Describe an occasion when you got incorrect information - IELTS Cue Card

Introduction to IELTS Cue Cards 

Understanding IELTS cue cards is the first step; answering them requires careful thought. The examiner gives you one minute to reflect on the topic presented. Before you respond to the second task of the IELTS speaking section, take the time to fully comprehend the topic. Outline the key points and think of related ideas that will help you structure a coherent response.

Here are the main points to consider for the topic, Describe an Occasion When You Got Incorrect Information:

• When did you get it?
• How Did You Get It?
• How Did You Find It Was Incorrect?
• How Do You Feel About It?

The following image illustrates what a typical cue card for part 2 of the IELTS speaking test might look like:

Before proceeding, ensure that you provide the examiner with a clear and nuanced response that describes the issue presented on the cue card. Use the samples below to improve your grammar, fluency, and vocabulary for IELTS. Additionally, these examples will assist you in learning the structure of the response.

Describe an Occasion When You Got Incorrect Information - Sample 1

Look at the first sample answer for this cue card and learn how to use the correct vocab in your answer.

Introduction

I remember an incident of getting incorrect information during my internal college exams when the question paper was leaked.

When Did You Get It?

It was in my second year of college during an internal Applied Physics test, when we got the particulars that the question paper got blatant and there was nothing from the curriculum.

How Did You Get It?

The information was disseminated in the unofficial college group with my classmates and a classmate posted the same. He got his hands on the question paper from his friend from a different department and shared it with our group.

How Did You Find It Was Incorrect?

Everyone started panicking as the test was just an hour away and started cramming the answers. It was in the nick of time when I saw the department name and fathom that it was not ours and confirmed the same with our professor.

How Do You Feel About It?

It was quite dispiriting to know as I had prepared seriously for the test and the questions were none of my known. However, there was a little hope when I saw the incorrect department name. And though our professor got a bit indignant for believing that, he clarified our query and it made me happy. So, I finally gave that test serenely.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would say that it was a scary experience filled with peak emotions even for a short duration. I was all tensed and vulnerable looking at the incorrect paper initially but after confirmation from my professor, I felt slacken and this made me comprehend to not believe in random forwards or messages in groups without official vindication.

{{IELTS_speaking_mock_test}}

Describe an Occasion When You Got Incorrect Information - Sample 2

This is the second sample answer that you can use in your IELTS speaking section. Here’s how you can respond to this IELTS cue card.

Introduction

There was an occasion when I got incorrect information about a meeting in the office with a client abroad which left me perturbed and embarrassed.

When Did You Get It?

It was our quarter end when I was given the responsibility to schedule a team meeting with our client abroad to discuss the team's performance and the client's queries. So, I was the sole person who confirmed the availability, assembled the resources, and conducted the whole meeting when I misunderstood the client's availability.

How Did You Get It?

When I had an initial call with the client to confirm his availability for the meeting with the team, I mistook his time as per the GMT with IST and arranged the meeting as per Indian Standard Time, which is 9 hours 30 minutes ahead of his GMT.

How Did You Find It Was Incorrect?

When I had set up everything ready for the meeting and was giving a final check to the resources, I ran through my notes to see if I missed out on anything and realized the mistake then.

How Do You Feel About It?

I felt really embarrassed for such a silly mistake and got disquieted about how the team and client would react. It was really difficult at that moment to think of how to explain this to everyone and handle the situation but the client took it lightly and rejig his schedule to attend the meeting which made me feel better.

Conclusion

To conclude, I was really nervous and anxious about how to handle the situation because the responsibility was big but the team was supportive to re-schedule if the client wasn't ready. However, the client was also okay to adjust his schedule. This made me realize the importance of substantiate meeting essentials carefully at least a day before to avoid last-minute hassles.

Describe an Occasion When You Got Incorrect Information - Sample 3

Look at the third sample answer for the specific cue card, "Describe an occasion when you got incorrect information", and know how to frame your answer with the specific points.

