Cue Card Topics
Describe a famous food from your hometown or country. In 1-2 sentences, list three specific details you would include on your Part 2 card about that food.
"I'd like to talk about Peking duck. Three details I would include are: its crispy golden-brown skin, the way it's wrapped in thin pancakes with cucumber and hoisin sauce, and its history as a dish once served to Chinese emperors."
ow long should you prepare and how long should you speak in Part 2 of IELTS Speaking?
You have 1 minute to prepare and you should speak for 1 to 2 minutes.
Provide three neutral linking words/phrases useful for sequencing in Part 2.
Firstly / To begin with
After that / Next
Finally / Lastly
Name two quick techniques to reduce hesitations and fillers (e.g., “um”, “uh”, “like”) during a 2-minute turn.
Deliberate pausing-Instead of saying “um”, stop for 1-2 seconds. Take a small breath. This sounds thoughtful, not nervous.
Use rehearsed discourse markers-Memorize 3-4 phrases to buy thinking time without fillers. Say them automatically when you need a moment.
What is a good technique for handling an unfamiliar topic on the cue card? Give two short tactics.
Generalize with a personal anecdote-If you don't know the exact topic, talk about something similar from your own life.
Use hypotheticals-Start your sentence with “I imagine…” or “If I had to guess…”
Talk about a birthday you can remember well. Write a two-minute cue card outline (bullet points only) that covers: how you celebrated, who you were with, why you remember that day, and how it was different from other birthdays.
How celebrated: Had a surprise party at home with balloons and a homemade cake
Who with: My parents, my younger sister, and two closest friends
Why remember: I was turning 18 – felt like becoming an adult
Different from others: Usually I get small gifts, but that year my dad gave me a watch he'd worn for 20 years
Give a one-paragraph timed plan for using the 1 minute of preparation efficiently (what to do in first 20s, next 20s, final 20s)
First 20 seconds – Understand the topic & choose your angle:
Read the cue card carefully. Underline the key question words (who, what, where, when, why, how). Decide on a specific person, place, event, or object to talk about. If the topic is unfamiliar, immediately choose a related personal story or a hypothetical approach.
Next 20 seconds – Write keywords (not full sentences):
Quickly write down 6–8 keywords on the notepad provided. Organize them in a short list or a simple mind map. For example, for “Describe a friend”: met → high school → shared classes → helped me with math → still in touch.
Final 20 seconds – Prepare your opening sentence & rehearse silently:
Mentally say your first sentence two or three times. This reduces hesitation at the start. Also, check that you have covered all four bullet points on the cue card. If something is missing, add one more keyword.
List five topic-specific vocabulary items for the cue “Describe a famous food from your hometown or country” (from file 2) and give a one-word collocation for each.
Example: flavour-rich / delicate / smoky
texture crispy / tender / chewy
aroma mouth-watering / fragrant
ingredient fresh / local / traditiona
dish signature / traditional / homemade
Describe one exercise to improve sentence stress and one for linking sounds
Exercise 1: Sentence Stress – “Stress the Keywords”
“The skin is crispy and the meat is tender.”
(Stress: skin, crispy, meat, tender)
Exercise 2: Linking Sounds – “Connect the Words” “It is a good film”“I tiza good film”
List three generic story-starters that help create content quickly (e.g., “remember when…”). Provide an example for each.
“I remember once…”To introduce a specific past event
“What comes to mind is…”To choose one memory from many possibilities“
“The first time I…”To start a story from the beginning
Describe a friend who has played an important part in your life. List five supporting subpoints (chronological or thematic) and suggest one advanced lexical set (three collocations or idioms) to include.
Five subpoints:
How we met: First day of high school, sat next to each other in math class
How long known: Over ten years
What we did together: Studied for exams, played basketball, shared secrets
Why important: Always gave honest advice and never judged me
Example of support: When I failed my driving test, he helped me practise again
Advanced lexical set:
Have your back (support you)
Through thick and thin (in good and bad times)
A shoulder to cry on (someone who comforts you)
Describe three effective organizational templates you can use for Part 2 and state when each is best used.
1. Chronological (Time order) – Best for stories or experiences
Structure your answer in time sequence: what happened first, next, then, finally.
Example use: “Describe a trip you took” – start with departure, then activities during the trip, then return home and feelings afterward.
2. Descriptive / Spatial (Location order) – Best for describing places, objects, or people
Organize by moving from outside to inside, general to specific, or top to bottom.
Example use: “Describe your dream home” – first talk about the outside, then the living room, kitchen, bedroom, then the surrounding area.
3. Problem – Solution – Result – Best for challenges, achievements, or advice
Start with a problem or need, explain what you did to solve it, and describe the outcome.
