Hello everyone, and welcome back to IELTS TIME, the podcast where we explore IELTS Speaking topics, share model answers, and break them down so you can learn how to boost your score.
I’m your host, and today’s episode is all about a Part 2 cue card:
Describe a time you saw children behave badly in public. You should say: where it was, what the children were doing,how others reacted and explain how you felt about it.
We’re going to listen to two different model responses — one from Joseph and one from Blondie. After each response, I’ll briefly recap it according to the cue card points, and then I’ll comment on what makes the answer effective.
Let’s hear from Joseph first
One incident that comes to mind happened last summer when I was traveling by train from my hometown to the capital city. It was a fairly long journey, around four hours, and the carriage was full of people, most of whom were either reading, chatting quietly, or just trying to rest.
There were two children, probably around eight or nine years old, sitting a few rows ahead of me. At first, they seemed a bit restless, but after a while they started running up and down the aisle, shouting and laughing loudly. They were throwing crisps at each other, and one of them kept pressing the automatic door button over and over, which made the door slide open and close repeatedly, disturbing everyone nearby.
Most of the passengers looked visibly annoyed, but no one said anything at first, probably because they didn’t want to upset the parents. Eventually, an older passenger politely asked them to sit down, but they ignored him. What surprised me the most was that their parents were sitting nearby the whole time, completely absorbed in their phones and not paying attention at all.
Personally, I felt uncomfortable and frustrated. I can understand children being energetic, especially on a long trip, but this went beyond normal playfulness. What bothered me more than the children’s behavior was the lack of parental supervision. In my opinion, when you’re in a public space, you need to be considerate of others, and parents should step in when their children cross that line.
That was Joseph’s story.Let’s quickly recap Joseph’s answer in terms of the cue card: the place was a long-distance train, the children were running up and down the aisle, throwing crisps, and playing with the automatic door. The reaction from others was mostly silent annoyance, though one older passenger did speak up. And Joseph himself felt frustrated, especially with the parents who didn’t intervene.
What makes this response effective is how naturally it flows through those points. He paints a clear scene on the train and then adds just the right amount of detail — like the crisps and the automatic door — to make the story vivid but not exaggerated. The organization is also strong. He doesn’t jump around; he follows the exact order of the cue card without sounding mechanical.
The language really lifts the response too. Words like restless, visibly annoyed, and absorbed in their phones are natural but advanced. And his reflection at the end is mature: he explains that his frustration was directed at the parents rather than just the children. That depth of evaluation is what gives the answer a Band 9 quality.
Now, let’s move on to Blondie’s response. Blondie’s story takes place in a different setting — a quiet, upscale café — and her approach to describing the children’s behavior, the reactions of others, and her own feelings is slightly different. Let’s hear how she describes it.
I recall a time I saw children behaving badly in a café a few months ago. It was in a quiet, rather upscale café in the city center where I had gone to get some work done. A family came in with two young boys, who were immediately disruptive.
The children, who looked to be around eight and ten, began chasing each other at full speed through the narrow aisles between the tables. They were shrieking with laughter, and their voices completely drowned out the soft background music. To make matters worse, one of them grabbed a sugar dispenser and shook it so hard that sugar spilled all over the floor and even onto a nearby table.
The other customers were visibly annoyed. I noticed several people shaking their heads and throwing disapproving glances at the parents. The café staff looked stressed, and one of them had to interrupt their work to clean up the mess. Surprisingly, the parents sat there glued to their phones, barely muttering a half-hearted “stop that,” which the children ignored without hesitation.
I felt more disappointed with the parents than with the children. After all, kids can be excitable, but it’s the parents’ responsibility to set limits and teach them how to behave in public. This incident really showed me how a little bit of guidance and attentiveness could have made the experience far more pleasant for everyone.
That was Blondie’s story. let’s recap her answer and explore why it works so well.
Blondie sets the scene in a quiet, upscale café in the city center. The children’s behavior involved running through the aisles, shouting, and even spilling sugar on the floor and nearby tables. The reaction came from both the customers, who gave disapproving glances, and the staff, who had to clean up. And Blondie’s own feelings were more critical of the parents than of the children.
This answer stands out because of its descriptive richness. You can almost hear the shrieking laughter and see the sugar flying everywhere. The choice of words — upscale café, drowned out the music, disapproving glances — really helps listeners picture the scene.
Another strong point is how Blondie layers the perspective. We don’t just hear about the children; we also see the annoyed customers, the stressed staff, and the disengaged parents. That makes the situation come alive from multiple angles. And like Joseph’s answer, it ends on a thoughtful note — a clear statement about parental responsibility and the impact of neglect. That’s exactly the kind of reflective conclusion that examiners value.
So, looking at both answers, Joseph gives us a structured, balanced account from a train journey, while Blondie offers a more descriptive and layered story from a café. Both hit the cue card points, both use vivid language, and both end with reflection. That’s what makes them Band 9 responses — not just the story itself, but the way it’s told and the insight that comes at the end.
That’s all for today’s episode of IELTS TIME!
I hope these examples gave you a clear idea of how to approach this cue card. Remember, the formula is simple: set the scene, describe the actions, mention the reactions, and finish with your feelings. Do that fluently, and you’ll be able to give a strong, confident response that really impresses the examiner.
Thanks for tuning in, and I’ll see you in the next episode. Until then, keep practising and keep speaking with confidence.
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