Introduction

It was an occasion of my summer vacation with my family when I got incorrect information that almost made me miss my train.

When Did You Get It?

I was on a vacation with my family to a place we had never been before and it has 2 railway stations on either end of the city which we were unenlightened of.

How Did You Get It?

After visiting all the famous spots we thought of on that day, we stopped at a hotel near the end of the city. There after food, we booked a cab to the railway station, when the driver said, it would take him half an hour only and dropped us at the erroneous airport. It looked different from the one we came to and was also secluded.

How Did You Find It Was Incorrect?

Looking at the condition of the station, we probed at the counter and came to know it was an old station that only has local trains passing and the main station is on the other end of the city.

How Do You Feel About It?

It felt daunting and fraught as we had other plans connected to this trip but luckily there was a local train after 5 minutes that could take us to a place near the main station. So, we ended up catching the right train in the nick of time and it was an intrepid rush.

Conclusion

Overall, it was a feeling of mixed emotions- trepidation, disgruntlement, stress, anxiety, and more but this experience got me to learn to corroborate the details properly and to check the drop points well before booking any cab.

These are a few samples for the IELTS speaking part 2 questions. Moving forward, the next section is where the interviewer asks you some questions based on the long-format topic of section 2. Learn more about them in the next section.

Lexical Resources

In this section, let’s take a quick look at the terminologies used in the above three samples along with their meaning to improve your IELTS vocabulary:

Lexical Resources	Meaning
Particulars	Details of an event or person
Blatant	Done openly without any secrecy
Curriculum	Comprising a course of study in a school or college
Disseminated	To spread out something
Panicking	To feel nervous or alarmed
Cramming	To study intensively for a short period of time, especially before exams
Fathom	To understand something after considering it for some time
Dispiriting	To lose enthusiasm about something
Indignant	To feel anger or annoyance
Serenely	To feel peace and calmness
Vulnerable	To feel weak emotionally or fear
Slacken	To reduce tension or to relax
Comprehend	Understand something
Vindication	Official confirmation that something is right
Perturbed	Feeling of anxiety or concern
Assembled	To gather something together
Disquieted	The feeling of anxiety and worry
Rejig	To re-organize or arrange something
Substantiate	To get confirmation or assurance of the truth
Unenlightened	Lack of understanding or knowledge
Erroneous	Wrong or incorrect
Probed	Inquiring and Uncovering information
Daunting	Difficult and fearful
Fraught	The feeling of anxious or anxiety
Intrepid	Adventurous feeling
Trepidation	Fearing about something to happen
Disgruntlement	Feeling dissatisfied about something
Corroborate	Confirmation or supporting something

This list of lexical resources will help you ace the cue card round. Now, let's look at some possible follow-up questions that will be asked in Part 3 of the speaking portion.

{{IELTS_mock_test}}

Follow-up Questions for IELTS Speaking Section

Once you are done speaking on the cue card topic, the interviewer asks you some follow-up questions related to the same. This is to test how you use idioms, phrases, sentence formation, idea framing, and other such pointers. So, you need to be careful when you answer them. Here are a few questions that can help you practice for the same.

What Was Your Emotional Response to the Situation?

Answer for Sample 1:

It was quite overwhelming to know that the paper was leaked because first thing, it was incorrect and inappropriate. Second thing, no question from the leaked paper was as per the syllabus which left me doubting my exam preparation. Amidst all this, there was a constant fear about the punishment for communicating incorrect information. However, after knowing that it was incorrect, I felt relaxed.

Answer for Sample 2:

I was embarrassed and anxious at that moment because it was an international client and disappointing him could cost me my job in the worst case. Since the whole team had to adjust their schedule according to this meeting, it made me feel disheartened about how could I miss such important detail. However, the teams' and clients' supportive nature and understanding made me feel better and deal with the situation in an efficient way.

