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

Describe an occasion when you had to wait a long time for someone or something to arrive.

You should say:

• who or what you were waiting for
• how long you had to wait
• why you had to wait a long time

and explain how you felt about waiting for such a long time.

[Instruction: You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

Model Answer 1:
Nobody really likes to wait, whether it is in their own interests or in the interest of others except, of course, the problem is we just can’t avoid it in our lives. So, the other day, about a few months ago, when I had to wait for "an important piece of document" at a local government office, I wasn’t really very “excited” about it, to put it “mildly”.

I arrived at the office exactly at around 9:00 am to pick up my “land-related” document, as I was told. But, the problem was that the government offices in my country are not exactly very “famous” for keeping their “promises”. So, when I was asked to wait because the “person in charge”, who was supposed to deliver me the document, didn’t arrive at the office, I wasn’t really surprised. So, I just kept waiting until I became a bit “impatient”. I think, I waited at least one hour initially and then decided to ask about when the ‘person in charge’ would arrive. And, when I did ask that question, I was ‘answered’ very casually, as well as very angrily, that they had no idea about it and that I could simply leave if I didn’t want to wait. So, I started to keep waiting again. Finally, I think, it was after waiting for almost three hours that I got my document. 

Anyway, I did get my document in the end, but it was not without making me feel very frustrated and angry at the behaviour of those government officials because they never understood the “urgency” of our “need”. Besides, I felt a bit “helpless” too because I just didn’t know how long I needed to wait in order to obtain my document. Finally, it was after this “waiting incident” that I lost my respect to some extent for government offices in general and the officials working in those offices because I just could never “rely” on them for any kind of “urgent” work.

Sample Answer 2:
Thank you for the opportunity to let me talk about an experience when I had to wait for someone for a long time. We all know that waiting for someone or something can be frustrating, especially if it takes longer than expected. One such occasion when I had to wait for a long time was when I was waiting for a friend who was running late for our meeting.

My friend and I had decided to meet up for lunch at a restaurant in the city centre. I arrived at the restaurant on time, but my friend was nowhere to be seen. I decided to wait for him for a few minutes, but soon realized that he was running very late. I tried calling him, but his phone was switched off, which made me even more anxious.

I ended up waiting for nearly an hour before my friend finally arrived. It turned out that he had some urgent work to take care of and couldn't let me know in advance. While waiting, I felt frustrated and irritated because I had other plans for the day, and this delay was affecting my schedule. I also felt a bit concerned because I didn't know where my friend was or what was causing the delay.

Looking back, I realize that waiting is an inevitable part of life, and sometimes we have to be patient and flexible when things don't go according to plan. While waiting for my friend, I had some time to reflect and plan my day, which was a good use of my time. Although it was an unpleasant experience, it taught me the importance of communication and punctuality.

Idea generation for this Candidate task card / Cue card topic:

1. Waiting for a delayed flight:
I was waiting for my flight to New York, but it got delayed due to bad weather. The wait lasted for almost seven hours at the airport. I had to wait for such a long time because the airline had to ensure safe flying conditions. The long wait was frustrating, but I tried to keep myself occupied by reading a book and listening to music.

2. Waiting for a friend at a restaurant:
My friend and I planned to have dinner at a popular restaurant, but she got stuck in traffic. I had to wait for nearly an hour before she arrived. She was late because of unexpected road construction that slowed down the traffic. I felt a bit annoyed at first, but I used the time to browse my phone and enjoy a cup of coffee.

3. Waiting for an online order delivery:
I ordered a new smartphone online, and it was supposed to be delivered in three days. However, due to a warehouse issue, it took over ten days to arrive. The delay happened because of high demand and logistical issues. I felt a bit impatient because I needed the phone urgently, but I was relieved when it finally arrived.

4. Waiting at the hospital for a doctor’s appointment:
I had scheduled a doctor’s appointment, but I had to wait for almost two hours at the hospital. The delay was caused by an emergency case that the doctor had to attend to. Although I was initially frustrated, I understood that emergencies can happen and tried to stay patient.

5. Waiting for a train:
I was traveling to another city by train, but my train got delayed by four hours. The reason for the delay was technical issues on the railway track. I felt exhausted from waiting at the station, but I passed the time by chatting with other passengers and reading a newspaper.

6. Waiting in a long queue at a bank:
I had to withdraw cash from the bank, but the queue was extremely long. I ended up waiting for more than an hour because there were limited staff members handling customers. I felt a bit irritated, but I tried to remain patient by scrolling through my phone.

7. Waiting for a concert to start:
I attended a concert of my favorite band, but it started nearly two hours late. The delay was due to technical issues with the sound system. I was excited about the event, so I didn’t mind the wait too much. The performance was worth it in the end.

8. Waiting for a job interview:
I had an important job interview scheduled at 10 AM, but I wasn’t called in until 12 PM. The delay happened because the interview panel was running behind schedule. I felt nervous while waiting, but I used the time to revise my answers and prepare mentally.

9. Waiting for public transport:
One evening, I had to wait almost 45 minutes for a bus because the usual service was disrupted due to a road accident. I was in a hurry to reach home, so the wait felt even longer. I felt frustrated, but I had no choice but to be patient.

10. Waiting for a parcel at the post office:
I had to pick up an important parcel from the post office, but I waited in line for nearly two hours. The delay was due to a system issue that slowed down the process. I felt annoyed, but I stayed in the queue because the package was important.

Model Answer 3:
Well, my memory is actually crowded with too many occasions when I had to wait for a long time. One such occasion was when I was too busy watching a very important world cup football match with a couple of my friends while waiting for our pizza to arrive!

