IELTS Speaking 2025 Part 2&3: Describe an occasion when you arrived late for an important appointment

Describe an occasion when you arrived late for an important appointment

Suggested ideas for each part

• When and where it happened:
  ⏰ Last month / 📍 At a hospital / 🏫 At my university / 💼 At a job interview

• What the appointment was for:
  🏥 Doctor’s check-up / 🎓 Final exam / 🤝 Job interview / ✈️ Meeting a friend at the airport

• What happened when you missed it:
  🚦 Got stuck in traffic / 🔋 Phone ran out of battery / ⏳ Had to reschedule / 😰 Lost an opportunity

• How you felt about it:
  😓 Embarrassed / 😞 Regretful / 🤦 Frustrated / 😔 Disappointed

Useful grammar structures

1. Past simple: I arrived 30 minutes late for my interview last week.
2. Past perfect: By the time I got there, the interview had already finished.
3. Passive voice: My appointment was rescheduled because I was late.
4. Conditional sentence (Type 3): If I had left earlier, I wouldn’t have been late.
5. Present perfect: I have learned my lesson and now I always leave early for appointments.

Collocations

1. Get stuck in traffic 🚗 (kẹt xe)
2. Lose track of time ⏳ (quên mất thời gian)
3. A golden opportunity 🌟 (cơ hội quý giá)
4. Reschedule an appointment 📅 (dời lịch hẹn)
5. Feel guilty about something 😞 (cảm thấy có lỗi về điều gì đó)
6. First impression matters 🤝 (ấn tượng đầu tiên rất quan trọng)
7. Time management skills ⏰ (kỹ năng quản lý thời gian)

Full spoken sample (about 2 minutes)

One of the most embarrassing moments in my life was when I arrived late for a job interview 💼 at a well-known company. It happened about three months ago in Hanoi, and to this day, I still regret not planning better.

That morning, I woke up early and got dressed professionally because I knew that first impression matters 🤝. However, just as I was about to leave, my motorbike wouldn’t start! I tried to fix it, but it took longer than expected. By the time I left my house, I was already running late. To make things worse, I got stuck in traffic 🚗 during rush hour, which made me even more anxious.

When I finally arrived at the company, I was 20 minutes late. Unfortunately, the HR manager had already finished the interview session and told me that they couldn’t reschedule. I felt incredibly guilty about wasting their time 😞 and also disappointed in myself. It was a golden opportunity 🌟 to work for a prestigious company, and I had completely ruined it.

Looking back, I learned a valuable lesson about time management skills ⏰. Since then, I always leave early for important appointments and double-check everything before heading out. If I had planned better that day, I wouldn’t have lost that opportunity.

Part 3: Discussion Questions

1. What type of appointments do you usually make? Why?

Ideas

• 🏥 Medical check-ups
• 💼 Job interviews and business meetings
• 🏫 University appointments

Collocations

1. Schedule an appointment 📅 (đặt lịch hẹn)
2. Professional commitments 💼 (cam kết công việc chuyên nghiệp)
3. Health check-ups 🏥 (khám sức khỏe định kỳ)

Sample answer

I usually schedule an appointment 📅 for health check-ups 🏥 and professional commitments 💼. As a working adult, I often need to meet with clients or attend business meetings. Regular doctor visits are also important because staying healthy helps me perform better at work.

2. Do you think it’s more important to make an appointment with colleagues than with your friends?

Ideas

• 💼 Colleagues: Professional obligations
• 🎉 Friends: More flexible plans

Collocations

1. Workplace etiquette 🏢 (quy tắc ứng xử nơi làm việc)
2. Respect other people’s time ⏳ (tôn trọng thời gian của người khác)
3. Social gathering 🎉 (buổi tụ họp xã hội)

Sample answer

Yes, I think making an appointment with colleagues is more important because of workplace etiquette 🏢. In a professional setting, being on time shows that you respect other people’s time ⏳. However, when it comes to friends, plans are usually more flexible, and last-minute changes are often acceptable in a social gathering 🎉.

3. Do young people in Vietnam need to make appointments with their friends?

Ideas

• ☕ Meeting at cafés or restaurants
• 🎮 Casual hangouts vs. formal events

Collocations

1. Spontaneous meetups 🎭 (gặp gỡ ngẫu hứng)
2. Make plans in advance 📆 (lên kế hoạch trước)
3. Busy schedules 📚 (lịch trình bận rộn)

Sample answer

It depends! Young people often enjoy spontaneous meetups 🎭, where they just text each other and decide on the spot. However, if it’s for a big event like a birthday party, they usually make plans in advance 📆, especially since many have busy schedules 📚 with work or school.

4. Is it easy to make an appointment in Vietnam?

Ideas

• 📅 Depends on the service (government, healthcare, businesses)
• 📱 Online booking makes it easier

Collocations

1. Book an appointment online 📱 (đặt lịch hẹn trực tuyến)
2. Long waiting times ⏳ (thời gian chờ đợi lâu)
3. Customer service efficiency 📞 (hiệu quả dịch vụ khách hàng)

Sample answer

It depends on the service. If I need to book an appointment online 📱 for a restaurant or a private hospital, it’s quite easy. However, for government offices, there are often long waiting times ⏳ because of the high number of applicants. In general, customer service efficiency 📞 has improved a lot in Vietnam.

5. Do you think arriving on time for appointments with families is important?

Ideas

• 👪 Depends on the occasion
• 🕰️ Elders value punctuality more

Collocations

1. Show respect for family values ❤️ (thể hiện sự tôn trọng giá trị gia đình)
2. Casual family gatherings 🍽️ (buổi tụ họp gia đình thân mật)
3. Cultural expectations 🏮 (kỳ vọng văn hóa)

Sample answer

Yes, it’s important, especially when meeting older family members. In Vietnamese culture, showing respect for family values ❤️ means arriving on time. However, for casual family gatherings 🍽️, being a little late is usually not a big deal.

6. What about bosses? What do they think about their employees being late for work?

Ideas

• 💼 Punctuality shows professionalism
• 🚦 Some bosses may tolerate occasional lateness

Collocations

1. Strict workplace policies 📋 (chính sách làm việc nghiêm ngặt)
2. Disrupt productivity ⚙️ (làm gián đoạn năng suất)
3. Lead by example 🏆 (làm gương cho nhân viên)

Sample answer

Most bosses don’t tolerate lateness because it disrupts productivity ⚙️. Companies often have strict workplace policies 📋 about punctuality. A good boss will also lead by example 🏆 by being on time themselves.