Compilation of Cue Card Topics for IELTS

I 
I have compiled these questions during June 2016, when I attempted my IELTS examination. I have collected these questions from different websites. An important point about these questions is that you can find most of the cue card topics in the list and you don't have to search different sources for this task. 

Picture Courtesy: studyboard.careers360

1. Where is your hometown?

My hometown is in Islamabad, which is the capital city of Pakistan. It's located in the north of the country, not really far from the Eastern Indian border.

2.      Is there much to do in your hometown?

Oh yes, there's certainly lots to do there as it's a fairly big city. If you like going out in the evening there are a lot of good restaurants and bars. If you prefer cultural activities there are museums and art galleries. But if you like nature there are lots of other things outside of the city which are easy to reach.

3.      What are the people like in your hometown?

They are mostly quite friendly, but as with most big cities everyone is often busy so it may seem as if they are not interested in speaking or having a chat. But if you live there you know that most people are quite happy to have a chat if they have time and will help you if needed.

4.      What are you studying at the moment?

I'm studying history at university. It's a four year course, and I started it three years ago, so I have just one year left. I'm enjoying it a lot so it will be sad to finish.

5.      What do you like most about your studies?

We learn about many things from the past such as politics and wars, but I like learning about how people lived in the past the most. It's amazing to see how our lives have changed so much from the past up until now. In some ways our lives have got much easier now, but in other ways the simplicity of life in the past made people much happier. Learning about all that is fascinating.

6.      What do you hope to do in the future when you have finished?

I'm not sure at the moment, but I may go into teaching. This is why I'm doing the IELTS, as I intend to carry on and do a Masters in a specific area of history. I'll probably decide for sure what to do when I have completed that.

7.      What is your job?

I currently work as an office manager at a large marketing company. I've been in the job for about five years now. I'm usually assigned to work with a specific business in order to improve their sales through various marketing strategies.

8.      Do you have to work with other people?

Oh yes, all the time. It's a big office and we all have to work as a team if we want to achieve results. I have colleagues I need to liaise with such as the graphic designers and I also have administration staff who work under me. And of course I also have to work alongside the companies that we provide marketing for. So yes, I definitely have to work with other people.

9.      Do you think you will change jobs in the future?

Well, that's not something I'm thinking about at the moment as I really enjoy what I do and it's a really good company to work for. The pay is good and they have other good benefits such as flexi-time and end of year bonuses. But that said, change is always a good thing, so I can't see me being there forever. I'm sure I will change one day.

10.  What do you like to do in your free time?

I do quite a lot of sport actually. I play football mostly - on Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoon with a local team. I also play tennis and squash when I can but I don't really get the time to do them as well every week. I work quite hard at the moment, so I don't get a lot of free time unfortunately.

11.  Have your leisure activities changed since you were a child?

Not a great deal actually. I used to love playing football when I was young as well - I played a lot at school. Though of course I did all the other things kids loved to do such as going out on bike rides after school and things.

12.  Do you prefer to spend your free time alone or with other people?

It depends on my mood really. I think most people need some time on their own. Sometimes my work is quite stressful and I spend a lot of time there with others, so it's good to just get home and relax and read a book or something. But I get bored if I am alone too much so I like to go out and meet friends in the evening or play football.

13.  Do you like to travel by train?

Yes, I quite like them. If you are on a train you can relax and look out the window, read, use your lap top - it's all quite comfortable. On the bus it's more difficult to do those things because there is less space and the movement can make you travel sick too. The only problem with trains in my country is that they are often delayed or late. That can ruin your journey.

14.  Where do you usually go by train?

It's usually on long trips across the country if I want to visit friends or I have an appointment somewhere. For short journeys around where I live or to work it's much easier to drive or take the bus. As I said before, you can do things such as read on the train so it's good for long journeys.

15.  When was the last time you traveled by train?

Er....I'm not quite sure, let me think. It was a while ago now. I think the last time was last year when I went up to see some friends I had not seen for a while in the north of the country. Yes, that was it. It was a journey of about 3 hours and I had to change trains once during the journey. The first train was a bit crowded and noisy as I think there were people on there going to a football match, but it was an ok trip most of the way..

