Cue Cards Samples with band 8 answers
Describe a time when you got into trouble - Cue Card # 471
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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.
[The topic for your talk will be written on a card which the examiner will hand over to you. Read it carefully and then make some brief notes.]
Describe a time when you got into some kind of trouble.
You should say:
- what it was
- how you got into it
- how you handled it
and explain how you felt about it.
[Instruction: You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you're going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Model Answer 1:
When I was growing up as a young boy, I got into some sort of trouble on many occasions, and today, I'd like to talk about one of them. I hope you will not get bored listening to this story. And, by the way, thank you very much for this interesting topic.
It happened about 12 years ago when I had just finished elementary school. So, essentially, I had all the free time to do random things as I wished before starting high school. But, of course, I needed to be careful as my parents were not ready to listen to any excuses from my part, had I really got into any kind of trouble. After all, they had laid down very clear guidelines as to what I was supposed to do and what I wasn’t.
But, I was just too “bold” not to stick to the guidelines when it came to messing with my father's beautiful motorbike, as one day, in the absence of my father, I took the motorbike key and started its engine while it stood on its stands. Everything was fine so far, but the problem started when I started to jump up and down on the motorbike seat to mimic the physical movement of a biker on a running motorbike. In fact, in the process of jumping up and down on the motorbike seat, I lost control and fell down on the ground with the motorbike also falling on top of me. As soon as I fell, I used all my strength to help the motorbike stand just the way it was, but not before having a few bruises on my body and a torn-up shirt.
Anyway, when I fell off and the motorbike landed on top of me, I started to panic because I didn’t want anybody to see me in that state. I also felt hurt on my body, but that was the least bit of my worry because I was more concerned at that time about how to offer a “credible” explanation to my parents about the bruises which I received on my body.
Sample Answer 2:
Thank you for this really interesting topic. I don’t usually get into much trouble, but one frightening incident from my childhood still feels fresh in my memory. For this topic, I will share this experience with you. I was about eleven years old when I almost drowned in a river while visiting my grandparents’ village.
It was the summer of 1999, and my parents had taken me to the countryside to spend time with my extended family. I loved going there because I had many cousins to play with. One afternoon, after running around in the heat, a few of us decided to sneak off to the nearby river for a swim. I couldn’t actually swim at that age, but my cousins assured me it would be fine if I stayed close to the bank.
At first, everything seemed harmless. The river looked calm, and I was splashing around near the edge. But within moments, I lost my footing and found myself in deeper water. I panicked, started shouting, and struggled to stay afloat. Two of my cousins tried to grab me, but the current was pulling me further away. It was terrifying. I genuinely thought I might not survive. Fortunately, a couple of local men rushed over and managed to pull me out just in time.
That experience shook me deeply. It was a near-death moment, and it taught me to respect water. Interestingly, I later learned how to swim, and now I enjoy it, but I always remain extremely cautious whenever I’m in rivers or the sea. Looking back, I feel incredibly lucky that day ended with a rescue rather than a tragedy.
Model Answer 3:
Hmmm… it depends on what you mean by trouble! I can think of an example which was very troublesome at the time. Even now, I look back and cringe in embarrassment as I recall and relive the incident. I will share this experience with you here.
So, I’m going to try and tell you what the situation was, how I got into it, how I handled it (badly), and how I felt about it.
So, I must have been about 13 years old at the time. This can be a bit of an awkward and self-conscious age, which is why I found the situation so difficult. What happened was, I had to catch a train to somewhere. I can’t even remember where I was going. I went down to my local railway station, and bought a ticket from the station manager at the ticket office. I then made my way down a long tunnel towards the platform. I found I had a few minutes to spare, so I decided to take a little detour to go to the loo so I would be more comfortable with my journey. There was a lady's public convenience down another dark passageway, which was at right angles to the main tunnel. I wandered down, and as I went into the lavatory block, I noticed the main entrance door clanged shut behind me. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I just nipped into one of the cubicles, and then after I’d finished and washed my hands I went to leave. I approached the big, solid, metal door, and found to my horror it was locked shut. It didn’t even have a door handle. It was a really heavy-duty secure door, almost like you’d expect to see in a bank vault. For some inexplicable reason, once it slammed closed behind me, it couldn’t be opened again other than with a key, and only from the other side! I was locked in, that door wasn’t going to open again for me ever. Uh oh!
To begin with, I was a bit irritated, but not really worried. I thought someone else was bound to walk by at some point, and they’d spot that the door was locked and ask for it to be opened. It was a bit inconvenient, but it was hardly the end of the world. This didn’t happen. Quite a few minutes passed. Then a few more. I started to feel a bit anxious. The station master was too far away to see or hear me, and because the lavatory block was at the end of a side passage, it began to dawn on me that really, very few people would bother to go down it. I looked around. I was essentially in a dark, locked room.
Cautiously, I scrambled up onto one of the toilets and hanging on to piping managed to get as close as I could to the barred window. It must have been left open, so I had some chance of making enough noise to get some attention. But I couldn’t see a thing! Eventually, my fear of being shut in there all day and maybe all night too got the better of me. I just screamed - ‘help, help!’ After what seemed like an age, I finally heard an almighty clunk as a big old-fashioned key turned in the lock of the door behind me. The station master who’d sold me a ticket about an hour ago had come to my rescue. I climbed down from the toilet, I was relieved to be let out, but I was also mortified.
