Part 2 cue cardCities and urban life

Describe a city or town you have visited and would like to return to

The last bullet sinks most answers: "why you would like to go back" needs reasons that point forward (what you missed, what you'd do differently, a season you want to see), not a repeat of "it was beautiful". Use would and conditionals.

1 minute to prepare
Up to 2 minutes
Samples at Band 6, 7 and 8
Updated 20 October 2026

Describe a city or town you have visited and would like to return to.

You should say:

where it is
when you went there
what you did while you were there
and explain why you would like to go back

Rehearse the long turn

1 minute to prepare · 2 minutes to speak

Sit this card with the AI examinerThen the Part 3 discussion, and a full report

A 60-second plan

where it isGeorge Town, Penang, Malaysia
when you went thereDecember, two years ago, cousins, four days
what you did while you were therehawker food, murals by bike, jetties
and explain why you would like to go backmissed national park; alone; Chinese New Year

Sample answers

235 words · about 2:03 spoken at a Band 6 pace

The city I want to talk about is George Town. It's on Penang island, on the west coast of Malaysia, and it is famous with its old buildings and street food.

I went there in December two years ago with my two cousins, after we graduated from university in Surabaya. We stayed there only four days, in a small guesthouse in the old town.

We did a lot of things. Every day we eat at the hawker centres, I tried char kway teow and asam laksa, which is a sour fish noodle soup, and it was the most delicious food I ever ate. One morning we rented bicycles and we followed the street art, there are many paintings on the walls, for example two children on a bicycle. We also visited the clan jetties, they are old wooden houses on the sea, and in the last evening we took the train up to Penang Hill to see the sunset.

I'd like to go back because four days was not enough. We were always hurry, so we didn't have time to visit the national park. Next time I want to go alone with my camera and take my time. Also, my uncle said me that George Town is very special during Chinese New Year, with lanterns everywhere, so I hope I can go then. If I will have money next year, I will book the ticket.

The mistakes that keep it at Band 6

famous with its old buildings should be famous for its old buildings
Every day we eat at the hawker centres should be Every day we ate at the hawker centres
the most delicious food I ever ate should be the most delicious food I've ever eaten
old wooden houses on the sea should be old wooden houses built over the water
in the last evening should be on the last evening
We were always hurry should be We were always in a hurry
my uncle said me should be my uncle told me
If I will have money next year should be If I have money next year

Why this is Band 6, not Band 7

Fluency and coherence: Speaks at length and covers all four bullets, with a clear run of activities ("One morning", "We also", "in the last evening"). It stays at Band 6 because the reasons for returning are added with "Also", and the answer reads as a list of sights rather than a connected account.
Vocabulary: Useful topic words ("hawker centres", "street art", "guesthouse", "sunset"), but some choices are inaccurate: "famous with its old buildings" takes the wrong preposition, and "my uncle said me" uses the wrong reporting verb. Band 7 would use more precise, less common items.
Grammar: Attempts complex forms, but errors are frequent: "Every day we eat" slips into the present, "the most delicious food I ever ate" needs a present perfect, and "If I will have money" puts will in the if-clause.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

266 words · about 2:03 spoken at a Band 7 pace

A city I'd love to go back to is George Town, on the island of Penang, just off the west coast of Malaysia. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it's known as one of the street food capitals of Asia.

I went in December two years ago with two of my cousins, as a graduation treat after we'd finished university in Surabaya. We only had four days, and we stayed in a converted shophouse in the old quarter.

We spent most of the trip eating, if I'm honest. We'd start the day with roti canai and end it at a hawker centre, working our way through char kway teow and asam laksa, a sour, spicy fish noodle soup I still dream about. One morning we hired bikes and followed the street art trail, hunting down those famous murals, like the one of two kids on a bicycle. We also wandered round the clan jetties, which are whole villages of wooden houses on stilts over the water, and on our last evening we took the funicular railway up to the Penang Hill to watch the sun set over the strait.

The main reason I want to return is that I barely scratched the surface. We rushed from place to place, so we never made it to the national park. Next time I'd go on my own, slow down and take photographs properly. My uncle also swears that the city is at its best at Chinese New Year, when the old streets are lit up with lanterns, so if I can save enough, that's when I'll go.

The slips

up to the Penang Hill should be up Penang Hill

Why this is Band 7, not Band 8

Fluency and coherence: Speaks at length without effort, with lively links ("if I'm honest", "We'd start the day", "The main reason I want to return"). Not Band 8 because the activities are still presented one after another ("One morning", "We also") rather than shaped into a few memorable scenes.
Vocabulary: Less common and idiomatic items: "a graduation treat", "working our way through", "houses on stilts", "barely scratched the surface". Band 8 would add precision in plainer parts, such as "followed the street art trail".
Grammar: A good range, mostly accurate: "We'd start the day" for repeated past actions, a past perfect after after, a conditional for future plans ("if I can save enough, that's when I'll go"). One slip, "up to the Penang Hill", where a named hill takes no article.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

293 words · about 2:01 spoken at a Band 8 pace

The place I'd return to in a heartbeat is George Town, the old colonial capital of Penang, an island just off Malaysia's west coast. It's a UNESCO-listed city, largely for its streets of crumbling shophouses, and it has a reputation as one of the great street food destinations in Asia, which, having been there, I'd say is fully deserved.

I went a couple of Decembers ago with two of my cousins, a celebration of sorts once we'd all graduated from university in Surabaya. We had just four days, which turned out to be nowhere near enough, and we based ourselves in a beautifully restored shophouse in the heritage quarter.

Most of our time, frankly, revolved around food. Mornings began with flaky roti canai at a roadside stall, and evenings ended at hawker centres, where we ate our way through smoky char kway teow and asam laksa, a sour, fiery fish broth I've been trying and failing to recreate ever since. One day we rented bikes and tracked down the murals scattered through the old town, and we spent a sweltering afternoon wandering the clan jetties, entire communities living in wooden houses perched on stilts above the sea. On the final evening we rode the funicular up Penang Hill and watched the lights of the city flicker on below us.

I'd go back because I came away with the nagging sense that I'd only skimmed the surface. We never got to the national park, and we were so busy ticking things off that we barely stopped to take it all in. Next time I'd travel alone, at a slower pace, and ideally over Chinese New Year, when, by all accounts, the old streets glow with lanterns and the whole city turns out to celebrate.

Why this is Band 8, not Band 9

Fluency and coherence: Effortless and coherent: the opening sets up a judgement ("which, having been there, I'd say is fully deserved") and the final paragraph moves naturally from regret to plans. Band 9 would vary a few transitions, such as "On the final evening", that follow the timeline predictably.
Vocabulary: Wide and precise: "in a heartbeat", "a celebration of sorts", "trying and failing to recreate", "ticking things off", "by all accounts". Band 9 would extend that precision to neutral stretches like "Most of our time".
Grammar: Flexible and accurate: a participle clause inside a relative clause ("which, having been there, I'd say"), present perfect continuous ("I've been trying and failing"), a past perfect for an impression formed earlier. No errors.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

Rounding-off questions

What makes a city worth visiting?: For me it's character more than famous sights. A city is worth the trip if it has its own food, its own history and streets you can wander without a plan, not the same malls you'd find anywhere.
Do you prefer big cities or small towns?: To visit, I like places like George Town that sit in between: big enough to have plenty going on, small enough to explore on foot. Living in a megacity permanently would exhaust me, I think.