Describe a time when you were late for something

The cue card

Describe a time when you were late for something. You should say:

• what you were late for
• why you were late
• what happened as a result
• and explain how you felt

You have 1 minute to prepare and should speak for 1 to 2 minutes.

🎙 Practise this card with the examiner

Notes you could make in 1 minute

Write key words only, one line per bullet point:

• job interview
• train cancelled
• called ahead, 20 min late
• panicked, then relieved

Band 7+ sample answer

The time I'm going to describe is when I was late for a job interview, which was probably the worst possible thing to be late for.

It was about two years ago. I'd applied for an administration role at a hospital, and I was really keen to get it. The interview was at ten o'clock, and I planned to catch a train that would get me there twenty minutes early, which I thought was plenty of time.

Unfortunately, when I got to the station, there was an announcement that my train had been cancelled because of a signal fault, and the next one wasn't for another half an hour. My heart sank. I tried to book a rideshare, but there were none available nearby, so in the end I just had to wait.

What I did right, I think, was ring the hospital straight away, apologise and explain what had happened. The receptionist was very understanding and said they'd move my interview to the end of the morning. I arrived about twenty minutes after my original time, completely out of breath.

At the time I felt sick with nerves and sure I'd ruined my chances. But the interview went surprisingly well, and I actually got the job. Afterwards one of the panel members said she'd been impressed that I'd called ahead rather than just turning up late. The lesson I learned is to always leave far more time than you think you need, and if something goes wrong, communicate early.

🔊 Listen to the sample answer

About 250 words, or roughly 2 minutes at a natural speaking pace.

Useful vocabulary for this topic

• to be held up
• to run late
• to make a good first impression
• a valuable lesson
• to leave plenty of time
• my heart sank

Why this answer works: it covers every bullet point, tells a short story with specific details (names, places, numbers), uses a range of tenses, and finishes with the "explain" point, which is where you show your best vocabulary.

Follow-up and Part 3 questions

Examiner's follow-up (Part 2): Are you usually on time?

Part 3 discussion questions:

• Is being on time more important in some cultures than others?
• Is it ever acceptable to be late for work?
• How can people manage their time better?
• Has technology made people more or less punctual?

Answer Part 3 questions in 3–4 sentences: your view, a reason, an example, and the other side.

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