IELTS · Guide 20 · 12 min read

IELTS Speaking Part 2 sample answers: describe a memorable journey

An IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card on a journey you remember, with Part 3 follow-ups, transcripts at bands 8, 6.5 and 5 and commentary.

How to use this worked session

This page takes one Part 2 cue card and its Part 3 follow-up questions and shows three candidates answering them at different levels, as transcripts. Try it yourself first: take one minute to make notes, speak for two minutes and record yourself, then answer the Part 3 questions aloud. Compare your recording with the transcripts and commentary.

The task

Part 2 cue card

Describe a journey you remember well.

You should say:

• where you went
• how you travelled
• who you were with
• and explain why you remember this journey.

You have one minute to prepare. Speak for one to two minutes.

Part 3 discussion questions

1. Why do many people prefer to travel by car rather than by public transport?
2. How might the way people travel change in the next twenty years?
3. Is travelling always a good way to learn about other cultures?

What the examiner is listening for

• In Part 2, description and narrative together: what the journey was like and what happened on it.
• In Part 3, comparing, predicting the future and questioning an idea. These questions invite conditionals and speculation.

Strong response (around band 8)

Examiner: I'd like you to describe a journey you remember well. You have one minute to prepare. Candidate: The journey I'd like to describe is an overnight train trip I took with my older sister about three years ago, from the capital down to the coast, which is roughly six hundred kilometres. We'd originally planned to fly, but the flights were absurdly expensive that weekend, so somewhat reluctantly we booked a sleeper compartment instead. I'd never been on a night train before, and I'll admit I was expecting it to be cramped and uncomfortable. In fact, it turned out to be one of the most memorable trips I've ever made. We left at about eight in the evening, and for the first couple of hours we just sat by the window watching the suburbs give way to farmland and then to the mountains as the light faded. There was a tiny dining car where we had a surprisingly decent dinner, and we got chatting to an elderly couple who'd been making the same journey every summer for forty years. They told us all sorts of stories about how the line used to be, back when it took nearly twice as long. I didn't sleep a great deal, to be honest, because the train rocked quite a bit on the bends, but that hardly mattered. I remember waking up around five and seeing the sea for the first time through a gap in the curtains, with the sun just coming up over it. I think the reason it's stayed with me is partly that it was so unexpected. It was supposed to be the cheap, inconvenient option, and it ended up being the highlight of the holiday. But it's also because my sister and I don't often get time alone together these days, since she's got two small children, so those twelve hours of just talking felt quite precious. Examiner: Why do many people prefer to travel by car rather than by public transport? Candidate: Convenience is the obvious answer. A car takes you from door to door, whenever you like, and you don't have to drag your luggage between platforms. In rural areas especially, public transport can be so infrequent that it isn't a realistic option. There's also an element of habit, I think. Once people have paid for a car, the cost of each individual trip feels low, even if it isn't really. Examiner: How might the way people travel change in the next twenty years? Candidate: I'd expect a gradual shift rather than anything dramatic. Electric vehicles will almost certainly become the norm, and I imagine more cities will restrict private cars in their centres. Whether we'll see driverless cars on a large scale is harder to predict, because the technology seems to be ahead of the regulations. And if remote working keeps growing, people may simply travel less for work, which could change rush hour quite significantly. Examiner: Is travelling always a good way to learn about other cultures? Candidate: Not necessarily. It certainly can be, if you make the effort to talk to local people and step outside the usual tourist areas. But a lot of package holidays are designed to keep visitors in a kind of bubble, where everything feels familiar, so you could spend a fortnight abroad and learn almost nothing about the place. In some ways, getting to know people from other countries in your own city can be just as eye-opening.

Commentary

• Fluency and Coherence: The long turn is full, relaxed and well shaped: the plan, the expectation, the surprise and the reason it matters. Discourse markers ("In fact", "to be honest", "I think the reason ... is partly that ... But it's also because") make the structure easy to follow without sounding written. Part 3 answers are developed and balanced, and the last one challenges the question's assumption ("Not necessarily").
• Lexical Resource: Vivid, precise language: "absurdly expensive", "somewhat reluctantly", "give way to", "got chatting to", "the highlight of the holiday", "in a kind of bubble", "eye-opening". Part 3 handles abstract ideas confidently ("an element of habit", "ahead of the regulations").
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Narrative tenses (past perfect continuous: "who'd been making the same journey"), the future in the past ("was supposed to be"), predictions with different degrees of certainty ("will almost certainly", "I imagine", "may simply"), and an embedded question ("Whether we'll see ... is harder to predict"). No noticeable errors.
• Pronunciation: This cannot be judged from a transcript. At this level, aim for natural rhythm across long sentences, stress that brings out contrast ("It was supposed to be the cheap option, and it ended up being the highlight"), intonation that signals a list ("farmland ... and then the mountains"), and connected speech that does not separate every word.