I mumbled thanks rather sheepishly, without making eye contact, and raced past him to catch the next train and to get away from there as fast as I could.
So how did I feel about it? Well, at the time I found the situation excruciating. I was so embarrassed that the station manager had had to come and rescue me that I avoided using the railway station for months afterwards, even though it was the one nearest to where I lived. I preferred to walk an extra couple of miles to the next stop and so avoid having to see him again. Even when I did start to use my local railway station again I never, ever used the public conveniences, just in case…
[Written by - Lucy Marris (2016): Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam) ]
Sample Answer 4:
Well, I still remember an incident from a couple of years ago when I got into an awkward kind of trouble at work. It happened because of a simple mistake: sending an email to the wrong person. This topic suddenly brings back this embarrassing memory. Thank you for the time to allow me to talk about this topic.
At that time, I was working on a project that involved confidential financial details, and I had to share some sensitive figures with my manager. In a rush, I accidentally typed in the wrong name from the auto-suggestions and sent it to a client instead.
The moment I realised what I had done, my heart sank. It felt like the ground had been pulled from under my feet, because sharing internal financial details with an outsider could have had serious consequences for both me and the company. I immediately informed my manager about the mistake before the client even had the chance to respond. Together, we quickly drafted a follow-up email, apologising for the confusion and asking the client to disregard and delete the earlier message. Fortunately, the client was understanding and professional enough not to misuse the information, but it still put me in a very uncomfortable situation.
To handle the situation, I took full responsibility instead of making excuses. I explained how the mix-up had occurred, and I also suggested implementing a double-check system for all sensitive communications to avoid such errors in the future. That way, the incident didn’t just end as a personal embarrassment but led to a small improvement in our work process.
Looking back, I felt both embarrassed and guilty at first. However, it taught me the importance of slowing down, even in a fast-paced work environment, and double-checking every detail before hitting “send.”
Sample Answer 5:
Introduction:
This topic reminds me of one of the most embarrassing situations I’ve ever experienced in my professional life. I could have been in big trouble, but luckily it turned out to be a minor inconvenience rather than a major problem. It occurred during a virtual meeting at work in 2023. I found myself in a rather awkward situation because I forgot to mute my microphone in a virtual meeting. I'll share this experience with you.
What it was:
The meeting was an important monthly discussion with our project manager, a senior executive and a couple of team members. Everyone was expected to stay attentive and professional as key updates and future plans were being shared. At the same time, I was at home, and my younger brother was watching a comedy show in the living room, laughing loudly.
How you got into it:
While the manager was presenting, I unmuted myself to answer a quick question, but forgot to mute again afterwards. As a result, the entire team could hear my brother’s uncontrollable laughter in the background, followed by me casually commenting to him, “Can you turn that down?” The timing could not have been worse, because it interrupted the manager mid-sentence. When I found that my microphone was unmuted, I thought I was in big trouble, as I knew my manager was a serious guy and he did not like mistakes like this.
How you handled it:
Realising what had just happened and how irritated my manager was, I panicked. However, I immediately composed myself and apologised to everyone in the meeting, and quickly muted myself. To lighten the tension, I made a brief, polite joke about how working from home sometimes gives us “uninvited guest stars.” Even though I tried to be casual about this incident, I knew it was a mistake. Thankfully, most of my colleagues laughed, and the manager graciously continued the discussion without making a big deal of it.
And explain how you felt about it:
At first, I felt extremely embarrassed and unprofessional. I worried that the senior executive and my manager might see me as careless. However, after reflecting on the incident, I realised that small mistakes like this are almost inevitable in virtual work environments. In fact, it made me more careful and disciplined about checking my mute button before and after speaking.
Idea generation for this Candidate task card/ Cue card topic:
This topic asks you to describe a time when you got into some kind of trouble. To score higher, you should explain what the trouble was, how you ended up in it, what steps you took to handle the situation, and describe how you felt about it afterwards. Here are some ideas to help you develop your own response:
1. Missed a coursework deadline:
A university assignment slipped past me because I misread the submission time by 12 hours. I realised the mistake when the portal locked me out, and panic set in. I immediately emailed the professor, attached my completed work, and accepted the late penalty without arguing. The whole episode left me embarrassed but grateful; it taught me to double-check deadlines and build buffers into my study schedule.
2. Accidentally broke a store display:
While comparing two ceramic mugs, I nudged a shelf and a third one crashed to the floor. A staff member hurried over, and I owned up before they even asked. I offered to pay for the damage and apologised sincerely, which defused the tension. Walking out, I felt sheepish yet relieved that honesty turned an awkward moment into a quick, respectful resolution.
3. Got a parking ticket in a rush:
Running late to an interview, I parked on a side street, assuming it was fine for ten minutes. When I returned, a bright ticket was tucked under the wiper. I photographed the unclear sign, filed an online appeal, and provided my arrival time at the interview as context. Even though the fine stood, the experience taught me to factor in parking time and never gamble with street signs.