16.  Are you good at managing your time?

Actually I'd say I'm not too good! I don't really have a system in place to organize things. I know some people have an electronic organizer or use some device to plan what they are doing but I don't do that. But I always make sure I am on time for appointments and things like that, and I meet deadlines and get things done.

17.  How do you manage your time?

As I said, I don't have any specific system in place to manage my time. For example, if I am at work and I have a lot of cases, I just go through them each day and decide which I need to tackle first. At work we do have an online diary which I guess I use, so in that sense I do manage my time to an extent.

18.  When is it most important for you to manage your time?

I think it is probably when you are at work. When out of work, it's not really going to affect things too much, or at least only yourself, if you are late to meet friends or for an appointment, or if you are getting things done in your house. But at work, it will cause problems if you don't manage your time effectively because you could miss deadlines or miss appointments. You could lose your job. So at work is when it is most important to manage your time.

19.  What kind of books do you like to read?

I mostly like to read biographies. I'm not sure why but it is interesting to read about people's real lives, especially when they have had interesting lives and have had to deal with many problems. I do read fiction as well, but I often find it difficult to get hold of a book that I really like. I also like reading about books to do with current affairs.

20.  Do you read the same kind of books now that you read when you were a child?

Not really, no. Actually, I didn't read that much when I was a child, but if I did it was mainly fiction books, such as fairy tales. Things like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Fantasy things.

21.  When do you think is the best time to read?

I think any time is ok, but when I read I like to concentrate, so I can't read for a short time like on a bus ride like some people do. I like to put time aside to enjoy it. So if I have some free time at the weekend I might read for a few hours. And I nearly always read before I go to bed - this really helps me to sleep.

22.  Are there any art galleries where you live?

No, not that I know of. I live in a small town so I don't think there are any, though we do have a few museums and other cultural institutions. In our capital city, there are quite a few art galleries, however.

23.  Did you like to go to art galleries when you were a child?

I've never been that interested in art to be honest, so not really. We were taken to one as part of a trip when I was at school. It has a lot of paintings from famous artists from our country. It was quite interesting to see I guess but I've not been to any since.

24.  Should people have to pay to go to art galleries?

I think it depends really. If possible they should be free because if people do have to pay they are less likely to go and see it. But on the other hand, these things cost money so a small fee may be necessary if it can keep the art gallery going and keep it open. Ideally, though the government should pay for this as I believe this kind of thing is paid for by our taxes.

25.  Can you swim?

Yes, I can. I learned at school when I was about 7 years old. Swimming lessons were compulsory at our school, like most schools I think.

26.  Are there many places to swim near you?

Yes, there are a few public swimming pools. There is the main indoor one at a big sports complex in the center of town. There are also a couple of outdoor ones, but you can only use them in summer as it is too cold in winter. One is a big one in a park, the other is a much smaller one.

27.  Do you think everyone should learn to swim?

Of course, I think it's very important. Firstly, you spend much of your life on holiday by the water, for example, when you go to the beach on holiday, so you won't be able to enjoy yourself with your friends if you can't swim. Also, for safety reasons, it's very important. You often hear about sad accidents involving young children so it's very important.

28. Do you work or study?

I graduated a few years ago and I’m now in full-time employment.

29. What is your job?

I’m currently an English teacher working for the British Council in Ho Chi Minh City.

30. Why did you choose that job?

I was previously a lawyer and found it to be really stressful and never had any free time, so after quitting that job I thought teaching might be the complete opposite of being a lawyer, you know not as stressful and more time off.

31. Are there lots of English teachers in Ho Chi Minh City?

Oh yes! There is a big demand for English as a second language here and it’s also quite a cheap place to live compared to many other big cities in Asia.

32. Do you enjoy your job?

Most of the time. It’s very rewarding to be able to help people every day and the students here are very hardworking and fun to teach, but you sometimes have lessons that do go so well and the money could always be better.

33. Do you get on well with your co-workers?

Yes, fine. I don’t really see work as part of my social life, so I don’t socialize with them, so I suppose I could be more friendly, but it’s just my nature to be a bit colder with colleagues. I think it’s more professional to be that way.

