IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Place You Would Like to Visit in Your Free Time – Model Answers 2026

This is a new Part 2 topic in the official IELTS Speaking question bank for May–August 2026. You have one minute to prepare and two minutes to speak. Start with the place directly.

Cue Card

Describe a place you would like to visit in your free time.

You should say:
– Where it is
– What you will do there
– How long you will stay there
– And explain why you would like to visit it

Model Answer

Kyoto, Japan, particularly in autumn, is the place I have wanted to visit for several years. It sits in the western part of the country and serves as something of a counterpoint to Tokyo. Where Tokyo is dense, fast, and relentlessly modern, Kyoto has spent considerable effort preserving what it was before modernisation arrived. The result is a city where ancient temples, traditional wooden machiya townhouses, and bamboo groves sit within a functioning urban environment rather than in a museum.

If I went, I would want to spend around ten days there, which is longer than most people allow. The reason for that is deliberate. Kyoto rewards slowness. The famous sites like Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama are easy to visit in a day, but the city itself reveals itself gradually. The neighbourhood streets, the local markets, the smaller temples that do not appear in guidebooks. Those things take time to find.

I would spend mornings in the older districts before the tourist groups arrive. Afternoons I would want for the kinds of experiences that require booking in advance. Making matcha, learning basic ikebana flower arrangement, visiting a traditional artisan workshop. Evenings I would leave unplanned.

The reason I want to go is connected to a concept I first read about in relation to Japanese aesthetics called wabi-sabi. It is the idea that beauty is found in imperfection and impermanence. Moss on a stone, a cracked ceramic bowl, autumn leaves at the exact moment before they fall. Kyoto is the place most people associate with experiencing that idea in its most intact form. I want to see if it is actually true.

Why This Works

The answer opens with a clear contrast (Kyoto vs. Tokyo) that shows analytical thinking. The reason for ten days rather than a shorter trip is explained specifically. The closing connection to wabi-sabi gives the answer intellectual depth without feeling forced.

📌 Band 7-8 Vocabulary:
– counterpoint — a contrasting element that highlights by comparison
– machiya — traditional Japanese townhouses
– rewards slowness — becomes more valuable the more time you spend
– wabi-sabi — the Japanese concept of beauty in imperfection and impermanence
– intact — not damaged or impaired in any way

IELTS Speaking Part 3: Place to Visit Questions and Model Answers

Question 1: Why do some people choose not to travel abroad?

Model Answer:
Cost is the most common barrier, particularly for people without disposable income. Beyond that, anxiety about unfamiliar languages, cultural norms, and logistics keeps many people in places where they feel competent. Research from the US Travel Association consistently shows that Americans take less annual leave than workers in almost any other developed country, which limits travel capacity regardless of desire. There is also a segment of the population that genuinely prefers the known. Familiarity, family proximity, and established routine are not failures of ambition. For many people they are rational priorities.

Question 2: Do you think a gap period in life is important?

Model Answer:
For the right person with the right plan, yes. The evidence from the UK, where gap years before university are relatively normalised, suggests that students who take a structured gap year tend to perform better academically and report higher levels of career clarity than those who go straight from school. The word structured matters. Research from the American Gap Association found that unstructured gap years showed no consistent benefit over going directly to university. The value comes from what you do with the time. Travel alone does not automatically produce self-awareness. It provides the conditions for it.

Examiner Tips for IELTS Speaking Part 2 Place to Visit

Tip 1: Explain why you want to visit, not just what you will do.
The wabi-sabi connection is what makes this answer memorable. A reason rooted in a concept or personal value is always more interesting than an itinerary.

Tip 2: Justify the duration.
Saying ten days and explaining why shows deliberate thinking. Most candidates give a time without any reasoning.

Tip 3: Use a named concept or cultural reference.
Wabi-sabi, ikebana. Specific cultural references from the place you are describing show genuine knowledge and impressive vocabulary.

Common Mistakes on This Topic

Listing tourist attractions without explaining why they personally appeal to you
Giving a generic answer that could apply to any destination
Part 3 answers with no external reference or research to support the position
Opening with “I would like to talk about a place I want to visit…”

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a confirmed IELTS Speaking Part 2 topic for 2026?
Yes. A Place to Visit in Your Free Time appears in the official IELTS Speaking question bank for May–August 2026 as a new topic.

Does the place have to be abroad?
No. A domestic destination described with specific detail and a genuine personal reason scores just as well.

What if I have already visited the place I describe?
Adapt the answer to focus on wanting to return and what you would do differently. That works just as well.