The IELTS exam consists of 4 sections: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The speaking section has 3 parts. The IELTS cue card is the 2nd part of the IELTS speaking section. This part is crucial for scoring, and this is where you get an unknown topic on which you have to speak for 2 minutes. This blog will help you learn and practice the topic “Describe your best friend”. This will help you get a gist of what a cue card is and what you have to say about it.
Table of Contents
The cue card is the second part of the IELTS speaking section. You will get a prompt in which there will be a general topic. This topic, then, will have elaborated pointers to help you understand what details the examiner is expecting in the answer. After you get the prompt, you get a minute to prepare for answering. In the answer, you have to speak on the given topic for 2 minutes. These 2 minutes are crucial as you will be marked on the basis of what you speak.
The IELTS speaking part 2 is easy to ace with regular practice. As mentioned above, the cue card that the examiner gives you has pointers under the main topic. These are to help the test taker with the content they are about to speak. It is vital because it is possible for students to misunderstand the prompt. Furthermore, this can lead to answering with different details than what the examiner expects. Here is an example for the same on the topic “Describe your best friend”:
This was all about the IELTS speaking part 2. Now, let us look at some sample answers to the above cue card.
Also Read: Describe a Person Who Always Has Interesting Ideas and Opinions
Here is an IELTS cue card sample to help you score over 8 bands in the IELTS exam:
My best friend’s name is Anmol, and I would love to take this opportunity to talk about her as she has been my best friend since school.
Anmol is currently pursuing her law degree from a reputed law school. She is and has always been one of the most diligent students I have ever met. Everyone around her, including me, finds her very kind and considerate towards others.
Surprisingly, we were always in the same class. However, we never spoke much and were only acquaintances. In the 10th standard, my group of friends was seated behind Anmol’s group. This was the time I realized how amiable Anmol is as a person.
The literal meaning of her name is “precious”. Her altruistic nature and charming personality are all one needs on their bad days! She also has an exceptionally academic brain. Her ambitious self does not know when to give up, and this is also what makes her more charismatic and inspiring.
It amazes me how well she handles the highs and lows of her life. Her decision making and reasoning are what made her excel in her personal and professional lives. Anmol is very self-aware and she tries to learn about herself. This is what makes me like her the most. Hence, she is my best friend and my refuge when routine life is unendurable.
To conclude, Anmol is one of the kindest souls I have ever come across.
Also Read: Describe a Film That Impressed You a Lot - IELTS Cue Card
Here is an IELTS cue card sample to help you score over 8 bands in the IELTS exam:
I have a best friend called Naved. A hardworking and disciplined person who is always a role model for those around him.
Naved is an entrepreneur and a generous person. I know him for 3 years now and have found a great friend in him. He is my go-to person for all the issues. He is an outgoing introvert and loves meeting new people. His colleagues and employees have always seen a leader in him. Whenever his team is in any trouble, they turn to Naved with high hopes.
He is my social media friend and lives in a different city. I have met him and found him to be compassionate. In a very few meetings that we had, we did many adventurous things together.
I perceive him as magnanimous and courageous. There have been several incidents where he has shown immense depth in understanding a situation. Moreover, his charming aura makes everyone around him comfortable and assured.
I believe he has a high Emotional Intelligence. This also signifies he has high level of empathy. His presence is often a talk among our common acquaintances. They address how his kindness and goofy nature with them and a determined self at work make him perfectly balance and manage his professional and personal relationships well.
To sum up, Naved is an amazing person and an even better friend! Everyone around him can benefit from him in some way or the other.
Also Read: Describe a Good Advertisement That You Think is Useful- IELTS Cue Card
Here is an IELTS cue card sample to help you score over 8 bands in IELTS exam:
I would like to talk about my best friend, Dhruv.
Dhruv is one of the most exceptional personalities I have ever met. I firmly believe that almost every life has a lot to teach us. However, Dhruv stands out with his multiple talents, like photography, painting, and sketching. He is pursuing a career in event management.
I met Dhruv in college while pursuing my bachelor’s degree. He is a kind human being. He has a business mindset, and hence, we made good friends. We also did a lot of projects together. This helped our bonding strengthen. Our interests have always been far apart.
