arrow back icon Top Answers

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.

    bulb icon

    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.

    bulb icon

    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.

    bulb icon

    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.

    calendar icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 8

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 6.5

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7

    location icon

    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
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    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 6

    Recently I had an incident about this while I am travelling to Hyderabad for my job interview. For that interview I prepared, burned the midnight oil in the red. So now I am planning my answers how to express to the interviewer and all in deep preparation for that interview. And the time came I have to leave my home and I have to start my journey. So I have planned to book a bus. I registered on that website and I have booked the bus ticket for me. And I went for the bus stand, the bus was delayed. So who managed him in the bus stand, the bus came, arrived, reached, who will take care of this stuff. I went to meet him and I am big man, I go and extremely scold him and he never do like that. And because it is my interview, it is important. So I have to go. What was the problem is the bus was punctured. The puncture is we don't know when it happens. So they arranged another bus for me and I have left. On my leaving, in that kind of situation also he wished me a break in it because we are going to interview. You have to do it. Sorry for my inconvenience in the delay. So you should, all the best he said. So I leave bus stand and I go to another place.

    Band 6

    For me, I was planning to travel to Goa with my whole friends group. There are many people in my friends group. We have 5-6 friends and we all are planning together. We have to go to Goa and enjoy our vacations. But it was constantly delaying from a whole year. Because there are 2-3 girls who are not managing their part of permission. Last year, I guess in the end of last year, we have completed the plan to succeed it. But it was delayed with a silly reason. Two of my friends got in a heated argument and they said we won't come for the trip. And we have ended it by delaying. In forward, I will make sure we have that trip. But it is important for me because I have been to Goa with my family. But I need to do more. I want to enjoy Goa more with my friends but not with my family at all. Goa is a place where you pool with your family, beaches, clubs, cafes and all there are many. There are much more things about Goa.

    Band 6

    Yeah, I'm going to talk about the trip which I plan to go with my boyfriend in Pondicherry. So the climate, the trip, the everything looks fine in Pondicherry. I just love those beaches, the climate and all the food available in Pondicherry. I like to talk about the thing which was delayed. Actually, me and him tried to do a plan going to Pondicherry as a relax time. We tried to go in bus because we don't want to go in train and other facilities available. Just to make sure we have a good time relaxing together and enjoying it together. When we booked a local bus or something related to bus platforms. I was so amazed like what we are going to do and what is going to happen there. Then to talk about the travel, we almost booked a bus and then we started to talk about the trip. Finally, what happened is my boyfriend said he has to go through an operation which he was to do. So we couldn't able to go as he is undergoing an operation which makes both of us disappointed. Finally, we ended up postponing it. Postponing it and after the operation is done and after the operation is healed. We will be going to Pondicherry as we like and we will be enjoying together. We will explore all the things in Pondicherry and spend time over there.

    Band 6

    so basically a travel which I was looking forward but it was delayed would be me going to a beach I was planning to go for a beach with my friends and actually what happened is I was having a lot of work in that week so I planned my beach in the weekends but I happen to have an emergency work day during a during a weekend also so basically I had to delay my plan for the next week and eventually we had our beach travel in the next week of the weekend during the weekend we went to the beach I basically I planned this beach travel because I was really stressed during these weeks because of the workload from my company and at a point I was having very bad headaches so I visited a doctor so doctor told me I need a break from my very busy schedule which I was going through and he told me to travel some places and enjoy the outside weather and basically get some break from the very busy schedule I was going through from since the past few weeks so yeah

    Band 6

    Recently, I have been planning a trip to Kashmir. It was my dream destination to reach Kashmir and explore the cities and traditions. It was very much important to me because it was my first snow experience and it was also my childhood dream. It got delayed due to the flight that I was planning to book got cancelled during the time of booking. So, I had to wait couple of weeks to reschedule the flight. Because of that, my dreams got shattered and the Kashmir plan got delayed. But after a while, I rechecked the schedule of the flight and then I found a direct flight to Kashmir. So, I booked as fast as possible and at the end, I got the ticket to Kashmir and finally reached the destination. This trip was very much important to me because of the reason that I had since childhood. So, Kashmir is not only a fascinating place but also the beauty of India. It is also called the Scotland of India which is a very remarkable representation. So, it was my dream destination and that's why it was very much important to me.

