Practise this cue card out loudPrepare for 1 minute, speak for up to 2 minutes, then compare with the Band 8 sample and try the Part 3 questions.
Festival cards (“a festival you enjoyed”, “an important festival in your country”, “a celebration”) let you show descriptive vocabulary and a bit of culture. Choose one specific year rather than describing the festival in general. That way you can use past tenses and real details. Here is a plan, a Band 8 sample answer and the Part 3 questions about celebrations.
How to plan your answer in one minute#
You get one minute and a pencil. Don’t write sentences: note one or two key words per point, plus a detail or two that will make your story vivid. For example:
- what the event was: New Year’s Eve in my hometown harbour
- when it took place: last December, first time home in 2 years
- who you were with: parents, sister, old school friends
- explain why you enjoyed it: fireworks over the sea, boats sounding horns, food stalls; felt home again
Practise, then compare: Band 8 sample answers
Record your own answer first, listen back, then compare. Don’t memorise these: examiners spot memorised answers. Borrow the structure and the highlighted vocabulary instead.
Part 2 sample answer (cue card)
Cue card
Describe a celebration or festival you enjoyed.
You should say:
- what the event was
- when it took place
- who you were with
- and explain why you enjoyed it.
Sample answerShowHide
The celebration I’d like to describe is New Year’s Eve in my hometown, a small town on the coast. I’ve been to many New Year celebrations, but last December’s was special, because it was the first time I’d been home for the holidays in two years.
In my town, New Year is celebrated around the harbour. In the afternoon, the main street is closed to traffic and local families set up food stalls, mostly grilled fish, sweet pastries and hot drinks, because it gets quite cold by the sea. In the evening, there’s live music on a stage near the fish market, and at midnight there’s a fireworks display over the water. Then all the fishing boats in the harbour sound their horns at the same time, which is incredibly loud and a bit chaotic, but that’s the tradition.
I went with my parents and my sister, and later in the evening we met up with some of my old school friends, several of whom had also come back from other cities just for the holidays. It almost felt like a school reunion.
I enjoyed it for a few reasons. The atmosphere was wonderful: the whole town was out, from babies to grandparents, and everyone was in a good mood. But mainly it was emotional for me. Living abroad, I’d almost forgotten how it feels to be somewhere where people know you. When the boats started sounding their horns at midnight, I got quite emotional, because it’s a sound I’ve heard every New Year since I was a child. It made me realise how much I’d missed home, and I’ve promised myself not to miss it again.
Useful language:closed to trafficset up food stallsa fireworks displaya bit chaoticmet up withthe whole town was outI got quite emotional
Part 3 sample answers
Why are festivals important?
Sample answerShowHide
Festivals bring communities together and give people a break from routine. They also keep traditions alive, passing customs, food and music from one generation to the next. For people living away from home, festivals are often the moment they return and reconnect with family.
Useful language:keep traditions alivereconnect with
Have festivals become too commercial?
Sample answerShowHide
In many cases, yes. Some festivals now seem to be more about shopping and advertising than their original meaning. That said, commercial activity can also support local businesses and pay for the events. The key is keeping the cultural or religious meaning at the centre.
Useful language:too commercialoriginal meaning
How do young people celebrate festivals differently from older people?
Sample answerShowHide
Young people often celebrate in a more social way, going out with friends, attending concerts or sharing the experience online. Older people tend to focus on family gatherings and traditional customs. But in my experience, most families combine the two.
Useful language:family gatheringstraditional customs
Should schools teach children about festivals from other cultures?
Sample answerShowHide
I think so. Learning about other cultures’ festivals helps children understand and respect people from different backgrounds, which is increasingly important in diverse societies. It’s also enjoyable and a natural way to learn about history, food and beliefs.
Useful language:diverse societiesa natural way to learn
Want your own answer scored? With Worddemy Pro, the AI examiner asks you real Part 1–3 questions and gives a band score for fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
Why this answer would score well#
- One specific year, which allows past tenses and real details instead of general facts.
- Descriptive vocabulary: food stalls, fireworks display, sound their horns, a bit chaotic.
- Emotional depth (being home after two years abroad) that answers “why you enjoyed it” convincingly.
- Grammar range: past perfect (I’d been home, I’d missed), a relative clause (several of whom…).
Other ideas you could talk about#
You don’t have to use a true story, and you can adapt one you know well. Other good choices:
- A national or religious festival in your country
- A music festival or a food festival
- A birthday, graduation or anniversary celebration
- A festival you experienced in another country
Mistakes to avoid#
- Describing the festival like an encyclopedia (“It is celebrated on…”). Tell your personal experience.
- Forgetting who you were with, an easy point.
- Mixing celebrate and celebration: “We celebrated New Year”; “It was a big celebration”.
Want more? Practise a random card with the 2-minute timer in the cue card generator, or see every Speaking topic with sample answers.