Describe a Childhood Memory — Cue Card

Updated 25 August 2026 · 3 min read · ieltspractice.app

Memory cards are a gift for grammar range: they naturally pull out past simple, used to, would, and past continuous — exactly the variety examiners tick off. The risk is sentimentality without content. Pick one small scene, not your whole childhood.

The cue card

Describe a childhood memory you have. You should say: what the memory is, how old you were, who was with you, and explain why it has stayed with you.

One minute to prepare, two minutes to speak. Choose a scene you can see clearly — if you can picture it, you can describe it.

A Band 9 sample answer

One of my clearest childhood memories is the power cuts. I must have been eight or nine, and in our area the electricity would go off some evenings without warning — the fan would slow down, the TV would die, and for a second the whole house would listen to the silence.

Then my father would light the hurricane lamp, and everything changed. My mother would bring dinner out to the veranda, and we would eat in that small circle of yellow light while the neighbours' generators coughed in the distance. My brother and I used to make shadow animals on the wall, and my father would pretend to be impressed by the same three shapes every single time.

Why has it stayed with me? Because those were the only evenings with no television and no homework rush — just the four of us in the lamplight. I remember being secretly happy when the lights went out. As a child, a power cut felt like a holiday.

Why this answer works

The tenses do quiet work: 'would go off', 'used to make', 'was', 'felt' — habitual past, past simple and feeling verbs woven together. That is grammar range demonstrated, not announced.

The memory is tiny — dinner during a power cut — but the final reflection ('a power cut felt like a holiday') gives it meaning. Small scene plus real meaning is the Band 9 formula.

Part 3 follow-up questions

Expect: Do children today have better childhoods than in the past? Why do people forget most of their childhood? Should children have more free time?

Compare eras honestly — every generation gains some things and loses others. That balance is what Part 3 rewards.

Useful language for this topic

Habitual past: we used to, my father would light, every evening we would eat. These structures are made for memory cards.

Framing: one of my clearest memories, I must have been about, looking back, it felt like. Approximation ('I must have been') sounds natural and is easy grammar range.

Quick check

Test yourself — tap an answer to see if you are right.

1. Which grammar structures suit memory cards best?

2. How big should the memory be?

3. What should the final reflection add?

Frequently asked questions

Should the memory be happy?

No. A difficult memory told with maturity can be very strong. Just keep it appropriate and end on what you learned or how you see it now.

What if my memory is vague?

Vague is fine — say so ('I must have been about eight') and describe the parts you do see clearly. Examiners cannot check accuracy; they score the language.

Which grammar should I deliberately include?

Used to and would for habits, past continuous for setting the scene, and a present reflection at the end ('now I realise'). That mix covers a lot of the GRA descriptor.