Describe A Time When You Were Stuck In A Traffic Jam: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

When and where it happened?
How long you were in the traffic jam?
What you did while waiting?
Explain how you felt when you were in that traffic jam.

29 unique answers with expert feedback

Show all 29 answers

Cue 1:When and where it happened?

Begin by specifying the exact location and time of the traffic jam, such as a busy road or a specific city.
Mention any relevant details about the day, like weather conditions or events happening nearby.

Example

It was a Tuesday evening around 6 PM, and I was driving home from work in Bangalore. The roads were particularly congested due to a local festival, which always attracts a lot of traffic.

Cue 2:How long you were in the traffic jam?

Clearly state the duration of the traffic jam, using specific time frames like minutes or hours.
You can also mention if it felt longer or shorter than expected.

Example

I ended up stuck in that traffic jam for nearly an hour. At first, it felt like it would be a quick delay, but as the minutes passed, it seemed to drag on forever.

Cue 3:What you did while waiting?

Describe the activities you engaged in while waiting, such as listening to music or making phone calls.
Mention any thoughts or reflections you had during this time.

Example

While I was waiting, I decided to listen to some music to pass the time. I also called a friend to chat, which helped distract me from the frustration of being stuck.

Cue 4:Explain how you felt when you were in that traffic jam.

Share your emotions during the traffic jam, whether it was frustration, boredom, or something else.
You can also reflect on how you coped with those feelings.

Example

I felt quite frustrated at first, especially knowing I was missing dinner plans. However, as time went on, I tried to stay calm and reminded myself that getting upset wouldn’t change the situation.

Conclusion

Example

Overall, being stuck in that traffic jam was a test of patience. It taught me to be more mindful of my travel times and to always have a backup plan for busy days. Despite the inconvenience, I managed to turn it into a moment of relaxation by listening to music and connecting with a friend.

Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.

Tips to answer this Cue Card

1: Vague Descriptions

Using vague language can make your answer less engaging and informative. Specific details help the examiner understand your experience better.

Tip

Include specific details about the location, time, and circumstances of the traffic jam to make your answer more vivid.

2: Neglecting Emotions

Failing to express your feelings during the traffic jam can make your response less relatable. Emotions add depth to your story.

Tip

Share how you felt during the traffic jam, whether it was frustration, boredom, or something else, to connect with the examiner.

Lack of Structure

A disorganized response can confuse the listener. A clear structure helps convey your message effectively.

Tip

Follow the cue prompts in order, discussing when and where it happened, how long you were stuck, what you did, and your feelings.

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.

All Answers

Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

Band 5-6

Once I booked a ticket for a cinema called Arjeevidham in 2024 afternoon, but I stepped out from my house around 1pm, I think I would be there, but traffic jam is very high and I stuck in the traffic and I am so worried about my film ticket that I would lose, I might be lost, but I, I don't know what to say.

Band 5-6

Nowadays in India there is so much traffic because we all have personal vehicles and we are going for work and the peak time is 8 o'clock to 10 o'clock and I was in a traffic jam when I was going with my family to a church called Velangani in Tamil Nadu and the traffic jam was in Salem district and it was so terrifying because I think one kilometer was in the jam so I don't know what to do and I was looking outside, there were so many people waiting there, wasting their time so I just think that I should play some games and I took out my phone and playing some games and also after playing some while my phone charge is gone and I was just waiting there and it was so frustrating to stay in the jam because everyone is waiting there and I don't know what to do, where are my family members and we were just talking about our family memories and our experience over the years and it was like at first it was frustrating but after some time it got more exciting because my mom and dad speak about some certain memories from our childhood and also I feel that we should take some breaks from everything to know about others because in the traffic jam I didn't often do that.

Band 5-6

I was travelling to Bangalore 2 days back and when I was coming back to the city from the airport I was stuck in the Bangalore traffic and I think I was in the BTM layout area and I think the traffic jam was around 2 hours and I got stuck there. When I was stuck there I was extremely bored and since I was bored I started talking with my boyfriend who is right now doing his masters in London while I was talking with him

Band 5-6

Actually, I'm staying in Gantok, Sikkim, which is the capital of Sikkim. I'm studying there. I'm pursuing my master's degree in Gantok. So, we don't call Gantok, actually, we call it Jamtok. Because almost like every time you get stuck in Jam, like to reach Bajaj, the main market, it takes like 10 to 15 minutes if there is no jam. But you reach market by almost one hour, like sometimes it takes more than that due to the jam. And which I hate about when I was, my story about jam is that in my exam time, actually I was stuck in jam for almost 45 minutes. I thought I will reach by like 20 to like, it will take half an hour. But I was 15 minutes late for my exam. I was in the verge of crying and I just called my HOD and told them I'm stuck in jam.