Example use: “Describe a difficult decision you made” – explain the situation (problem), what you considered and chose (solution), and how things turned out (result).
Give three phrasal verbs or multi-word verbs appropriate for “describing a friend who has played an important part in your life” (from file 2), and use each in a short sentence you might say in Part 2.
grow up with: to spend your childhood together“I grew up with my best friend Li Wei – we’ve known each other since primary school.”
look up to: to admire or respect someone“I’ve always looked up to her because she never gives up, no matter how hard things get.”
count onto:rely on / trust someone“I know I can always count on him to give me honest advice, even when I don’t want to hear it.”
Provide three correction strategies an examiner-style peer can use to give feedback on pronunciation without interrupting fluency.
Note-taking cues: Peer writes down 1-2 specific pronunciation errors (e.g., “th sound”, “word stress”) during the 2-minute speech. No interruption. Feedback given after the speaker finishes.
Focused delayed feedback-Peer chooses only ONE pronunciation issue to correct per speech (e.g., only final -ed sounds). Too many corrections overwhelm the speaker.
Gesture or visual signal-Peer uses a silent, pre-agreed hand signal during speech to remind the speaker without stopping them. The speaker then self-corrects.
Explain how to turn a simple factual answer into a reflective one by adding one comparative sentence and one personal consequence sentence. Give an example
States a basic fact“My dream home would have a big garden.”
Comparative sentence-Compares to something else (past vs present, here vs there)
“Unlike my current apartment which has no outdoor space, a garden would let me grow my own vegetables.”
Personal consequence sentence-Explains how this affects you or what you learned
“Having a garden would change my daily life – I would spend more time outside and feel less stressed.”
Describe your dream home. Produce a full 90-second speaking plan that includes: an engaging opening, two developed details with examples, and a concluding sentence that links back to the prompt.
Opening: "Ever since I was a child, I've imagined a house that feels both cozy and full of light."
Detail 1 – Outside: "It would look like a modern cottage – white walls, a grey slate roof, and big glass windows. For example, the living room would have floor-to-ceiling windows facing a small lake."
Detail 2 – Inside & area: *"Inside, I'd want wooden floors, a fireplace, and a small library. The house would be in the countryside, but within a 30-minute drive to a town so I'm not completely isolated."*
Conclusion: "I probably won't live in a house exactly like this because it would be expensive, but my dream home reminds me that I value peace, nature, and a warm space to share with family."
Explain how to expand a basic 30-second answer into a 2-minute coherent monologue by using specific strategies (examples, personal anecdotes, comparisons, hypothetical scenarios). Provide one short example transformation.
Example transformation – Basic answer (30 seconds):
“I’d like to talk about my hometown. It’s a small city by the sea. There’s a beach and some good seafood restaurants. I go there every summer.”
“I’d like to talk about my hometown, which is a small city by the sea. (Base statement)
Example (举例): For instance, the main beach is called Silver Sand, and it stretches for nearly two kilometers along the coast. Right next to the beach, there are about a dozen small seafood restaurants that serve freshly caught fish and grilled prawns.
Personal anecdote (个人轶事): I remember once when I was about ten years old, my father took me to one of those seafood restaurants after my first swimming lesson. We shared a plate of fried squid, and to this day, that’s still my favourite dish. That’s also one of the reasons I keep going back every summer.
Comparison (对比): Unlike the crowded, noisy beaches I’ve visited in big cities like Bangkok or Shanghai, my hometown’s beach is peaceful and quiet, even in July. The seafood there also tastes much fresher because the fishermen bring in their catch every morning – something you don’t get in inland cities.
Hypothetical scenario (假设情景): If I ever miss a summer and can’t go back, I honestly feel a bit sad. I imagine that even when I’m older and living in another city, I will still try to visit my hometown every summer – just for that beach, those seafood restaurants, and the memories.
So that’s why my hometown holds such a special place in my heart.”
Provide four academic/advanced lexical items (with short definitions) that can be naturally woven into a Part 2 answer about “your dream home”. Then write one sentence using two of them.
spacious: large and with plenty of space to move around
serene: calm, peaceful, and undisturbed
functional:practical and useful, not just beautiful
aesthetic: related to beauty or artistic taste
“My dream home would be both spacious and functional, but I also want it to have a warm aesthetic so that every room feels inviting.”
Give a 2-week practice schedule (daily 15-20 minute tasks) specifically to raise overall fluency and reduce L1 interference (e.g., translating from your first language). Include targeted drills and measurable outcomes.
Shadowing
Stream-of-consciousness speaking
Timed storytelling
Provide three possible examiner follow-up questions that could logically follow the cue "Describe a birthday you remember well", and model concise responses (1-2 sentences each).
