Describe A Time You Moved To A New Home Or School - IELTS Cue Card

Introduction to IELTS Cue Cards

A Cue Card is a small card provided to you during the IELTS Speaking Section 2 that includes a topic along with some points, which must be discussed by you in your answer. You get one-minute preparation time, you can write notes, and then you will have to speak for one to two minutes about the topic. This may seem challenging to you initially, but it is just a process through which your ability to discuss daily activities is assessed.

How to Answer the Cue Card?

Before starting with some of the answers that are available, it would be beneficial to know the nature of the structure of the right answer. The examiner is not assessing how excited you are about narrating your story but, on the contrary, how fluent, coherent, and varied in grammar structures and vocabulary your narration is. The story of living two streets away from your home can be just as fascinating as living abroad. Here are a few simple factors that you should consider when answering the cue card:

• Begin IELTS cue cards by setting the context right away. Provide brief information about when this happened and how old you were at that particular point in time. It will give immediate context to the examiner
• You need to be clear about your reason. Was it because of a job for your parents, a bigger house, a better school, or something else? A unique reason will help you make the story easier to follow.
• Provide information about where you moved. Paint a little picture of the environment, the institution, people you met. This is where your vocabulary skills will come into play.
• You should express your feelings. At first worried, then happy, missing the place you left behind. Moreover, adding emotion to your response will make it more human than mechanical
• End with some reflection. You can learn this through speaking cue card practice questions and sample answers. Close with how moving affected you or what advice you would give yourself about moving back then.

Here is the image of the cue card for the topic that describes a time you moved to a new home or school, which will appear when you take the exam.

Describe a time you moved to a new home or school - Sample 1

Here is a sample to understand how you can answer the IELTS speaking part 2 on the topic: describe a time you moved to a new home or school.

Introduction

The move that comes first to mind is the move from the rented house to my own house situated near Chennai city limits.

When did you move?

The transition happened almost four years ago. I remember this precisely because it was during that time that I passed my 10th grade and started 11th grade.

Why did you move?

My parents were saving money for quite some time to build our house. Therefore, once construction of the house was finished, we got a chance to leave the old apartment that we had been living in for the past several years and settle down in a more permanent place.

Where have you moved?

The new house we moved into was in a less busy area of the city that was very far from my old school, meaning I would have to find another school. There were not as many shops, and there was less traffic. However, there was also a park right outside of our gate, which was the best part of my new house.

How did you feel about it?

I never expected myself to feel nostalgic about moving from our previous residence because it was much smaller. However, there were simply too many memories associated with it, which made me feel emotional and sad. The transition to the new school was hard for me due to the shift in teaching style. Nevertheless, the serene atmosphere allowed me to focus on studying.

Conclusion

In retrospect, this was a wise move for my family as far as stability was concerned, and I ended up appreciating the peace and greenery of our new surroundings more than I ever imagined.

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Describe a time you moved to a new home or school - Sample 2

Here is the second sample of the cue card, where you need to describe a time you moved to a new home or school for your IELTS speaking practice and to enhance your scores.

Introduction

There have been many important changes in my life, one of which was the relocation of my family from Kochi to Bangalore. This was not my decision, but looking back at it, I have come to realise its importance.

When did you move?

It was when I was around twelve years old and had just passed my sixth grade.

Why did you move?

My father got a greatly improved position within the firm’s office in Bangalore. After much deliberation within the family, we found it sensible for us to move as a family unit rather than having my dad either commute or live separately in the new city.

Where have you moved?

Our next destination was a moderately sized apartment in Indiranagar. It is a vibrant, green area with cafés and parks in it, and it was a very different, cooler place than I had ever been before. The worst part was that I would be attending a new school. This was the toughest part of the complete transition.

How did you feel about it?

To be honest, I was in an interesting situation since, on one side, I was afraid, yet, on the other side, I felt excited. It was due to the new atmosphere, but I was afraid since I would have to attend classes with no people I knew. The first two weeks were hard on me since I had my lunch break alone, but later I made some friends.

Conclusion

This decision helped me realise my own adaptability. This is one of those situations that I always talk about when somebody asks me about some difficulties.

