IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue cards to practise aloud

In Speaking Part 2 you get a cue card, one minute to prepare and up to two minutes to talk. Your first speaking score is free.

Practise for free

By Thanh Tran, PTE and IELTS coach
Updated

IELTS Speaking, Part 2

Cue card

Describe a time when you felt very proud of something a family member did.

You should say:

  • when it was
  • who the family member was
  • what he or she did

and explain why you felt so proud of what your family member did.

Preparation time

1:00

Your talk

Up to 2:00

In the full speaking test, a one-minute timer runs before the recording starts. You can make notes.

How Part 2 works

The cue card

A topic, the points to talk about and one thing to explain

Preparation

One minute, with a pencil and paper for notes

Your talk

Up to two minutes. The examiner stops you when the time is up.

After your talk

The examiner may ask one or two questions on the same topic

Total time

3 to 4 minutes, including the preparation

Then Part 3

A 4 to 5 minute discussion of the same topic in a more general way

Cue cards to practise

Over 40 cue cards

How it is marked

Speaking is marked on four criteria, and each one counts the same. Our engine marks your recording on all four against the public band descriptors.

Fluency and Coherence

How smoothly you keep talking, and how clearly your ideas connect.

Lexical Resource

The range of words you use, and how well you use them.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

The range of grammar you use, and how accurate it is.

Pronunciation

How easy you are to understand.

Speaking, Part 2

A cue card and its follow-up questions

Scored

Band 6.0

Fluency and Coherence
6.0

How steadily you speak and how your ideas connect

Lexical Resource
6.0

The range and precision of your vocabulary

Grammatical Range and Accuracy
5.0

The variety and accuracy of your sentences

Pronunciation
7.0

How clearly you are understood, including stress and intonation

The one thing worth fixing first: use every point on the card, then say why it matters to you.

Practise a cue card now

Ten cue cards to try

All ten are in the app, each with its follow-up questions.

  • Work and career

    Describe a perfect job you would like to have in the future.

    You should say what it is, how you came to know about it, what it is like, and explain why you think it is perfect.

  • Media and arts

    Describe a celebrity that you would like to meet in person.

    You should say who the person is, how you know about this person, what this person does, and explain why you would like to meet this person.

  • Travel and places

    Describe a place you enjoyed visiting that was very quiet.

    You should say where this place is and why you wanted to visit it, why this place was very quiet, what you did there, and explain why you enjoyed visiting this quiet place.

  • Money and business

    Describe a time when you bought something that was over your budget.

    You should say what you bought, why you wanted to buy it, why it was more expensive than you planned, and explain how you felt about it.

  • Environment

    Describe a person who encouraged you to protect the environment or nature.

    You should say who the person is, what they told you or did, how it influenced you, and explain how you felt about their advice or actions.

  • Culture and history

    Describe the first time you had to communicate in a foreign language.

    You should say when and where it happened, who you communicated with, what you talked or wrote about, and explain how you felt about using this foreign language for the first time.

  • Daily life

    Describe an occasion when the electricity suddenly went off.

    You should say when and where it happened, what you were doing, how long the electricity went off for, and explain how you felt when the electricity suddenly went off.

  • Health and sport

    Describe a famous sportsperson you admire.

    You should say who this person is, what his or her achievement is, how you know about him or her, and explain why you admire this sportsperson.

  • Technology

    Describe a time when you found out something very interesting through social media.

    You should say when it was, where you were, what you found out, and explain why this information was so interesting to you.

  • Media and arts

    Describe a book you have read that you found useful.

    You should say what the book was about, when and where you read the book, why you decided to read the book, and explain why you found this book useful.

How to plan your talk

  1. Use your minute to write a few words for each point on the card.

  2. Cover the points in order, one or two sentences each. Then say more about the point you like best.

  3. For a story, say when and where it happened, what happened, and how you feel about it now.

  4. For a person, a thing or a place, group your points and finish with why it matters to you.

  5. End on the last line of the card, the one that asks you to explain.

  6. Keep talking until the examiner stops you.

Step 1 on the card above

The card

Describe a time when you felt very proud of something a family member did.

Your notes in one minute

Last summer. My younger sister. Her first 10-kilometre race. She trained for months after an injury, and I saw how hard she worked.

常见问题

What is a cue card in IELTS Speaking?

It's the card the examiner gives you in Part 2. It names a topic, lists the points to talk about and asks you to explain one thing. You get one minute to prepare, with a pencil and paper for notes.

How long should I speak in Part 2?

Up to two minutes. Try to keep talking until the examiner stops you. Using every point on the card helps you fill the time.

What happens after the cue card?

The examiner may ask you one or two questions on the same topic. Then Part 3 starts: a discussion of 4 to 5 minutes, with more general questions linked to your topic.

Can I get my cue card answer scored for free?

Yes. Your first speaking score is free. Answer the card and its follow-up questions, and you get a band on each of the four criteria. Our engine marks it against the public band descriptors.

Are there cue cards with answers?

Not ready-made ones. With Pro, our engine will rewrite your own answer to get Band 8, in natural spoken English. You can compare it with what you said.

Can I practise the whole speaking test?

Yes. The full IELTS Speaking test has all three parts, and a one-minute preparation timer runs before the cue card, as on test day.

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