Band 5-6

When I moved to Chennai for the first time, I feel, I feel, I feel, what's the traffic it is at the time after completion of office, when I'm moving to home, I'll stuck in the traffic. I don't know what to do at that time because this was the first time I am seeing so much of traffic. So it was about half an hour and then traffic is not reducing and later, later then, I am just called to my mother and complained about the traffic in Chennai. She consoled me, like, if you move to Chennai, it was like this only, you don't feel about that.

Band 5-6

Hello, my name is Deep Mala Patel. I belong to a small village. Here life is simple and peaceful. People in my village are kind, hardworking and constant to nature. However, for better connections and career approach, I should more than much for my study. Mumbai is a city of farm dream, full of air, friendly and approximates life. There is fast-paced and challenging, but it is as exciting and full of learning experience. I am currently studying to become a marine nurse. I am 28 years old. Earlier I was preparing for a teaching career, but I could not qualify. So I decided to move to Mumbai and finish my studies in the maritime field. Coming from a small village, this journey has been challenging. My family has always been my biggest support system. They encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and work towards my dreams. Today this is my first appointment with him in my life and I am excited to share my journey.

Band 5-6

I would like to explain a horrible situation when I faced in my life that is I felt I was in a traffic jam when I was in an early morning I have a morning shift so I go fastly to my hospital so that the time I got a traffic jam I am very depressed because I am so I am already late and also the traffic jam was lengthy and it's very horrible I am not good in drive so I have so I have worries on that words also when I was trouble situation it's make very very difficult it's happened around 3 to 8 months ago but the situation is smooth and I handle that but however if I feel if I saw any traffic or any block situation I feel oh my god why it is I always have a worries in between that sometimes I feel a rocket signs and other time I feel it's not my cup of tea and all the time I feel very bad because I don't like traffic if I think in a future it's will be a change in the future I definitely there is a change in the future so I thoroughly believe on that and also I would like to explain a traffic jam when I did that is in a kadavandras junction I make a traffic jam because when I just stuck in the middle of the road

Band 5

Well, I get late in, well, I several times get stuck in the, in the overcrowd, but in the recent, in the year, in the month of October, when I, when I was going to give my exam of my 12th class standard, but, but I, when I reached to the bus stand of the, our area name Araspura, but when I reached there, I see a lot of traffic and crowd there, and, and as well as people, there is no, no nothing organization in the, in that place, there is no, no police, traffic police who can handle that traffic, but, but in the, on that time, I, I prepare, revising my task that I learn, and, and I always glad about that time, which give me time to prepare about, more about my exam, which I used to, used to, but on that, but after that, I complained, traffic manager, management, manager, that you should I several times get stuck in the, over traffic jam. But in the recent year, in the month of October, when I was going for my exam, I get stuck, in that place, and I, well, I several times get stuck in the traffic, in the, but in the most significant, and, well, I get several times stuck in the traffic, in the, well, I get several times stuck in the traffic, but the most, and the most, I mean, consuming, and challenging, challenging traffic jam, I ever face, in the recent year, when I was went for my exam, in the bus, but there are lot of traffic, due to the, all road organization, traffic police are, do not focusing on the road, they are talking to the other, and, other, and, which, which is creating huge traffic jam in the road, while I, while I was in, going to give, preparing for, while I was have time, I am usually preparing for my exam, exam, which help us to become more clear in the topic, and ready for, fully ready for exam, but, but my time is going really fast, I usually stay at four, two hour, in the traffic jam, after I reach my exam, but, but in that, in that day, after I reaching, accomplishing my exam, and I went to the traffic police management, manager, officer, and, and tell us, to be, to tell us, to be, and to send a restriction, and complain about the traffic police, but, but I feel, but I feel, but after the, after the few years, it, now it's clear, traffic police kept maintaining the organization really well, now there is a lot of, awareness on that place, now, I feel always fascinated about, when I was going to the, that road in bus, because now, we are clearly, and easy, efficiently go, in that place, because now, and it's give me a sense of satisfaction, when I just complained, and my complainant now listen, they,

Band 5

I was waiting at a traffic jam more than 30 minutes, it was two years before, the exact place is Chennai. I was waited almost 30 minutes at a traffic jam, during the waiting I was thinking about my life, my career and my family, so inside the car I can able to feel what I have came across in this 30 years of my life. So I was thinking about various things, so it actually is a nice experience but some bad thoughts also came to my mind, so I never wanted to wait like this incident in future, so I don't want to wait at the traffic jams, but what to do in India, we can able to came across this kind of traffic jams each and every day because of poor roads, poor management, poor infrastructure in Indian cities, so we are able to came across this kind of incidents every day, but you see without the traffic jams, without the pollution, it will be beautiful place to live, but it cannot be done in India because of huge population. In India, if there are good politicians in each and every city, we are able to live in a beautiful country like in European countries, like Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland like that. We have everything to live.

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