Speaking Part 2 · ExperiencesIn the May–Aug 2026 forecast
Describe a Time You Waited for Something
In short
“Describe a Time You Waited for Something” is a common IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card. You get 1 minute to prepare and should speak for 1–2 minutes, covering all four points below. This page gives you a Band 9 model answer, an idea map so you can make it your own, the Part 3 follow-up questions with answers, and the vocabulary examiners reward.
The task card
Describe a Time You Waited for Something. You should say:
- •When and where this happened
- •What you were waiting for
- •How long you had to wait
- •And explain how you felt while you were waiting
Band 9 model answer
Okay, so the time I'd like to talk about is when I was waiting for my student visa to be approved, a couple of years back. I'd applied to study abroad, and honestly the whole thing hinged on that one decision from the embassy, so it was a pretty nerve-wracking period. It's the first thing that sprang to mind when I saw this topic, actually.
The background is that I'd spent months on the application — the forms, the bank statements, a face-to-face interview at the embassy — and the frustrating thing is that once you hit submit, there's absolutely nothing more you can do. It's completely out of your hands. I remember the officer told me it would take 'roughly three weeks', but of course three weeks came and went and I still hadn't heard a thing. My flights were provisionally booked and the course was due to start soon, so the pressure was really mounting.
In terms of how long I actually waited, it ended up being close to five weeks in total — which doesn't sound like much when you say it out loud, but when your entire future is riding on it, every single day drags. I got into this awful habit of refreshing my email inbox every ten minutes, even at two in the morning. An email would pop up, my heart would leap into my throat, and it would just be some newsletter or an electricity bill. I even started trawling online forums where other applicants swapped horror stories about delays, which, looking back, only made the whole thing a hundred times worse.
As for how I felt, it was this strange mixture of hope and dread, and I swung wildly between the two. Some days I'd feel quietly optimistic and tell myself I'd done everything right, so it was bound to come through. Then the next morning I'd convince myself I'd made some tiny slip on a form and the whole thing would collapse. Honestly, the uncertainty was the hardest part — I reckon I could have handled a flat 'no' better than not knowing at all. What got me through it was my mum, who kept gently reminding me that worrying wouldn't make the email arrive a second sooner. And when the approval finally landed, the relief was so overwhelming that I actually welled up at the kitchen table.
So looking back, that wait taught me a great deal about patience and, more importantly, about letting go of things you genuinely can't control. It's still probably the longest five weeks of my life, but I got there in the end, and I think that agonising wait made finally boarding the plane feel even sweeter than it otherwise would have.
Make it your own: three angles
Waiting for a life-changing result
High stakes give you real emotion to describe — hope, dread and relief — which is far more vivid than a trivial wait.
Waiting in an everyday situation like a queue or delay
Easier and relatable, but you must inject feeling and detail or it stays flat and low-scoring.
Waiting for a person or a special occasion
Lets you show anticipation and warmth, and pairs naturally with a payoff moment at the end.
What the examiner is listening for
Pick a wait with genuine stakes so you have real emotion to describe, and treat the fourth bullet — how you felt — as the heart of the answer. Track how your feelings shifted over time and use a variety of past tenses; a purely factual account of a queue will keep you at a lower band.
Part 1 warm-up questions
- Are you a patient person?
- Do you mind waiting in queues?
- How do you usually pass the time when you have to wait?
- Is there anything that makes waiting easier for you?
Part 3 follow-up questions & answers
Do you think people today are less patient than they used to be?
Definitely, I think we've been conditioned to expect everything instantly. With same-day delivery and streaming, we rarely have to wait for anything, so our tolerance has shrunk. My grandparents would happily wait weeks for a letter, whereas I get irritated if a page takes five seconds to load.
Why do so many people dislike waiting?
I think it's mainly the feeling of powerlessness — you're stuck in a kind of limbo where you can't move forward and you can't do anything useful either. There's also the fear of wasted time. People are very conscious that their time is finite, so idle waiting feels almost like it's being stolen from them.
In what everyday situations do people usually have to wait in your country?
Oh, plenty — at hospitals and clinics, in traffic, and especially at government offices, where the queues can be enormous. Public transport is another one; buses aren't always reliable, so people spend a fair bit of time standing at stops. It's just become an accepted part of daily life.
Has technology changed the way people experience waiting?
Hugely, and mostly for the better. Apps now tell you exactly when your bus or food will arrive, so the uncertainty is gone. And smartphones mean an empty ten minutes never feels truly empty — you can read or reply to messages. That said, I'd argue it's also made us far worse at simply sitting with our own thoughts.
Do you think children should be taught to be patient?
Absolutely, I think it's one of the most valuable things you can teach a child. So much of adult success — studying, saving money, building relationships — depends on delaying gratification. If kids learn early that good things often take time, they grow up far more resilient and less prone to frustration.
Is waiting ever a good thing?
Yes, I'd say so. Sometimes a forced pause stops you making a rash decision, so waiting can actually protect you. And anticipation is a pleasure in itself — half the joy of a holiday or a birthday is the build-up. If everything happened instantly, I think life would lose a lot of its flavour.
How can businesses make waiting more bearable for their customers?
The key is managing expectations and filling the time. If a company tells you honestly that it'll be a twenty-minute wait, you feel respected and can plan around it. Little touches help too — comfortable seating, a bit of entertainment, or a progress bar online — because uncertain waiting feels far longer than a wait you can actually see counting down.
Useful vocabulary
| Word / phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nerve-wracking | causing a lot of worry, stress or anxiety |
| out of your hands | no longer something you are able to control or influence |
| to drag (of time) | to pass very slowly and tediously |
| to be on tenterhooks | to be in a state of nervous, anxious suspense |
| to hang in the balance | to be in an uncertain state where the outcome is not yet decided |
| a nail-biting wait | a tense period of anxious anticipation |
| to bide your time | to wait calmly and patiently for the right opportunity |
| at a snail's pace | extremely slowly |
| the light at the end of the tunnel | a sign that a long or difficult situation is finally coming to an end |
| to well up | to have your eyes fill with tears from emotion |
More cue cards
Describe a Memorable Journey You Took
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