out on the stage and principal. And the students applauded us and gave us flowers, chocolates, sweets, etc. And they welcomed us very honorably. Then afterwards, we moved back to our classes. I was in Class 3A. And my class teacher was Ms. Faizana. She was the best teacher that I have ever seen in my life. Who was very supportive, who was very caring, who was very loving. And she was my second mother in that school. She was my second mother in that school. And to be honest, she is my favorite teacher in Crescent Public School, Chalakudi. She used to support us. She used to look after us like her baby. Give us care. I love Faizana so much. To be frankly, I love the school very much. Their reputation, their infrastructure, their way of handling the students. All was very nice. It was quite impressive for me.

Band 6-7

I studied in Bethany and every academic year would start on June 2nd. The first day of school always consisted of an assembly which included a little prayer, the school song being sung, an address by our principal or some teachers, an introduction of the different class teachers every section would have and some songs being sung. During the first hour the parents would drop us off, give us a hug, wish us all the best and send us off. Every first day of school I remember being extremely motivated, there were a lot of exciting things to look forward to like the new teachers, subjects, classrooms, additionally since every next year the students in each class would not be the same, there is always a mystery as to whether our friends would be in the same room as us, furthermore it was also an opportunity for us to make new friends.

Band 6-7

School days are the best time of everyone's life. Here I would like to describe my first school day. I was 6 years old when I first time go to school. The name of the school that I joined was Vidyamandir Senior Secondary School. I was little frightened because it was the first time when I have to left my parents for the whole day. Also on the other side my parents were also stressed about me, how I will handle it. But when I entered the school the ambience was so attractive. And the staff and the teachers make me feel comfortable in that place. I was very impressed with the vibrant colors of the class. The full comfort zone was there for a child. Furthermore I felt over the moon because of the toys placed there. They also have the facility of the small rides that uplift the mood of the child. I spent 5 hours there and it was so magical that I don't want to come back. I come back and meet my parents and I was smiling. They were also happy to see me. I think it is the best time when I was frightened in the first but overcome it and come back in a positive era. So it was the hard work of the teachers.
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