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Describe a time you moved to a new home or school - Sample 3

Students can understand the right approach to answer an IELTS cue card on the topic describe a time you moved to a new home or school by evaluating the sample below.

Introduction

One important event for me is when I left my hometown to get an education at a boarding school in another state.

When did you move?

This happened three years ago when I had just finished school and had been accepted to that school for higher studies.

Why did you move?

The course that I wanted to join was not available at all in my town, which left me no choice but to move to attend the boarding school, which was situated in another state.

Where have you moved?

I moved into a school hostel room along with two other students belonging to completely different states and had to adapt to different languages, food, and practices right from the very beginning.

How did you feel about it?

I had mixed feelings initially because moving to a new state and living with two people who were total strangers was tough. In addition, I was feeling homesick and missing familiar faces and home-cooked meals more than anything. However, with time, I learnt how to stay disciplined and manage my schedule while living alone.

Conclusion

Moving to another state at an early age was one of the most defining experiences of my life. It helped me grow up faster, learn self-discipline, and become more reliant.

Lexical Resources

An extensive vocabulary set is what makes an average Band 6 different from a confident Band 7 or better. The following are some useful vocabulary for IELTS and phrases that have been drawn from the examples provided earlier to help you improve your vocabulary:

Follow-up Questions

After your two-minute answer in the IELTS speaking part 2, you will be asked several follow-up questions to keep the conversation going. Here are five follow-up questions and their respective answers.

1. Do you think that being relocated frequently is good for children?

Ans. No. While moving around helps children be adaptable and familiar with other environments, moving too often could disrupt their social connections and schooling; therefore, keeping a balance is very important.

2. What are the main challenges for people when moving to another place?

Ans. The prominent challenges that people face when moving to new places are creating a new social circle, adapting to a different culture, and balancing their lives in an unfamiliar city.

3. What is the general attitude of people from your country about moving to another city?

Ans. The relocation process is considered a very crucial decision, especially for family-oriented families. However, young people today are much more ready to relocate because of education or work opportunities.

4. Do you think that it’s better to move alone or with your family?

Ans. It really depends on the person, but from my point of view, moving together with your family is emotionally more supportive, while moving alone helps develop independence.

5. Is relocation to another place made easier because of the development of technology?

Ans. Yes. Video conferencing, online communities, and the ready availability of information related to the new place make it easy for people to stay in touch with their friends and adjust to their new environment.

Tips to Excel in IELTS Cue Card

To prepare yourself for the speaking portion of the IELTS exam and get good scores, candidates should possess many different skills. Further, there is the possibility to work on some specific skills such as understanding the topic, using strong vocabulary and idioms, becoming fluent, and giving well-organized answers. 

• Plan out what you are going to say before speaking. Take advantage of your one minute of preparation time by jotting down four or five keywords corresponding to each bullet point on the card rather than trying to write complete sentences.
• Speak naturally in the IELTS speaking section and do not recite from memory. It is obvious when an answer has been memorised word-for-word, and sometimes overly polished answers can seem less natural. You should try to make your response sound like a conversation, even if there are some short pauses, small corrections, and some fillers.
• Apply diverse vocabulary and grammar constructions. Instead of falling back on basic words such as “happy” and “big,” it would be better to choose words of some sophistication like “elated” and “expansive,” and apply all verb tenses, because diversity is a must for good scores.
• Practice under time constraints regularly. Performing the whole IELTS speaking mock test at home with the help of a real-time device will enable you to get acquainted with the two-minute limit. It will also help you understand which parts of your answer require trimming.
• Reading books and watching English shows gives you a sense of passive understanding. However, receiving organised feedback through online IELTS coaching or a professional tutor makes you aware of the pronunciation or grammar mistakes you might have missed.

Conclusion

In summary, at this point, you should be well informed on how to answer the IELTS speaking cue card “Describe an experience of moving to a new home or school.” This is because you can use the same approach when answering any other topic in your speaking examination. However, employing the right techniques highlighted above will help you attain the targeted score. In case you have any questions, please reach out to us via Gradding.com. You can access our free study materials for effective IELTS preparation and understanding the question types.