To enhance your band score in IELTS, let’s delve into the detailed discussion of CUE Card Topics for 2023.
There is a common misconception among candidates who often refer to the IELTS cue card as a “Q card” in the speaking test. However, it is important to clarify that the correct term is “cue card.” This task in the IELTS exam assesses the candidate’s ability to speak continuously without pauses, their language proficiency, and organizational skills. As the cue card topics are random, candidates often rely on personal experiences to support their responses.
What is a CUE Card?
In the IELTS speaking test, the part 2 of the exam consists of a task commonly known as the “Cue Card” or “Candidate Task Card.” It is also sometimes referred to as the “Topic Card.” This task requires the candidate to speak on a given topic for a specific amount of time, usually around 2 minutes.
The Cue Card contains a prompt or a set of instructions that describe the topic you need to speak about. It typically includes three or four bullet points that provide guidelines on what aspects of the topic you should cover in your speech. You have one minute to prepare your response before you begin speaking.
Once the preparation time is over, the examiner will ask you to start speaking, and you will have approximately two minutes to present your ideas on the given topic. During this time, it’s important to address all the points mentioned in the cue card and provide relevant examples, explanations, and opinions.
The purpose of the Cue Card task is to assess your ability to speak fluently, organize your thoughts coherently, and express your ideas effectively in English. It also evaluates your vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and your overall ability to respond to a given topic within a specific time frame.
Types of CUE Cards in IELTS
Certainly! Below are the nine common types of cue cards that can be encountered in the speaking test of the IELTS exam:
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| A Person | Talk about a person who has had a significant impact on your life, such as a family member, a friend, or a mentor |
| A Place | Discuss a place you have visited or lived in, highlighting its features, significance, and your personal experiences |
| An Event | Share details about a memorable event or occasion you have attended, explaining its importance and how it affected you. |
| An Object | Talk about an object that holds special meaning to you, explaining its significance and why it is important in your life. |
| A Hobby | Discuss a hobby or activity that you enjoy, explaining why you find it interesting, how you started, and its impact on your life. |
| A Book or A Movie | Share your thoughts on a book or a movie that has left a strong impression on you, discussing its storyline, characters, and your personal connection to it. |
| A Historical Figure | Talk about a historical figure or a famous person from the past, explaining their significance, contributions, and why they are remembered. |
| A Problem | Discuss a problem or challenge you have faced, explaining its nature, the steps you took to address it, and the outcome. |
| A Trend | Talk about a current trend or phenomenon, discussing its popularity, impact on society, and your personal views on it |
Note: It’s important to note that while these are common cue card types, the actual topics provided in the IELTS exam may vary. Being familiar with these types can help you prepare for a variety of speaking topics.
CUE Card Tips
Certainly! Here are some useful tips for effectively approaching a cue card in the IELTS speaking exam:
| CUE Card Tips | Details |
|---|---|
| Speak for 2 minutes | Aim to speak for the entire duration specified by the examiner, which is usually around 2 minutes. Make sure to cover all the points mentioned in the cue card. |
| Practice timing | To develop your timing skills, practice speaking on various topics for 2 minutes straight. You can use a stopwatch to time yourself and ensure you stay within the given timeframe. |
| Record your practice | Consider recording yourself while practicing speaking on cue cards. This allows you to review your performance, identify areas for improvement, and work on fluency, coherence, and pronunciation. |
| Utilize mirrors | Stand in front of a mirror and practice speaking. This technique helps you observe your body language, facial expressions, and gestures, enhancing your overall presentation. |
| Enhance vocabulary and idioms | Incorporate a range of vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and informal language into your speech to make it more engaging and impressive. This showcases your language proficiency and adds variety to your speech. |
| Familiarize yourself with cue cards | Review a wide range of cue cards and recent speaking tests to gain exposure to different topics. This helps you prepare ideas, examples, and relevant vocabulary in advance, making it easier to structure your response during the exam. |
| Tailor vocabulary to the topic | Adapt your vocabulary to match the specific cue card topic. Use topic-related words and phrases to demonstrate your understanding and show a connection between your ideas and the given theme. |
Remember to practice regularly, develop a coherent structure for your responses, and maintain a natural and confident speaking style. These tips can help you prepare effectively and perform well in the cue card section of the IELTS speaking exam.
IELTS CUE Card Marking Criteria
The duration of IELTS cue card topics is typically around 11-15 minutes. Your performance in this section is evaluated based on the following criteria:
| IELTS CUE Card Marking Criteria | About |
|---|---|
| Fluency and Coherence (FC) | This measures your ability to speak fluently without repetition or interruption, and to express your ideas in a logical and coherent manner. |
| Lexical Resource (LR) | In this assessment, your vocabulary usage is evaluated, including the range, accuracy, and appropriateness of the words you use to convey meaning. |
| Grammar (GR) | This criterion evaluates your grammatical accuracy and proficiency in using various grammatical structures and tenses correctly in your speech. |
| Pronunciation (PR) | This test assesses your ability to pronounce English words and phrases accurately, regardless of your native language, focusing on clarity, intonation, stress, and overall pronunciation skills. |
These four criteria together provide a comprehensive evaluation of your speaking abilities during the cue card section of the IELTS exam.
IELTS CUE Card Topics 2023
- Describe a Toy That You Liked in Your Childhood.
- Describe an Indoor Game that You Liked to Play when You Were a Child.
- Describe a Restaurant That You Like.
- Describe an Area of Science That Interests You.
- A Story/Novel That Interests You.
- Describe an Exciting Sport You Know About.
- Describe an Activity You Like Doing.
