Home ›IELTS Cue Cards › An important festival
This IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card asks you to talk about an important festival, covering what the festival is; when it takes place; what people do during it; and explain why it is important.. Below is a band 9 sample answer with tips on structuring a two-minute talk.
Describe a traditional festival that is important in your country.
You should say:
You have one minute to prepare and may make notes. Then speak for one to two minutes; the examiner may ask one or two short follow-up questions.
The festival I look forward to all year is Diwali, the festival of lights, which falls in October or November depending on the lunar calendar. Preparations begin at least a week early, and honestly the preparation is half the festival: houses are deep-cleaned and repainted, because tradition says prosperity only visits clean homes, and markets overflow with lamps, flowers, sweets and new clothes. On the main evening, families place rows of small oil lamps along balconies and doorways, create coloured powder designs called rangoli at their entrances, and perform a prayer to the goddess of wealth. Then the celebration turns outward — plates of home-made sweets travel between neighbours' houses, children receive money from elders, and the sky fills with fireworks, though my city has thankfully shifted toward quieter, less polluting celebrations in recent years. Beyond the spectacle, the festival carries a simple meaning: the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, derived from ancient epics. For me its real importance is social. It is the one occasion when our scattered family reliably reunites under one roof, when old disagreements between relatives are quietly retired, and when even the busiest people pause to visit each other. A society needs fixed dates for togetherness, and Diwali is ours.
After your talk, the examiner moves to more abstract questions linked to this cue card.
Their forms are changing more than their importance. Rituals get shortened and shopping sometimes overshadows meaning, especially in cities. Yet attendance at family gatherings and the emotional pull of festival seasons remain immense — migration and busy lives have made these fixed reunions more precious, not less.
Food is the most democratic ritual — everyone can participate regardless of age or belief, and taste anchors memory powerfully, so festival dishes become time machines to childhood. Historically, feast foods also marked the occasion as exceptional: sugar, ghee and dry fruits were luxuries reserved for celebration.
Absolutely, and the successful ones always have — festivals survived centuries precisely by absorbing each era's realities. Quieter fireworks, eco-friendly idols and community celebrations instead of individual excess keep the meaning while dropping the harm. Tradition is the flame we preserve, not the ashes; adapting the format protects the festival's future.
Band 9 model essays, letters and templates from the Writing library. Browse all 118 in the Learning Hub.
Daily articles on IELTS changes, visa rules and university admissions.
Cue cards, speaking questions and Writing Task 1 questions with band 9 sample answers, plus a free band score calculator.