1. Do you think birthdays are more important for children or for adults? Why?
“For children, birthdays are exciting because of gifts and cake. But for adults, birthdays can be a time to reflect on life. I think both are important, just in different ways.”
2. How do people in your country usually celebrate birthdays?
“Most people have a meal with family or friends, and they eat a birthday cake with candles. Some young people also go to karaoke or have a small party at home.”
3. Do you think it's necessary to give expensive gifts on birthdays?
“Not at all. A thoughtful gift is much better than an expensive one. For my last birthday, my best friend wrote me a long letter, and that meant more to me than anything money could buy.”
Talk about a foreign country you have been to or would like to go to on holiday. Provide a 2-3 minute full spoken answer (write the answer as you would say it), including a variety of tenses, at least four higher-level lexical items, and a brief personal reflection.
"I'd love to talk about Japan – a country I've never visited but have dreamed of seeing for years. Japan is an island nation in East Asia, and I first became interested in it when I watched a documentary about the cherry blossom season about three years ago.
If I had the chance to go, I would definitely visit Kyoto first. I've heard that the city is absolutely breathtaking – ancient temples, traditional tea houses, and serene bamboo forests. I would also love to try authentic sushi at the famous fish market in Tokyo and experience a hot spring bath in the mountains.
What fascinates me most is how Japan juxtaposes the old and the new. You can stand in front of a thousand-year-old temple in the morning and then walk into a futuristic electronics district in the afternoon. I've already started saving money for this trip, and I have a feeling that visiting Japan would be a life-changing experience.
Looking back at my travel dreams, I realize that my desire to go to Japan isn't just about sightseeing – it's about stepping completely out of my comfort zone and immersing myself in a culture so different from my own. I really hope I can make this journey happen within the next two years."
Higher-level lexical items: absolutely breathtaking, serene, juxtaposes, futuristic, life-changing, immerse myself
Tenses used: present perfect (have dreamed, have never visited), past simple (became interested, watched), conditional (would visit, would love), present simple (is, fascinates, juxtaposes), present continuous (am saving), future (will be)
Personal reflection: "my desire to go to Japan isn't just about sightseeing – it's about stepping completely out of my comfort zone..."
Design a 7-step rehearsal routine to improve timing and content for Part 2, including measurable practice tasks and how to track progress across five practice sessions.
1. Choose a random IELTS Part 2 cue card (never practice the same one twice in a row)
2. Use the 1-minute preparation plan (see 200-point answer) – write keywords only
3. Record yourself speaking without stopping (even if you make mistakes)
4. Listen to the recording and count hesitations (um, uh, long pauses over 3 seconds)
5. Identify one missing area (e.g., weak conclusion, no example, repetitive vocabulary)
6.Re-record the same cue card, focusing only on that one improvement
7.Compare both recordings – write a 1-sentence reflection
Create a short vocabulary-building mini-lesson: introduce eight high-level words for emotional description (grouped by degree/intensity), include synonyms, and a practice prompt students can use in Part 2. The practice prompt should be based on the topic of a film you remember well.
“I remember watching the film ‘Coco’. At the beginning, I felt content watching the happy family scenes. But towards the end, when Miguel sang to his great-grandmother, I was absolutely heartbroken – I almost cried. The film made me feel so emotional because it reminded me of my own grandparents.”
Record (write out) a 45-60 second model response rich in intonation variation and show, in parenthesis, where to use rising/falling intonation and where to add emphatic stress.
“I’d like to talk about a film called Coco. To be honest, I didn’t expect to cry during an animated movie. But the ending was absolutely heartbreaking. There’s this scene where the little boy sings to his grandmother, and I just lost it. I remember thinking, this is what family really means. That’s why I’ll never forget that film.”
“I’d like to talk about a film called Coco. (neutral)
To be honest ↗, I didn’t expect to cry during an animated movie ↘.
But the ending ↗? was absolutely heartbreaking ↘.
There’s this scene where the little boy sings to his grandmother ↗… and I just lost it ↘.
I remember thinking ↗, this is what family really means ↘.
That’s why I’ll never forget that film ↘.”
Draft an advanced strategy sheet for dealing with tricky follow-up prompts that push for opinion or evaluation (how to show critical thinking, hedging language, and give balanced views). Include sample hedging phrases and a 2-sentence model response demonstrating them.
Follow-up question:
“Do you think it is better to travel to a foreign country alone or with other people?”
It depends on…
To some extent…
I tend to think that…
It's not necessarily true that…
On the one hand… on the other hand…
“To some extent, it depends on your personality and what you want from the trip. On the one hand, travelling alone allows you to be completely flexible and independent; on the other hand, going with friends can make the experience more fun and less stressful, so I tend to think that for a first-time visitor, travelling with others might be a better choice.”