You’re relaxing in your living room while using your smartphone to browse your preferred social media platform. You reach out to swipe when all of a sudden, something crucial comes to mind.

Today is your scheduled appointment! And you quickly get off the couch to look at the time. Sadly, it’s already far too late for you to make the appointment in time. Well, missed appointments happen to me too.

When and where it happened?

I had been going to orthodontic appointments in Calgary for toothache and posture issues since early May. I am always good with showing up to my orthodontist and if something is wrong, I will cancel or reschedule. But, last week was a different issue.

What the appointment was for?

I got sick with a nasty cold over the weekend and have been laying low. So, I forgot about the Orthodontist who was waiting for me and thought it was scheduled for another time.

What happened when you missed it?

As soon as I realized I missed an important appointment, the first thing I did was to prevent myself from jumping into panic mode. I took a deep breath and exhaled to calmly accept the fact that I missed the dental appointment. Now it’s time to set things right.

I called up my orthodontic expert and told him the truth that I accidentally missed one and would like to reschedule. Fortunately, everything went well and they rescheduled my dental appointment for the day after.

Explain how you felt about missing the appointment?

I honestly felt terrible. They never called me, and I don’t know if dental care providers do that, but I felt so bad. However, it was a relief when I heard that my orthodontist will see me without any additional charges.

Concluding the Cue Card

But now I have made some lifestyle changes so that I would never miss such crucial appointments. Automatic reminders are supposed to be the easiest way to prevent missed appointments. Therefore, I have started using mobile apps that push electronic notifications to remind me of any scheduled dentist appointment.

We have 10 million missed appointments every year, that’s not acceptable.

Rishi Sunak tells Sky’s #BattleForNo10 how he will be tougher on missed appointments in the NHS.

Sign up: https://t.co/3cXn1rFhca #Ready4Rishi pic.twitter.com/2s0svgKHDD
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) August 4, 2022

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MODEL ANSWER 2

Well, I normally do recall things since I have a good memory, but if my life is already chaotic, I can occasionally forget even significant things. So today, I recall a time when I mistimed the reminder for my dental appointment.

Actually last week I was chronically busy. We were all quite anxious and getting ready for the Diwali festival at the time. So, I had a lot of things that were going on in my mind.

Consequently, I neglected to go to the dentist at this time.

My dentist used to whiten my teeth once a month after I had braces on my teeth. However, I was under a lot of excitement at the time due to the festival, and I completely forgot about the dentist’s appointment.

Thankfully, my dentist later called to tell me that I had missed my appointment. And frankly speaking, I felt awful about skipping that appointment. So I requested another appointment for the following day and apologized for not being able to reach him that day.

By god’s grace, the next day was free in his schedule, so his office changed the appointment instantly. It was a lesson to be learned. To ensure that I don’t miss the appointment again, I nowadays set a reminder on my phone.

What to expect from your first consultation with an Orthodontist

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FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS

Following are the probable set of IELTS Speaking Part-3 follow-up questions for Describe a time when you missed an appointment cue card:

1) Which events in your country do most people forget?

Well, that’s definitely a difficult one to answer, But I think it is mostly birthdays and anniversaries of relatives and friends that people tend to forget. The most under-appreciated cause of forgetfulness is probably not getting enough sleep. Insufficient quality sleep can also result in worry and mood swings, which in turn can affect our memory.

2) Do you think it is a good idea to use electronic devices for putting reminders?

Yes, I believe that using technological devices like smartphones, computers, tablets, etc. to set reminders for key activities and meetings is a very good idea. Frankly speaking, no human can remember everything. And offloading some of our obligations to a device can free up mental space for other tasks. Reminders keep our most important priorities top of mind, even if we forget them.

3) Do you use gadgets for reminders?

Yes, I do set alarm clocks, birthday reminders, and meeting reminders in my day-to-day life. We can all be forgetful sometimes but thankfully, there are tonnes of apps available on the iPhone nowadays that are not only productive but saviours in some situations.

4) How can memory help you to learn a new skill?

A good memory is of paramount importance to learn a new skill. It helps us hold on to information long enough to use it. Moreover, working memory plays an important role in concentration and in following instructions. So, it is very useful to have all this knowledge stored in your brain.

5) How can modern technology help you keep good memories?

Our memories play a significant role in our daily life. We occasionally lose track of things, such as where we put our keys or the words we were about to say. Technology can help us remember things more clearly, which will assist our memory.

So I certainly believe that good memories are very much helped by modern technology. Reminders can be put up for significant occasions. Using our phones, we can take images of significant moments.

6) Is human memory important nowadays?

Although the big flashy things like the internet and smartphones are eating our memory, human memory is as important as in the years before. Humans have emotions & thus form different memory patterns on that basis, while a machine or humanoid is dumb & everything is just data for him.

7) Can electronic devices such as smartphones replace human memory?

Electronic gadgets can never fully replace human memory, though. To prevent the early beginning of memory-related issues, we must draw a line and restrict the amount of information we rely on technology to remember and compute for us. That should be the way out!

8) How often do you make appointments?

I have lived in Chandigarh for the most part of my life. So, I happen to make an appointment every now and then. Be it for the dentist, an immigration lawyer, or hospital visits; it has become a part of my life.

9) Is it important to be punctual in your country?

Being on time is very important not just in India but everywhere. Punctuality is often undervalued and needs to be given top priority. Everything else falls into place once someone learns to be on time. You learn self-discipline and gain the respect of others. A punctual person, therefore, completes their work on time and without interruption.

10) Is it easy to make an appointment in India?

Yes, with the introduction of 5G and rapid advancements in 4G technology, making an online appointment has become easier.

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I hope it gives you some realistic idea on how to carry a conversation around Describe a time when you missed an appointment IELTS Cue card topic. However, it is strongly advised not to reproduce the same answer during the exam. You should rather reformulate and personalize your answer.

If you still need any help, don’t be shy to comment below.

ALL THE BEST!
Rajit

Introduction