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Describe an important journey that was delayed.

This test has appeared in 2 seasons · 1 reported by test takers

  • May–Aug/2024
  • Jan–Apr/2024

Reported by test takers Forecast only

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Part 1

The examiner asks about you and two familiar topics. About 4–5 minutes.

Your home town

  1. Where is your home town? (Tell me more about that.)
  2. What do you like most about it? (Tell me more about that.)
  3. Has it changed much since you were a child? (Why is that?)
  4. Would you like to live there in the future? (Why is that?)

Collecting things

  1. Do you collect anything? (Why is that?)
  2. Did you collect anything as a child? (Why is that?)
  3. Why do you think some people like collecting things? (Can you give me an example?)
  4. Is there anything you would like to collect in the future? (Why is that?)

School

  1. Where did you go to secondary school? (Tell me more about that.)
  2. What was your favourite subject at school? (Tell me more about that.)
  3. Did you enjoy your time at school? (Why is that?)
  4. Do you think schools today are better than they were in the past? (Why is that?)

Part 2

One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.

Describe an important journey that was delayed.

You should say:

  • where you were going and why
  • how you were travelling
  • what caused the delay

and explain how you felt about the delay.

Follow-up question after your talk: Did the delay cause you any problems afterwards? / Could that delay have been avoided?

Part 3

A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.

public transport in your country

  1. Can you describe the forms of public transport that people use most in your city?
  2. Can you explain why buses and trains are often late in large cities?
  3. In general, how reliable is public transport where you live?

the cost of delays

  1. Can you explain why a long delay can affect far more than one person's day?
  2. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of paying passengers money back when a service is delayed?
  3. Can you speculate on how better travel information will change the way people cope with delays?

Test titles follow test-taker reports and each season's forecasts — IELTS does not publish its papers. "Reported" means someone reported meeting this topic in a dated test. The questions are written by us in the format of the real test.