Pass-level response (around band 6.5)

Examiner: I'd like you to describe a journey you remember well. You have one minute to prepare. Candidate: I'm going to talk about a journey I made with my family when I was about sixteen. We drove from our city to my grandparents' village in the north of the country. We travelled by car, and it was a long journey, about nine hours. My father was driving and my mother, my younger brother and me were in the car. We left very early in the morning, at five o'clock, because my father wanted to avoid the traffic. The first part of the journey was a bit boring because it was a motorway, but after that we drove through the mountains, and the scenery was really beautiful. There were a lot of green hills and small rivers. We stopped several times to take photos and to eat. I remember we had lunch in a small restaurant next to a lake, and the food was delicious. Unfortunately, in the afternoon our car had a problem with one of the tyres, so we had to stop by the road for about an hour. My father changed the tyre himself, and me and my brother helped him a little. It was quite stressful at that time, but now we laugh about it. I remember this journey because it was the last time we visited my grandparents all together before my grandfather passed away. So it has a special meaning for me. Also, it was the first time I saw the mountains, so it was a very exciting experience. Examiner: Why do many people prefer to travel by car rather than by public transport? Candidate: I think because it is more comfortable and more flexible. You can leave any time you want and you don't need to wait for the bus. Also, in some places public transport is not very good, for example in my country the buses are often late and very crowded. Examiner: How might the way people travel change in the next twenty years? Candidate: I think in the future there will be more electric cars, because petrol is becoming expensive and it causes pollution. Maybe also there will be cars without drivers. I have seen some videos about this and I think it will be normal in twenty years. Examiner: Is travelling always a good way to learn about other cultures? Candidate: Yes, I think it is a good way, because you can see how people live and try their food and learn about their traditions. But if you only stay in a hotel and don't talk to local people, you can't learn very much.

Commentary

• Fluency and Coherence: The candidate speaks for the full time and covers the prompts in a sensible order, with a clear reason at the end. Linking is simple but effective ("Unfortunately", "So", "Also"). Part 3 answers are relevant and the last one shows some balance, though none goes much beyond one main idea.
• Lexical Resource: Adequate for the topic, with some good choices ("avoid the traffic", "the scenery", "passed away", "crowded"). Much of the description relies on general words ("beautiful", "delicious", "exciting"), and "cars without drivers" could have been "driverless cars".
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Past simple and past continuous are used correctly, with a present perfect in Part 3 and some complex sentences. Pronoun errors are noticeable: "my brother and me were in the car" and "me and my brother helped" (both need "I").
• Pronunciation: This cannot be judged from a transcript. To move higher, aim to vary your intonation so the story sounds engaging rather than flat, stress the key contrast in a sentence ("a bit boring ... but ... really beautiful"), and keep word endings clear ("travelled", "stopped").

What would lift it: develop each Part 3 answer with a second point or a contrast, use more precise descriptive language, and fix subject pronouns ("my brother and I").

Weaker response (around band 5)

Examiner: I'd like you to describe a journey you remember well. You have one minute to prepare. Candidate: Er ... I want to talk about ... a journey to the capital city. I go there with my friends. Er ... two years ago. We go by bus. The bus is ... er, very long time, ten hours. It was very ... tired. Er, because the seat is not comfortable. We go there for ... er, holiday. We visit many places. Er ... big buildings and, er, the museum. And shopping. It was very nice. Er ... with my friends, three friends. We are friends from university. We talk and, er, listen music in the bus. Is very fun. Why I remember ... er ... because it is my first time in capital city. Er ... before I never go. So I remember. And, er ... it was very good trip. Yes. Examiner: Why do many people prefer to travel by car rather than by public transport? Candidate: Car is more ... er, comfortable. And fast. Bus is slow. Examiner: How might the way people travel change in the next twenty years? Candidate: Er ... maybe flying car? I don't know. Maybe more electric car. Examiner: Is travelling always a good way to learn about other cultures? Candidate: Yes. Because you see other country, other people. Is good for learning.

Commentary

• Fluency and Coherence: The long turn is well under two minutes, and the candidate answers the prompts one by one as a list rather than telling a story (the "who" prompt comes after the visit has already been described). Frequent pauses break up even short sentences. Part 3 answers are a few words each.
• Lexical Resource: Very limited: "very", "nice", "good" and "fun" do most of the work. The candidate cannot describe the places visited ("big buildings") or explain ideas in Part 3. "It was very tired" uses the wrong word ("tiring").
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Short, simple sentences, often missing a subject ("Is very fun", "Is good for learning"). Present tense is used for past events ("I go there", "We visit"). Plurals and articles are often missing ("flying car", "in capital city").
• Pronunciation: This cannot be judged from a transcript. A speaker at this level should aim for clear word endings (plural "-s" and past "-ed", which also fix grammar errors), a steady pace without breaks in the middle of phrases, and stress on content words so the listener can pick out the meaning.

What would lift it: use the minute of preparation to note what happened in order and one detail for each part, describe one moment of the journey in full, and answer every Part 3 question with "I think ... because ... for example ...".

The three answers side by side

Self-check checklist

1. Did I describe at least one moment of the journey in real detail?
2. Did I explain clearly why the journey is memorable, with more than one reason?
3. Did I speak for close to two minutes?
4. Did I use past tenses for the story and a range of future forms in Part 3?
5. Did I show different degrees of certainty ("will probably", "might", "I doubt")?
6. Did I question the idea in at least one Part 3 answer, rather than just agreeing?
7. Did I use precise adjectives instead of "nice", "good" and "beautiful"?
8. Does my voice rise and fall naturally in the recording, or sound flat?

About the band levels

The band levels on this page are our own estimates for practice purposes. They are not official scores and are not produced or endorsed by any IELTS partner. Only a certified examiner assessing a real test can give you an official band.

Related guides

• IELTS Speaking: the three parts, timings and how the examiner works
• IELTS Speaking band descriptors explained in plain words
• Back to the IELTS hub