IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a city you have visited

Xiamen City, China

Get access to 97+ Part 2 topics given between January and November 2019. Click here. 

In this lesson, you are going to read a Part 2 topic and a sample answer to give you an idea how to organise your talk on this specific subject. 

Spend 1 minute to plan so that you stay on the subject while talking. 


Describe a city you have visited. (Heading) 

You should say: 

• where the city is (Point 1) 
• why you went there (Point 2) 
• what you did there (Point 3) 

and explain how you felt about this city. (Point 4) 


Tips: 

• Make brief notes about the heading “a city I have visited” and each of the 4 points. 
• Just write a few words to help you remember what to say on each point. 
• Your notes will help you organise your ideas and prepare your mind for speaking. 
• Speak for roughly 30 seconds on each of the 4 points you have made notes about. 
• You need to keep an eye contact with the examiner while speaking, and only occasionally look at your notes. 

Notes: 

A city I have visited

Where: 

• Xiamen - a coastal city 
• Southeast China 

Why: 

• popular tourist destination 
  
  

What we did: 

• Gulangyu Island - walking around 
• the Piano Museum 

How I felt: 

• impressed (building) 

I'm going to talk about a city I have visited, called Xiamen. It's located on the southeast coast of China and it's considered to be one of the cleanest cities in the country. It's also known for its mild climate and a relatively small population. I went there last year with a few of my friends. 
​
The main reason why we chose Xiamen is because it's one of the most popular tourist destinations in China. The city has plenty of tourist attractions such as islands, temples, and parks.

We first headed to Gulangyu Island, which is only about a 5-minute ferry ride away from the shore. 
We did a complete walk-around the island. Although, it isn't that big, you can easily get lost on the hills and alleys it has. Walking around the island is actually free of charge and anyone can go there. 

On a side note, though, you have to pay an entrance fee to visit some of the historic buildings on the island. We did visit the Piano Museum, which exhibits a large number of ancient pianos that have been collected from European countries as well as the USA. The island itself is known as the piano island. 

Another place we visited was Sunlight Rock Temple, which is near the Piano Museum. It is a Buddhist temple in Xiamen. 

The backside of the island is well-known for its beaches. However, in China, they don't sunbathe like they do in the west. It's an incredibly peaceful island unlike the city where there are a lot of tourists walking around, taking photos. There are no cars and no motorbikes allowed on the island, so it's very quiet. 

I think we made a good decision going there. The only thing I didn't quite enjoy was the hot and humid weather, but there was nothing I could do about it. 


VOCABULARY 

• on the coast (preposition) = on the land near the sea 
• a large/small population (collocation) 
• a tourist destination (collocation) - Italy is a popular tourist destination in Europe. 
• a tourist attraction (collocation) - something interesting for tourists to see or do 
• a ferry ride | a ferry trip (collocations) - It's a 15-minute ferry ride to the island. 
• free of charge (phrase) = with no cost - Delivery is free of charge. 
• pay an entrance fee (collocation) - You have to pay a fee to visit the museum. 
• a large number | a huge number | a considerable number (collocations) 
• on the island (preposition) 
• make a decision (collocation) 

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Topics and Sample Answers: 
Describe your perfect holiday | A beach holiday 
Describe one of your possessions you couldn't live without | iPhone 6 Plus 
Describe an area of your country that is well known for its natural beauty | Jiuzhaigou Valley National Park in China 
Describe a website you like to visit a lot | YouTube 

IELTS Speaking Test Part 3 Questions and Answers (+ Vocabulary): 
IELTS Speaking Test: Means of Transport 
IELTS Speaking Test: Arriving Early and Being Patient 
IELTS Speaking Test: Places That Tourists Visit and Being a Tourist 
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