Describe a time you arrived very early for an appointment
You should say:
– When and where it happened
– Why you arrived early
– What you did while waiting
-And explain how you felt about arriving early
MODEL ANSWER
(When and where it happened)
Well, I am very punctual by nature. I do not like anyone waiting for me and I also hate to wait for someone. I’m going to describe a time when I was so excited that I arrived very early for an appointment. It was my visa appointment in the passport office three months ago.
(Why you arrived early)
The main reason I arrived early was that I wanted my visa interview to be completed as soon as possible, so that I would be eligible for the trip to America organized for only 2 outstanding university students in my city. To receive this honorable prize, I had to undergo a lot of procedures and I competed heatedly with distinguished students from different universities. Obtaining a visa was the last step in my application process, so I didn’t want to cause any delay. Besides, I had been advised before that the process was quite nerve-racking, so I wanted to arrive early to prepare myself mentally.
(What you did while waiting)
Even though my appointment was at 10am, I left home at 8 o’clock and reached there within 20 minutes. As I arrived earlier than the scheduled time, I waited outside the office with other people who were waiting for their own visa interview process. They were also eagerly waiting for their turn and some of them could not conceal their excitement over their expected trips and academic plans in America after being issued a visa. For a few people, this was their third time for visa application, so I received a lot of useful advice on what to do during the interview.
(And explain how you felt about arriving early)
It was a great opportunity to arrive early for several reasons. Firstly, I had adequate spare time to stroll around the area, where I met a few interesting people and consulted with me on their own experience. What made me excited was that I also witnessed the different feelings of people ahead of my turn. If I had been late, I would not have felt so relaxed and collected to perform well in the visa interview.
Vocabulary:
1. punctual [adj]: arriving, doing something, or happening at the expected, correct time; not late
Eg: Please try to be punctual, so we can start the meeting on time.
2. eligible for [adj]: having the necessary qualities or satisfying the necessary conditions
Eg: Are you eligible for early retirement/maternity leave?
3. undergo [v]: to experience something that is unpleasant or something that involves a change
Eg: She underwent an operation on a tumour in her left lung last year.
4. nerve-racking [adj]: something that is nerve-racking is difficult to do and causes a lot of worry for the person involved in it
Eg: My wedding was the most nerve-racking thing I’ve ever experienced.
5. eagerly [adv]: with eagerness; in an eager manner
Eg: The news was eagerly awaited.
6. conceal [v]: to prevent something from being seen or known about
Eg: To conceal his identity, the man’s voice has been dubbed over.
7. issue [v]: to produce or provide something official
Eg: The office will be issuing permits on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
8. adequate [adj]: enough or satisfactory for a particular purpose
Eg: It’s not a big salary but it’s adequate for our needs.
9. consult [v]: to get information or advice from a person, esp. an expert, or to look at written material in order to get information
Eg: If you don’t know the meaning of a word, consult a dictionary.
10. collected [adj]: showing control over your feelings
Eg: She appeared calm and collected.
IELTS SPEAKING PART 3:
1. What occasions should people arrive early?
(Give a direct answer to the question) Well, there are a lot of occasions that require one’s punctuality. (Explain your reason or reasons) Most often, people tend to arrive early when they have an important meeting or sit an exam. In these kinds of situations, people are under tremendous pressure and they want to make sure they arrive in time to prepare for unexpected events. (Give an example (often a personal example)) I believe job interviews are a good example why people arrive early as this not only displays their professionalism but also good time management skills.
2. Why do people need to be on time?
(Give a direct answer to the question) Well, one of the common attributes of all successful people is that they view their time as a precious resource. (Explain your reason or reasons) Valuing a friend’s time and earning their respect is an important part of your individual reputation and it indicates that you can be trusted. (Explain the opposite or alternative) When you are late for appointments with people who value their time, you will have wasted one of their most valuable assets and there is a good chance they will
view you as rude, irresponsible and disrespectful.
3. Do you think doing nothing means a waste of time?
(Give a direct answer to the question) No, I don’t. (Explain your reason or reasons) Apparently, people cannot be active for 24 hours a day. In addition to restful sleep you need to spend some of your waking hours in a state of unfocused attention. Your mind needs some rest to recover its focus capacity, and to integrate memory. Daydreaming and spending time idly often generates new ideas and insights into problems. (Give an example (often a personal example)) For example, whenever I’m stuck on hard problems, the answer comes to me when I go for a walk to the park or after meditating.
4. Do you think it is important to be punctual?
(Give a direct answer to the question) Of course, it certainly is. (Explain your reason or reasons) In addition to what I explained in the previous question, I believe being punctual builds up your self-confidence. Most importantly, the commitment to being on time indicates your levels of discipline. The punctual man shows that he can organize his time, that he pays attention to detail, and that he can set aside pleasure to take care of business. (Explain the opposite or alternative) Conversely, people assume that if the chronically late person can’t even consider the possibility of a little extra traffic, he won’t be able to consider other obstacles that might stand in the way of getting a project or task done.
Vocabulary:
1. tremendous [adj]: very great in amount or level, or extremely good
Eg: They were making a tremendous amount of noise last night.
2. professionalism [n]: the qualities connected with trained and skilled people
Eg: He praised her professionalism and dynamism.
3. attribute [n]: a quality or characteristic that someone or something has
Eg: Organizational ability is an essential attribute for a good manager.
4. reputation [n]: the opinion that people in general have about someone or something, or how much respect or admiration someone or something receives, based on past behaviour or character
Eg: His reputation was destroyed when he was caught stealing some money.
5. disrespectful [adj]: showing a lack of respect or courtesy; impolite
Eg: This is a deeply disrespectful attitude toward women.
6. insight [n]: (the ability to have) a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden understanding of a complicated problem or situation
Eg: Her books are full of perceptive insights into the human condition.
7. meditate [v]: to think calm thoughts in order to relax or as a religious activity
Eg: Sophie meditates for 20 minutes every day.
8. discipline [n]: the ability to control yourself or other people, even in difficult situations
Eg: Maintaining classroom discipline is the first task of every teacher.
9. chronically [adv]: in a habitual and longstanding manner
Eg: The hospital provides care to chronically ill patients for as long as they need it.
10. obstacle [n]: something that blocks you so that movement, going forward, or action is prevented or made more difficult
Eg: This decision has removed the last obstacle to the hostages’ release