Cue Card Sample
Cue Card 592 - Something you were disappointed about
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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.
Describe something you were disappointed about.
You should say:
- what it was about
- when it happened
- why it disappointed you
and explain how you felt about it.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Model Answer 1:
Getting disappointed, when we don’t like or expect something, is a fact of life, and I am not immune from this rather troubling “fact of life” either. In fact, I have been disappointed in life, even in situations, when I didn’t need to be. But, today, I would like to talk about something which I was genuinely disappointed with.
It was at a time when we were going to celebrate the 5th birthday of my handsome nephew about a couple of years ago. This particular birthday was very special for my little nephew because he couldn’t get his most favourite uncle, which was me, by his side when he celebrated his last birthday. In fact, he was very sad because of the fact that I couldn’t attend his birthday last year. But his 5th birthday was going to be special and he was excited to have me around him.
So, anyway, we arranged everything, including decorating the house, inviting friends of the birthday boy, buying all kinds of birthday gifts and choosing the perfect birthday dress, to have a perfect birthday. As for the birthday cake, we went to one of the best and most popular bakery shops in our town, apparently in an effort to order the best cake. We provided all kinds of specifications and instructions to the manager of the shop as to how the cake should have been prepared. By the way, it was going to be a German Chocolate cake with coconut in it and cherry slices on top. We also paid an extra amount of money to have the cake delivered in its original shape. And, the birthday finally arrived, and so did the birthday cake except, of course, it was broken. Needless to say, I felt very disappointed after seeing the cake in such a mess.
After seeing the cake broken, I felt like the bakery shop was not serious enough about delivering the cake in a careful manner. Besides, the unfortunate incident made me feel a bit embarrassed also in front of all the guests. In fact, I felt like it was the worst thing that could ever happen on my nephew’s birthday.
Sample Answer 2:
Thank you for this topic and the time to talk about it. It, in fact, reminds me of an unpleasant event when I was utterly disappointed and kind of sad as well. I am going to share the event and my experience with you.
A few months ago, my physics teacher refused to let me attend the class in my college. Unfortunately, I was late that day, and we had a class test that carried 10 marks to the final result. The teacher, Victor Douglas, did not allow me in his class or take the test though I tried to persuade him about the reasons for my delay. It was not his fault, and he warned his students about the consequences of being late in the classroom prior to that event.
I was late for around 15 minutes owing to severe traffic congestion on the streets of Manaus, located in the north region of Brazil. I left home earlier but could not reach my college in time despite my best effort.
I was disappointed because I missed the class and could not take the class test. Mr Victor is very punctual and always maintain a rigid timetable. So it was natural that he denied my late entry to his class. I was not angry with him, rather, I felt ashamed and then angry for being late. I had to spend the entire hour in our cafeteria, and that made me depressed.
To be honest, it was a terrible experience. But I took it as a lesson, and I am never late to attend my classes and exams from that time. It was an event when I felt so downhearted, to say the least. But in a sense, it taught me a valuable lesson.
Model Answer 3:
Well, this is an interesting topic to talk about, and I would like to thank you for the opportunity to let me share my experience of an event when I was disappointed.
It reminds me of a day when I missed a train and had to cancel a much-desired tour to Penang in Malaysia. I was supposed to catch the train that leaves from Kuala Lumpur's KL Sentral Railway Station and arrive at Penang's Butterworth Railway Station on the mainland, just 15 minutes away by ferry to George Town on Penang Island.
It was Friday in early January 2018, and I left home to reach the KL Sentral Railway Station that day as planned. My train schedule was at 8.30 in the morning, and I left home before 6.00 am, which should have given me enough time to reach the station considering the distance and usual traffic. However, I was utterly unfortunate that day. My taxi to the station malfunctioned at a deserted area on the route, and I had to wait for 40 minutes or so to get another taxi. To add more woe, the road near the station was unusually congested due to an accident.
I was very anxious and looked at my watch every five minutes or so, and the taxi driver was trying his best to reach the station fast. But all efforts and prayers went in vain as I reached the station when it was already 8.45 am. To my dismay, the train had already left!
I was aphonic for about an hour and blamed myself for the misfortune. I was supposed to join two of my friends in Penang and have a great time together during our semester break. I said to myself "Now that I have missed my train, I will have to wait another 8 hours to get another train to Penang or maybe I should discard the whole idea and return home". My disappointment grasped me, and I became discouraged. I called my friends, who were already in Penang, from a payphone at the station and despite their effort to persuade me to take the next train, I returned home with a broken heart.
More Ideas to talk about this Cue Card topic:
Cue Card Topic: Describe something you were disappointed about.
1. The cocktail that I made at home completely frustrated me. Actually, I could not make it properly, and the ratio was not appropriate and I made a mistake while shaking the cocktail. It was the worst one that I have ever made!
2. I took a road trip with my buddies here in California. But it was not up to the mark. We got a flat tire on the road, and we had to return home abandoning the whole plan. It was a disappointing experience.
3. I purchased a sandwich for lunch at college, but it was not fresh, and I could not eat it. Later, I went to a nearby fast food shop and took some light snacks for the day. I was quite disappointed with the whole event.
4. Watching a live cricket match in a stadium is thrilling. I went with my friends to enjoy a match in a stadium in Mumbai. But I got disappointed as my favourite team lost the game; it was a high voltage match though.
5. My best friend Robert got married last month, but I could not manage time to attend the ceremony. I had to fly to China to meet some official deadlines. The thought of it disheartens me, and I can't still digest it!
6. Unfortunately, my boss did not allow me to get the day off which I was really looking forward to. It was my birthday, and I wanted to get a day off from my office. But the rigid boss wanted me to be at the office in time. So, I followed his order with a disappointed heart.
7. Attending the office party is a boring and disappointing activity for me. In fact, I am reluctant to listen to the meaningless lectures of my superior bosses on pointless issues. Recently, I had to attend such a party. It was totally befuddling and disappointing.
8. Watching sequels is not always pleasant. The sequels cannot come up with what I expect and what they demonstrate. My recent experience with the movie ‘Taken 2’ was similar. I was disappointed after watching the movie.
9. I expected that I would be treated cordially when I met a famous singer in Australia when he came here for a show. But he did not even allow me to talk to him. The singer also declined to take any photos with fans. It was a bitter experience for me.
10. Hearing about the reunion day plan at my college the other day, I was so excited. I thought that I would have the chance to meet some of my old friends and classmates. But I was disappointed to hear that no reunion plan had been settled after hours of discussion.
Your preparation for the cue card topic - "Describe something you were disappointed about." would help you talk about the following topics as well:
1. Describe a bad experience you have had recently.
2. Describe a time when you got angry.
3. Describe something you bought that did not work properly.
4. Describe an event when something irritated you.
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