Describe a time when you missed an appointment | Topics for Speaking IELTS Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
The speaking topics in this recent IELTS speaking test include:
- your studies
- transportation in your city
- being late for an appointment
- types of excuses
- common excuses
Topics for Speaking IELTS Part 1
Where are you from?
I'm from Tashkent, the capital city.
Do you work or study?
I'm studying at the moment, I'm in my final year at the Tashkent State University of Economics.
What type of transport do you usually use?
I have a motorcycle and I also use the metro or tram depending on where I want to go to. The metro is good for going to a lot of places and is relatively cheap.
If I want to go out of the city then I usually take my motorbike because it's more convenient for me.
Do you think transportation in your country is good? Why?
In the major cities the transport is ok. The metro system is very good for us, it's clean, fast and safe and there are lots of destinations served.
The old trolleys or trams can be slow sometimes and they can have problems when they disconnect from the electricity, but usually, the driver can fix it and then continue.
Outside of the cities in rural zones a lot of transport is by local taxi.
How would you upgrade the transportation in your country?
I think it would be good if the rail network were upgraded.
The infrastructure is very old in many places and needs to be repaired or replaced to improve the service.
Some of the older trolley buses should be renovated or replaced also to improve the overall reliability of the system.
Topics for Speaking IELTS Part 2
Describe a time when you missed an appointment
You should say:- When was it?
- Why were you late?
- How did you feel about it?
And say what happened as a result of being late.
Describe a time when you missed an appointment
IELTS Cue Card Sample Answer
About a week ago, I was late for an important meeting with one of my teachers at the university.
We were supposed to meet at around 3 pm to discuss a project I'm working on for one of the courses I'm attending this year.
Anyway, at lunchtime I had to go into the city and take care of some errands.
One of the things I had to do was collect an item from my uncle's shop for my mother, but when I arrived my uncle wasn't there and his assistant didn't know anything about it. So I had to wait.
Eventually my uncle arrived at the shop, but I had been waiting for nearly an hour.
When I left I thought I might be able to make it to the university on time, but then there was a problem with one of the buses that I took and we got stuck in a traffic jam, and I lost more time.
By the time I finally arrived at the university and went to my teacher's office he had already left.
I was almost an hour late for the appointment so I can't blame him for not waiting any longer.
When I saw him the next day and apologized to him, he understood the situation and we arranged to meet early this week.
Of course, I made sure that I arrived early this time, so there was no problem.
Although I felt bad about arriving late and missing the appointment because I like my teacher and he had offered to help me, he didn't have to do that.
You can't control everything and sometimes delays happen and you just have to accept the situation.
And I don't think he was angry, it happens a lot here.
Anyway, that was a time when I missed an appointment. Thankfully, it doesn't happen too often
- Describe a time you forgot an appointment
- Describe a time you missed an appointment
- Describe a time when you forgot/missed an appointment
- Describe an appointment you forgot
- Describe an appointment you missed
Topics for Speaking IELTS Part 3
Do people in your country accept excuses for being late? Why? / Why not?
It depends on the situation and if the excuses for being late are genuine or not.
We are very hospitable and respectful here and we believe that if a person arrives late it is better than not arriving at all, but most people try to arrive on time and most of the time it's not a problem.
I think excuses are only a problem if the occasions are too frequent or inconvenient for the other person.
What type of excuses do people in your country accept?
There are many reasons why people might be late arriving somewhere or attending a meeting or appointment.
Problems with the family, having to help an older member of the family or look after one of the younger children in an emergency, problems with transport or delays in traffic are common and of course when you are sick or ill and have to postpone an event or appointment.
Most other people understand these situations because it has also happened to them at one time or another in their lives, you know, sometimes you just can't avoid being late for an appointment.
IELTS Speaking Tips
- In Part 1 of the IELTS speaking test, use it to warm up. You do not need to give very long answers. Just try to answer each question naturally.
- In Part 2, take a minute to think and plan what you want to say. Think of examples and reasons to support your answer.
- In Part 3, extend your answers as much as possible and really show the IELTS examiner your ability to use English.