IELTS Speaking Cue Card Topics with Samples Answers (2023)

The Cue Cards is the second task in the speaking section of the IELTS examination. While answering this question, you are expected to have some skills and one of the skills is framing the answers based on the topic.

What is a Cue?

Misconception: Some people tend to think it is a "q" card. But it is not the alphabet "q" but the word "Cue"

Clarification: In the Speaking part 2, you will be given a topic to speak on. The topic given to you is called a cue. So you may call it a cue test too.

What is a cue card?

During the IELTS examination, you will be given a cue card, which is also called a task card,  consisting of 3-4 questions and some instructions that will guide you on how to answer the questions given in the cue card. You will not be given an option to change the question, you have to speak about whichever topic you receive in the cue card. But you will be given a minute to think about the answer. You will also be handed a pencil and a paper, if you are not able to remember the points which you have prepared in that one minute, you can write down the points in the given paper.

You are given exactly 1 minute in the IELTS speaking test to prepare on a particular topic and this topic will be called the IELTS Cue card. You are asked to speak continuously for 2 minutes until the examiner asks you to stop. Then the examiner will ask some questions regarding the topic given. The test lasts for 2 - 3 minutes including the 1 minute preparation time. For more information, bookmark this particular web page.

List of Cue Card Topics

The cue card samples given below are categorised according to different topics. These are the latest cue card topics that appeared in actual tests [2021] with answers. We've done this to enable you to browse through the list and pick a speaking cue cards of your choice.

FAVOURITE

These are the cue cards that asks you about things you like.

• Describe your favourite Picture or Photography you like
• A song that has special meaning to you
• a story/ novel interests you
• Describe A Special or favourite Toy you liked in your childhood
• Describe a favourite song that you like
• Describe a restaurant you like(to go to)/ that impresses you
• Exciting Sport
• Describe an Indoor Game that you would like to play
• Describe an area of science you like or interested in
• Describe An free time activity you like to do after study or work

More Favourite Cue Cards>>

TIME-BASED

These are the cue cards that asks you to talk about events that occurred in the past/present and future.

• A Subject at School
• Things You Want to Buy in the Future
• An age/stage in your life you enjoyed most

More Time Based Cue Cards>>

PERSON

These are type of cue cards where you will asked to about your friend or a guide.

• A person You Admire/Love Essay
• Describe someone you consider a good leader
• Describe one of your Family Member You Spend The Most Time With
• An Occasion You Unexpectedly Met Someone for the first time
• Describe Someone in the news you like to meet
• Someone/Something Made A Lot Of Noise
• An Older Person Who You Admire
• A Good/Best Friend
• Describe an Old Friend
• Describe a Family Member
• An Interesting Neighbor You Like
• talk about an interesting conversation you had with a stranger
• A Person Speak A Second (Foreign) Language Well
• A Time When You Waited For Something or someone to arrive

More Person Cue cards >>

FAMILY

In these type of cue cards you will asked to talk about your family.

• Describe Your Family
• Describe a family event you are looking forward to
• Describe a family picnic or tour you have had

More Family Cue cards >>

OBJECT

These are the cue cards in which you will be asked about things like objects.

• Describe a picture or photograph in your home
• A Gift You Gave That Took A Long Time To Choose
• Describe a piece of electronic equipment that you find useful
• A Time You Borrowed Something useful
• A house/apartment you like to live in
• A Product You Were Happy With
• An item of clothing that someone bought for you
• Describe a painting or work of art
• Describe a time someone or something made noise

More Object Cue cards>>

PLACE

These are the cue cards in which you will be asked to talk about the places which you are going to visit or already visited.

• A Place you remember well that is Full of Color
• A country you have not been to yet
• A street that you like to visit
• Describe a polluted place
• A place near water you visited
• Describe a place where you often go to relax

More Place Cue cards>>

WORK/STUDY:

• A Project at Work or Homework Assignment
• A Course You Like to Study and found useful
• Describe a piece of work you did quickly
• Describe your Dream/ideal/Perfect Job
• Describe something that you want to learn more

More Work/Study Cue cards>>

EMOTIONS/ASPIRATIONS:

