Describe a trip that was delayed.
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 trip that was delayed.
You should say
- where you were going
- what caused the delay
- what you did while waiting
- and explain how you felt about it
60 seconds to prepare, up to 2 minutes to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 184 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.Two years ago I was flying to Delhi for a work meeting and the flight was delayed by about seven hours, first by fog at the destination and then, once that cleared, by the fact that the aircraft was somewhere else entirely. The information came in twenty-minute increments, which is the genuinely difficult part. Nobody ever tells you it will be seven hours. They tell you forty minutes, eleven times. What I did while waiting was fairly unremarkable for the first three hours, which is to say I sat and became progressively more irritated. Then I gave up on the idea of the meeting happening at all, which changed everything. I read an entire book, ate a terrible sandwich without resenting it, and had a long conversation with a woman who repairs industrial ovens. How I felt about it afterwards is that the seven hours were not the problem. The problem was the first three, when I was still expecting it to end. The meeting was rescheduled for the following week and went perfectly well, which retrospectively makes the whole seven hours slightly funnier.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- aircraft
the precise noun, unchanged in the plural
- increments
a formal noun used exactly and wittily
- progressively
four syllables with the stress on the second
- irritated
four syllables with the stress on the first
- resenting
the right verb, with a clean ng ending
- industrial
four syllables with the stress on the second
- expecting
the verb that carries the closing insight
How a strong answer is built
- 1Say where you were going and how long the delay was.
- 2Explain the cause and what made it worse.
- 3Describe the waiting in two phases.
- 4Close with an insight rather than a complaint.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Describe a trip that was delayed.” 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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