34. What was your first day at work like?

There were lots of teachers starting at the same time as me, 10 I think, so we all had a big induction day. The more senior teachers ran workshops with us to familiarize us with the different systems they had and then we went for a team dinner in the evening.

35. What responsibilities do you have at work?

All of the teacher’s main responsibility is to plan good lessons and then teach them to the best of our ability. On top of that, we have several admin. Tasks to carry out like mark homework, fill out attendance sheets and write reports.

36. Would you like to change your job in the future?

Yes, as I said before, I like working by myself, so I would like to be my own boss. I’m currently developing my own website, so if it’s successful I will leave teaching and work on it full time. This will also give me more time to work on other projects.

37. What is your typical day like at work?

I normally have 2 or 3 classes in the evening and I start the day by doing all the planning at home. This normally takes between an hour or two depending on the lessons. I then take the rest of the day to spend with my family, before going to work around 3 to print off my materials, and then I teach all evening.

38. What would you change about your job?

As with most English teachers, we have to teach what is on the curriculum and this can mean that you are teaching some things that are quite boring or not very useful for your students, so I would like to have more freedom to teach outside the syllabus.

39. Do you work or study?

I’m currently a student at Queen’s University, Belfast.

40. What do you study?

I study law because it’s a really well thought of degree and I’m hoping to pursue it as a career in the future.

41. Is it a popular subject at your university?

Very popular, in fact, it’s one of the most sought-after courses. I think there are about 350 people reading law at Queen’s. I think lots of students’ parents want them to study law so they can get a good job after they graduate.

42. Do you enjoy studying it?

It’s such a huge subject that there will always be parts you like and parts you don’t like. I find Human Rights fascinating because they can really make a difference to peoples’ lives. On the other hand, modules like Land Law and Equity are really boring.

43. Do you get along with your classmates?

Yes, they are all really great. Most people like to socialize together in the evenings and this makes us a very tight group. If you know someone socially, it is much easier to work together in class.

44. If you could change to another subject, what would it be?

I planned to study medicine, but then when I went on work experience I fainted at the first sight of blood, so definitely not that. I’m a real history buff and read books about World War 2 all the time, so I suppose it would have to be Modern History.

45. Do you plan to use the subject you are studying in the future?

Yes, I’ve already started to apply for jobs as a lawyer. We normally have to secure a job a year before we graduate and then work very hard to get a high overall mark. After that, I will probably do a Masters's in law to become a specialist in one particular area.

46. What is the most difficult part of your subject?

You have to remember lots of legislation and cases and not only remember their names, but also how they affect each part of the law and how they interact with each other. Physically it can also be exhausting because we have to read very dense texts for a few hours every day.

47. What would like to study in the future?

As I said before, my favorite type of law is Human Rights, so I would like to do a master's in International Human Rights Law. it’s right at the cutting edge of my field and there are also lots of very high-profile cases in the media, so it’s really exciting and something I would like to become an expert in.

48. Why did you choose your university?

Mostly because it is close to my hometown and most of my friends were going there. I kind of regret it now. It’s a great university, but because it’s so close to home it doesn’t give you much of a chance to experience new things and meet new people. If I were to choose again, I’d study abroad.

49. Where is your hometown?

My hometown is on the southeast coast of Northern Ireland. It’s called Dundrum and it’s about 1 hour south of the capital city.

50. What do you like about it?

It’s an area of outstanding natural beauty and for me, one of the most beautiful places on the earth. It has everything; fantastic beaches, rolling mountains, dense forests, and picturesque countryside.

51. What do you not like about it?

It can be a little bit boring because it’s really tiny. There are only a few small shops and a couple of pubs and that’s it! In the summer, it’s OK because you can enjoy the outdoors but it would be nice to have a few more indoor facilities for the winter.

52. How often do you visit your hometown?

Not as much as I should. I only get to visit about once a year now to see my family because I’m really busy with work and it’s quite far away, but I hope to visit more in the future.

53. What’s the oldest part of your hometown?

There is an old Norman castle that sits on top of the highest hill of the town. It’s a ruin now, but there are some breathtaking views from it and it’s easy to see why they chose that site for a castle, because you can see for miles around.

1. 54.  Do many people visit your town?

