IELTS Speaking Vocabulary Training Transportation

Examiner:  Is driving to work popular in your country?

There are many people who (1) cars and (2) scooters to work, but most (3) take  the bus or local train instead. The road can get crowded in rush-hour traffic.

Examiner:  Do you prefer public transportation or private transportation?

I prefer private transportation, as it gives me more control over when I come and go. When I used to take the bus, I spent quite a bit of time waiting, and it was crowded with other people. Travelling (4) public transportation is much cheaper and more (5) , but sometimes I need private transportation when I want to go on a trip. I think both are useful.

Examiner:  What do you think will become the most popular form of transportation in your country?

I think as more and more people move into the cities, the most popular means of transportation will continue to be the subway and buses. Also, it’s likely that scooters will be banned to control air pollution. Maybe more people will switch to using (6) .

Describe the transportation system in your hometown or the place you are living now. You should say

• What kind of transportation there is
• Which kind of transportation most people use
• What the good points and bad points of the transportation system are

And say if you think most people are happy with the transportation system or not, and why

In the town where I live, transportation is somewhat limited. I’m going to explain more about what transportation is like in this town.

Most people in the suburban area where I live  (1) into the city to work. But this smaller town doesn’t allow  (2) a subway, or a reliable bus system. Options there are limited to driving a car, taking a train, or riding a scooter or bicycle. The majority of people ride a scooter for transportation, because it’s the cheapest, most convenient way to get around in the area.

Riding a scooter is easy, but it can also be dangerous. People  (3) helmets, but there are still a lot of possible dangers on the road. Some drivers ignore the traffic laws, and others drive too fast. The road is also crowded during some parts of the day, which can lead to even more trouble, like accidents. Another issue is the weather, as riding a scooter in the rain or wind can be annoying. However, riding a scooter has its good points, too.

Some of the good things about riding a scooter include convenience when driving and parking, as well as low cost. For example,  (4) only costs about $4-5 USD. Meanwhile, gas for the average car usually costs more than $45 USD to refill. That’s probably the biggest reason why most people choose this option for transportation.

Overall, there are better ways of transportation than driving a scooter, but these aren’t easily available where I live. So, driving a scooter is popular, and most people in this area choose to get around that way.

Examiner:  Have the types of transportation people use changed much over the last few decades?

Yes, in the past few decades the way people get around has gotten easier in most places, especially in large cities. In cities like Tokyo, people such as (1)can easily and affordably take the subway train almost anywhere they want to go in the city. Meanwhile, there is greater access to personal transportation options, such as a car or a scooter. With better roads and highways, more and more people are choosing to drive their cars to get around. Therefore, it seems to me that in the last 20 or 30 years, (2)has improved quite a bit.

Examiner:  How has transportation improved in recent years?

In the past 20 or 30 years, transportation has changed around the world, especially in my home country. One example of this would be the improvement to infrastructure, such as highways and roads, which allow more and more people to travel by car. On top of that, cars have also become more widely available and cheap, and even though gas prices today are more expensive, there are more (3). Another way that transportation has changed is with the improvement of technology for things like trains, such as our (4), which are faster than ever before. So, transportation has overall improved.

Examiner:  Do you think transportation is likely to continue to improve in the future?

Yes, I think that going forward transport options are just going to keep getting better. Although, some rural areas will still need better roads and highways in the future, I think more people are going to choose to live in big cities in the future. So, with more people living in big cities, public transportation options like buses, (5), and (6) will continue to be upgraded using new technology. I think that the future of transport will likely be more convenient, cheaper, and more widely available than it is today.

Examiner:  What is your take on introducing transportation passes?

I personally am a big fan of transportation passes. They make life so much easier for people who need to use public transportation systems in their day to day lives. For example, we can use the same little prepaid card to take the local train, the bus, or even rent a bicycle. It’s easy to add money to the card at a convenience store anytime you want. Now, people don’t have to waste time fumbling around with money and buying tickets every time they (7). They can, instead, quickly scan their cards and be on their way.