Describe a time when you were late for an important meeting or event.
This test has appeared in 12 seasons · 5 reported by test takers
- May–Aug/2026
- Jan–Apr/2026
- Sep–Dec/2025
- May–Aug/2025
- Jan–Apr/2025
- Sep–Dec/2024
- May–Aug/2024
- Jan–Apr/2024
- Sep–Dec/2023
- May–Aug/2023
- Jan–Apr/2023
- Sep–Dec/2022
Reported by test takers Forecast only
Part 1
The examiner asks about you and two familiar topics. About 4–5 minutes.
Your home
- Do you live in a house or an apartment? (Why?)
- Which room do you spend the most time in? (Why?)
- What would you like to change about your home? (Why?)
- Do you think you will live there for a long time? (Why not?)
Watches
- Do you wear a watch? (Why is that?)
- Have you ever received a watch as a gift? (Why is that?)
- Why do some people wear expensive watches? (Can you give me an example?)
- Do you think watches will still be popular in the future? (Why is that?)
Sitting down
- Do you spend a lot of time sitting down each day? (Why is that?)
- Where do you usually sit when you want to read or relax? (Tell me more about that.)
- When you were at school, did you have to sit still for a long time? (Tell me more about that.)
- Do you think people today sit down too much? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a time when you were late for an important meeting or event.
You should say:
- what the meeting or event was
- why you were late
- what happened when you arrived
and explain how you felt about being late.
Follow-up question after your talk: Are you usually on time? / Did you apologise when you arrived?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
being on time
- Can you explain why some people are late more often than others?
- How would you compare attitudes to punctuality at work with attitudes to punctuality among friends?
- In general, what do people usually do while they are waiting for someone?
time and modern life
- Can you explain why many people feel they have less free time than before?
- What could be done about people forgetting important things on a busy day?
- Can you speculate on how working hours will change in the coming years?
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.