Thousands of tourists visit every summer. They come from the capital city mostly to get away from the hustle and bustle and enjoy the peace and quiet. There are more and more international tourists visiting because lots of scenes from the TV show ‘Game of Thrones were shot just outside the village.

1. 55.  Is there any way your hometown could be made better?

As I said before, the best thing about the town is its rural beauty and you can’t really improve that. If I had to say something, it would be to improve the roads, they are in a terrible state and cause a few car accidents every year.

1. 56.  How has your hometown changed over the years?

Since I was a child the town has almost doubled in size and population. It used to consist of just one main street, but now there are many new housing developments and apartments next to the water. With all these new people moving in, it has changed the character of the town a little bit, people are not as friendly as before.

1. 57.  Are there good transportation links to your town?

The public transport system consists of just buses that pass through the town on an hourly basis. One bus goes north to the capital city which is really convenient if you need to do any shopping and the other bus goes south where you can switch buses and go across the border to the Republic of Ireland, so you could say we have international transport links which is not bad for a little town like ours.

1. 58.  Would you recommend the town to people with children?

Yes and no. It is obviously a great place to bring up kids because there are so many things for them to do like swim in the sea, play in the forest and run on the beach. However, the good schools are pretty far away and I remember having to get up really early every morning to catch a bus to school that was 20 miles away.

59. Where do you live?

I live on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, in a district called Tan Phu, about 15 km from the city center.

60. Do you live in a house or a flat?

I live in a 3 bedroom flat on the 11th floor of a big apartment building.

61. Who do you live with?

I live there with my wife and little baby son.

62. Is it a big place?

It’s pretty big for a flat. It has 3 large bedrooms, one for my wife and I and one for my son when he gets older. It also has a smaller bedroom that I use as a study and to store things in. The kitchen is small but it is part of a big open plan living room, so there is lots of space for the family.

63. What is your favorite room?

That would have to be my study because it’s the only room that I can get peace and quiet in. When I’m in there my wife knows I’m working, so she leaves me alone and I can concentrate on my work.

64. How is your apartment decorated?

I don’t like lots of over-the-top decoration, so I guess you would describe it as minimalist. The walls are all white and the furniture is also either white or black. There are very few ornaments or pictures because again, I like to keep things quite minimal and I hate clutter.

65. Is there anything you would like to change about your flat?

I would like to have a big balcony. We have a sort of balcony at the moment, but we mainly use it for washing and drying clothes. It would be really nice to have some tables and chairs on a proper balcony, with maybe a few plants, so we could sit there in the evenings and relax.

66. Do you plan to live there for a long time?

I really like where I live but it is really far from where I work in the centre of town. It takes around 45 minutes to drive there by motorbike and in the hot season and wet season it can be really uncomfortable, so we will consider moving closer to the center in a year or so.

67. Do you have a garden?

That’s the best part of where we live, we have a huge garden. It takes around 40 minutes to walk around it. It has a few play parks for the kids, a number of gyms and four small lakes. We are really lucky to have it and I try to go for a walk around it every day, if I have time.

68. Are there many amenities?

Not really, because it is on the edge of town. If you want to go for a nice meal, use a swimming pool, go shopping or head out for a drink, you really have to drive for about 30 minutes. That’s the major drawback, but if you are organized and buy everything when you are in the centre of town, it’s not so bad.

69. Do you care about fashion?

I used to in my younger days, I remember always looking to see what my favorite musicians were wearing and then try to copy them, but now that I’m older I don’t really care as long as I look smart.

70. What kind of things do you normally wear?

It depends what I’m doing really. If I’m working I always wear a dress shirt and trousers, but we don’t have to wear a tie. If I’m going out it will be more casual like a polo shirt and jeans and if I’m at home it will be really relaxed, just a t-shirt and shorts.

71. Are there any traditional clothes in your country?

I have no idea. There might be but I can’t recall ever hearing anyone talking about them or seeing someone wearing them.

72. Where do you usually purchase your clothes?

I used to go to the trendy shops when I was a student, but now I’m older and have little time I just like to go to a big shopping centre or department store and buy everything there. It’s more convenient that way and it means I don’t have to run all over town just for a few clothes.

