The cue card
Describe a plan you changed recently.
- You should say: when it happened
- You should say: what your original plan was
- You should say: why you changed it
- You should say: what the new plan became
- You should say: and explain how you felt about the change
How to answer it
Five bullets in two minutes means roughly twenty seconds each — this card punishes anyone who spends a minute setting the scene. The 'why' is the hinge: something intervened, so name it (a price, an illness, a job offer, weather). The feelings bullet works best if the change turned out well but did not feel that way at the time, which gives you a contrast to build on.
What moves the band
- Past plans need the right forms: I was going to, we'd arranged to, I ended up + -ing.
- For Part 3, distinguish planning from over-planning — the strongest answer says what planning buys you and where it stops helping.
Part 3 questions reported with it
Part 3 follows the topic of the cue card, so these are the discussion questions the same candidates were asked next.
- Do people often change their plans?
- How important is planning?
- Why do some people dislike changes to their plans?
These are candidate recalls. These are questions reported by test-takers after their exams, not official or leaked IELTS material. Wording varies by test version, location and memory. Use them for timed practice — never as a prediction of what you will be asked.
Practise these next
Know the number. Now move it.
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