IELTS Cue Card 2024: Describe a time when you were late.

I am a very conscientious person and try to arrive on time everywhere. I acquired this habit from my father, who is a very disciplined and punctual person. He always told me that punctuality reflects dependability to others. Whenever I have some appointments or deadlines I make sure to take extra precautions and aim to arrive at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time. However, there have been some instances where I have still been late even after that extra time buffer. For instance, I recall being late for one of my B.ed exams. It was back in the year 2018 when I was appearing for my B.ed exams. My examination center happen to be in the outskirts of Yamunanagar a district in the state of Haryana. It was around 30 kilometers away from my hometown . So I got ready at the crack of dawn to leave at around 7am in order to reach on time. My dad accompanied me and we reached the station by 7:30. On arrival we came to know that all the trains to Haryana were running late. So, we decided to catch a bus as the bus stop was nearby. Somehow we managed to get into a crowded bus. We had reached halfway when the main problem occurred. There was a massive traffic jam on our way because, the previous night two trucks, filled with wood logs had collided and the roads were all covered with those logs of wood. It was already 10am and we were stressed. People starting getting out of the bus and we too went out. We tried hard to get an auto to reach the examination center but it was of no use. The examination center was still at a distance of 10 kilometers. Time was passing by but we were not able to get any conveyance to reach the center. It was 10:50 and I started to panic, at that very instance, an old man was passing by, on a bike and on seeing us he stopped at once, and offered help. We sat on his bike and somehow managed to reach the center by 11:15. Though I was late for my examination but the center superintendent allowed me to appear for my exam after hearing my side of the story. To cap it all, I would say it was an unforgettable experience for me. And I felt terrible for being late for my examination.

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I am a very punctual person. I value time and I try my best to never be late for anything, unless it is due to some unforseen or unavoidable circumstances.

I don’t make lame excuses. Usually I’m never late for any meetings or appointments. However, if at all I’m getting letting late due to some unavoidable reason then I prefer to inform the person I’m meeting beforehand.

I think the basic issue is time management. Moreover, people these days don’t consider being a little late to be wrong.

No, old and young people do not manage their time in the same way. The young generation may be too impulsive or impatient in several issues while the old people have a greater sense of responsibility and they know the importance of time management.