Describe something you own that you have kept for a long time.
A card about one durable possession: a watch, a rucksack, a chipped mug, a childhood book. The object's story matters more than its value.
The task card
Describe something you own that you have kept for a long time.
You should say:
- what the item is
- when and how you got it
- how often you use it
and explain why you have kept it.
Now say it yourself
Record your own two minutes on this card and have it transcribed and marked against the Speaking criteria. Practising is free; the band estimate is part of Pro.
Record my answerHow long you have
- 1 minute
Preparation
The examiner hands you the card, paper and a pencil. Make notes — a few words per cue point, never sentences.
- 1–2 minutes
Your long turn
Speak until the examiner stops you at two minutes. Finishing early is the most common self-inflicted problem in Part 2.
- 1–2 questions
Rounding off
The examiner may ask one or two short follow-up questions, then moves straight into the Part 3 discussion on the same theme.
Part 2 takes three to four minutes in total. The whole Speaking test runs 11 to 14 minutes across three parts, and Part 3 that follows lasts four to five minutes.
How to approach this card
Identify the object and its origin quickly: 'a leather satchel my uncle gave me when I started secondary school'. 'When and how you got it' is a gift, inheritance or purchase story — pick whichever is yours and tell it in two or three sentences with the people included.
Be honest for 'how often you use it': daily use and never-used-but-kept are both strong answers. A watch worn every day invites detail about scratches and repairs; an item stored in a drawer invites the more interesting question of why it survives every clear-out.
The common mistake is describing the object physically for two minutes — its colour, size and brand — without touching the final bullet. 'Why you have kept it' is about attachment: it reminds you of someone, it marked a stage of life, or throwing it away would feel like a small betrayal. Say which one it is.
Ideas you can actually use
Three angles on this card. Pick the one closest to something real in your own life — invented material is what makes candidates hesitate at ninety seconds.
Objects with real longevity
- A tool, a watch, a pen, a piece of kitchen equipment that was someone else's first
- A ticket, letter, or card kept for no defensible reason
- Something you have moved house with four times and never questioned
Why you have not thrown it away
- It still works better than the replacement you bought
- Getting rid of it would be a decision, and you have never made it
- It is the last physical trace of a person, a house, or a period
The specific detail that proves it is real
- The repair, the crack, the name written inside, the smell
- Where it lives — a drawer you rarely open, or somewhere you see it daily
- What you would do if it broke tomorrow, answered honestly
What your one minute of notes should look like
Not sentences — a few words per cue point. This is the level of detail sixty seconds actually buys you, and it is enough to speak from for two minutes.
- WHAT — grandfather's fountain pen, dark green, brass clip
- HOW LONG — mine ~14 yrs, his for 40 before that
- GOT IT — after he died, my mother gave it to me
- WHY KEPT — his initials scratched inside cap; use it to sign things only
Model answer
Speak your own answer first. Examiners are trained to spot memorised speeches and mark them down — use this to study structure, pacing and naturalness, never to recite.
Show the model answer
The thing I've kept longest is a wristwatch — a plain steel one with a cream face — that my grandfather gave me the summer I finished school, so I've had it about twelve years now. The way I got it is most of the story, really. He called me into his room, took it off his own wrist, and said, 'It keeps better time than you do,' which was his way of being affectionate. He'd worn it since the seventies — he bought it with his first proper wages — and I remember it was still warm when he handed it over. He died two winters later, so it's become the object I associate with him most. As for how often I use it — honestly, not daily anymore. My phone tells the time and the watch needs winding, which I always forget. But I wear it deliberately: job interviews, weddings, my sister's graduation. It's become my occasion watch, the thing I put on when a day matters. Why have I kept it? It's survived at least four house moves and several ruthless clear-outs, and it never even makes it into the 'maybe' pile. Partly it's the obvious sentimental value — it's the only physical thing of his I own. But it's also that giving it away would feel like a small betrayal, like handing a stranger a conversation we hadn't finished. A watch is a strange thing to inherit, because it keeps going after the person doesn't — and I find that comforting rather than sad.
Why this works: It picks the inheritance story and tells it with people in it — the quoted line from the grandfather does more characterisation than a paragraph of description would. The honest 'not daily anymore' handles the awkward third bullet naturally, and the closing image of a watch outliving its owner answers 'why you have kept it' with a genuine idea, not a formula.
Useful vocabulary for this topic
- sentimental value
Worth based on feelings rather than price; the key phrase for this card.
- a hand-me-down
An item passed from an older family member.
- built to last
Describes something made to survive years of use.
- to have a clear-out
To throw away things you no longer need.
- an heirloom
A valuable object passed down through generations.
- to stand the test of time
Idiom for things that remain good or relevant.
The same phrases in a full sentence
A phrase list is only useful if you know how the words sit around it. Say each of these aloud once before you attempt the card.
- it was handed down to me
- “It was handed down to me when he died, and it had been his father's before that.”
- it has sentimental value
- “It has almost no monetary value, but the sentimental value is enormous.”
- it has seen better days
- “It has seen better days — the clip is bent and the cap does not quite sit straight.”
- I have hung on to it
- “I have hung on to it through four house moves without ever really deciding to.”
Part 3 discussion
After your long turn the examiner moves into a four to five minute discussion on the same theme, working from two related discussion topics with about three questions each. The first stays close to your own experience; the second widens out. Answer with reasons and examples, not one-line replies.
Keeping possessions
Example questions
- 1What kinds of things do people usually keep for a long time?
- 2Why do some objects gain sentimental value and others never do?
- 3Do you think people own more things than they need?
Passing things on
Example questions
- 1How common is it for families to pass objects between generations?
- 2Can digital files carry the same meaning as physical objects?
- 3Should people be encouraged to repair things rather than replace them?
More on how this family of cards is discussed: Objects and possessions. Model answers for Part 3: Part 3 questions and answers.