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Describe A Travel You Were Looking Forward To But Was Delayed: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • Where were you going?
  • Why was it important for you?
  • Why was it delayed?
  • What happened in the end?
Show all 42 answers

Cue 1:Where were you going?

  • Begin by mentioning the destination you were excited to visit.
  • Include details about what attracted you to this place, such as its culture, scenery, or activities.

Example

I was looking forward to visiting Goa, a beautiful coastal state in India known for its stunning beaches and vibrant nightlife. I had planned this trip for months because I wanted to relax by the sea and experience the famous Goan culture.

Cue 2:Why was it important for you?

  • Explain the personal significance of this trip, such as a special occasion or a much-needed break.
  • Share your feelings about the anticipation and excitement leading up to the trip.

Example

This trip was particularly important for me because it was my first vacation after a long year of working hard at my job. I was feeling quite stressed, and I believed that a few days in Goa would help me recharge and enjoy some quality time with my friends.

Cue 3:Why was it delayed?

  • Describe the reason for the delay, whether it was due to external factors like weather or personal circumstances.
  • Make sure to convey your disappointment and how it affected your plans.

Example

Unfortunately, my trip was delayed because of unexpected heavy rains in Goa. The weather forecast predicted a storm, and my flight was canceled just a day before we were supposed to leave. I felt really disappointed as I had been looking forward to this getaway.

Cue 4:What happened in the end?

  • Discuss how you handled the situation and whether you were able to reschedule your trip.
  • Share any positive outcomes or lessons learned from the experience.

Example

In the end, I managed to reschedule my trip for the following month. Although I was initially upset, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the weather was perfect during the new dates. I had an amazing time in Goa, and it was worth the wait!

Conclusion

    Example

    Overall, while the delay was frustrating, it taught me the importance of patience and flexibility in travel plans. Sometimes, things don’t go as expected, but they can still turn out wonderfully in the end.

    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: Lack of Detail in Description

    Candidates often provide vague answers without enough detail. This can make the response less engaging and informative, leading to a lower score.

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    Tip

    Include specific details about the destination, your feelings, and the significance of the trip to make your answer more vivid and interesting.

    2: Ignoring the Delay Reasons

    Some candidates forget to explain why the trip was delayed, which is a key part of the cue card. Omitting this can leave the answer incomplete.

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    Tip

    Clearly explain the reasons for the delay, whether it was due to weather, personal issues, or other factors, to provide a full picture.

    Rushing Through the Conclusion

    Many candidates rush their conclusion, failing to summarize what happened in the end. This can leave the listener unsatisfied.

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    Tip

    Take a moment to reflect on the outcome of the trip and share any lessons learned or feelings about the experience to wrap up your answer effectively.

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    All Answers

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

    Band 6

    A travel which I was looking forward to was Saudi Arabia. Suddenly my family made a plan to visit Saudi Arabia in April and we were about to book slots for visa renewal. Today came the news about the people who visited Saudi Arabia should return back to India or other native countries by 29th April. We were shocked to see the news but we were thankful that we didn't go to Saudi Arabia before as if we would book the ticket on 13th April we had to return back on 29th April and there would be unnecessary spending on the tickets. This news was published because there were stampede cases during Hajj last year so they wanted to ensure that there is no overpopulation in Hajj area. Now we have plans to visit Saudi Arabia in mid-June when the Hajj rituals will be completed. He also imposed a penalty of 1 lakh to the residents who are living there even after the news was confirmed or 15 years.

    Band 6

    Hello, actually I wanted to visit Goa in last year, why because it was a beautiful place I heard from my childhood about that particular place, so if anyone speak about Goa they simply says there are lot of beautiful places in that Goa, so when I heard that kind of feedback I wanted to visit, anyhow I planned to visit the Goa along with my friends, so we were planning and we had everything like money, we gathered all the things which required for the trip, all of a sudden one of my friend cancelled because he go to, at that time he was going to abroad, so all of a sudden he got the ticket, so he cancelled the trip, after that he dropped from the trip, after that we also were in dilemma whether we go or not, so gradually one by one dropped from the trip, that how it cancelled, but still I am having that desire to visit Goa, I want to visit, I will see if possible I will go in this year, thank you.

    Band 6

    This was when the kids had just finished their studies and exams, and we were planning a vacation to go to Hyderabad. So we had booked a flight, and the flight finally got cancelled, so we had to decide what to do. It was a vacation for 4-5 days in Hyderabad. So it was a group of 2 families, so we decided to take a bus that very evening, since we didn't want to spoil the mood of the kids. So the bus left in the evening at 6 o'clock, and we reached Hyderabad early morning. So we planned it in such a way that we could get the benefit of the hotel stay, and we could make the best use of the holiday. Since the flight was delayed, we lost a day, but it was finally worth it. We reached early morning, but due to the day delay, we managed to adjust and make the best use of the holiday, although the flight expense would have been a better one.