• Ambition You Have Not Yet Achieved
• Describe something A Child that Made You Laugh
• A Paid Job You/A Friend Enjoyed Doing
• An experience you had as a member of a team
• A disagreement you had with a friend
• a recent activity or event that made you happy
• a difficult decision you made in your life
• A TV Program that Made You Laugh
• A Goal that You Have
• Describe the Best and exciting experience in your life
• Describe an exciting or Interesting Thing You Did
• Describe an Advertisement which you found very persuasive
• A Time You Used Your Imagination
• A Time You Need to Use Imagination
• A book that had a major influence on you
• Describe a success your friend has had or achieved
• A special and memorable meal you have had
• A situation made you angry
• Describe an experience you spent time with a child that you know
• A positive experience when you were a teenager
• Describe an unusual/ an unforgettable or memorable meal
• Describe a time you were friendly to someone you didn’t like
• Describe an ambition you have not achieved yet

More Emotions Cue cards>>

OCCASIONS:

• An Occasion When You Got Up Very Early in the morning
• Describe a birthday party celebration that you attended

More Occasion Cue Cards>>

RECALL:

• Describe A Teacher From Your Past That You Remember
• Describe a Photograph That You Remember
• Describe a Garden You Remember Visiting
• Describe a dream you remember well

More Recall Cue cards>>

POPULAR:

• Describe a story popular in your country
• Describe A Popular Musical Instrument In Your Country

More Popular Cue cards>>

ACTIVITY:

• Describe a Leisure Activity (A Game, Hobby, or Sport) That is Popular in your Country
• Describe an Indoor Game you have Enjoyed Playing in your Free Time
• Describe an indoor game that you played in your childhood

More Activity Cue Cards>>

SOMETHING IMPORTANT:

• Describe An Important Change In Your Life
• Describe Something You Own Which is Very Important to You
• Describe a Festival that is Important in your Country

More Something Important Cue cards>>

LIFE:

• Describe an Invention that has Changed People's Life
• Describe life in a particular period of history
• Describe a typical day in your life when you were a child

More Life Cue cards >>

EVENT:

• A Memorable Event from your School Days
• Describe an event you felt unhappy about

More Event Cue cards >>

SOMEONE:

• Describe something kind that someone did for you
• Talk about a situation when you taught something to someone

More Someone Cue cards>>

CHILD:

• Describe a Child Whom You Know

More Child Cue cards>>

WHO YOU ADMIRE:

• Describe An Artist or Entertainer You Admire
• Describe the person in your family who you most admire

More Who You Admire Cue cards>>

USEFUL:

• Describe a useful plant you know about
• Describe a Useful Website You Have Visited

More Useful Cue cards>>

APP/MOBILE

• A program or an app in your computer/ phone
• Describe An App You Use On Your Mobile Phone

More App/Mobile Cue cards >>

BUSINESS:

• Describe A Successful Small Company or Business that you know
• Describe a Successful Businessman you know

More Business Cue Cards>>

MOVIE:

• Describe A Movie or performance You Recently Watched
• Film/Movie that you Watched and did not Enjoy

More Movie Cue cards >>

FAMOUS:

• Describe A Famous Person that You Are Interested In
• Describe a famous building/landmark

More Famous Cue Cards>>

INTERESTING:

• Describe an interesting talk or a lecture you have heard
• Describe an interesting story you have read or heard

More Interesting Cue cards>>

GIFT:

• Describe the best gift you have ever received

More Gift Cue cards >>

CHANGE:

• Describe a Change that will Improve your Local Area

More Change Cue cards >>

YOUR COUNTRY:

• Describe a Serious Environmental Problem in Your Country

More Your Country Cue cards >>

HEALTH:

• Describe a health problem you once had
• Describe something healthy you enjoy doing

More Health Cue Cards>>

OTHER CUE CARDS:

• A Law About Environment
• An article about healthy living that you read from magazine or online
• A film you watched at home or in a cinema
• The First Time You Used a Foreign Language to communicate
• local news people interested in
• Describe Something you learned in a place or from someone
• A Meal You Had With Your Friends in a restaurant
• A Sport You Have Learned
• Describe A Family You Know
• Describe a Skill
• Describe a Natural Landscape scenery
• Describe a bicycle/Bike/ Car Trip
• Describe a language other than English you would like to learn
• Describe a Game/ Sport
• Describe A Big/Large Company you are interested in
• A time you miss an appointment
• Something you did which was a waste of time
• An important letter or email you wrote
• Art or craft activity you did at school
• Describe Something you do that keeps you fit and Healthy
• Describe a time when you were looked at the sky

Other Cue cards >>