Answer for Sample 3:

The moment I realized the mistake, panic kicked in. I was left shocked and tensed since the further plans were interlinked with this journey and putting my whole family into this situation just left me worrying. However, I took a minute to calm down and then after Inquiry, figured out the next plan of action.

What Was Your Key Takeaway from This Experience?

Answer for Sample 1:

The key takeaway I found from this experience is to believe in only official communication and not trust anything and everything shared by anybody in groups without verifying the source of the information. In other words, I also understood the importance of relying on only the right way and not using any shortcuts or malpractices.

Answer for Sample 2:

The key takeaway for me from this experience is to pay attention to keen and small details which play an important role. This also taught me to verify and cross-check all details before confirming anything.

Answer for Sample 3:

The key takeaway I have from this experience is to have everything properly planned along with details about distance, time, station name, and so on. Moreover, it is important to have clear communication with locals before proceeding, and verifying details before booking a cab or anything for that case would be helpful.

What Are Some Ways to Verify the Authenticity of Information?

Answer for Sample 1:

The first way to verify the authenticity of the information is to know its source and then cross-check with the concerned people who are related to it. There is also another way for this and that is to directly contact the person who provides authentic information only.

Answer for Sample 2:

One way to do this is, to share the scheduled meeting details with everyone to confirm if all are on the right page. Another way to do this is to pay attention to information sources and confirm the details before taking things forward.

Answer for Sample 3:

The information can be checked for its authenticity by verifying the source, checking on the internet, asking locals, and sharing your plans. This could also be done by taking the help of someone who is experienced or who knows things better in this particular arena.

So, with these samples, you know how to prepare for the IELTS speaking section. However, if you are still not confident and need expert help, then don’t worry; here are some professional tips for you.

5+ Expert Tips to Excel in IELTS Cue Card - Speaking Section

Though the speaking segment takes the shortest duration, it is the most crucial one which is why students fear it the most. So, here are a few professional tips to help you frame the perfect answer:

• Always understand the cue card first
• Focus on the key ideas in the beginning
• Maintain a consistent flow of thoughts
• Stay relevant to the topic in the cue card
• Use rich vocabulary, the right idioms and phrases
• Prepare a structure beforehand to follow
• Speak with confidence and maintain eye contact
• Use the right pronunciation and speak fluently
• Avoid fillers in communication like eh, um, uh, etc.
• Follow the policy of simple, clear, and soft speech

These are the tips if you implement them well, you can be assured of guaranteed success and the best band score. Moreover, if you're still in doubt you can take IELTS mock test to get an idea of how it works. For more information, feel free to contact our experts for a quick session and get your confidence back!

Conclusion

This brings us to the end of this blog related to the cue card topic, “Describe an occasion when you got incorrect information” for IELTS speaking part 2. Thus, you might now know the importance of this section and the role it plays in your band score. However, if you still have any queries or want to know anything in detail, you can always reach out to our experts who are here to help you. All you need to do is, just get in touch with them and they can guarantee you the best grades.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Why IELTS Speaking Section Is Tough?

Students who do not practice topics well for this can find it tough but with the right guidance, you can easily clear this.

2. What Questions Are Asked in the Speaking Section of IELTS?

Here, you have to introduce yourself first. Then you will get a topic on the cue card. You have to talk about it for 2 minutes. Then, the interviewer will ask you some questions related to the topic.

3. How Should I Prepare for the Cue Card?

You can read about different topics and situations in general. There is usually a general situation-based topic in the cue cards that you can think of or relate to. So, you can prepare accordingly.

4. How to Answer the Questions Well?

The first thing is, to understand the topic well. Then, be confident about your answer and maintain a flow of it. Do not get nervous and speak clearly.

5. What to Do If Interviewer Asks If I’ve More to Say?

That means there is still some time left or he wants to know more from you. So, reply with a yes first and then continue the answer. But, make sure to add relevant points only.