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Describe a special occasion in your life

IELTS Cue Card Question 163 with Model Answer:

Describe a special occasion in your life.

You should say:
  • what the occasion was
  • how you celebrated it
  • who was with you on this occasion
and explain why it was special to you.

[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:
Life is filled with occasions but most of them are ordinary. The event of having an iPhone is very special to me as I bought the device with my own earnings.

I am a college student and work at a call centre here, in Singapore. I live with my family and fortunately, I bear all of my educational expenses. So, it is a bit difficult for me to arrange such a huge sum of money to buy an iPhone. It took over 1000 $ to get the phone. Being a techno-centric teenager, I am fond of the latest electronic gadgets and accordingly try to have those in my collection. Despite my family being wealthy, I prefer to bear all my expenses and consequently did not ask for money from my parents to get the phone. So, when I bought the phone, it was a very special occasion for me.

After buying the phone I made the first phone call to my mom to let her know about the purchase. Then I made the very second call to my father and he was pleased as well about the event. I reached home with some traditional foods and fruits to celebrate the event. I am the youngest member of my entire family and I am learning and earning simultaneously. But working in a call centre as a part-timer is truly a hefty task. The call pressures were unbearable while the number of days off was limited. I had to undergo stressful situations. On the other side, it was difficult for me to save money on the phone after all the expenses. It took nearly seven months for me to arrange all the money for this iPhone 6. Besides, my parents were happy that their son has bought the phone. They were, in fact, very proud of me.

When I went home with the iPhone, I was surprised that there were many people to congratulate me. It was not the event that officially I became the owner of an iPhone 6 rather they came to inspire me on my success in saving the money to buy an expensive phone. I found my maternal and paternal uncles, aunties, some of my father’s friends, and my grandparents. I actually was amazed at their felicitations for me. All of them praised me highly and blessed me too for the future success. It appeared that I am a kid of six years and they are advising me. I was glad, indeed, for their cordial appreciation to my attempt.

My father is a rich businessman in Singapore and one of the elites in our locality. He can do any legal thing whatever he wants and arranging an iPhone of latest model for his son (me) is a minor issue for a man like him. But I wanted to have the phone with my own earning. I am highly attracted to electronic gadgets and try to keep in touch with them. But it appears shameful to me to ask for money to parents every time to get the latest version of those gadgets. So, I planned that if I save some money from my daily expense, I could get the iPhone 6 that I have desired for a long. Accordingly, I saved dollars for long seven months and finally my dream came true. I bought the iPhone 6 with my own money, my hard earned money. So, the event was very special to me



Model Answer 2:
Recently, I have completed my graduation from Mills College in Oakland. And it was a special occasion for me indeed. Thank you so much for the question. It reminds me of the hard work that I invested before the exam days. I will describe the events now.

It was the occasion of the graduation ceremony and I was expecting the day from long ago. In fact, I had been waiting for the day for some reasons. Without the graduation certificate, I was unable to apply for a suitable job for me. So, it was necessary for me to get the certificate and I was eagerly waiting for the day to arrive. At last, it came in my life.

I celebrated the day amid great festivity. I went early in the morning at the college wearing a special gown. Usually, the classes began about 8.00am and the examinations were held after a convenient time. But since it was a special day for me, I went so that I can prepare for any other thing. After the certificates were distributed, I took pictures with my friends. When the ceremony was over, I, with some of my friends, went to have some fun and foods. It was really a remarkable day in my life. To achieve the graduation, I had to undergo lots of sufferings and struggles. Therefore, it was a very special day for me.

The day began with meeting my friends in the college. Later, before the ceremony began, my parents arrived at the venue. The parents of other friends also arrived there. Everyone was happy to attend the graduation ceremony of their wards. So, it was a fabulous get-together too. My parents started socialising with the other parents while some of them appeared to be formerly familiar to my family. I spent my time with my friends as it was a kind of last meeting with them except intimate friends.

My graduation ceremony was very special to me for some certain reasons. The most important matter about the ceremony was the declaration of myself as a graduate. With the official declaration from the college, I became a graduate. In fact, I was trying to be self-reliant and seeking job opportunities for myself. But without being a complete graduate, it was not possible to get a full-time job. So, I was eagerly waiting for the day to arrive when I will be declared as a graduate. Besides, it was also the day when all my efforts of past few years were evaluated through the declaration and certificate distribution. Based on all the facts, the day had a special meaning to me. And I am proud to be a graduate.

Idea Generation for this Cue Card Topic: 

1.  Nothing could be more exciting than getting a job for an unemployed person like me. It was the perfect occasion for me to celebrate. After getting the job, I made the first phone call to my mom. She was happy and gradually informed other members of my family. She also arranged for a special dinner that night. It was a great time for me and my family. Getting the job at a multinational corporation was a success for me as I had long been waiting for a suitable job. So, it was a blessing indeed.

2.  My elder sister got married last November and it was a very special occasion for me. The marriage ceremony was held in an open ground which was the key attraction. A large number of guests were invited to the ceremony. All of my relatives were there. I also invited some of my friends. So, it was a great gathering for all of us. Many of the relatives arrived there whom I met after a long time. Everyone was happy with the event. It was special to me because my sister was happy to have her life-partner.

3.  Celebrating my 19th birthday was a special event for me. In fact, it was a surprise for me by my friends and family members. They all kept it a secret to me and so, it was special. They brought the birthday cake in my bedroom and it was just after 12.00. They also brought some candles and presents for me marking the occasion. I actually had no idea about their plan and was amazed at their cordiality. I realized how much they loved me. It was special as all of them remembered the date and accordingly made plans to celebrate it.

4.  Falling in love with Maria was the special event in my life. It took around two years for me to win her heart. And I underwent a good number of activities to impress her. So, finally, when she accepted my proposal, I was overwhelmed with joy. I celebrated the occasion with my friends and of course, Maria was there. The event was special to me because everyone knew my feelings about her in the college. Many of them suggested me to give up on her. But I did not. I was determined that I will win her and I did so.

5.  When I bought my first motorbike, it was a very special event for me. The celebration was different too. I rode the bike and crossed about 20 kilometres on that day. The ride was accompanied by some of my friends who had their own bikes. In fact, with their inspirations, I bought the road bike and the riding was really interesting. The event was special to me because I had long been saving money to get a bike. Though my dad asked me if I need any monetary support, I did not take any money from him. The bike was the very first thing that I bought with my own money.


If you can talk about the cue card topic "Describe a special occasion in your life." you should be able to talk about the following IELTS cue card topics as well:
  • Describe something you have recently bought. 
  • Describe a device or tool you own. 
  • Describe something important you own. 
  • Describe something you bought for which you had to save money. 
  • Describe a happy event you can recall. 
  • Talk about a happy moment in your life. 
  • Describe a day you remember well. 
  • Describe something you did for which others appreciated you. 
  • Describe a technological device or tool you own.

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