Cue Card # 159: A place where you have been only for a while

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card # 159

Describe a place where you have been only for a while.

You should say:

• where it was
• what type of place it was
• why you went there

and explain why you stayed there only for a while.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

Model Answer:

Well, that’s an interesting topic, and it made me think of different places where I’ve spent just a few moments. In fact, there are places where I did stay only for a few weeks or days, and I felt that I could have spent a little more time over there. And then, I have also been to places where I stayed not more than 10 minutes. In my list, “Highway rest areas” are the places where I have, perhaps, never stayed more than an hour or so. I’d like to talk about the highway rest area where I’ve recently been to and had not stayed for long.

The “Pedestrian’s Dream” rest area is located in the middle of the Express Highway that connects my city with a very popular tourist area in my country. So, a couple of months ago when I, along with my friends, was travelling to this popular tourist spot, our bus stopped at the highway rest area.

It was a large rest area with beautiful indoor and outdoor amenities and dining facilities. I liked it due to its clean and comfortable ambience. It was situated in an open area and had a range of small hills behind it. A nearby tea garden and a stunning waterfall only enhanced its appeal. It gave me the impression that it was a popular highway rest area as many people were there. Contrary to my usual experience with the foods in such highway rest areas, their food was both delicious and cheap.

I ate my lunch with my friends, drank coffee, used the restroom, enjoyed the view and stressed my leg for a while. I stayed there for around 35 to 40 minutes and I must say that it was a great place for us to take a break. Since this was a temporary break, and we were all excited about reaching our destination, which was a historic city, we did not stay in this highway rest area for a long time.