One of the students recently gave his IELTS speaking test and was asked cue card related to public transportation. First, you can try attempting this and then check the model answer.

Below is a cue card topic, take 1 minute to prepare on this topic and then speak on it. You can use sound recorder mobile application for recording your response.

Question:

Describe a popular mode of public transportation in your country

• What it is
• What types of people use it often
• How far it is convenient

And explain why it is so popular
Now, read the following model answer and compare your response with it.

Model Answer:

There are different means of transportation in my country but rail is the most preferred one. It is majorly used by people who are living below the poverty line but travelling by trains is also very common among people belonging to the middle class group. However, rich group of society who can afford air conditioned expensive travel also frequently use trains.

Travelling by train is an inexpensive way of commuting from one place to another and at the same time, people are able to enjoy a comfortable as well as safe journey. It is such a cost-effective travel mode that it accommodates mass number of people and reduces the fuel consumption and the cost associated with it, in comparison to cars where only a few persons can travel at once. Furthermore, people travel by train on a daily basis for various reasons such as work, business, study, trade, holiday and others. It is due to these reasons that the trains are usually very crowded with diverse people boarding the trains to reach their destinations.

Rail has been the most popular way of travelling since the ancient times because it is the cheapest mode of transportation. People from all backgrounds belonging to different sections of the society are commuting via common medium, making it an absolutely the best means of travelling.
Below is a list of vocabulary that can be used for effective speaking response related to public transportation:

Useful Vocabulary:

• Means of transportation/mode of transport/inexpensive way of commuting/ most popular way of travelling/ cheapest mode of transportation
• Most preferred/comfortable/convenient/safe journey/common transportation system/ accommodates mass number of people
• Diverse people boarding the trains/majority of people/passengers/travellers/commuters
• Travel/tour/moving/commuting/visiting
• However/furthermore/moreover/in addition to this
• It is due to these reasons/Because of this/One of the reasons is

Other Useful Tips:

For answering the bullet points, you may think of including details as below:

• Type of transport mode: You can also choose any of other public transport modes such as bus, airplane etc.
• Types of people: You may answer this according to economic conditions such as poor, rich, middle class etc. or according to groups viz. working professionals, students etc. It can also be answered according to the aim of travelling, for example, economic class air travel is preferred by businessmen or bus travel by passengers travelling to the nearby city.
• Convenience: You can answer this in terms of cost involved, ease of booking tickets and comfort of travelling
• Reason of being popular: It can be answered according to the major benefit provided by the travel mode, for example, cheap fare in case of train, comfortable seats in bus and fastest way of travelling by air.