Cue Card Sample

Describe a trip that you made by public transport - Cue Card # 341

IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.

Describe a trip that you made by public transport.

You should say:

  • when and where you went
  • what kind of transport you used
  • how was your trip

and explain why did you choose to use public transport.

Model Answer 1:
Today I am going to tell you about a trip I made by public transport. I will tell you when and where I went, what transport I used, a little about the trip and why I chose to use public transport.

The trip was made about five weeks ago. Can you guess where I was going? I was leaving my home in Sheffield, England, to come to Vietnam!

To make this journey I had to use lots of different forms of transport. The first part was by car – a friend gave me a lift to the coach station. The coach I was travelling in went overnight, so it was very late, very cold and very dark when I arrived at the coach station. I was glad my friend was with me. The coach arrived at midnight, and the driver was tired and a bit cross. He was quite rude to all the passengers which I and my friend thought was funny! My backpack was put in the compartment under the coach, and I climbed on board. There were lots of empty seats on the coach, so I sat at the front and had two all to myself. I tried to sleep but it was uncomfortable and I was excited, so I didn’t really get any sleep at all. The coach stopped a few times over night so people could get on and off. At one point the driver changed, and a new friendlier driver came on board.

Our destination? It was Heathrow Airport, this is a huge international airport near to London. The journey to London took about 6 hours. I was very tired when I arrived in the early morning at Heathrow, but I knew that when I got on my plane, then the next step in my adventure would begin!

Although I do have my own car, I try to use public transport whenever I can. I think it is better for the environment and also less stressful. However, for this trip, I had no choice.  I was going away for a long time, so I would not be able to leave my car at the airport for so many months. I wonder what my next journey will be?

[ Written by - Lucy Marris | Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam) ]


Sample Answer 2:
Just after I graduated from the high school, I made a remarkable trip to Barcelona and I took a train and finally shared a yacht on this trip. It would be probably 2014 when I had this journey and I was about 16 years old at that time.

Barcelona was around 4 hours journey from our home and I went there with my family. Every year we visit different parts of or country and sometimes outside the country. This time my father wanted to have a trip to enjoy the holidays and to celebrate my graduation from high school. He asked me whether I would be interested in having this trip and I had no reason to say no.

It was summer and we decided to visit somewhere nearby but suitable for the season. This is why we had this trip to Barcelona. The train journey was quite comfortable and we enjoyed spectacular views on our journey. We checked in a hotel after we reached near the sea and stayed there 3 days.

The beautiful views of the skyline and iconic landmarks from the yacht made our trip memorable. I had been to this place once in my childhood but the pleasure of enjoying the picturesque view with my family, meeting foreign tourists, enjoying seafood, celebrating my graduation were something quite different. After I had this trip, I visited a few other places but none of these places could be compared the fabulous experience I had on this journey. Our decision to take public transportation was proven to be a wise decision.  Since my father had to get back to his office, we could not stay more than 3 days but deep inside me, I wished I could stay a little longer. All in all, it was a very fantastic journey and we enjoyed it a lot.

I bought a few toys for my nephews and nieces who could not join us on this trip. I had to share my experience of this tour with them and tell stories about our journey. While planning for this trip, we decided we would rather take a train than taking our private car. There were basically two reasons for that. First, I did not want to drive all the way and second I did not want to miss the spectacular views of the roadside. We shared the yacht because hiring the whole yacht was quite expensive. Using the public transportation like the train and shared yacht also reduced our cost. Hopefully, I will make this trip once again someday.  


Sample Answer 3:
My recent visit to Mumbai from Kolkata was excellent. The experience will be remembered ever as I used a public transport for this trip. Before this trip, I had the experience to travel in public transports in India but for not such a long time. I will describe the trip in brief now.

The journey began from a railway station in Kolkata and the destination was Mumbai. In fact, it was a business trip for me. I am a sales executive of a local pharmaceutical company. And I was sent to Mumbai from Kolkata to make an analysis of the market and set the strategies how our company will create chances to enter into the market of Mumbai. So, I was sent to gather data and other available resources or information for the purpose. The trip took place in the mid of last February. The trip lasted for a week and I entirely enjoyed this one.      

I had to use various types of transports on this trip but the most noted one is the rail service. I started the journey from Kolkata station on a mail train. The journey began at night and ended in the middle of the next day. Throughout the journey, I had to use some other public transports like bus, taxi and train. The key journey was done by the train while I had to ride on taxi and other vehicles as well. I also liked the taxi ride in Mumbai and the experience was moderate. The entire locality, I found, was crowded like it is in Kolkata. So, the movement was a bit difficult inside the city. But the train journey was completely different. It was a non-stop journey for over 12 hours. Everything was in order on this journey.      

The trip was successful in several terms. Firstly, I wanted to gather information about the local pharmaceutical market in Mumbai. Luckily, I managed all the necessary information I needed. On the other side, I enjoyed visiting some of the most wanted places in the city when I managed some leisure hours. I had to move the city markets, meeting with businessmen and visiting retail pharmacies that sell medicines in retail. Besides, I also had to set up the strategies at the end of the day for the next day. The communication system in Mumbai is really developed but the number of vehicles plying on the street is more than the spaces on the road. As a result, traffic congestions in some major points of the city is a common phenomenon.   

I used the public transport for some certain reasons. Firstly, the public transports are the comfortable means of communication and the travelling cost is cheaper. But the facilities they provide are really adorable despite the cheaper costs. I selected railway to travel to Mumbai as I always enjoy the train journey. The journey is continuous and the travellers do not need to get bored. Further, there are some other benefits like you can move freely inside the train which is not possible for the other types of public transports. I took public transports in the city as well because there were no other alternatives of such transports as well. The trip was a very good one for, and the events will be vivid in my mind for many days.

 

Similar Cue Card Topics

Your ability to talk about this Cue Card would enable you to talk about the following Cue Cards as well:

  1. Describe a memorable trip you have had.
  2. Describe a journey you recently had.
  3. Describe a long trip you have had.
  4. Describe a journey you remember well.
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