IELTS Speaking Cue Topics 2020

Table of Contents

Latest Cue Topics Jan, 2020

1.Describe one of your family members you spend the most time with

Who is he/she?
What do you usually do together?
What kind of person he/she is?
Why you spend most of the time with him/her?

Follow ups

How many generations usually live together in India?
Is it important to visit family members?
What are the values of family in your country?
Why is family bonding necessary for happiness in life?
Do you think the support from a friend is different from the support from a family member?
Who should be more responsible for educating the children in a family?
Do you think there are differences between how men and women care for children?
Do your parents do household chores equally?

2.Describe an important journey that was delayed.

Why was it important
What caused the delay
What happened at the end
Describe what caused the delay

Follow ups

What mode of travel do you consider the safest?
How do people travel long distance in your country?
How can travelling be useful to people? What do you think people can learn by travelling to other countries?
Where, in our opinion, should people visit during the vacations? What type of places do you recommend people to visit during vacations?
In what ways can society benefit from such members?
How do you think commercial flights can improve?

3.Describe an experience you had as a member of a team

What it was?
Who were the members of the team?
What role did you play in this team?

And explain how you achieved your goal?

Follow ups

Do you like to work alone or work with a partner?
What kind of people are good to work with?
Do you like group work or group learning?
What are the advantages of studying alone?
What can children learn through teamwork?
What are the disadvantages of working in a team?
Is it good to have differences in a team?
What are key skills and abilities needed to be successful in a team.

4. Describe a goal that you achieved, which was set by yourself

What it was
When did you set it
How did you achieve it
Explain how it influenced your life

Follow ups

Do people need to write down goals or simply memorize them?
Do Indian people usually set goals.
Should parents set goals for children?
When do young people start setting goals for themselves?
What are the kinds of goals that are unrealistic?
Do young people and old people have different kinds of goals? What are they?
What is more fulfilling working towards a goal or achieving it?
Do you think it’s important to have realistic goals?

5.Describe a person who has apologized to you

Who this person is?
When this happened?
What this person said for apologizing?
Explain how you felt about the apology?

Follow ups

Is it important to say sorry?
In what situations do people say sorry?
Why do some people hate to say sorry?
In what situations should we apologize immediately?
When do people say thank you?

When was the last time you found it hard to accept an apology?

6.Describe an interesting animal

What it looks like
When you saw it
Where you saw it
Explain why it is interesting

Follow-ups

Why do people like to keep pets?
What should we do to protect endangered animals?
Do you support doing experiments on animals?
Why do some people refuse to eat animals?
What would happen when some species disappear on earth?

7.Describe an article on health that you read from a magazine or online –

What the article was
When and where you read it
What you learned from the article
Explain why you think it is a good or bad article

Follow ups

Why do different people like to read different magazine?
What kind of magazines do teenagers like to read?
What’s the difference between news on TV and news in magazines?
Do people like to read news from the Internet?
Do people still buy magazines in your country?
Do you think the people today are healthier than those in the past?
Why do magazines have health related articles?
How do people keep a healthy diet?
What kinds of foods are considered as unhealthy?
Do people in India usually exercise?

8.Describe a person in the news that you want to meet

Who he or she is?
What did this person show up on TV for?
How do you know what this person?
Why you want to meet him?

Follow ups

What type of people can be seen on TV? What are the kind of people do the news usually report about?

Do you think there is too much news about celebrities? What is your take on the news reports in recent years?

Do you think negative information in the news can have negative influence?
Why do people like negative news?
What is usually in the news in India?
Is that information always true?
What’s the difference between broadcasting news in the past and in the present?
Do you believe everything said in the news?
What kinds of news are popular in India?
Could superstars bring positive influence on the public?
Are the stories about celebrities in the news always true? Is the news on celebrities mostly positive?
How do you think the celebs in the news can influence adolescents?
Are news reports on TV in India divided into domestic and international ones?

9. Describe one time when the weather changed your plan

When this happened
Where you were
What kind of weather it was
Explain why you couldn’t finish the thing
What you did at the end

Follow-ups

Where can people get weather reports?
How do weather reports affect people’s life?
What do people do on rainy days and sunny days?
Has climate change affected your country?
Does weather affect your mood?

10.Describe a situation you were not allowed to use your cell phone

Where was it
When was it
Why you were not allowed
What did you want to do with your cell phone

Follow ups

What is the impact off the cell phone?
1. What is the smartphoneused the most for?

3. What is your opinion about selfies?

11.Describe an important piece of news that you received via text message

who shared the message with you?
what the news was about?
how was it written?
and explain why the news was important?

Follow ups

Why do some people dislike sending text messages?
What is the information that cannot be communicated via text messages?
How do people in India deliver important information?
What do you think of traditional paper mails?
Do you think it is still a good way to deliver information using traditional mails?
Have our ways to communicate with each other changed in recent years?
What are the differences between Indian media and western media?

8. What are the advantages of sending messages via social applications?

12. Describe something you bought that was difficult to use at first

What is it?
When you bought it?
What does it do?
Explain how difficult was it to be used?

Follow ups

i. What type of products are difficult to use at first?

2.Do you think it is necessary to follow the fashion and use the latest products?

3.Do you believe that some products are over publicized?

4. Why do you think advertisements are useful in selling products?

5.Which do you think is better buying things online on buying things in real shops?

