Part 2 cue card
Describe a memorable holiday you had.
You should say:
- Where you went
- Who you went with
- What you did
- And explain why it was memorable
Source practice test: IELTS Speaking Test 14
Band 9 model answer
Expert-level long turn
The holiday that stands out most for me was a trip to Sri Lanka that I took with three university friends just after we graduated. We chose it partly because it was affordable and partly because none of us had travelled abroad together before.
We spent about ten days there and deliberately kept the plan loose. We started on the south coast, where we learned to surf rather badly, then took the famous train up into the hill country to Ella, which winds through tea estates and waterfalls and is supposed to be one of the most scenic rail journeys in the world.
What we actually did was a mixture of everything: we hiked to a viewpoint at sunrise, ate far too much street food, and spent whole evenings just talking about what we wanted to do with our lives now that university was over.
The reason it was so memorable was the timing more than the destination. It felt like a final chapter of one stage of life before everyone scattered for jobs in different cities. We have not all been in the same place since, so that trip has become a kind of shared memory we still bring up whenever we meet. That emotional significance is what makes it unforgettable.
Why this scores Band 9
- Fluency and Coherence: a fluent, well-organised story that answers each bullet and builds to a thoughtful explanation of why the holiday mattered.
- Lexical Resource: natural, idiomatic phrasing ('stands out', 'kept the plan loose', 'everyone scattered', 'a final chapter') used with precision.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: accurate narrative tenses, a present-perfect reflection ('We have not all been in the same place since'), and varied sentence length.
- Pronunciation is scored live; a Band 9 candidate would also convey the nostalgic tone through intonation, which a transcript cannot capture.
Band 6 sample answer
Competent but limited response
I want to talk about a holiday in Sri Lanka. I went there with three friends from my university after we finished our studies. It was our first trip together to another country.
We stayed there for ten days. First we went to the beach in the south and we tried surfing, but we were not good at it. After that we took a famous train to the hills to a place called Ella. The train view was very beautiful with tea gardens and waterfalls.
We did many activities. We climbed a mountain in the early morning to see the sunrise, we ate a lot of street food, and at night we talked about our future plans.
This holiday was memorable because it was the last trip before everyone got a job in a different city. So it was a special time with my friends and we still talk about it when we meet. That is why I cannot forget it.
Why this sits around Band 6
- Fluency and Coherence: clear sequencing with time markers ('First', 'After that', 'at night'), though the connectors are simple and some sentences are short.
- Lexical Resource: functional vocabulary that gets the meaning across ('very beautiful', 'special time') but lacks the idiomatic range of a higher band.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: past tenses are mostly accurate; sentence patterns are repetitive and there are occasional small slips.
- Every bullet is addressed and the ending explains the significance, which is solid Band 6 work; more varied language would be needed for Band 7.
Part 3 discussion questions
What are the advantages of travelling abroad?
Beyond the obvious enjoyment, travelling abroad develops cultural awareness and often a degree of humility, because you realise your way of doing things is not the only way. Practically, it can also improve language skills and build confidence in handling unfamiliar situations, which are useful well beyond the trip itself.
Is it better to travel independently or in a group?
It really depends on the traveller. Independent travel offers total freedom and forces you to problem-solve, which is rewarding. Group travel, on the other hand, is safer and cheaper and means shared memories. Personally I prefer a small group of close friends, because you get the support without losing flexibility.
What impact does travel have on the environment?
Unfortunately the impact is significant, particularly from flying, which has a heavy carbon footprint. Popular destinations also struggle with waste and water shortages. I do think travellers are becoming more conscious of this, though, and choices like taking trains or staying longer in fewer places can reduce the damage considerably.
Useful vocabulary for this topic
- to stand out:
- to be the most memorable or noticeable
- a scenic route:
- a journey through beautiful landscapes
- to keep a plan loose:
- to avoid fixing every detail in advance
- a shared memory:
- an experience remembered fondly by a group
What if I have not had a memorable holiday?
You can describe any trip, even a short or local one, and frame it as memorable for a personal reason such as the people you were with or how you felt. The examiner rewards how well you speak, not how impressive the holiday was, so a simple trip described richly scores higher than an exotic one described flatly.