Describe a Gift you Gave Someone- IELTS Cue Card

In the IELTS Speaking section, one of the most common question types is the Cue Card Speaking prompt. The IELTS Cue Card topics will prompt you to formulate a response and speak on the given topic. To attempt this question, you must narrow down the essential questions on the given topic to answer within the given time. Consider the sample Cue Card below. Study the types of questions that have been formulated based on the cue card and how to go about with your response:

Describe a gift you gave someone

Sample Answer:

Everyone loves to receive gifts on their birthdays and special occasions. Last month, it was my closest friend’s birthday, and I wanted to give him something handmade, so it made me ruminate until it finally hit me. I like to paint and doodle a lot in my respite and for my close ones like my family and friends. It was a set of two different bookmarks, a random doodle, a design, scented candles, a diffuser, a bouquet, and his favorite ‘paul and mike’ chocolate pack.

I gave the gifts to one of my closest friends, Kushagra. He is my childhood friend. He has been with me since we were five, and we have seen each other grow and evolve. We know each other’s preferences and personalities. He had always been a big fan of my artwork and demanded to draw him a piece, but I’ve always said no just to tease him. So to flabbergast him on his 21st birthday, I poured my heart into making my handmade gifts.

He is very enamored of scented candles and likes that his room should be filled with redolence whenever he enters it. I tried my best to celebrate his birthday as perfectly as possible, and he loved it.

Vocabulary

• Ruminate

Meaning – think deeply about something.
Example – We sat ruminating on the nature of existence

• Flabbergast

Meaning – surprise (someone) greatly
Example – My sister living abroad flabbergasted my father on his birthday.

• Enamored

Meaning – be filled with love for.
Example – It is not difficult to see why Edward is enamored of her.

• Redolence

Meaning – an often pungent or agreeable odor.
Example – The faint redolence of cigar smoke hung on his clothes.

• Respite

Meaning – a short period of rest or relief
Example – The refugee encampments will provide some respite from the suffering.

Part 3 Questions:

• What is the importance of gifts?

Gifts are a bodacious indication of knowing that the person giving the gift to you loves you and care about you. They strengthen bonds of friendships and relationships. Gifts make the recipient feel very special.

• Is there any pressure on us to buy presents?

No one is obliged or has any pressure to buy presents, but sometimes when we receive gifts of exorbitant nature, there might be a pressure to reciprocate in the same way; otherwise, it’ll feel odd.

• Do Indian people often give gifts?

It is not just about any culture or community. Almost all cultures have traditions and etiquette related to receiving and giving gifts. The custom of giving gifts is famous worldwide, even in India. However, it is seen that whenever you are invited to an Indian home, it is considered discourteous if you don’t bring a gift.

• What’s the value of giving presents?

We give people gifts to show that we are grateful to them for their role in our lives. Gifts will always be paramount when you want to build a strong relationship as they are gestures of love.

• What kinds of gifts are suitable for friends to give each other?

Friends know each other well enough to know their preferences, so a person chooses gifts according to their choice. Most of the time, people give memorable books, perfumes, clothes, books, and coffee mugs as gifts.

Vocabulary

• Bodacious

Meaning – excellent, admirable, or attractive.
Example – My brother is growing a bodacious beard after so many years.

• Paramount

Meaning – more important than anything else
Example – A child’s interest is of paramount importance and shouldn’t be ignored.

• Recipient

Meaning – receiver
Example – The recipient of the Noble Peace Prize felt so rejuvenated.

• Etiquette

Meaning – the customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group.
Example – The rules of etiquette on a dining table are complicated to follow.

• Exorbitant

Meaning – (of a price or amount charged) unreasonably high.
Example – Some hotels charge exorbitant rates for phone calls.