Describe a time when you were late: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

When it was?
why you were late?
how you felt about being late?

11 unique answers with expert feedback

How did you feel about being late to your convocation?

I felt quite anxious and stressed because it was an important day for me. I had been looking forward to my convocation for a long time, and being late made me worry that I would miss out on the ceremony and the chance to celebrate with my friends and family.

What steps did you take to ensure your documents were processed on time?

I communicated with the student office staff ahead of time to understand what was needed for my documents. I also made sure to gather all necessary paperwork and followed up regularly to check on the status, which helped expedite the process, but unfortunately, it still took longer than expected.

Have you ever been late for any other important events?

Yes, I have been late for a few other important events, like job interviews and family gatherings. Each time, I learned the importance of planning ahead and allowing extra time for unexpected delays, which has helped me manage my time better in the future.

Band 6-7

00:00

Okay, when I was studying 10th, it was time for the board exams. So, unfortunately I had chickenpox during 10th board exams. So, it was the social science exam and both my parents were out to work and I was alone at home. So, my grandfather had to pick me up and drop me at the exam venue. So, before going to the exam, we went to a temple to pray so that I do or perform well in the exam. When we came back, we realized that I didn't have my... I was the one who locked the door before we left, I mean locked the gate before we left. When we came back, we realized that the key was already inside the home and I just locked the door without any key. So, during the situation, it was very panicky. Our neighbor unfortunately had a very long stick and pieces of other sticks. So, they used a tape and taped it all together to make it into a very long stick and they just... From the gate, we just used the stick to get the key from inside the house. And unfortunately, I was able to get in and get my stuff and go to the exam center. I didn't feel... I didn't feel very panicked or, you know, hesitated with the situation. Surprisingly, I was just very calm and collected and not really... Didn't worry about anything because I thought for some reason, we'll just get it through and unlock the door and I'll be able to write the exam. My aunt, Paddington, she heard the news and she rushed from her office to know what the situation is and know how I was doing. It was a very tough time to be late to an exam, especially with chickenpox. I was still late but, you know, not that late.

Follow up questions

How did you feel when you realized you were locked out?

I felt a mix of panic and calmness. Initially, I was worried about being late for the exam, but I quickly collected myself and thought positively. I believed we would find a way to get the key and that helped me stay calm during the situation.

What did you learn from that experience?

I learned the importance of being prepared and double-checking things before leaving home. It also taught me to stay calm in stressful situations, as panicking wouldn't help. I realized that sometimes, things don't go as planned, but it's essential to adapt and find solutions.

How did your grandfather and neighbor help you during this time?

My grandfather was very supportive and stayed calm, which helped me feel more at ease. Our neighbor's quick thinking and resourcefulness in creating a long stick to retrieve the key were crucial. Their help made a stressful situation manageable and showed the importance of community support.

IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

Reported by Leap students who gave IELTS

Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

Pitampura Test Centre, New Delhi

Answer

I like to taste different types of cuisine. Here I would like to talk about my favorite dish at my traditional festival of Onam which is Sadya. Sadya is popular in my city. We are experimenting these cuisines on Onam festival day. Onam is a famous festival in my city. All family members get together in my home and we make a delicious Sadya. There are many ingredients includes that Sadya. Moreover, we make a big feast that day as well as we create a lot of memories together and we wear that day the traditional dress called Sari and men wear the Dhotis. That festival is really important to us because the whole day we are conducting different kinds of games at our homes and all the family members came together. It's a memorable day in my life. This is the festival. We are making the Sambar and Aviyal. These all the kinds of foods are making with the vegetables.

Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

Answer

The toy which I liked in my childhood was a panda doll, which makes me pleasant and makes me more blush. The pandas are the most beautiful creatures of the world, which looks gigantic and has pooshy cheeks and they are like stars in the clouds and they dream in me. Furthermore, these have been given by my father. My father is a very very beautiful artistic person, who makes me think of that. Every day you will face every difficulties and make you suffer and move forward. Pandas are always seen in Japanese countries. It is my lifelong dream to visit a Japanese country and click a photo with the original pandas, which makes sounds better.

Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru

Answer

As India is a very large country full of diversity, so there are many places which have their own language and speak their native language. The place which I visited and I didn't know about their language was Leladakh, which is about 300 km away from my hometown and it is a very good place as it consists of different kind of trees, animals and have many scenic views and I visited over there last year in summers as it was the best time to visit because it has many, it was cold over there and we had summers in our area so it was the best time to visit over there and I went over there with my whole family.

Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

Answer

When I was a kid, I had a little pencil box which had these four buttons which gave the pencil box an operative use. When you press the button, the box would open up. When you press the second button, a little part of it would slide out. Basically it was just a little electronical and a fun thing to have and I owned it when I was in 6th. One day after break, I was standing and talking there with one of my friends and another friend of mine was running through the hallway and accidentally she pushed my shoulder and my pencil box hit the ground and it broke into multiple pieces to the point that it was not functional anymore.

Describe a book you recently read

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

CBD Belapur Test Centre, Navi Mumbai

Answer

It Ends With Us is a book I read recently. It's by the author Colleen Hoare. It's mainly a story about two teenagers, Atlas and Lily, and how they just handle their life going through high school, adolescence, and just domestic violence at home. Both of them come from very, very different families. However, they have one common determining factor between them, which is domestic violence. The abuse that they've seen their moms go through is just insane, and they connect through that on a different level. They're actually in the same high school, but they never speak to each other until Atlas actually crashes into an empty house next to Lily's villa. When Atlas is homeless and he doesn't have anywhere to go, he just comes and breaks into the house next to Lily's, and Lily helps him with all the daily necessities like clothes and food, medicines and stuff. Furthermore, their friendship blossoms into love, but it doesn't really fructify as Atlas has to leave. This book really gave me a lot of knowledge about domestic abuse and how to deal with it.

Band 6

00:00

I had my high school at M.A.S. International School in Patambi which was one of the reputed schools in my hometown. During my 10th grade academic inting time, we were asked to collect our corrected notebooks from the staff room. That day, due to some traffic problems, I came late to school. When I reached there, most of the students from the class collected their notes and went home. When I reached there and when I went to staff room, I couldn't see my notebook over there. There were no one to check whether students are taking their notes itself or not. Since I was a student, I always faced unhealthy competition in my class which always led to some problems like missing notes or misusing my study materials. That day was just a week before our final exam. I was in a heavy heart and I left school.

Follow up questions

How did you feel when you realized you were late?

I felt anxious and disappointed because I knew that missing my notebook could affect my preparation for the final exams. It was frustrating to see my classmates already leaving with their notes while I was still trying to find mine.

What steps did you take to avoid being late in the future?

I started leaving home earlier to account for any potential traffic issues. I also began checking traffic updates before heading to school to ensure I could plan my route better and avoid being late again.

How did your classmates react when they saw you were late?

Some of my classmates were sympathetic and offered to share their notes with me, while others were indifferent. It was a mixed reaction, but I appreciated those who helped me catch up on what I missed.

Band 6

00:00

I remembered it was during my camp days in 2023. I was selected for the NSS National Republic Day Parade Camp 2023, which was to be held at New Delhi, in which I had to wake up early at around 5.20 in the morning to get ready for the parade practice sessions along with my teammates and it was one day I don't able to get wake up early in the morning so because of which my bus got late and there was a strict instruction to everyone that even if you are late by a 2 second margin then the bus will not wait for you and will move further with the students or you can say my teammates for the practice and that day the same thing occurred with me also.

Follow up questions

How did you feel when you realized you were going to be late?

I felt a mix of panic and anxiety. I knew how important the practice sessions were, and being late meant I would miss out on crucial instructions. It was frustrating because I had prepared for the camp, but that morning, I just couldn't wake up on time.

What did you do after you missed the bus?

After I missed the bus, I quickly contacted my teammates to see if they could inform the instructors about my situation. I then tried to find alternative transportation to reach the camp as soon as possible, but it was challenging since it was early in the morning.

What did you learn from this experience?

I learned the importance of setting multiple alarms and having a backup plan. It taught me to be more responsible with my time management, especially for important events. I also realized how crucial teamwork is, as my teammates supported me during that stressful situation.

Band 6

00:00

So, I think last week I got late for my office going, I was late because we were having a family ritual in the morning that starts from 6pm and it's about, it's our very auspicious festival of our Indian culture. So, due to which, due to puja rituals and the ceremonies, I got late for at least an hour and I feel very bad because when I reached to my hospital, my senior told me why you were late and I have no answers for that because it feels very bad and I have to do an overtime as well to pay back my extra time and that's it. Bye.

Follow up questions

How do you usually manage your time to avoid being late?

I try to plan my schedule in advance, setting reminders for important events. I also leave early to account for any unexpected delays, ensuring I arrive on time.

What do you think are the consequences of being late?

Being late can lead to misunderstandings and can affect my professional reputation. It may also cause stress for myself and others, especially if it disrupts meetings or schedules.

Have you ever been late for an important event? How did you handle it?

Yes, I was late for a job interview once. I called ahead to inform them and apologized sincerely upon arrival. I learned the importance of punctuality and always try to leave extra time now.

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