How do people pay for things they buy online?
Why are imported products more expensive than locally made products?
what do you think of those people who only buy expensive things and look down on other people?

13. Describe a successful small business that you know –

What is the business is?
Where it is?
Who runs the business/how do you know about this business?
And explain why you think it is successful?

Follow ups

Do many people know about this company?
What do you think can be considered as emerging industries?
Is market research important for export business?
In business, do companies need to be competitive?
Should companies promote competition and why?
What should be the government role in how small businesses are run?
How can businesses benefit the community in which they are located?
What kind of small businesses are most popular?

14. Describe the happiest day you had

Where you were?
Who you were with?
What you did?
And explain why you think it was the happiest day?

Follow ups

Do Indian people spend a lot of money on birthday presents?
What do Indian people do on New Year?
Do you think we are happier than people in the 19th century?
Why childhood is the best time for most people?
Do you think money can bring happiness in life? MA kkar
What do you think is important in bringing happiness?

15. A person who taught you something important

Who the person is?
What he/she is like?
What he/she taught you?
How you felt about him/her?

Follow ups

What qualities do you think a good teacher should have?
Who do you think can learn better? Old people or youngsters?
What do you think is the best age for children to go to school?
Do you prefer to study by yourself or with friends?

16. Describe a difficult challenge that you completed/met

What was the challenge?
When and where did you complete/met it?
Why was it difficult?
How you felt about it?
Do you think parents should give challenges to children?
What is the most challenging thing for kids?
Can parents reduce the challenges kids have? How?
What challenges do you think children might have to face up to?

17. Describe a crowded place you have visited

Where is it
When you went there
With whom you went there
And explain how you felt about being there?

Follow Ups

Is there a completely quiet place?

Do you like to go to the places where there are many people?
Do you like the places with large space?

What are the places which attract many people in your country?
What do you think is the most important thing of a public event?

What are the types of problems that can be better solved by group work?
What kind of places do people want to go to when they want to be alone?
Why is it sometimes important for people to be alone?

18. Job you would not like to do in the future

What is the job
- Why you don’t want to do it?
- How you feel about the job?
- What kind of jobs do young people prefer?

Follow Ups

Some people will lose their jobs because of technology, how to deal with it?
Will you settle down in another country?
How do young people today decide their career?
Which do young people generally prefer – boring jobs with higher pay or interesting jobs with lower pay?
Which do you prefer physical work or work involving thinking?
Do you think today we have less physical labour than we did in the past?

19. Describe a uniform you wear (at your school or company)

When you wear it?
Who bought it for you?
– What does it look like?
-How you feel about it?

Follow Up Questions

Why should students wear uniforms?
On what occasion should people wear uniforms?
Should companies ask employees about the design of their uniforms?
Can people tell someone’s personality by his or her clothes?
What color would catch people’s attention most?

20. Describe a situation or a time when you helped someone

What the situation was?
Who the person was?
How you helped them?
Explain how your felt after helping them?

Follow-ups

Do you like helping others?
In your view should children be taught to help others?
How can we encourage children to help others?
Do you think people are less willing to help others these days compared to the past?
Do people trust others as much as they used to in the past?
How do people in your community help one another?
How do students such as high school students help each other?
How can charitable organizations help people?
What are some examples of such organizations in your country?
What do you think are the benefits of having unpaid volunteer workers?

How do you think the volunteers themselves benefit?
Should professionals be hired rather than using volunteer workers?
Do you think international aid, for example from my national government to another is important?

Can you give examples of international aid?

21. Describe an indoor game that you liked to play when you were a child.

What is it
- With whom did you play
- How often you played it
- How did you feel about it

Follow ups

In general, how is outside play for children different to playing inside?
Do you think the indoor activities and outdoor activities develop children’s abilities the same way?
What’s the most popular game in India?
How have games changed in the past few decades?
How have children’s game changed in past few decades?
How are children’s games different from adult’s games?
Why do many adults not play games?
Do you think modern lifestyles encourage, or discourage, adults from playing games?
What benefits do people get from playing games?
What benefits can children get from playing games?

Do you think group activities (including team sports) can help give a child a sense of responsibility?

22. A performance you recently watched

What it was?
When you watched it?
Who you were with?
Why you watched it and how you felt about it?

Follow ups

What is the difference between watching the performance live and watching it on TV?
Which do you prefer traditional performance or a concert?
Should government provide financial support to promote traditional performances?
Is learning drama or dancing helpful for children?

23. Describe a change that can improve your local area

What it is?
How it can be done?
What problem it will solve?
How you feel about it

Follow ups

Why are people living in community friendly with others?
What are popular activities in community?
Do people like living in community?

4. Where do people in community usually have social gatherings?

24. Describe an occasion when you lost something and then got it back

What you lost?
How you lost it?
Where you found it?
How you felt about it?

Follow ups

1.Why do people lose their things?

2.What kind of things people usually lose?

3. What can people do to find things they have lost?

4.What can people do to avoid losing their stuff?

25. Describe a time when you were excited

Where you were?
When it was?
Who you were with?
explain why were you excited?

Follow Ups

What personal events do people usually celeberate?
- How do people celeberate their personal events?
- How much time people need to prepare for celebrations?
- Do you think it is necessary to spend some money on celeberations?