Describe an occasion when you were standing in a line or a queue

Latest IELTS Speaking Cue Card with an answer – Speaking Test 26 April 2021

IELTS Speaking part 2 and 3 – Describe an occasion when you were standing in a line or a queue

This article would help you with an IELTS Speaking Cue Card question with a band 7+ answer. You can also find an audio file, which would help you understand the intonation and tone you need to use for this answer. The given sample answer is for – Describe an occasion when you were standing in a line or a queue.

This question for IELTS Speaking Cue Card had appeared on 26 April 2021. Kindly look at the sample Part 2 and Part 3 sample answers below to score at least Band 7+ or more.

IELTS Cue Card Question – Describe an occasion when you were standing in a line or a queue

When was this?
Where were you?
What did you do when you waited in the queue?
Explain how you felt about this?

SAMPLE ANSWER:

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Describe an occasion when you were standing in a line or a queue

When was this?

I can recall a very frustrating experience I had a few months ago. I had visited a renowned supermarket in town. I stopped by the place in the evening with my friend who also wanted to buy essentials for home.

Where were you?

I usually buy my monthly grocery and home essentials from this supermarket as it is right in the heart of the city. Usually, there are a lot of outlets near my house that sell staples and vegetables. But, this mini-market has anything to everything that a homemaker would need, as it has a big footfall from all nearby towns and suburbs.

What did you do when you waited in the queue?

As there are so many people flocking to this store from the early hours of the day, they have always been prompt about their operations. But, the experience that day was horrible. The billing counters were crowded and there was a clear lack of staffing. I was speaking to my friend and killing my time waiting in the queue, eager to reach the cashier. To my surprise, I noticed that the personnel was, at first, busy billing people with fewer items and everything was unorganised. I walked up to him and informed him that people were jumping the queue and as we are one spot ahead, someone takes our place.

Explain how you felt about this?

So, ultimately the queue was getting longer and we were just waiting in frustration. I had reminded him twice – not to be so careless about the people waiting with their shopping carts. But I felt he was not bothered about the more substantial bills but was focused more on the number of people he could bill. I was beginning to lose my mind, and my friend was constantly getting calls from her folks. I felt helpless and was utterly disappointed with their operations. Standing in a queue for more than an hour was beyond annoying. I swore that I would never visit that outlet again.

Part 3 Follow Up Questions on waiting in line, patience and impatience:

Is it very common in your country to have people standing in queues and waiting?

Yes, it is quite a common scenario in India to see people waiting in line. Whether one is at a supermarket or at the airport waiting to get luggage scanned, it is a common view you see. I have seen people waiting in long queues at essential service locations like hospitals and ATM’s. Whatever be the hurry, in most cases they would mostly have to wait in line. There are many pilgrimage centres with long-standing queues as well.

Do you think technology has played an impressive role to reduce waiting time? How?

Yes, I would definitely agree with that. Personally, I have been in situations where I had to wait for a long time, especially when I was younger. However, with technology easing online deliveries, online shopping for home appliances, books, make-up and sports products is just a tap away. I am sure this big hassle of queuing up has been dealt with, to an extent. Of course, there was a time when people stood in long queues at restaurants and eateries but even that seems to have been solved with online food delivery chains like Swiggy and Zomato.

Do you have to wait in line for a long time at banks and supermarkets? Why?

Not in the present day as most banking services are available online. That being said, in certain emergencies, such as getting a cheque or cash-in-hand deposited or opening bank accounts, people need to go to banks. Since technology has aided this sector so much, I would say such tasks have become less of a hassle now. Supermarkets play a pivotal role in our everyday lives. Sometimes, getting some eatables may be urgent and that urges one to step out and buy things. I would not complain about the queuing at grocery markets but I am sure some online developments would come up and change this in the near future.

How do you feel when someone breaks the line impatiently?

I am a very considerate and kind person by nature. Usually, if someone breaks in or rudely gets in between, I tell myself to be patient. In my opinion, if people have a sort of urgency, they should be humble to ask than breaking in or disturbing the peace of others who are patiently moving ahead. In fact, sometimes such people should be penalised by the retailers as it would make others comfortable and will not allow anyone to barge in and annoy other people.

Do you think customer service helplines make you wait for a long time?

I would say that it’s absolutely true for network service helplines. In most cases, they make you wait for more than thirty minutes and people are unaware as they are also busy multi-tasking while they hold the line. Subscribers have to wait and probably get an irrational solution at the end of the wait which, in most cases, may be useless altogether. Also, I have noticed nowadays that customer service helplines are tricky to dial in on the IVR as it presents a rather long list of confusing options. Most people want to get connected and put their query directly to a human being. All this can be maddening at times. Waiting through a range of options or not getting a viable solution after waiting for a long time can be appalling.