Below are sample answers for the the topics of travel and transport for part 1 of the IELTS speaking test.

Travel

Q. Do you often travel abroad?

A. Not much, to be honest. I don’t get many days off in a year but when I do have time off, I mainly spend that time with my family in my hometown.

Q. When is the best season to travel in your country?

A. I guess it would be spring. That’s when the weather starts warming up and all the flowers start blossoming. It’s a really beautiful season and most places are at their best at that time. Unfortunately, it’s a busy time for tourists as well but that still doesn’t diminish the beauty of the countryside.

Q. Where would you recommend a foreign to visit in your country?

A. Without doubt, London. Not only is it our capital, but it also has some of the most iconic buildings in our country. I don’t think any visit to England is complete without seeing the Tower of London, London Bridge or Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. They really are very impressive pieces of architectural work and can’t be missed.

Transport

Q. How did you get here today?

A. I came by bike because the roads are pretty congested at this time and a bike is quicker. It only took me about 15 minutes to get here.

Q. Do you often use public transport?

A. Yes, I do. I use the bus almost everyday. It’s the cheapest way to get around even though it’s really overcrowded and not particularly punctual.

Q. How could the transportation system be improved in your country?

A. Well, I think the first step to improvement would be to widen the roads and build to overpasses and underpasses to help traffic flow more freely which would reduce the congestion in the city center. Also, it would help if the bus service was improved to make it run more frequently which would help with the overcrowding in rush hour. I think those are the two main changes that need to happen.

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This is a band score 9 sample answer for a speaking part 2 talk in IELTS. This model demonstrates who you can expand each prompt with more information and description. This IELTS speaking part 2 model answer is estimated at band score 9.

Describe a holiday you recently had.

You should say:

• where you went
• how you got there
• what you did there
• and explain if you enjoyed it

Model Talk

I would like to talk about a holiday I went on in the south of Vietnam just a few months ago. I went with my parents to a town called Nha Trang, which is a lovely coastal town, and we decided to go there so that they could experience a different part of the country and see life by the beach.

We flew there from Hanoi, which is the capital of Vietnam. The flight took about 1 hour and on the whole it went smoothly. We managed to be one of the first on board and one of the first off when we landed. It was certainly quicker and easier than going by train, which can take over 15 hours.

There was so much to do there that we only had a chance to do just a few things on our three day trip. We took a cruise around the islands and also did some sightseeing inland as well. Taking part in a cookery course was great fun, where we bought fresh ingredients at the local market and learned how to use a wok to fry fresh fish and other seafood like crab and lobster.

We definitely enjoyed our trip and would go there again if we could. Seeing the colourful lifestyle of the locals and having a chance to see spectacular scenery was something we will never forget. For my parents it was a holiday of a life time and they’re still talking about it. If I could live there, I would.

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