Duolingo Speaking Cue card questions constitute a major part of Duolingo English Test. Usually the topics are everyday life experiences and observations. Lets find out more.
Tips for Answering Duolingo Cue Cards Questions
- Focus on the use of tenses.
- You should always include answer to all the cues in your response.
- Speak for at least one minutes in order to get a good score.
- The topics for the cue card questions are our own life experiences and observations, so be prepared to recall your own or other people’s life experiences.
- If you cannot answer a question because you do not have prior knowledge or experience of it, use your imagination and try to make up something.
- It is advisable to increase your awareness of the events that happen around you. Increase your knowledge and observation of things like books, animals, plants, art, movies, outing, culture and celebrations etc.
- Practice writing your answers to questions available online and practice speaking them.
Sample Duolingo Speaking Cue Cards with Answers
Duolingo Speaking Cue card question # 1
Talk about an occasion when you were forced to change your plans because of the weather. Please say
- When did this happen?
- What kind of weather was it?
- Explain why you had to change your plans
Answer:
I remember a time when I had to cancel my trip to my friend’s house due to the bad weather conditions. I was at home on a weekend and I planned to visit one of my high school friends who lived an hour’s drive. Unfortunately, I believe it was not a well-planned visit and as soon as I started getting ready, I realized that the sky was grey with clouds. It looked like there would be some intermittent showers but soon heavy clouds started to build up.
There was a strong hail storm with wild winds. You won’t believe how defeated I felt when I witnessed the rain falling ceaselessly. Also, on that day, I felt the need to watch the weather forecast carefully before making a plan for an outing. Anyways, I still waited for the rain to stop but it didn’t happen until the day was well-advanced.
Finally, I had to change my plan to visit my friend because there was no point starting after half the day was gone. So, I informed my friend of the change of plans. She was a little upset too but she understood why I wasn’t able to make it. That’s how the day ended and I promised myself to always look for the weather forecast before making my next plan.
Duolingo Speaking Cue card question # 2
Describe a situation where you helped somebody. Please say
- Who was the person you helped?
- When and where was it?
- What kind of help did you offer?
Answer:
It happened quite recently when I helped one of my co-workers. It was a cold day in January when one of my co-workers, Anna, came late for work. As she arrived, she told us that she had been walking from home since she couldn’t find public transport. I think it was not sensible on her part to have walked from home because it was not a good day to walk with all that cold and snow. A few minutes later, she suddenly fell on the floor unconscious. It created panic because most of my colleagues did not know how to help an unconscious person.
Since I was trained in First Aid and CPR, I immediately offered help. The first thing I did was put a warm blanket around her and turn her to one side. Secondly, I called the ambulance. I also checked her pulse and breathing. Her blood pressure was low too. At the same time, I rubbed her hands a little bit. After a while, she opened her eyes. One of our colleagues brought hot coffee for her. She got better with it.
Finally, the ambulance arrived. The paramedics did a checkup on her. She was feeling fine now but a little bit weak. She was given a day off. At that point, I dropped her home in my car. I will add that it was one incident when I used my First Aid training that went quite well.
Duolingo Speaking Cue card question # 3
Talk about a place that is full of color. Please say
- What place this is
- Where it is located
- What people do there
- How you learned about this place
Answer:
Well, I can remember many places which can be called full of colours. There can be shopping malls, parks and buildings but I will talk about a clothing store called the Wheels of colours. It is an international brand of clothing and is located in Toronto. It has other branches as well. People go there to shop for formal occasions and also for fun and here I will tell you why.
One reason why people like to go there is that it’s a place with a lot of brilliant and eye-catching colours. The store is also decorated brilliantly with many beautiful and artistic samples of fancy clothing from around the world. The dresses in the shop are heavily embellished with beads and colourful embroidery. The variety of fabrics used in the clothes is amazing. The exterior of the store is not just like another store. It is also very colourful and decorated according to the modern trends. I must say that this place is a huge investment.
Finally, I learned about this store from one of my friends. She is a big fan of this store. It was with her that I visited this store for the first time. I would say that it is absolutely impressive.
Duolingo Speaking Cue card question #4
Talk about a place where you go to read or write. Please say
- What place this is
- Where it is located
- How often you visit this place.
Answer:
The place that would immediately pop up in my mind would be my local library. It’s only a five minutes walk from my house. The exact location of the library is 130 Dominic Street SW. Usually, I go there on the weekdays as it is closed on the weekends. I go there to read or write my assignments.
I think it is a mandatory place for students to spend some time because it is quiet. Mostly, the students or readers who want some quiet time visit the library. The main reason why people prefer to visit it is that it has an air of discipline. The administration makes sure that the visitors work quietly and do not cause disturbance for anyone.
Since it is just a few steps from my house, I go there to study at least twice a week. If I need to do more challenging assignments, I might visit the library more often since I need a quiet environment. Another good thing I would say is its prolonged hours of operation. Moreover, it has the latest computers, internet and most of the reference books for all subjects. Lastly, it provides me with the environment I need to work quietly on my own without interruptions.
Speaking Cue card question # 5
Talk about a uniform that you wore in the past. Please say
- Describe it.
- Where and when was it?
- How did you feel about wearing a uniform?
Answer:
As I can remember, the uniform I wore in the past was my school uniform. The uniforms changed over time from kindergarten to high school. In the junior grades, it was a white uniform with a blue sweater for the winter. In the higher grades, it was a long white shirt with full sleeves and black trousers. I wore it every day of my school life until I got promoted to college after high school.
I would say that wearing the uniform was a good experience. It gave me a feeling of being a part of a group with a common goal. It also meant that other students and I belonged to one educational institution. Moreover, it gave me a sense of pride to be a part of my school community. In addition to that, I never felt better than or worse than any of my class fellows since we all almost looked the same. I believe that wearing a uniform was also cost-effective for the students and their families since they never had to worry about spending on a variety of clothes.
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