IELTS Speaking Part 2 & Part 3: A Time When You Waited for Something Special to Happen

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Topic (Sep – Dec 2021): Describe a time when you waited for something special that would happen

You should say:
What you waited for
Where you waited
Why it was special
And explain how you felt while you were waiting

Band 8 Model Answers 1:

IELTS Cue Card: Describe a time when you waited for something special that would happen

Well, there are tons of (a lot of) times I had to wait for something special or interesting to happen like the day I would get my Doctor Degree and my best friend’s wedding.  Today I am gonna talk about the time I waited for the final offer to be a Marketing Manager for a famous international corporation.

To the best of my recollection (from what my memory tells me), it has been a couple of years since I got that offer. Because the result was really important to me and could be a significant milestone (an important event in the development of someone’s life) which would change my entire life, so I was really anxious and kept checking my email continuously ( continuing without stopping or being interrupted) to make sure I didn’t miss any email. I also tried to spend my time listening to music or watching movies to stop myself from worrying and overthinking.  To tell you the truth (I have to admit) , It was really a nerve-racking (anxious) experience for me which I have never forgotten.

Finally, after 2 weeks waiting for the result, I got an email which confirmed that I had been offered the job as Marketing Manager. I was full of the joys of spring (to be very happy) and called my parents to let them know and threw a pyjama party ( social occasion when a group of friends stay for the night at one person’s house) with my close friends. We have had a whale of time (to have a lot of fun) before I moved forward into my exciting new career.

Band 8 Model Answers 1:

(What you waited for) It was a day in October, but it wasn’t any ordinary day – I was waiting for something special about to happen, and that special thing which got me to have butterflies in my stomach (=worried, nervous) would be my very first concert in my life. I had been preparing for it for months, I even I went as far as getting plane tickets to go to another country myself without anyone else joining me.
(Where you waited) So I was sitting in one of the waiting rooms of the most majestic (big, impressive) theatre in that city. It was nice and gave off (=produce, create) a rather luxurious (expensive and comfortable) atmosphere. I got to speak to some people who were also waiting there for the concert. They were filled with excitement.
(Why it was special) It was even more special to me personally, because everything was my first time. Not only was it my first time attending a concert by a band whose music has been mesmerizing (=attract) me ever since I got to know them, but it was also my first time traveling to another country, my first time traveling by plane, and my first time traveling alone.
(How you felt) With all those details combined, it is easy to understand how anticipation struck me throughout the waiting time. It was an incredible feeling – as clear as sunshine in the morning which you can’t help but want for more, but also as fragile as a flower which you’ll feel afraid of losing. That mixed feeling was out of this world (extremely good or impressive)  – I was getting impatient and wanted time to move hastily, and I was scared that everything would pass by too quickly, too, at the same time! I had never ever been through such a feeling prior to that time, what an experience!

IELTS Speaking Part 3 : Follow up Questions

Here some IELTS Speaking Part 3  questions possibly asked during your IELTS speaking part 3 by IELTS examiner related to IELTS cue card “describe a time when you are waiting for something special that would happen”.

1. On what occasions do people usually need to wait?
Sample Answer 1:
Frankly speaking, waiting is an inevitable (unavoidable) part of life. We have to wait for a lot of things in our daily life. Even people highly skilled at time management and multi-tasking (the ability to do different things at the same time) cannot avoid waiting at some point in their day. It can be when we have lunch or dinner at a restaurant and have to wait for the food prepared by chefs there, or when we have an appointment with others and they are not able to arrive on time, or when we catch a bus or taxi. So, I cannot think of anyone who have never had to wait.

Sample Answer 2:
People have to wait pretty much all the time anyway, it’s just they usually choose not to. The things that people deliberately wait for are the things they themselves consider important and worthwhile, such as the results of tests or interviews, or the proposal of a loved one, etc. However, I believe all good things take time, and haste makes waste, so we just need to practice patience every day.

2. Who behaves better when waiting for children or adults?\

Sample Answer 1:
I think adults have more patience when it comes to (used to identify the specific topic that is being talked about) waiting because they are more mature (a mature adult is considered to have the qualities of an older person) and they know that waiting is unavoidable under certain circumstances. On the other hand, children lack patience and are easy to give up.

Sample Answer 2:
It depends. One might argue that adults behave better because they have already had their manners trained while children haven’t. On the other hand, children cannot do anything but throw a tantrum when they are frustrated because of having to wait for too long, but adults can think of countless actions and ways to make things happen – not all of them are good things.

3. Compared to the past are people less patient now, why? / Do you think people are less patient now than they were in the past?

Sample Answer 1:
I believe the major reason why a vast majority of people are impatient is because we live in a society of instant gratification (pleasure, especially because a desire has been satisfied). People are not willing to wait and want certain things now or very fast. Another reason is that the advance in technology has made things way (very) faster and convenient for people. For example,  they can now order food online via tons of delivery apps and it will be delivered to their homes within 30 minutes.

Sample Answer 2:
To some extent, yes, I do think people nowadays are becoming less and less patient, partly because technology makes the convenience of everyday life become far more familiar to us now than in the past. Remember when we were all for dial-up internet versus now where we easily get angry when the wifi speed is ‘a little bit slower’ than normal.

4. What are the positive and negative effects of waiting on society?

Sample Answer 1:
From a positive point of view, waiting helps develop patience in this fast-paced (including a lot of different things happening quickly) world which can be helpful at work. From a negative perspective, waiting time can result in (=cause, lead to) less productivity if people have to wait for each other to finish their work. In healthcare field, waiting time is a barrier (=obstacle) to the free flow of patients, which can sometimes cause disastrous effects on patients.

Sample Answer 2:
The pros of being patient is that you are calmer than others most of the time, and you have more time to think everything through when it comes to difficult situations. The cons of being patient is not exactly the opposite of the pros – some might say that people who are patient all the time are not good at making instant decisions. I think they’re two separating things. For me, being patient has another disadvantage: people might use your patience for their own benefit.