Travelling— Part 1 Report

Suggestion: Answer the question directly and avoid repeating your conclusion with “So yes.” Use a more natural expression such as “look out of the window” instead of “watch what’s going on outside the window.” Also, keep the verb tense consistent: use “what is happening” for a current view or “what happened” for a past journey, but not both together. Add one specific benefit, such as enjoying the scenery or feeling less bored, to make the answer more developed.

Example: Yes, I prefer sitting by the window when I travel because I enjoy looking out at the scenery. It also makes the journey feel more interesting, especially when I’m travelling through the countryside. I tend to get bored more easily when I sit in the middle or by the aisle.

Suggestion: Use the past simple because the question asks about your childhood: say “I had” rather than “I have.” Improve the phrasing “We were on the sea” to “We travelled by sea” or “We took a boat trip,” and say “the journey lasted two weeks” instead of “journey was two weeks.” Organise the answer with a clear topic sentence, a linking word such as “For example,” and specific details about the trip. Avoid repeating “journey” too often by using words such as “trip” or “voyage.”

Example: Yes, I had a very long journey with my family when I was a child. For example, we took a two-week boat trip around Greece, visiting several islands along the way. It was quite tiring at times, but I really enjoyed seeing the coastline and spending so much time with my family.

× what's happened outside the window

✓ what's happening outside the window

The speaker is describing events that are occurring while they are looking outside. The present continuous form what's happening is more appropriate for an action in progress. Use am/is/are + verb-ing for actions happening now.

× Yes, I have a long journey with my family as a child.

✓ Yes, I had a long journey with my family when I was a child.

The phrase as a child refers to a finished time in the past, so the past simple had is required instead of the present perfect have. Use the past simple for completed experiences at a specific or finished time in the past.

× We were on the sea in Greece

✓ We were at sea in Greece

At sea is the standard prepositional expression for being on a journey by boat or ship. On the sea usually describes something physically located on the surface of the sea, rather than people travelling by ship.

× and journey was two weeks

✓ and the journey lasted two weeks

Journey is a singular countable noun referring to a specific journey, so it needs the definite article the. The verb lasted is also the natural way to express the duration of a journey.

× and I think it's a long journey

✓ and I thought it was a long journey

The speaker is describing an experience in the past, so both think and is should be changed to their past forms, thought and was. Keep the verb tense consistent when narrating a completed past event.