IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a journey you remember well

Journey cue cards tempt candidates into a flat itinerary — we left, we arrived, it was nice. Examiners are actually listening for one thing that went differently from plan, because that's where real narrative language comes out.

Your one-minute prep plan

1. 1Fix the route in one sentence — from where, to where, by what — so your opening doesn't wobble.
2. 2Note one thing that didn't go to plan: a delay, a wrong turn, a missed connection. That's your middle section.
3. 3Note one sensory detail from inside the vehicle or on the road, not just the destination.
4. 4Note the one line that answers 'why you remember it', separate from 'because it was fun'.

Band 9 model answer

I'll talk about a train journey I took from Lahore up to Chitral with two university friends, about three years ago, right before our final year started. We went by train as far as we could and then switched to a shared van for the mountain section, because there's no rail line up there at all. What I actually remember isn't the scenery, although it was spectacular — it's that the van broke down at around eleven at night on a road with no lighting whatsoever, maybe two hours from the nearest town. The driver just got out, looked under the bonnet with a torch clipped to his shirt, and started fixing it like this happened every week, which it probably did. We ended up sitting on the road eating biscuits someone had in their bag, and one of my friends started telling this long, ridiculous story about his uncle, and we were laughing so hard that by the time the van started again nobody even remembered being scared. I remember that journey specifically because of that hour, not because of Chitral itself, which was beautiful but is honestly a bit of a blur now. It taught me something about how the actual travelling, the inconvenient bit in between, is often what sticks, while the planned, photographed part fades. I've thought about that hour on the road more than I've thought about the valley we were going to see.

The same answer at band 7

I want to talk about a train journey from Lahore to Chitral with two of my university friends, about three years ago. We went partly by train and partly by van, because there is no train line in the mountains. I remember this journey because the van broke down at night on a dark road, about two hours from the nearest town. The driver fixed it himself with a torch. We were a little worried at first, but then we sat on the road and ate biscuits and my friend told a funny story about his uncle, so we started laughing. After about an hour the van started again and we continued our journey. I remember this trip because of that experience, not really because of the destination. It showed me that sometimes the journey itself is more memorable than the place you are going to.

The band 7 answer covers all four bullets accurately and in order. The band 9 answer adds unplanned, specific detail (the torch clipped to a shirt, the biscuits, the uncle story), sequences events with more natural connectors, and closes on a reflective idea rather than a simple statement.

Phrases worth stealing

“We went by train as far as we could, and then…”

Smooth way to describe a journey with more than one stage.

“What I actually remember isn't the scenery, it's that…”

Redirects attention to the memorable detail, which answers the 'why' bullet early.

“The driver just got out and started fixing it like this happened every week.”

Adds character and light humour to a travel story.

“By the time the van started again, nobody even remembered being scared.”

Time clause showing how the mood shifted — good for Grammatical Range.

“It taught me something about how…”

Turns a simple anecdote into a reflection, useful for the final bullet.

“…is honestly a bit of a blur now.”

Natural, idiomatic way to admit you don't remember every detail.

Part 3 questions that usually follow

Mistakes to avoid

• Describing the destination in detail while barely mentioning the journey itself, which is what the question actually asks for.
• Choosing a journey with no complication, leaving nothing to narrate for two minutes.
• Staying in present tense throughout instead of moving through past simple, continuous and perfect naturally.
• Saying 'I remember it because it was fun' without any specific reason attached.
• Rushing through the 'who you went with' bullet in one word instead of adding a detail about them.

More Part 2 cue cards