Describe a boat journey that you have ever taken

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 501 with Model Answer:

Describe a boat journey that you have ever taken.

You should say:

• when it was
• where you went and why you used a boat for the journey
• who was with you

and explain how you felt about this boat journey.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

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Model Answer 1:

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to say something about this interesting topic. Even though I haven’t had that many boat journeys in my life, whenever I had one, I always enjoyed it. Today, I would like to talk about one such boat journey that was, and still is, memorable for a number of reasons.

Anyway, I had this boat journey about a couple of years ago during the rainy season when a couple of my distant cousins told me that they were planning to travel to a weekly open market on a boat to buy some stuff from the market. These cousins of mine also are very good friends of mine since we all are of the same age category.

We took this boat journey not because we actually needed to visit the open market to buy anything for ourselves but because we just wanted to enjoy the beautiful sight of many, many boats, freely roaming on the body of water that was surprisingly so clear and quiet.

Needless to say, I immediately got very excited about the idea and started our journey in the morning after finishing breakfast. Luckily, it wasn’t raining at that time, but the river was swelling with water. Thankfully, the boat was large with a rather spacious rear, from where the boatman was operating his boat, and we all sat there even though the boatman and his aides weren’t exactly very comfortable with the idea because of safety reasons. Nevertheless, we were lucky enough to be allowed to sit there until our boat reached the market safely after a good one-hour journey.

Anyway, at the end of our journey, I felt like it was one of the most exciting journeys I have ever had because it allowed me to enjoy the spectacular view of a full river for the first time. It also felt very adventurous at times, given how forcefully the boat was running by cutting through the surface of an otherwise calm and friendly river. So, we are glad that we took this memorable journey.

Sample Answer 2:
Before I say anything about the boat journey that I have enjoyed, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to let me talk about this topic.

As I recall, one of the most memorable boat journeys that I have ever taken was a sunset cruise on the Nile River in Egypt. It was a few years ago, during a family vacation to Cairo. I can vividly remember the bright evening and the exciting experience of this boat journey.

We decided to take a boat journey because we wanted to experience the Nile River in a different way and also to enjoy the beautiful sunset over the river. We went on a traditional felucca boat, which is a type of sailing boat that is commonly used in Egypt.

I was with my family, including my parents, younger brother, and sisters. We all were excited about this boat journey and also to see the Nile River for the first time in our life. We also had a local guide who gave us a lot of information about the history and culture of the Nile River, which was very interesting.

As we set sail, I felt a sense of tranquillity that wash over me. The gentle sway of the boat, the sound of the water lapping against the sides and the soft breeze in my hair all combined to create a very peaceful feeling. As we glided along the Nile, we saw many historical sites and landmarks such as the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. The sunset over the Nile was also an incredible sight, with the sky turning a beautiful orange and pink colour. We all felt that this boat journey was a fantastic experience. I will remember this exciting and indelible boat journey for a long long time.