Dhruv is an energetic youngster who loves to travel and explore. Initially, I found him to be shy and not so outgoing. However, he has opened up to all of us in the second year. This made us realize that he is the most optimistic person in the group.
His polite but reserved behavior is what I found very virtuous. Furthermore, he is an amazing and talented person with a considerate behavior that makes him stand out of others.
To conclude, Dhruv is my best friend, and we connect well for several reasons. As an individual, he is aware, skilled, and an easygoing person.
Also Read: Describe a Time That Something Changed Your Life in Good Ways- IELTS Cue Card
These were the sample answers for the IELTS speaking part 2. Now, let us talk about the lexical resources used above.
Here is a list of vocabulary for IELTS for the above cue card. The table below has the words and their meanings:
| WORD | MEANING |
|---|---|
| Diligent | Having or showing care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties. |
| Considerate | Be careful not to cause inconvenience or hurt to others. |
| Acquaintances | A person one knows slightly, but who is not a close friend. |
| Amiable | Having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner. |
| Altruistic | Showing a disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others; unselfish. |
| Charismatic | The person who possesses special traits that attract, inspire, or fascinate other people |
| Unendurable | Not able to be tolerated or endured. |
| Entrepreneur | A person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so. |
| Outgoing Introvert | A person whose personality has a balance of extrovert and introvert features. |
| Compassionate | Feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others. |
| Magnanimous | Generosity or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person. |
| Aura | A distinctive atmosphere surrounds a given source. |
| Emotional Intelligence | The ability to manage both your own emotions and understand the emotions of people around you. |
| Goofy | Silly |
| Exceptional | Unusually good; outstanding. |
| Strengthen | Make or become stronger. |
| Optimistic | Hopeful and confident about the future. |
| Virtuous | Having or showing high moral standards. |
These were the lexical resources for IELTS cue card. Now, let us talk about the follow-up questions with answers in the section below.
Also Read: Describe a Job You Would Not Like to Do in the Future- IELTS Cue Card
Here are the follow-up questions with answers for the IELTS cue card “Describe your best friend”:
Q1. What do you think are the most important qualities in a friend?
The most important qualities in a friend are compassion and an understanding nature. Friends don’t have to be selfless all the time, but they should be aware of our needs as well. Apart from this, a friend should show empathy and trustworthiness.
Q2. Who are more important to people - friends or family?
This can vary for everyone. Those who do not have a immediate family for some reason, may find friends more important. In other cases, people tend to prioritize family over friends in many scenarios.
Q3. What do you think is the main cause of breakups in friendships?
There are several reasons for friendships to dissolve. It can be a lack of trust and loyalty. In addition to this, it can also happen due to conflict in opinion and interests. Furthermore, this can also develop misunderstandings and even resentment.
Q4. How often do you talk to your friend?
I speak to my friends a lot less than I used to. This has not let them cut me off. However, we both have different sets of people in our lives at the workplace and college. However, we make sure that we meet at least once a month to keep the bond as it is.
These are the follow-up questions with answers. The examiner can also change the language of these questions. It is great advice to keep their different tones in mind. For more tips, read the following section carefully.
Here are some helpful tips and tricks to clear the IELTS cue cards on the first attempt:
1. Try to do a warm-up by speaking in English before the test starts. This will help you stay calm.
2. You can learn a new word and its meaning every day that you can use in daily conversations.
3. Try to speak in English wherever you can; you can do so by yourself as well.
4. Practice with different topics to get familiar with the cue card’s pattern.
5. Using relevant idioms can help you get marks. However, don’t overuse them.
6. Furthermore, using English phrases directly can help you save time. Forming them in your native language first can be time-consuming.
7. Lastly, don’t use too many fancy words and jargon.
To sum up, the IELTS speaking section is one of the easiest sub-tests to clear. This subtest requires you to practice with different topics. Thus, these were answers to a cue card on “describe your best friend.” You can also practice other topics to get familiar with the format. Moreover, there are online IELTS classes for you to enroll in. This coaching can help you to ace the IELTS exam with ease
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