Describe a time when you sent a message or an email to someone but received no reply for a long time
IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card with a full sample answer, a Band 9 model of the two-minute long turn.
The cue card
Describe a time when you sent a message or an email to someone but received no reply for a long time
You should say:
- who you sent it to
- what it was about
- whether you finally received the reply
- how you felt about the experience
Sample answer
I'd like to describe a time when I sent a message to someone but heard nothing back for the longest time, which was a thoroughly frustrating experience.
The message in question was an email I sent to a company I'd applied to for an internship. I was extremely keen on the position, so after submitting my application and sailing through what I thought was a promising interview, I sent a polite follow-up email to the hiring manager to reiterate my interest and ask about the timeline for their decision.
The email was essentially a courteous enquiry, thanking them for the interview and asking when I might expect to hear back about the outcome. I'd spent a fair chunk of time carefully wording it to come across as professional and enthusiastic without seeming pushy.
Unfortunately, days rolled into weeks with no response whatsoever. I checked my inbox obsessively, holding out for any kind of reply, but was met with nothing but radio silence. As the weeks dragged on, I began to assume I'd been unsuccessful and quietly forgotten about.
Eventually, after nearly a month, a reply finally landed in my inbox. To my surprise and delight, the email actually contained a job offer. The hiring manager apologised profusely for the long delay, explaining that they'd been swamped with applications and were short-staffed, which had held up the entire process.
As for how the experience left me feeling, it was honestly an emotional rollercoaster. During those weeks of waiting, I felt anxious, disheartened and increasingly convinced I'd been passed over. The uncertainty was the worst part, since not knowing either way made it impossible to move on or make other plans. When the reply finally came through, my frustration instantly gave way to relief and elation. Nevertheless, the experience taught me the value of patience, and it also left me determined to always reply promptly myself, since I know only too well how nerve-racking being left hanging can be.
Reading a model answer is not the same as saying one. The sample above shows what a strong Part 2 answer sounds like. What it cannot tell you is how yours sounds — whether you hesitate, repeat the question back, or run out of things to say at forty seconds.
You can record an answer to this exact question and get it marked on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and pronunciation — the same four criteria the examiner uses.
Common questions
How long should I speak for in Part 2?
Between one and two minutes. The examiner stops you at two, so aim to still be talking at the ninety-second mark rather than finishing early — running out at forty seconds is the most common problem in this part.
What do I do with the one minute of preparation time?
You get one minute and a pencil and paper. Most candidates waste it writing full sentences they then read aloud, which sounds flat. Note a few keywords against each bullet instead, so you have four things to talk about rather than a script.
Do I have to cover all four bullet points?
They are prompts, not a checklist, and you are not penalised for skipping one. In practice they are the easiest way to fill two minutes, so covering them is usually the simplest way to keep going.
Does it matter if the story is not true?
No. You are assessed on your English, not on whether the events happened. Inventing detail is fine and often easier than recalling a real memory under pressure.
Model answers written and reviewed by The English All-in-One IELTS team. They are teaching models showing what each band looks like, not real candidate scripts.