    Band 6

    I love to travel. I visited many places like beaches, mountains and moreover I do campings outside. I travelled to many places in my career like Kedarnath, Bhimashankar etc. I visited Amarnath which was one of my dream places to visit in future but it was delayed due to personal reasons, family issues and sometimes it affects my studies purpose etc. But I have to visit that place and I have to explore many things there like meditation, yoga and experience about life and culture. I wish to visit many places in future. I have one goal that I have to travel all the Jyotirlinga. I am a Lord Shiva's follower and when Sati died there are 12 pieces on this earth that is called Jyotirlinga. I want to see all the Jyotirlingas in my life.

    Band 6

    I traveled a lot a lot of place in India but today I am talking about the talking about a plan travel to Jammu Kashmir it was it was a long plan decided a year ago we have booked all the tickets from Jammu to Kashmir and Kashmir to Jammu via flight we have we have almost spend 50,000 to 1 lakh rupees rupees but suddenly there was a there was a terrorist attack on the tourist tourist that's why this plan got delayed and we we could not able to go there but after after three to four months time it got stabilized that in in the Kashmir session and the peace the peace got placed in Kashmir then and then and then after after that we again booked the tickets and go to there go to the place of Kashmir we loved visit over there it is a it is a place where you can find mountains rivers many other scenic place where you can where have peace and and got relaxed after that we visited to the Dal Dal Lake which is in the river river of Kashmir it is a very full ride boat ride we enjoyed a lot we

    Band 5-6

    The place where I really would want to travel is Goa, the reason being is that it is very hyped up and I really want to know the reason behind it being so hyped up, else from that I really love beaches. The water, the splashing of the water waves, it's very, it feels, it makes me very calm and the feel of the sand on my hands and my legs, it makes a very serene experience for me and else wise the food from Goa is very popular which I really would want to try. Apart from that the nightlife is what I want to experience the most because it's quite popular, the Goan nightlife, the clubs and the drinks is what I would want to try the most and that's that, else from that I have visited Vishakapatnam which most people say is quite familiar to Goa, I mean not the nightlife or the food but the beach which they have, it being completely different directions but still the beach has the same vibe, the both of them.

    Band 5-6

    Hi, I am planning for an international trip. It was Bali. It was delayed because I am currently looking after my baby. So we are planning with my family to enjoy our holidays in a beautiful manner because we experienced a lot of insight of our city. Instead of being the same, we are planning to do different and we are looking after for our international trip. It was delaying but still we have a lot of time to detaily analyze which place and the accommodations are good to exploring lot of food and culture of the particular city. We are still looking after the best resorts and the places to visit. We have a lot of time to discuss about what we have to do. It was having a positive side even after for a delaying. Currently it is a best time to decide whether to spend how much money and we are allocating lot of money and savings for upcoming plan. So we are going with our baby to international trip. So lot of things to be prepared and lot of things to pack. So hence we have to grow through lot of the procedures for the safety of us mainly for the safety of our baby. The baby should have to be comfortable and she have to be happy and enjoyable even we have to pack a lot of medicine for us and also for the baby. The lot of stuffs to consider for the traveling international trip.

    Band 5

    My favorite destination is like Goa. I would like to travel every three months, maybe sometimes six months to the beaches, nearby the beaches. And in India, my favorite place would be Goa. So it is important because this life schedule, we were occupied with a lot of stress and busy schedule, which is absolutely damaging our health. Every three months or six months it would be a refreshment for us. And this time it was delayed because of my schedule was not completed and still occupied with some of the important work, which is why I would probably plan to next week. The tickets have been already booked and the time, tickets have been booked. And I requested this of my manager to consider my leave applications as summer vacations, which is everybody, each individual employees will get that for every summer. I often visit Goa, one of my favorite places. Other than that, I do have other places. But it's more convenient for me to travel and come back. If I go to other places like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, it's much, much humidity compared to Goa because the states of Kerala, there is humidity, high humidity.
    1 2 3 4 5
    ielts logo

    Get the IELTS Prep App

    Star rating icon

    4.2

    1M+ Installs

     app download banner image

    Get the app link on your phone

    +91

    Or download app from

    google play storeapp store
    master ielts speaking ad