This article includes sample answer on the IELTS cue card topic: 

Describe a Gift You Have Received

You should say:

• What it is
• Who gave it to you
• What the occasion was 

And explain what and how you were feeling when you received this gift. 

Sample Answer : Band 8+

I’ve been fortunate to receive numerous gifts from my family and friends over the course of my life. While I like all of those presents in some manner, today I’d like to talk about one of the most recent gifts that I received. I also think it’s a little more special and valuable than the others.

This significant item, which I have chosen to discuss today, is a digital or electronic dictionary, which I received as a birthday present from one of my loving uncles on my 21st birthday three weeks ago. Prior to acquiring the digital dictionary, I didn’t know much about it other than it was a ‘different’ kind of dictionary that may be very useful if I wanted to learn new terms and their many meanings.

Anyway, when I was presented with that gift, which was wrapped in a good and distinct-looking box, I felt quite delighted and instantly opened the box to see what it was. There was a lovely mini-laptop-like handheld device in a gleaming navy-blue color there, practically beckoning me to play with it. It was roughly 6 inches long and had a separate LCD screen as well as a separate writing panel with a full keyboard. The dictionary featured nicely rounded corners and smooth edges, giving it a very good and distinct appearance.

Aside from the most basic and crucial dictionary function of looking up the meaning of words, nice tiny electronic equipment also includes text-to-speech recognition, programs to help study difficult vocabularies, a calculator, and a calendar. It also had gameplay and other multimedia elements. The digital dictionary, created by the Casio Company of Japan, also came with a good-looking leather bag to carry it safely and securely.

In any case, this present was special to me because it had considerably helped me enhance my English language skills in a very comfortable setting. The dictionary was also useful to me because it allowed me to pass the time by playing video games and listening to music.

Follow-up Questions: Part 3 

Is gift-giving a valuable part of your family’s tradition?

Actually, it is indeed an important part of our family’s tradition. But that is not to say that we are a materialistic family. It’s just that whenever there is a special occasion or a chance to give someone a present, we do so. The gift does not always have to be something extravagant and expensive; it could be simple things just to make the person receiving it feel special. I think it’s a special tradition that most people treasure until now.

When do you feel better, when you receive gifts or when you give them?

For me, I feel better when I give presents than when I receive them. I always love the feeling of seeing the people I give gifts to happy and excited about whatever it is that I give them. It makes me feel better that the effort I exerted isn’t wasted.