73. Have you ever bought clothes online?

No, because I don’t trust their clothes to always fit me. I know a few people who order lots of clothes online and order a few different sizes and then send the ones that don’t fit them back, but I can’t be bothered with all that. It’s much quicker to go into a proper shop and try the clothes on there and make sure they are a proper fit.

74. Do people from your country think fashion is important?

More so these days. Our country wouldn’t be very high on the list of international fashion hot spots, but I notice people following certain trends more. Last year, there was a red trouser craze and everywhere you looked people had red trousers on.

75. What is your favorite item of clothing?

Probably my leather jacket. It cost a fortune and it makes me feel really confident when I go out in it. I normally get a few compliments also because it is quite slimming.

76. How important is the internet to you?

Extremely important. I depend on it for work, research, study and entertainment, so without it I’d be complete lost.

77. How often do you use the internet?

I use it constantly throughout the day, every day. I check my emails when I get up in the morning, I use it for work all day and then I watch videos, read books or listen to music through it at night.

78. Do you use it more for work or in your free time?

I’d say both really. About 50% of my job involves researching and writing on the internet so I would use it for about 4 hours a day. When I get home, I’m normally too tired to go to the gym or play sports so it is really easy to download a movie or stream some music and I normally do that until I fall asleep.

79. What are your favorite websites?

For work my two favorite sites are WordPress and Google. WordPress is a blogging tool that allows you to publish blogs easily and maintain a professional-looking website. Google of course allows me to find the information I need quickly and accurately. In my spare time, I of course use Facebook like everyone else in the world, but my favorite site is The Guardian because it allows me to keep up to date with everything that’s happening.

80. Do you use apps?

I’m a bit of an app addict. My favorite app at the moment is one called Stitcher. It allows you to listen to podcasts and helps you discover new podcasts. You can download them and then listen to them whenever you have time.

81. Do you think you use the internet too much?

I think most people do these days. My problem is that there are so many sites and apps that you end up checking them way too often and this wastes lots of time. It can also be a bit anti-social if you are checking your phone all the time when you are with other people.

82. How will the internet develop in the future?

I think it will be more on mobile phones than computers. Smartphones are becoming more powerful and more affordable all the time, so I think we will see a shift from people using the internet on desktop computers to mobiles and apps rather than traditional websites.

83. Are there any negative things about the internet?

Being connected all of the time is not a good thing. Before you had to sit down at your computer and log on and that took time, so you didn’t do it so much. Now all people have to do is look at their phone and this is too much for me. I’ve been trying to leave my phone at home when I socialise with friends and family to stop myself from focusing too much on the phone rather than them.

84. How is the weather today?

It’s really lovely today. There were a few showers this morning and it was a bit chilly, but it has brightened up this afternoon and I think it will stay that way for the rest of the day.

85. What’s your favorite kind of weather?

It depends what I’m doing really. If I’m doing something outside, I like the weather to be sunny but not too hot because it gets a bit uncomfortable after a while. If I’m inside, I love listening to the rain beating against the window and the wind howling outside.

86. What is the climate like in your country?

I’m from Ireland, so the thing people always complain about is the rain. It is right on the edge of Europe so we get lots of rain rolling in off the Atlantic. However, because we are an island it means that we don’t get very harsh winters and it hardly ever snows. I think temperate is the word to describe our climate- not too hot, not too cold.

87. Does the weather affect people’s lives in your country?

Yes, very much so. In the winter it is really grey all the time and it gets dark very early in the afternoon. The lack of sunlight leads to some people getting a bit depressed and I imagine that’s why people drink much more wine and whiskey in the winter to cope with how dull everything is.

88. Do people change in the summer?

Absolutely, as soon as the sun starts to shine and it gets warmer, people start to have barbecues, do more outdoor activities, and are generally happier. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last very long but people definitely make the most of it while the weather is good.

89. Is there any type of weather you really don’t like?

I don’t mind when it’s raining or windy and I don’t mind when it’s cold, but when it’s cold, windy and raining all that the same time, well that’s horrible, especially if you have to work or do something outside. I remember when we were at school we would have to go outside in horrible weather to do P.E. and I detested every minute of it.

90. Does bad weather ever affect transport in your country?

As I said before, it rarely snows, but when it does the transportation system collapses. People are just not used to driving in the snow and the whole country pretty much grinds to a halt. Buses and trains normally stop running completely until the snow thaws.

