Describe a city you have visited.
A strong long turn names the subject in the first sentence, spends most of the two minutes on the last bullet — the why — and arrives at a prepared final line rather than trailing off.
The question, as the examiner gives it
Describe a city you have visited.
You should say
- which city it was
- when you went
- what you did there
- and explain what impression it left on you
60 seconds to prepare, up to 2 minutes to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 185 words at a natural pace — roughly what 120 seconds holds.
Answer it yourself first
Record your own answer first. A model you have read three times comes out with a flattened rhythm, and examiners are trained to hear exactly that. Read it afterwards for the vocabulary and the shape, not to memorise the sentences.I spent nine days in Lisbon two winters ago, which was the first trip I had taken entirely alone. I chose it partly because it was cheap in January and partly because a photograph of a yellow tram on a hill had been in my head for years. What I did there was mostly walk, which the city punishes you for because it is built on about seven hills and every route is either straight up or straight down. I ate standing up at counters, got lost repeatedly, and spent one entire afternoon in a covered market talking to a man about tinned fish. The impression it left is difficult to separate from the fact that I was alone. It is a city that is visibly worn, the buildings are cracked and the paint is coming off the tiles, and nobody seems to be in a hurry to fix it. I found that enormously restful. I have been to cities that are better maintained and liked them less. I would go back tomorrow, ideally in January again, and I would do exactly the same nothing.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- tram
a specific transport noun, short and concrete
- punishes
vivid verb for a city that is hard to walk
- counters
concrete detail about how people eat there
- repeatedly
four syllables with the stress on the second
- tinned
British adjective, precise and unexpected
- cracked
a hard final cluster worth keeping clean
- maintained
the contrast the closing sentence needs
How a strong answer is built
- 1Name the city, the length and when.
- 2Say why you chose it, with a real reason.
- 3Give three concrete things you actually did.
- 4Answer the impression honestly, including the caveat.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Describe a city you have visited.” be?
You get 60 seconds to make notes and then speak for up to two minutes without interruption. Aim to still be talking at ninety seconds: finishing at forty is the commonest way to lose marks on this part.
Should I memorise the model answer?
No. Record your own version first, then read the model for the shape and the vocabulary. A memorised answer changes rhythm and pace noticeably, and examiners are trained to hear it — it usually costs more than the better wording gains.
Does sayit score this answer?
It scores what a microphone can observe: an estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.
What the band on your result means
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.One question a day until your test
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