Home > IELTS Speaking > Recent Speaking Cue Cards > Cue Cards About Places > Describe a city that you think is interesting
Describe a city that you think is interesting
You should say:
- where it is
- what it is famous for
- how you knew this city
- explain why you think it is very interesting
Sample Answer
I’d like to describe the city where I studied, the city of Brighton which is situated on the south coast of England about 70 km south of London. An hourly train service to London adds to its attraction
It was originally a small fishing village but grew into a thriving town around the beginning of the 19th century mainly because the Prince Regent, the future king George IV used to spend time in Brighton enjoying the fresh air and the sea breezes away from the hustle and bustle of London. It was a time when a seaside health holiday started to become a craze with the most affluent sectors of society and that notion spread to working people as time went on. Brighton became a very popular holiday resort, a place to go for cheap entertainment and fun. The Prince Regent had the Royal Pavilion built for him, a residential palace where he could enjoy music, dancing and holding lavish banquets. The architectural style associated with this period, known as the Regency style can be seen in many of the large houses and squares all along the seafront. That style, along with later styles such as the prize-winning 1960s University of Sussex design and the nearby Brighton football stadium, built quite recently, make Brighton a fascinating mix of old and new, a city steeped in history as well as being ultra-modern
I first knew the city years ago as a student at the university which is a short train or bus ride from the city centre and I could say that in those days I knew the city like the back of my hand. I was very happy there and always thought of it as a home from home.
As students, we tended to avoid the tourist hot spots but if you planning to go there, visit the area called The Lanes in the centre of town. It’s really the od fishing village now full of coffee shops, bars and boutiques and so on, all situated in a few narrow 18th-century streets devoid, of course, of traffic. Just soak up the atmosphere even though if you’re shopping, it’s a bit pricey for most people’s pockets. And for you book lovers, seek out second-hand bookshops in that part of town. You could spend hours browsing around them. Add to that some first-class restaurants and clubs as well as the beach and surrounding countryside. There’s something for everybody.
I think the one thing I really like about Brighton is that it’s such an easy-going place to live. Nobody seems to judge anyone else for the way they dress or where they come from, Of course, I studied there and later worked there for a couple of years and I was much younger than now. Maybe these days I’d find it all a bit overwhelming but that feeling of being able to blend in, with young and old, students and local people, is something very few places offer.
Listen to the full tutorial here: IELTS Speaking cue cards answered by an ex-examiner
See the full list of vocabulary here: IELTS Vocabulary about Travel
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