Talking about the football match, it was actually an “epic battle”, obviously because it was being fought between Brazil and Argentina, the two best and most prominent football/soccer teams in the world! So, all we needed to do was to order our pizzas and wait for the match to start. By the way, pizza was something that we all considered a “must” for enjoying any football match between Brazil and Argentina. 

Anyway, the match had started on schedule, but we completely forgot about our pizza, apparently because we were too busy following the match on TV. It was during the match interval that we came to our senses. In other words, more than 45 minutes had already passed, and we were still waiting for our pizza! 

For a while, we thought that the pizza delivery man had forgotten about us. But, then, we still decided to wait for about another 20 minutes before calling the store manager in order to enquire about our pizza delivery. Then, just when we were about to give up on our idea of enjoying pizza that evening, the pizza man showed up at our door with a rather guilty look on his face. 

Needless to say, we were frustrated, and probably a bit mad too, because the delivery person had arrived so late. But, then, we couldn’t actually blame him because the demand for pizza was just too high for him to handle that evening. Besides, he also told us that the traffic situation on the road was very bad. So, we were left with no option but to become reasonable with him while also assuring him at the same time, smilingly, that he was going to get his full “tip money” regardless, even though he had slightly spoiled our otherwise perfectly exciting evening!

Model Answer 4:
People say that patience is a great virtue, so I try to be patient as often as I can, even when I have no reason or incentive to wait. But, for better or worse, waiting for something or someone is a reality of life, and we have to wait, no matter how much we dislike it, just as I didn’t like it when one of my fellow co-workers kept me waiting for a long period of time for no valid reasons.

It was about a few months ago when this happened at my work.  Anyway, it was Friday, so I was naturally a bit excited to leave my office as soon as I could and enjoy the weekend. But, suddenly, one of my fellow workers jumped in front of me just an hour before the closing of our office and asked me to loan my motorbike to him. He told me that he needed to go out for some emergency reasons and he would come back just in time before the office had closed. So, I just gave the key of my motorbike to my co-worker in good faith only, of course, to find out that he just couldn’t properly value my good faith.

In fact, instead of showing up after an hour, he actually showed up after several hours. Anyway, I tried to keep my calm when he came back and asked him what really had caused him to delay for such a long time. In response, he said that he had gone to see a friend at the hospital, and he just got stuck there. He also politely apologized for the delay.

Anyway, after waiting for such a long time, I naturally felt a bit frustrated and even annoyed at the irresponsible act of my co-worker, especially, at a time when I was planning to leave my office as soon as possible. However, after knowing that he went to visit his friend at the hospital, I felt like I lost very valuable several hours of my life in a good cause, and that was to help someone out during a crisis time.

Part 3 - Details Discussion:

Discussion topics: Arriving early

Q. In what kinds of situations should people always arrive early?
Q. How important is it to arrive early in your country?
Q. How can modern technology help people to arrive early?

Discussion topics: Being patient

Q. What kinds of jobs require the most patience?
Q. Is it always better to be patient in work (or studies)?
Q. Do you agree or disagree that the older people are, the more patient they are?

Answer to these Part 3 questions - Speaking Sample 70: Part 3 - Details Discussion

Vocabulary for this Candidate task card / Cue card topic:

Describing an occasion when you had to wait for something or someone involves expressing time, expectations, emotions, and the reason for the delay. Using appropriate vocabulary will help you describe the situation vividly and accurately in your IELTS Speaking test. Below is a list of useful words and phrases along with example sentences to help you with this cue card topic:

Prolonged delay – A long and unexpected wait.
Example: There was a prolonged delay due to technical issues at the airport.

Anticipation – A feeling of excitement or anxiety about something expected.
Example: I waited in eager anticipation for my friend to arrive from abroad.

Test of patience – A situation that challenges your ability to stay calm.
Example: The long wait in the hospital queue was truly a test of patience.

Unforeseen circumstances – Unexpected events that disrupt plans.
Example: The train was delayed due to unforeseen circumstances like a power outage.

Held up – Delayed, especially due to traffic or other unavoidable issues.
Example: My colleague was held up in traffic, which made me wait for over an hour.

Kept checking the time – Repeatedly looking at the clock out of impatience.
Example: I kept checking the time nervously, hoping the technician would arrive soon.

Unexpected holdup – A sudden interruption that causes a delay.
Example: There was an unexpected holdup on the highway due to an accident.

Ticking clock – Used metaphorically to express the stress of waiting.
Example: The ticking clock made me more anxious as I waited for the test results.

Time dragged on – Time seemed to pass very slowly.
Example: As I waited in the queue, time dragged on and I became more restless.

Running late – Arriving after the scheduled or expected time.
Example: My friend called to say he was running late because his car broke down.

Emotional rollercoaster – Experiencing a mix of strong emotions during a situation.
Example: Waiting for the medical report felt like an emotional rollercoaster.

Sense of relief – A feeling of comfort after a stressful wait.
Example: When the train finally arrived, I felt an immense sense of relief.

If you prepare for the topic "Describe an occasion when you had to wait a long time for someone or something to arrive", you should be able to talk about the following topics as well:

1) Describe an occasion when you waited for someone.
2) Describe a time when you waited in a long queue.
3) Describe an event when you had to wait.
4) Describe a situation when you were late.
5) Describe a time when you had to wait in a traffic jam.
6) Describe a time when you were late for an important meeting.

• IELTS Cue Card
• Candidate Task Card
• Speaking Part 2

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