Describe a journey you remember well
You should say:
- where you went
- how you travelled
- who you went with
- and explain why this journey was memorable
Part 3 discussion questions
After your talk, the examiner asks more abstract questions on travel and transport. Practise giving a direct answer, a reason and an example.
- 1Why do people enjoy travelling to new places?
- 2What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by plane?
- 3How has tourism affected popular destinations?
- 4Should governments invest more in public transport than in roads?
- 5How might long-distance travel change in the coming decades?
How to plan your answer in one minute
- Note one or two words for each bullet point; you can glance at them while you speak.
- Open with the main idea, then take the bullets in order so the examiner can follow you.
- Keep the last bullet (the "explain" part) for detail: this is where you show range.
- Keep talking until the examiner stops you; two full minutes shows fluency.
Notes for your minute of preparation
- Where: Mumbai to Goa, two years ago.
- How: by train on the Konkan Railway, in the monsoon; cheaper than flying, famous views.
- Who with: two close friends from college.
- Why memorable: green hills, waterfalls, tunnels; a landslide stopped the train for four hours; a family shared their food; the delay became the best part.
Model talk
235 words · about 2 minutes spoken
I’d like to describe a train journey I took from Mumbai to Goa about two years ago, with two of my closest friends from college.
We decided to go by train rather than fly, partly because it was much cheaper, but mostly because we’d heard that the Konkan Railway route along the coast is one of the most beautiful in India. We went during the monsoon, which turned out to be a great decision. For most of the journey the views were breathtaking: bright green hills, waterfalls pouring down the rocks right next to the tracks, and every few minutes the train went into a long tunnel and came out somewhere even greener. We spent most of the time standing by the door, taking photos.
Then, about halfway, the train stopped in the middle of nowhere, because heavy rain had caused a small landslide further down the line. We were stuck there for almost four hours. At first we were annoyed, but a family sitting near us shared their home-made food with us, and an old man told us stories about the region until it got dark.
The reason the journey is so memorable is that the delay, which should have ruined the trip, became the best part of it. We arrived in Goa late at night, exhausted and hungry, but we still talk about that afternoon more than anything we did in Goa itself.
Written by Acedmi to show what a high-band talk sounds like. It is not an official IELTS sample, and your own ideas can be different.
Useful vocabulary
- breathtaking
- Extremely beautiful.
- “The views from the train were breathtaking.”
- turn out to be
- Prove to be, in the end.
- “Going in the monsoon turned out to be a great decision.”
- in the middle of nowhere
- Far from any town.
- “The train stopped in the middle of nowhere.”
- be stuck
- Be unable to move or leave.
- “We were stuck there for four hours.”
- landslide
- Earth and rocks sliding down a hill.
- “Heavy rain caused a small landslide.”
- ruin
- Spoil completely.
- “The delay should have ruined the trip.”
- exhausted
- Very tired.
- “We arrived exhausted and hungry.”
- unforgettable
- So special you will always remember it.
- “It was an unforgettable afternoon.”
Common mistakes
- Spending the whole two minutes on where you went. "Why it was memorable" is the heart of the answer.
- Using the present tense for a past journey: "We go by train" should be "We went by train".
- Listing places with no story. One event, told in detail, sounds more natural and more fluent.