Describe a complaint that you made, and you were satisfied with the result: IELTS Cue Card

Bhargavee Sisodia

21 Jun 2024

Describe a complaint that you made, and you were satisfied with the result : IELTS Cue Card

Your IELTS speaking test in the IELTS exam evaluates a number of speech-related skills, including opinions, grammar, pronunciation, and fluency. Therefore, in order to achieve a good score on the IELTS speaking test, you must thoroughly practice the IELTS speaking topics and questions as well as comprehend the framework of each segment. It is essential that you regularly take the IELTS practice test and work on your responses to the most often-asked IELTS speaking questions. Without a solid grasp of the various nuances of the English language, your IELTS preparation will be lacking.

There is a one-on-one speaking test with the examiner during the speaking test. The examiner will take a brief look at your introduction before giving you the topic, paper, and pencil. You have one minute to prepare your response by outlining the points you wish to cover in your answer. You will have two minutes to vocally convey your response once the allotted one minute has passed.

Following the completion of your response, the examiner will pose a few follow-up questions to you. With practice, you'll gain confidence and improve your fluency and ability to respond to IELTS speaking topics and follow-up questions if you become accustomed to the different kinds of IELTS speaking questions.

You can use this blog as study material for the speaking portion of the IELTS exam sample since it will help you understand how to strategically plan your responses to the speaking questions. Your personal life, your beliefs, current events, or any other seemingly random issue might be the subject of your monologue. 

Let's analyze one of the common IELTS speaking topics in-depth and notice how to structure the response appropriately. We will also gain insight into the follow-up questions on the topic.

IELTS sample test topic: Describe a complaint that you made, and you were satisfied with the result

You can break up your answers into manageable chunks and jot the titles of each section down on paper in the one minute you have to prepare for the IELTS speaking test. You'll be able to answer more concisely and have a structure of what to say in which sequence. For a smoother flow, you might list the keywords next to the titles of each section. To effectively structure the response for the speaking test, let's divide the topic "Describe a complaint that you made, and you were satisfied with the result" into manageable segments.

IELTS speaking test sample answer 1 : Describe a complaint that you made, and you were satisfied with the result

Introduction:

Whenever I hear the word complaint, the scariest day of my life flashes in front of my eyes. It makes me shudder and also proud that I could handle the situation with courage.

Describe the situation:

The night is vivid in my memory. I, along with three of my friends, were returning from our tuition class via a bus. As high school students, we always traveled by public transport and it was around 10 at night. Suddenly, a group of people boarded the bus, locked the door from inside, knocked the conductor down on one of the seats, and rushed to the driver's cabin. Me and my friends were in the rear seats and thus, we didn't understand what the commotion and fight was about. All we could feel was blood drain from our faces, as we were facing this kind of situation for the first time. The driver didn't stop the bus, probably because the men asked him not to. However, none of the passengers were harmed. The bus didn't have a lot of passengers as it was fairly late at night, and everyone was scared to death.

Why did you complain?

Within a minute I composed myself, ducked myself behind a seat, and dialed the police. I briefed them about the situation and was immediately transferred to the traffic control headquarters. I lodged the verbal complaint and kept directing the on-duty policemen about the real-time location of the bus as it was moving at high speed.

How was the complaint resolved:

Based on my verbal directions, two jeeps of the cops followed and intercepted the bus within 5 minutes. They stopped the bus, evacuated the passengers, and made sure me and my friends were dropped off at our respective houses as we were the only children on that bus. The next day the police came to my house, took my statement, and ensured that they would take care of the situation and the people who had pulled out the stunts.

What made you happy about the result:

We all were relieved when we were vacated from the bus. The ordeal must have lasted for 7-10 minutes in total but felt like a lifetime. I was happy that my complaint was taken seriously and acted upon almost immediately.

Conclusion:

Honestly, I had nightmares about the incident till months after it had happened. A lot could have gone wrong if my complaint was not worked up and resolved. The incident taught me to be courageous, spontaneous, and keep composure even in times of brain fade. 

