IELTS Cue Card - Describing the Best Gift or Present You Ever Received

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IELTS Speaking is divided into three parts, and the second part is where you have to do some sort presentation based on several questions written in a cue card. Today, we are going to try another IELTS Speaking cue card, and talk about a special gift you ever received. This is one of the most common questions given to test takers. Take a look at a sample cue card below!

Describe the best gift/ present you have ever received.

You should say:

• What the gift was

• Who gave it to you

• When you have received it

and explain why it is the best gift you have ever received

Follow-up Questions:

Do you think that gift giving will play an important role in daily life in the future? Why?

Compare the gifts which people have received 10 years ago to the gifts that people now are receiving? What's the difference between them?

Do you think that the brand name is very important when it comes to giving a present?


Sample Answer

I have received a lot of gifts, and one of the most special and memorable gift I have received is a bouquet. My girlfriend gave it to me back in 2016. I was a senior student back then, and had to do a thesis defense in front of the board of examiners. All students have to do a thesis defense, so it was not the kind of thing my friends were worried about. I was different, though, as I didn't feel the same ease. I went to college with a full academic scholarship, and I had a lot of pressure when it comes to academic excellence. Besides, I knew that the thesis defense would determine my final GPA, and the GPA will be a clear indication my future success.

I was very nervous as I waited for my turn to give a presentation. I became tense and felt nauseous. My girlfriend was already there, trying to calm me down and telling me that everything was gonna be alright. I was not as tense as I would have been as she sat beside me. I've always had a good sense of humour and would naturally tell her some jokes. Apparently, it really helped me overcome my fear and anxiety. It was my turn to do a presentation, as one of the examiners told me to prepare. I glanced at my girlfriend as I entered the room. She just smiled. I noticed that she was not bringing anything, just her purse. I was not bothered with her giving a gift or anything after I finished my thesis defense. Her presence there means everything to me, and that is the best gift in my entire life.

The thesis defense went pretty smoothly, though I knew that the examiners didn't go easy on me. I went out of the room, relieved. And right after I closed the door, I saw my girlfriend standing there, in the hallway. She brought a bouquet of flowers and was waiting there with some of my best friends. I almost teared up, trying not to be overwhelmed by my own feeling. Some might say that a bouquet was not the best gift a man can receive, but it was not about the bouquet. No. I was having some serious struggles with life, college, and my own insecurity, and having someone who was always there for me was the best gift a man can have. In the end, she was right. Everything is gonna be alright, because she is the one who makes it right.

Sample Answers for Follow Up Questions

Do you think that gift giving will play an important role in daily life in the future? Why?

I'm not sure if gift will be important in the daily life, because gifts have always been meant for social events like birthday or wedding. What makes them special is that you don't get those everyday. But in general, I can say that giving gifts is a very important part of our social interaction. For example, when our neighbors are inviting us for a dinner, we will normally being something for them, like a bottle of wine or a box of chocolates. It is a way of giving an appreciation for their kind invitation. Some people say that it's just a common decency, but these small things are highly regarded by the civilized society.

Compare the gifts which people have received 10 years ago to the gifts that people now are receiving? What's the difference between them?

I think, people used to give something meaningful to their loved ones. This doesn't to be something fancy, luxuorious or expensive. For example, in the past, a father would buy a karaoke machine because he knew that his daughter loved singing and wanted to be a singer someday. He gave that sort of gifts because he knew his children very well. In contrary, people tend to give something useful these days. What I mean by useful here is like, something which has a utility, but not necessarily special. For example, my friend's dad bought her a car for her sweet seventeen birthday. This was not because she liked automotive or racing or anything like that. Her daddy realized that she would soon be ready to get her driving license, and a brandnew car is a logical choice for a gift.

Do you think that the brand name is very important when it comes to giving a present?

It depends. If you are the kind of crazy rich person who wants to give a present for your someone's birthday, a person who happens to be your business partner's daughter, then you will most likely buy branded gifts. Businessman buying a branded leather bag worth thousands of dollars for a birthday is not something peculiar. They don't bother looking at the price tag, because they do it to maintain a good relationship with his business partners. But if you are just an ordinary person like me, buying gift won't be that costly, I guess. Sometimes my close friends invite me for dinner and treated me some drink to celebrate my birthday. I always think that their presence and prayers are more than enough for me, but they know I'd never refuse a gift, especially when it s given by a special person.


Tips for IELTS Speaking part 2

• Some questions previously mentioned require you to give real examples. Practice telling your own story! Be a good story teller!

• Do not make up stories. Some people find it hard to elaborate their answers by giving examples, so they end up making up stories. Well, making up stories is much harder than telling your own experience. You need a good imagination. You need a good skill to arrange your ideas so that your stories will sound natural. You need extra effort to talk about something that wasn't there in the first place. It is difficult to talk about things you never did. So, be honest and tell your own stories!

• Be careful with Tenses. When telling personal experience, we naturally talk about something that happen in the past, so you must use the past Tense most of the time. It's often confusing if we have to use simple past tense or simple present tense. Just remember that simple preset tense is explaining something habitual, something that you regularly do. Simple past tense is more specific, since it is used to explain something happening in a specific time in the past.

• Often do we have to resist the temptation to digress. Make sure you give comprehensive and relevant answers, always.