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.
Gift cards (“a gift you received”, “a present you liked”, and the reverse “a gift you gave”) are easy to prepare once you have a gift with a story behind it. The examiner is far more interested in the meaning than the price. Here is a plan, a Band 8 sample answer and the Part 3 questions about giving gifts.
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 it was: second-hand film camera
- who gave it to you: my sister
- why they gave it to you: graduation, she knew I wanted to try photography, found it at a flea market
- explain how you felt about receiving it: surprised, touched; she remembered a passing comment; started a new hobby
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 gift you received that you liked.
You should say:
- what it was
- who gave it to you
- why they gave it to you
- and explain how you felt about receiving it.
Sample answerShowHide
A gift I really treasured was an old film camera that my older sister gave me when I graduated from university.
It’s a second-hand camera from the 1980s, quite heavy, made of black metal, with a big lens and a little leather strap. It isn’t worth much money, but it still works perfectly, and it came with three rolls of film.
The reason she gave it to me was my graduation, but there’s more to it than that. About a year earlier, we were looking at some old family photos together, and I mentioned, almost in passing, that I’d love to try taking pictures on film one day, because the old photos had such warm colours. I completely forgot I’d said it. My sister, however, didn’t. She spent several weekends searching flea markets and second-hand shops until she found one in good condition, and then she had it cleaned and checked by a repair shop.
When I opened the box, I was genuinely taken aback. I’m usually the one who forgets birthdays, and she’d remembered a single comment from a year before. I think that’s what touched me most: not the camera itself, but the thought and effort behind it.
It also had an unexpected effect on my life, because it got me into photography as a hobby. Film is expensive, so you can’t take hundreds of photos like on a phone; you have to think carefully about each one. That has made me notice things around me much more. I’ve now filled about twenty rolls, and some of the photos are on my wall. Every time I use the camera, I think of my sister.
Useful language:treasuredalmost in passingin good conditiongenuinely taken abackthe thought and effort behind itgot me into photographythere’s more to it than that
Part 3 sample answers
Why do people give gifts?
Sample answerShowHide
Mainly to show appreciation or affection, and to mark special occasions like birthdays, weddings or graduations. In many cultures gifts are also part of social etiquette; you bring something when you visit someone’s home, for example. A good gift shows that you understand the other person.
Useful language:show appreciationsocial etiquette
Is it better to give money or a present?
Sample answerShowHide
It depends on the situation. Money is practical, especially for young couples or students, because they can buy what they actually need. But a present feels more personal and shows that you thought about the person. In my culture, money is common at weddings, while presents are more usual for birthdays.
Useful language:practicalmore personal
Do you think people spend too much on gifts these days?
Sample answerShowHide
In some cases, yes. Advertising and social media create pressure to buy expensive things, especially at holidays, and some people go into debt. I think the value of a gift has very little to do with its price; a thoughtful, inexpensive gift often means much more.
Useful language:go into debtthoughtful
Are handmade gifts better than bought ones?
Sample answerShowHide
They are often more meaningful, because they take time and effort, and that’s exactly what makes a gift special. However, not everyone has the skills or time to make something, and a carefully chosen bought gift can be just as personal. The thought matters more than whether it was made or bought.
Useful language:meaningfulcarefully chosen
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#
- The story behind the gift (a comment made a year earlier) makes the answer personal and memorable.
- Rich description of the object: second-hand, made of black metal, a little leather strap.
- Grammar range: past perfect (she’d remembered, I’d said), had it cleaned (causative), and the present perfect for results.
- Feelings expressed precisely: treasured, taken aback, touched, rather than just “happy”.
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 handmade gift from a friend or relative
- A book that someone chose especially for you
- A watch, a piece of jewellery or something inherited
- An experience as a gift: concert tickets or a trip
Mistakes to avoid#
- Describing the gift only by its price or brand.
- Forgetting “why they gave it to you”, which is usually the most interesting part.
- Mixing gift and give: you receive or get a gift; someone gives you a present.
Want more? Practise a random card with the 2-minute timer in the cue card generator, or see every Speaking topic with sample answers.