IELTS speaking test sample answer 2 : Describe a complaint that you made, and you were satisfied with the result

Introduction:

One thing that I am really scared of is mosquitoes. It might sound very funny but it is true. I had dengue when I was a kid and I remember having the worst body ache possible. And since then mosquitoes have become my worst enemies. This brings me to the complaint I lodged with the municipality corporation of our city about water logging and mosquito breeding.

Describe the situation:

Last year during the monsoons, we had rainfall more than the average expected rain. At every nook and corner of the street, there was water logging and puddles. In half-broken plant bottles and containers, there was water accumulated and it was a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The situation had turned extremely unhygienic and we were in the middle of the country-wide dengue breakout.

Why did you complain?

Needless to say, I panicked for myself, my family and friends, and my neighbors. I waited for a couple of days and the situation hadn't improved. So, I finally decided to lodge a formal complaint to the municipality. I feared that people might start to get affected in our locality and I believed that precaution is better than cure. So instead of waiting for the worst to happen, it was better for me to take a step up and lodge the complaint.

How was the complaint resolved:

The officials at the office were really helpful. They assured me that the situation would be handled with top-most priority and they did keep their word. Within a day, the entire locality was cleaned. All the broken pots and bottles were removed and the puddles were cleared. The area was bleached, and every water tank in the individual households was checked for mosquito breeding.

What made you happy about the result:

This was a serious situation that was dealt with urgency and precision. Dengue can be life-threatening and thus, I was happy that the authorities had taken the matter seriously.

Conclusion:

A lot of time before this incident, I never really cared to complain or raise my voice. Probably, I had the mentality of adjusting. However, this made me realize that certain things are our fundamental rights and to raise a voice and complain if certain legit needs are not fulfilled is well within our rights.

IELTS speaking test next section- Follow-up questions

Following your monologue on the subject of the IELTS speaking test, the examiner will ask a few follow-up questions to you. This is to see how fast you can think about a response and provide a coherent, well-structured explanation.

Question 1: If someone complains about one of your traits or activity, will you take it in a positive light?

Answer: Definitely yes. We do not get to pick and choose about what can trigger another person or cause them trouble and discomfort. If someone voices their complaint and it is within my power, I will definitely try to change my behavior or action toward them depending on what they complain about. If I find it absolutely logicless and beyond my power, I would still at first introspect about it, and ask for several other opinions of people who wish well for me without dismissing their problem.

Question 2: Do you think complaining solves the problem most of the time or people are laid back about providing the solution?

Answer: Keeping quiet will never solve the problem. However, complaining can be the first step. Yes, it is true that all the complaints might not be acted upon immediately. However, repeated follow-ups and being aware of exercising our rights will definitely be better than keeping quiet. It is taking a step forward to resolve the issue.

Question 3: Do you get impatient for a resolution after making a complaint?

Answer: No. I usually ask for a turnaround time after making the complaint because it is understandable that everything takes time. I wait till the time that is provided to me, and if there are no results then I usually go for a follow-up.  

Question 4: Can you give an example of when someone complained to you about something and you resolved it?

Answer: I have a pet dog and he is extremely well-mannered. However, sometimes when I took him out for walks, I let him go off the leash. However, there are children playing in our building complex. Although my dog never went near them or scared them off, I got a complaint from an uncle from the building that his daughter was really scared as the dog walked freely in the complex. I quickly apologized and from the next day onward I never let him out of the leash. While I knew my dog never did anything to scare the kids off, however, everyone's phobia needs to be respected. Everyone has the right to feel safe. And since it was in my capabilities to ensure that, I was happy to do it.

Conclusion:

For your IELTS speaking exam, D-VIVID's expert IELTS preparation program provides one-on-one mentoring and in-depth coaching. You will have a thorough understanding of the type of questions you might anticipate on your IELTS test by using our IELTS exam sample and speaking topics.

Our staff of exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable educators will provide you with all the direction you need to ace this English Speaking test. We can assist you with whetting all the skills necessary for the IELTS exam, from English-speaking test strategies to specific IELTS speaking questions. With D-VIVID, you may study for your IELTS exam and feel at ease knowing that we will handle all of the details. Hurry and get in touch with us immediately!