Describe a time when someone apologised to you.
This test has appeared in 4 seasons · 2 reported by test takers
- May–Aug/2026
- Jan–Apr/2026
- Sep–Dec/2025
- May–Aug/2024
Reported by test takers Forecast only
Part 1
The examiner asks about you and two familiar topics. About 4–5 minutes.
Your home town
- Where is your home town? (Tell me more about that.)
- What do you like most about it? (Tell me more about that.)
- Has it changed much since you were a child? (Why is that?)
- Would you like to live there in the future? (Why is that?)
Singing
- Do you like singing? (Why is that?)
- What kind of songs do you like to sing? (Tell me more about that.)
- Did you sing much when you were a child? (Why is that?)
- Do you think singing is a good way to relax? (Why is that?)
Childhood
- Where did you spend most of your childhood? (Tell me more about that.)
- What did you enjoy doing most as a child? (Tell me more about that.)
- Who was your best friend when you were a child? (Tell me more about that.)
- Do you think children today have a better childhood than you did? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a time when someone apologised to you.
You should say:
- who apologised to you
- what they had done
- how they apologised
and explain how you felt about the apology.
Follow-up question after your talk: Did the apology change your relationship with this person? / Did you accept the apology straight away?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
apologies
- Can you explain why some people find it very hard to apologise?
- How would you contrast an apology given in person with one sent in a message?
- In general, what makes an apology sound sincere?
forgiveness and relationships
- Can you explain why people forgive some mistakes but not others?
- What could be done about small disagreements that are allowed to grow into serious ones?
- Can you speculate on how people will handle disagreements as more of life happens online?
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.