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Time Based CUE Card Topics
- Describe a Course or Subject you would like to take in the Future
- Things you want to buy in the future
- Describe a Family Member You Spend the Most Time with
- Describe a Time You Missed an Appointment for Something
- Describe an Age you Enjoyed Mostly in Your Life
- Describe a Time You Had To Change Your Plan
- Describe a Time When You Were Very Afraid
- Describe a Time When You Had to Go to a Hospital or See a Doctor
- Describe a Time when you were Stuck in a Traffic Jam
- Describe a Famous Person that You Are Interested In
- A Person who can speak a Foreign Language
- Describe a Person who has done a lot of Work to Help People
- Describe A Person Who You Think Is Very Open
- Describe an Old Person you Admire
- Describe an Experience of Teaching Your Friend or Family Member
- Person who has Influenced you to do Better in your Life
- Describe A Person Who Likes To Travel By Plane
- Describe Talk about Your Best Friend
- Describe an Antique or Old Thing That Your Family Has Kept For a Long Time
- Describe a Family Which You Like and are Happy to Know
- Talk about a Hobby Someone in the Family
- Describe a Family Member You Spend the Most Time with
- Describe a Family Event You Are Looking Forward to
- Describe a Family Business That You Know
- Describe a Family (not your own) That You Like
- Describe a Family Picnic or Tour You Have Had
- Describe a Time You Invited Family or Friends to Have Dinner at Home or Restaurants
- Describe a Place That Is Full of Color
- Describe a Foreign Country You Have Never Visited
- Describe Your Favorite Dining Spot
- Describe a Visited Place Affected by Pollution
- Describe a Place You Visited in Your Childhood
- Describe an Intriguing Public Location in Your Hometown
- Describe a Street You Enjoy Exploring
- Describe a Relaxing Place You Frequent
- Describe a Busy Location You Have Experienced
- An Educational Trip
- Describe a Project You Worked on in Your School
- Describe an Unusual Job
- Describe a Job You Would Not Like to Do in the Future
- Describe a Seminar or Workshop You Have Attended
- Describe a Language Other Than English That You Would Like to Learn
- Describe Your Dream Job
- Describe a School You Have Studied In
- Describe an Educational TV Program That You Have Seen
- Describe an Ambition You Have Not Yet Achieved
- Describe a Difficult Decision That You Made
- Describe a Decision You Disagreed With
- Describe a TV Program That Made You Laugh
- Describe an Exciting Experience in Your Life
- Describe an Activity You Enjoy Doing
- Describe a Goal That You Would Like to Achieve
- Describe a Situation When a Child Made You Laugh
- Describe a Situation That Made You Angry
- Describe a Party That You Enjoyed
- Describe a Time When You Received Good Service from a Company
- Describe an Occasion When the Weather Prevented You from Doing Something
- Describe a Recent Birthday Party or Celebration You Attended
- Describe a Time When You Helped Someone
- Describe a Time When You Had to Wait a Long Time for Someone
- Describe a Time When You Got Up Extremely Early
- Describe an Occasion When You Wore Your Best Clothes
- Describe a New Year Celebration That You Still Remember
- Describe a Popular Leisure Activity in Your Country
- Describe a Well-Known Product From Your Hometown
- Describe a Famous Story in Your Country
- Describe a Character from a Movie, TV Program, or Story
- Describe a Popular Musical Instrument in Your Country
- Describe an Exciting Place in Your Hometown
- Describe a Change That Will Improve Your Local Area
- Describe a Time When You Had to Change Your Plan
- Describe an Important Festival in Your Country
- Describe a Significant Historical Event in Your Country
- Describe an Interesting Conversation You Had with Others
- Describe an Important Conversation That Influenced You
- Describe an Important Change in Your Life
- Describe Something You Own That Is Very Important to You
- Describe a Time When You Forgot Something Important
- Describe Someone In The News You Would Like To Meet
- Describe a Situation When You Had to Be Nice to Someone You Disliked
- Describe a Time When You Helped Someone
- Describe a House or Apartment Where Someone You Know Lives
- Describe a Time When You Gave Advice to Someone
- Describe a Time When Someone Apologized to You
- Describe Someone Who Is Your Online Friend
- Describe a Time When You Were Friendly to Someone You Didn’t Like
- Describe a Time When You First Met Someone
- Describe a Skill You Learned as a Child
- Describe a Typical Day in Your Life as a Child
- Children and Money
- Describe a Child You Know
- Artist/Entertainer You Admire
- Old Person You Admire
- App You Use on Your Mobile Phone
- Program on Your Computer or Phone
- Character in a Movie/TV Program/Story
- Film/Movie You Watched and Did Not Enjoy
- Describe an Interesting Talk or Lecture You Heard
- Describe an Interesting Animal You Saw
- Describe an Interesting Conversation You Had
- A Person With Fascinating Ideas
- Describe Something Interesting You Learned Online
- Describe an Interesting Place in Your Hometown
- Describe an Important Day You Celebrate in Your Country
- Describe a Landscape in Your Country
- Describe a Good Law in Your Country
- Describe a Country You Visited
- Describe a Foreign Country You Haven’t Been To
- Describe a Significant Environmental Problem in Your Country
- Something You Do to Stay Fit and Healthy
- Article on Health You Read on Magazine or Internet
Other Cue Card Topics
- Useful Website You Visited
- Bicycle/Bike/Car Tour
- Useful Plant You Know About
- Time When You Were Looking at the Sky
- Useful Electrical Equipment You Own
- Large Company You’re Interested In
The provided article contains the latest cue cards for the IELTS speaking test. Regular practice with these cue card topics can aid candidates in enhancing their IELTS speaking scores.