IELTS Speaking Part 2 (Cue Card): tips and strategy

1 min prep, 2 min talk on a given topic.

Speaking

IELTS Speaking Part 2, often called the cue card or long turn, is the only point in the test where you speak alone for an extended period. It tests whether you can organise a short talk, stay on topic and keep going without the examiner's help. Below you will find an original cue card, a model extract from a strong response, and clear answers to common questions about notes and timing.

What you see on screen

You receive a cue card with a topic and bullets, one minute to prepare notes, then speak for up to two minutes. The examiner stops you at the limit.

How it is marked

No separate mark exists for this part; it feeds the same four criteria. Full two-minute answers give the examiner enough language to assess accurately.

How long to spend

You get one minute to prepare, with paper and a pencil for notes, and then speak for up to two minutes before the examiner stops you. The whole part takes about three to four minutes of the 11 to 14 minute face-to-face test, including any brief follow-up question.

Strategy

Spend the preparation minute jotting keywords per bullet, not full sentences you cannot deliver naturally.
Cover every bullet on the card; examiners listen for them and skipping one breaks your structure.
If you finish early, add a related detail until stopped; early silence dents fluency.
Keep past tenses accurate when the card asks about a memory; tense slips are very audible here.

Traps that cost marks

Rushing all four bullets in forty seconds leaves you stranded with nothing to say.
Drafting full sentences in prep wastes the minute and tempts robotic reading aloud.

Worked example

Describe a time you repaired something yourself. You should say: what the item was; why it needed repairing; how you repaired it; and explain how you felt afterwards.

Use the one-minute preparation to note key words, then talk for up to two minutes covering all the prompts.

Answer: I'd like to talk about the time I fixed my old desk lamp, which I'd had since school. One evening it just flickered and went dark, and at first I assumed the bulb had gone, but a new bulb didn't help. So I looked up the model online and found that the switch was a common weak point. I borrowed a small screwdriver from my brother, opened the base and noticed that one wire had come loose. Once I'd reattached it and put everything back together, it worked perfectly. Honestly, I was far prouder of that than I probably should have been.

The response follows the order of the prompts, and linking phrases such as 'at first', 'so' and 'once I'd' guide the listener, supporting fluency and coherence. Accurate narrative tenses, including past perfect ('I'd had', 'had come loose'), show grammatical control. Precise words like 'flickered', 'weak point' and 'reattached' demonstrate lexical resource, and the closing comment answers the 'explain' prompt with a personal reflection.

An original example written for this guide, not taken from a published test.

Questions candidates ask

Can I use my notes while speaking in Part 2?: Yes. You may look at the notes you made during the preparation minute while you talk, and keeping them on the table is normal. The notes are not marked and are collected by the examiner at the end of the test. Glancing at a keyword to move to the next point is fine; reading full sentences aloud tends to sound unnatural and lowers fluency.
Can I choose a different cue card if I dislike the topic?: No. The examiner gives you one card and you cannot swap it. If the topic does not suit you, adapt it: you can talk about a friend's experience, an imagined situation, or a closely related event, as long as what you say answers the card. Examiners mark your language, and a sensible adaptation is better than long hesitation.
Why did the examiner ask me a question after my Part 2 talk?: At the end of the long turn the examiner may ask one or two short rounding-off questions linked to your talk, such as whether you would do it again. These are brief and simply close the part before Part 3 begins. A sentence or two is enough; they are not a sign that your talk was too short or went wrong.

Now try it under exam conditions.

Practise Speaking Part 2 (Cue Card)

Strategy

Spend the preparation minute jotting keywords per bullet, not full sentences you cannot deliver naturally.

Cover every bullet on the card; examiners listen for them and skipping one breaks your structure.

If you finish early, add a related detail until stopped; early silence dents fluency.

Keep past tenses accurate when the card asks about a memory; tense slips are very audible here.

Worked example

Describe a time you repaired something yourself. You should say: what the item was; why it needed repairing; how you repaired it; and explain how you felt afterwards.

Use the one-minute preparation to note key words, then talk for up to two minutes covering all the prompts.

An original example written for this guide, not taken from a published test.

Questions candidates ask

Can I use my notes while speaking in Part 2?

Yes. You may look at the notes you made during the preparation minute while you talk, and keeping them on the table is normal. The notes are not marked and are collected by the examiner at the end of the test. Glancing at a keyword to move to the next point is fine; reading full sentences aloud tends to sound unnatural and lowers fluency.

Can I choose a different cue card if I dislike the topic?

No. The examiner gives you one card and you cannot swap it. If the topic does not suit you, adapt it: you can talk about a friend's experience, an imagined situation, or a closely related event, as long as what you say answers the card. Examiners mark your language, and a sensible adaptation is better than long hesitation.

Why did the examiner ask me a question after my Part 2 talk?

At the end of the long turn the examiner may ask one or two short rounding-off questions linked to your talk, such as whether you would do it again. These are brief and simply close the part before Part 3 begins. A sentence or two is enough; they are not a sign that your talk was too short or went wrong.