91. Do you like watching TV?

I don’t get time really to watch TV and I don’t like the fact that you have no choice about what to watch, so no I would say I don’t really like watching normal TV, I much prefer streaming something on my iPad and watching it when I like.

92. How often do you watch TV?

I’d say maybe only a few times a month when there is a good football match on. I prefer watching football on TV with other people around because it’s a great atmosphere, but if it’s a normal TV show I will just watch it alone at home on my tablet.

93. What kind of TV programs do you like to watch?

I like dramas and thrillers. I don’t really like anything that is not set in the real world, so I’m not a big fan of sci-fi or fantasy, although I have been getting in to the latest season of Game of Thrones. I also really like to watch documentaries about military history, especially anything to do with the Second World War.

94. What are the most popular TV shows in your country?

The two most popular genres are soaps and reality TV. Soaps like Coronation Street have always been popular because people get to know the characters really well and the storylines can be quite gripping. I’ve no idea why reality TV is popular, I can’t stand it, all those C-list celebrities trying to become popular again. I would rather watch the paint dry, to be honest.

95. Do you like watching TV shows from other countries?

Yes, most of the programs I watch are from the United States. Networks like HBO and Netflix have the biggest budgets and as a result can make some really high quality shows. I don’t think Game of Thrones could be made without a huge budget and America is probably the only country that can make a TV show on that scale.

96. Has the internet affected your viewing habits?

Absolutely, I watch most TV shows on the internet now, rather than a normal TV. There are so many streaming services like Netflix offering on-demand TV and it suits me to be able to watch what I want, when I want. I also like to binge-watch a series of TV shows, just watch a whole series in a day or two rather than waiting for the next episode.

97. What is your favorite TV show?

There was an American show called Fargo that I really loved. It was an adaptation of a film made about 15 years ago. The plot lines and characters were really interesting and the dialogue was well written. Unfortunately, there has only been one season of it so far, so I have to wait another year to see the next season.

98. What was your favorite show when you were a child?

I was a bit of a strange child because I didn’t really like cartoons like most of the other kids. But there were a few shows I loved like The A-Team, Knight Rider and Air Wolf. They were so cool and always had great action scenes. I was a bit obsessed with violent action films when I was kid. When I think about them though they weren’t really all that violent compared to shows these days, I don’t think one person was ever killed in any of those programs.

99. Do you play any sports?

Not as much as I should. I’m really busy with my job these days, so I don’t get the chance to do as many sports as I would like. I try to play basketball on Saturdays for a couple or hours and I occasionally play golf.

100. Have you played basketball for long?

Since I was about 10 years old. I remember playing a computer game about basketball when I was about 10 and it made me obsessed with the sport. From then on I played basketball every day until I went to university and then other things took priority, but I regret not maintaining it because it was something I loved doing.

101. Do you watch sport on TV?

Football is my favorite sport to watch on TV. I’m terrible at football but I love watching it on TV, especially big games like the Champions League. I follow Liverpool Football Club and so do a few of my friends, so we normally go to the pub every weekend and watch whoever Liverpool are playing and a few of the other big games in the Premiership.

102. What is the most popular sport in your country?

In my country, there are two dominant sports Gaelic Football and Hurling. Gaelic is a little like soccer but you are allowed to pick up the ball with your hands and you can kick the ball over the bar for one point or in the goal for 3 points. Hurling is played with sticks and a smaller ball and involves hitting the ball over the bar or in the goal. Both of them are really fast-paced and a bit brutal at times. You can tackle someone much harder than you can in soccer.

103. How do people in your country stay fit?

We are blessed with beautiful countryside and a nice temperate climate so most people either go running or walking. Lots of young people play field sports, but more and more people are joining gyms. Gyms have really took off recently as people worry more and more about their appearance. I think it has much more to do with how good people look rather than actually keeping fit.

104. Is it important for children to play sports?

Definitely. Sport not only keeps them healthy, but it also teaches them discipline and keeps them out of trouble. For instance, in my school, the kids who were dedicated to sport also achieved the highest grades in school and went on to good universities where they continued to work hard