    Band 6

    There is one of the most important, there is one of the most interesting story behind my travel that was delayed. I was thinking to travel to Bangladesh for an educational trip but it got delayed due to some critical issues that came in the middle. Some of the issues were, one of the issue that came in the middle was that my grandma got sick and unfortunately my father could not come with me. We were planning to go together. It was very important to travel to Bangladesh for my educational purpose because there were some of the orientation seminars and meetings regarding the colleges, universities, etc. It was delayed because my grandma got severe heart attack while she was travelling from Mumbai to Goa via flight and she got her heart attack after landing in Mumbai. In the end, she got recovery after 15 days and we could attend only 3 day seminar as it was an 18 day trip. So we could attend 3 days trip over there.

    Band 6

    A place on my bucket list since I was in my college days was Agra. I've always wanted to visit Agra to see the beautiful monument Taj Mahal. Many tourists who visit India surely visit Taj Mahal without any delay. Taj Mahal was a white, huge, enormous monument covered by marbles. The monument was originally built by Shah Rukh Khan.

    Band 6

    I wanted to go to Thiruvannamalai, the state where the Lord Shiva's temple is present. It got delayed due to my family issues as well as my personal issues. And also at certain time, my work also made some effect on the travel of my journey. It is very important for me to travel to Thiruvannamalai because I am the devotee of Lord Shiva. The temple that is present there gives lots of joy and it is also known for fire that is one of the elements of this universe. The God there gives lots of pleasant life and also there is something code written by every astrologer that once in a lifetime we have to visit Thiruvannamalai. So that was why it is very important for me to visit it. At last somehow I sorted my time out of everything and I started travelling there and I reached. And then I had lots of pleasant time and also I got lots of energy, good energy, positive energy and I came back very happy from there. And that is why I definitely recommend everyone to go to Thiruvannamalai and have wonderful life post after visiting God there.

    Band 6

    It was the trip to Dhammo in Kashmir, a state which is known for its beauty, for its valleys, mountains, waterfalls, etc. According to me, Kashmir is not just a state, it's the beauty of nature. I wanted to go there because of its beauty, because the mountains, waterfalls and the nature located there will give me the peace of mind, help me to relieve my stress that was due to the consistent work pressure at the office as I am an engineering student and all the engineering students or the engineers working in the corporate sector have to go to mountains to relieve their stress. The trip got delayed firstly due to the landslide that occurs on the Dhammo Kashmir highway and secondly due to the terrorist attack that occurs in Pahalgam, Kashmir. My parents literally got scared and forced me to remain at home and not to go there. At end what happened, I stayed in my home, felt very bored because I had taken the leave in order to go to that trip but since my parents do not allowed me to go to that trip because of the fear of terrorist landslide and many more factors, so I had to reside at my home only.

    Band 6

    I want to tell about my plan to go Varanasi last year, but due to some situation arises in my family, so I could not able to go there. I want to go Varanasi only for religious purposes, I want to do some pujas there as I planned to go there. I wish to get success in my exams and then only I will go to Hanuman Mandir. I planned to go there, but due to my father-in-law's illness, he suddenly got some problems in his health, so we didn't go there. At the end, we cancelled our plan and my father got admitted in a hospital. We shifted our plan to next year, when my father would be fine, we will go to Varanasi. Varanasi is a very religious place, you will get many positive energy there, they will succeed you in your future. As I completed my plus two, many of my friends are living there.

    Band 6

    Hello, good morning. It's me Simi Kumar. To travel, I was looking forward to Kedarnath. In Kedarnath, there is a very beautiful place. It's a very beautiful place. They have a spiritual and cultural temple of Mahadev. Mahadev is the God of Hindus for me. I want to travel there because to take his blessing because it's a God of Hindus. It became delayed due to Covid. There was Covid and they were not allowing us to get a blessing of Mahadev. After I get a job, when I become a cabin crewman in Air India, I will definitely go to Kedarnath to have a blessing. That's all. Thank you for that.

    Band 6

    We were planning to go to Kedarnath Temple and it was like for people in India, for Hindus, it's like a very sacred temple and very few can reach there and also the route is quite dangerous and risky. So we were planning for that but when we were gonna book the tickets for it, we got the news that there was a landslide and for one week the road was totally blocked and only that road was one way to reach the temple and after a week, we decided to go but due to it was rainy season, it was in July and rainy seasons are usually not an ideal season to go to such places because the temple is at north side and it's quite hilly and it's actually located at a height of around I guess 3000 feet above the sea level so that is a lot higher and after a week we were able to go but the risk was that maybe landslides can happen at any time but we did not think once about not going or going or not we were clear that we have to go
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