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Part 2 cue card · Places · New for September–December 2026

Describe a crowded place that you have visited.

Describe a crowded place that you have visited.

You should say:

  • ·where it is
  • ·when you visited it
  • ·why it was crowded
  • ·what you did there

and explain how you felt about being there.

One minute to prepare, up to two minutes to talk. Then Part 3 asks the questions below.

Sample answers

Two answers to the same card

Same story, two levels. Both were written by Ashore, then checked against the public band descriptors in a separate pass. The bands are practice estimates, not official IELTS results.

A simpler answer

Checked at band 6.5 · 149 words

I’d like to talk about a night market near the centre of my city. It’s about twenty minutes from my home by bus. I went there with a friend on a Saturday evening last October. It was crowded because it was the weekend, and the weather was nice, so lots of people wanted to go out. There were food stalls, small shops and a lot of people walking around. We walked through the market and looked at the different stalls. I bought some grilled corn and a bowl of noodles, and we sat down to eat. We also had to wait for a while to buy our food because there were long queues. I enjoyed the food and the lively atmosphere, but it was sometimes difficult to move around. I felt happy to be there with my friend, although I was a little tired by the time we left.

  • Simple reason · “the weather was nice”
  • Directly state a feeling · “I enjoyed the food”

A stronger answer

Checked at band 7.5 · 208 words

Honestly, the crowded place I remember most is a night market near the centre of my city, about twenty minutes from my home by bus. I went there with a friend one Saturday evening last October. It was a pleasant night, and because it was the weekend, lots of families and young people had come out to eat and spend time together. The narrow paths between the stalls made the crowd feel even bigger.

We wandered past stalls selling clothes and household goods, but we mainly went for the food. I bought grilled corn and a bowl of noodles, while my friend chose dumplings. We had to queue for about fifteen minutes, which felt a bit long at the time, but the food was fresh and worth waiting for. After eating, we walked around and chatted, stopping now and then to look at things we didn’t really need.

I liked the lively atmosphere, especially the mix of food smells and people talking, although it was hard to move through the busiest part. If I’d gone alone, I might have found it overwhelming, but being there with a friend made the wait more enjoyable. I left feeling cheerful and full, though I was glad to get somewhere quieter afterwards.

  • Specific detail · “The narrow paths between the stalls”
  • Add a reaction · “which felt a bit long at the time”
  • Precise evaluation · “fresh and worth waiting for”
  • Conditional sentence · “If I’d gone alone”
Angles

3 ways to answer it

  1. 1West Lake during National Day: being carried along by the crowd for half an hour
  2. 2The metro at rush hour: standing squeezed against the doors for three stops
  3. 3After a concert: the hour when thousands of fans pushed towards one metro station
Expressions

5 expressions that fit this card

packed like sardines
extremely crowded
a sea of people
a huge crowd
rush hour
the busiest travel time
jostle
push against people in a crowd
it was worth the wait
the result was good despite waiting
Part 3

The questions that follow

After the long turn, Part 3 asks bigger questions on the same theme. Each one comes with two points you can build an answer from.

  1. 1

    Why do people still go to popular places during public holidays?

    • ·Long holidays are the only chance to travel far
    • ·Going with family feels like a real celebration
  2. 2

    What problems can large crowds cause?

    • ·Safety risks, like people falling or getting hurt
    • ·More litter and a worse experience for everyone
  3. 3

    How can tourist attractions control the number of visitors?

    • ·Online booking with a daily visitor limit
    • ·Higher ticket prices during public holidays
  4. 4

    Do you think cities will become more crowded in the future?

    • ·Young people keep moving to big cities for jobs
    • ·Remote work may spread people out
Stories

One story, many cards

This card fits this story. Prepare the story once and you can bend it to every card listed with it on the season page.

  • A busy street or market

    A shopping street, mall or night market: the noise and crowds, a building you notice, something you saved up for there.

Say it out loud and get a band score