4. Sent an email to the wrong recipient at work:
I forwarded a draft proposal with candid internal notes to a client by mistake. The second I noticed, I recalled the email, called the client to apologise, and sent a clean version with a brief explanation. My manager appreciated the quick, transparent response, and the client moved on. I felt mortified at first, but the incident sharpened my habit of double-checking recipients and attachments.
5. Lost a friend’s borrowed book:
A novel I’d borrowed vanished during a commute, probably left on the bus. I retraced my route and contacted lost-and-found, but no luck. I bought a brand-new copy, added a handwritten apology, and offered to replace any annotations the friend had made. Guilt lingered, yet taking responsibility kept the friendship intact and made me more careful with others’ belongings.
6. Missed a curfew as a teenager:
A movie ran late, my phone died, and I reached home well past the curfew my parents had set. Instead of arguing, I explained the timeline, admitted poor planning, and proposed a check-in routine for future outings. They grounded me for a week but appreciated the proactive plan. I felt frustrated at first, then accepted that trust is built with consistency, not excuses.
7. Overstayed a visa by one day:
On a short trip abroad, I miscounted my permitted days and overstayed by twenty-four hours. At the airport, I stayed calm, explained the oversight, paid the fine, and documented the exit stamp for future applications. I also set up a travel tracker for expiry dates. The scare left me anxious, but it turned me into a meticulous planner for international travel.
8. Forgot to mute during a virtual meeting:
I made a light joke to a colleague, forgetting my mic was live in a cross-team call. Realising it instantly, I apologised in the chat and clarified there was no disrespect intended. After the meeting, I sent a direct note to the host and reaffirmed my support for the agenda. I felt foolish, but the quick apology and follow-through preserved professionalism.
9. Damaged a neighbour’s plant while moving furniture:
While shifting a table through the corridor, I clipped a neighbour’s hanging plant and broke the pot. I knocked on their door, apologised, cleaned the mess, and replaced the pot with a sturdier one on the same day. The neighbour thanked me for being upfront, and we ended up chatting over tea. Initially, I cringed at the clumsiness, but accountability strengthened our rapport.
10. Overpromised on a freelance deadline:
I took on two projects at once and realised mid-week I couldn’t deliver both on time. Before things collapsed, I alerted both clients, offered a revised timeline, and discounted the fee for the delay. One accepted the new schedule; the other reassigned a portion of the work. I felt stressed yet wiser - now I set realistic scopes and keep transparent checkpoints.
Vocabulary for this Candidate task card/ Cue card topic:
When describing a time you got into trouble, using specific vocabulary can effectively convey the nature of the problem, how it happened, your response, and your feelings about the experience. Thoughtful word choices will help you articulate the sense of accountability, the lessons you learned, and the emotional journey from anxiety to resolution, making your response both honest and reflective. Here are some relevant words and phrases:
Trouble: – Difficulty or problems.
Example: I got into trouble at work after I failed to meet a deadline.
Predicament: – A difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation.
Example: We found ourselves in a serious predicament with no easy way out.
Misjudgment: – An incorrect or unfair decision or opinion formed after considering something.
Example: It was a momentary misjudgment that led to the entire incident.
Repercussions: – An unintended consequence, especially a negative one.
Example: The repercussions of my actions lasted for several months.
Accountability: – The fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility.
Example: I knew I had to take full accountability for my mistake.
Confess: – To admit or acknowledge something reluctantly, typically a crime or a fault.
Example: I decided to confess to my boss about what had happened.
Regret: – A feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or been done.
Example: I had a deep sense of regret over my decision.
Anxious: – Feeling or showing worry, nervousness, or unease.
Example: The whole situation made me feel incredibly anxious and stressed.
Stressful: – Causing mental or emotional stress.
Example: It was a stressful period in my life, but I learned a lot from it.
Relieved: – No longer feeling distressed or anxious; reassured.
Example: I felt incredibly relieved after I finally resolved the issue.
Lesson learned: – Gained knowledge or experience from a difficult or unpleasant situation.
Example: It was a painful experience, but it was a valuable lesson learned.
Resolution: – The action of solving a problem, dispute, or contentious matter.
Example: I worked hard to find a positive resolution to the problem.
Scapegoat: – A person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others.
Example: I didn't want to be a scapegoat, so I spoke up and took responsibility.
Rectify: – To put right; correct.
Example: I did everything I could to rectify the situation and fix my mistake.
Mitigate: – To make less severe, serious, or painful.
Example: I tried to mitigate the damage by apologising immediately.
Remorse: – Deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed.
Example: I felt a genuine sense of remorse for the trouble I had caused.
If you prepare for the topic "Describe a time when you got into some kind of trouble", you should be able to talk about the following topics as well:
1) Describe a time when someone got angry with you.
2) Describe a time when you complained about something.
3) Describe a time when you disagreed with a decision that someone made.
4) Describe a situation when you lost something important.
5) Describe a situation that made you angry.
6) Describe a time when you were lost in a new city.
7) Describe a time when you missed an important deadline.
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