If the topic is travel in part two of your IELTS Speaking test, then you might be asked to describe a place you’d like to travel to. Read on for tips on how to answer this question, including two travel cue cards with good example answers (go straight to the answers here).
What Places You Can Talk About
You could talk about a travel destination in your country or in another country. It could be anywhere you like. Always think of the easiest place to talk about.
For this question, the easiest answer might be to talk about somewhere you’ve been to before, and would like to visit again.
This makes it easy because you can talk about your previous trip to that place, and say why you liked it so much.
But of course, you can also talk about a place you’ve never been to before.
What You Can Say
When you’ve chosen a place, you can talk about:
- Where that place is
- How you get there
- If you’ve been there before
- Why you like it so much
- What’s so special about that place
- What it’s famous for
- What you can do there
- What you did there last time you visited
- How you felt there, or how you think you would feel there
- Who you’d like to go there with
- When you might go there
- Anything else you can think of
Use Interesting Vocabulary
It’s important to use interesting, uncommon vocabulary in part two. This will get you a band-seven score.
The easiest way to prepare your vocabulary is to learn a few good word groups.
A word group is a collection of interesting words and phrases that describe a particular characteristic of something or someone.
For this question about travel, you could use a ‘place’ word group or an ‘event’ word group.
For example, you could use a ‘prosperous place’ word group. This group would include words and phrases like: ‘prosperity, thriving, flourishing, affluent, hard-working, fast pace of life, a vibrant economy, movers and shakers…’ and more.
You can then use this ‘prosperous place’ word group to answer many different part-two questions, such as:
- Describe a place you’d like to visit
- Describe a city you’ve been to
- Describe your favorite country
- Describe your neighborhood
- Describe a childhood memory
- Describe a building you like
- And many more ‘place’ questions
You can learn more about word groups here.
For our question about travel today, we’ll use a ‘memorable event’ word group and also the ‘prosperous place’ word group (see the example answers below).
Prepare a Short Story
You should prepare many short stories for part two of your IELTS speaking test.
Just like word groups, a short story can be used for many different questions. A story also makes it easy to:
- Keep speaking for 30 to 60 seconds
- Use the past tense a lot (which will make the examiner happy)
For this question about travel, you could prepare a story about:
- When you visited that place before
- A similar place you’ve been to before
- When you first learned about this place
- Someone you know who’s been there and what they told you about it
- Some interesting history you know about that place
Example Answers
Now let’s take a look at a couple of example cue cards and answers.
Travel Cue Card One
Describe a place you’d like to travel to.
You should say:
- Where this place is
- What it’s well-known for
- Who you’d like to go there with
And say why you want to visit this place.
I’m going to talk about a city called Hoi An, which is a beautiful historical town in Vietnam. I’ve been to Hoi An once before. I stayed there for five days when I was traveling around Vietnam a few years ago. Out of all the places I visited, Hoi An was the most memorable. I had a truly unforgettable time there and I really, really want to go back there again and stay for longer.
Hoi An is such a peaceful and attractive town. I remember feeling so relaxed there. The buildings are so pretty and at night the town is lit up with soft orange lights and lanterns. I bought a lantern as a souvenir and keepsake. In fact, I still have that lantern today.
That short visit was a very pleasant memory for me. Even though I was only there for five days, it had a deep impact on me. I’d even go so far as to say it was a life-changing experience. It really stayed with me.
When I was there, during the day, I relaxed in the lovely bohemian cafes next to the water. Hoi An is an ancient port city, so you’re always close to the water. In the evening, I had the time of my life in the local bars and I made many friends. I had such a good time. I think my experience in Hoi An will stay with me until my dying day.
It was an extraordinary and eye-opening experience for me, because I felt so incredibly relaxed and happy there. More than ever before. You see, I’ve always lived in a large, bustling capital city so I never knew how quiet and calm and peaceful life could be. So I’d love to travel there again one day. Maybe I’ll go next year, if I have the time and money.
(Word Group Used: ‘Memorable Event’)
Memorable, Noteworthy, Truly unforgettable, Life-changing, Eye-opening, Extraordinary, Momentous occasion, Pleasant memories, It really stayed with me, I’ll never forget, Memento, Souvenir, Keepsake, Something to remind me of it, Had a deep impact on me, A memorable adventure, A night I’ll never forget, Will stay with me until my dying day, An unforgettable night, The time of my life.
Travel Cue Card Two
Describe a place you’d like to travel to.
You should say:
- What kind of place it is
- How you’ll get there
- Who you’d like to go there with
And say why you’d like to travel to that place.
I’m going to talk about London, the capital of the United Kingdom. I’d love to visit London, and actually I’d like to live there too. I think London is a wonderful, flourishing, prosperous city full of wealthy people and great job opportunities. It’s an affluent city with a really healthy and vibrant economy and a very high quality of life, which is very attractive to me.
London is well-known as a fantastic place to do business. Yes, it’s very business-friendly, and as a result, it’s a thriving, fast-growing city. I’m a very hard-working person, so I would like to stay there and experience that kind of productive environment. In fact, I’d like to move to London after I graduate and make my fortune there. That’s one key reason I want to speak English so well.
There are many entrepreneurs in London, and I’ve heard many rags-to-riches stories about entrepreneurs in London. I think that’s really cool. It would be wonderful to live in such a hale and hearty economic landscape, which is quite different from my hometown, where there aren’t many good job opportunities.
My friend moved to London three years ago. He had to work extremely hard because London is a very expensive city. But he managed to launch a great career and these days his English is amazing because he needs to speak English every day at work. I reckon if you’re hell-bent on working hard and making money then anyone can become successful in a wonderful city like London.
(Word Group Used: ‘Prosperous Place’)
Prosperous, Prosperity, Thriving, Flourishing, Fast-growing, Expanding, Wealthy, Affluent, Hard-working, Business is booming, Business-friendly, A healthy economy, A vibrant economy, High quality of life, High standard of living, Hale and hearty economic landscape, Plenty of moneymaking opportunities, High fliers, Entrepreneurs, Make your fortune, Many job opportunities, Rags-to-riches, Hell-bent on making money, Get down to business, Movers and shakers.
Your Turn to Answer
Now it’s time for you to answer this question.
The best way to practice is to record yourself. This way you can listen to yourself speaking, find mistakes, and improve over time.
First of all, prepare a word group and a story (you can use one of the word groups here).
Then sit down, set the timer to one minute, and tell yourself aloud to: ‘Describe a place you’d like to travel to.’
After preparing for one minute, start talking. Try to talk for two minutes without stopping.
Keep repeating this process and you’ll soon be ready to get a band-seven score in part two of your IELTS Speaking test.
