Speaking
IELTS speaking transport questions are among the most common in Part 1, partly because every candidate has travelled to the test centre that morning. They are also easy to answer in five words, which is why they are worth practising: the vocabulary is available, and most people simply never reach for it.
Examiner: Do you often use public transport?
Candidate: No, I drive.
Accurate, and it hands the examiner nothing. The first improvement is to explain the choice.
Candidate: Not often, mainly because it is not very convenient where I live.
Better. The third stage adds the detail that makes it specific, and then names the exception, which is a reliable way to extend any preference answer.
Candidate: Not often, mainly because it is not very convenient where I live — the routes are limited and a journey that takes twenty minutes by car can take well over an hour. I do use it when I am going somewhere central, though, because parking is either impossible or expensive, and usually both. So it is less a preference than a calculation I make each time.
commute, a route, a fare, a connection, door to door, set off, get stuck in traffic, a detour
reliable, frequent, crowded, punctual, delayed, affordable, direct, patchy, well connected
a stopover, a long-haul flight, jet lag, motion sickness, cramped, break the journey, travel light
I would rather…, it depends on…, only when…, less a preference than…, if I am honest
Transport answers nearly always involve a comparison — car against bus, walking against driving, alone against with company — so the fourth group is the one that will appear in every answer you give on this topic.
Record yourself, then open the model and look for the moves you did not make, rather than the words you did not use.
Not very often, mainly because it is not convenient where I live. The routes are limited and a journey that takes twenty minutes by car can take an hour by bus. I do use it when I am going somewhere central, because parking there is either impossible or expensive and usually both. So it is less a preference than a calculation I make each time.
Yes, whenever the distance is reasonable. If I am going to the shops or just want some air I would rather walk than take the car, partly because it is the only exercise I get without having to arrange it. It also clears my head, which sounds like something people say, but I do notice the difference on days when I have not been out at all.
Yes, several long flights, and one that took about twenty-six hours door to door. It was interesting for the first few hours and then simply something to be endured — you stop caring about the film and start counting. What I remember most is how strange it is to arrive somewhere and find it is the wrong time of day. I would do it again, but not for a short trip.
With other people, on balance, though I can see the argument for both. Travelling with someone means you have somebody to remember it with afterwards, which I think matters more than it seems at the time. On the other hand, you spend a lot of the trip negotiating, and alone you can change your mind about everything at eleven in the morning. So ideally, one easy-going person rather than a group.
The discussion usually widens into congestion, cost and the environment. These need a position and a justification rather than a description of how you get to work.
What could cities do to reduce traffic congestion?
Should public transport be free, or at least heavily subsidised?
Has the way people travel to work changed in the last twenty years?
Do you think car ownership will decline in the future?
Record yourself whenever you practise. Nearly every phone will do it. Listening back is the only way to notice the words you repeat and the places where your voice goes flat, and both of those are being scored.
Quick question, 10 seconds
Where do you want to study or move to?
When are you planning to go?
How far along are you?
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Thanks. That helps.
Back to your practice.