Cue card practice material
82 original Part 2 cue cards, each with a model answer, a note on why it works and the Part 3 discussion that follows it. 43 of them also have an idea bank, topic collocations and an example set of one-minute notes.
How the long turn is timed
- 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.
What the task card looks like
Every card in this library follows the real Part 2 format: a Describe prompt, the cue points under “You should say”, a final point beginning “and explain”, and the timing rubric printed alongside. Practise against the format you will actually be handed.
Describe a friend you know you can rely on.
You should say:
- who the person is
- how you met
- an occasion when they helped you
and explain why you trust them.
Open this card’s full practice material to see the idea bank, note plan, model answer and Part 3 discussion.
The seven Part 2 topic families
Individual cue cards change; the families they are drawn from do not. Each family page carries the language, grammar and preparation plan that transfers across every card of that shape.
Browse every cue card
Filter by topic family, or search for the kind of card you want to rehearse.
Showing all 82 cue cards.
- Places · PlacesDescribe a small change in your neighbourhood that made daily life easier.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Activities · LearningDescribe a skill that took you longer to learn than you expected.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Activities · FoodDescribe a market or food shop that you enjoy visiting.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe an improvement to local transport that you found useful.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Objects · ObjectsDescribe a photograph that helped you remember an important day.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a small business that provides especially good service.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · EventsDescribe an outdoor event where the weather changed your experience.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · EventsDescribe a community celebration that brought different people together.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · PeopleDescribe an older person you enjoy talking to.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a quiet place you like to go to when you need a break.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Objects · ObjectsDescribe something you own that you have kept for a long time.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · EventsDescribe a time when you had to wait for something important.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Activities · ActivitiesDescribe a physical activity you do to stay healthy.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Activities · LearningDescribe a subject you enjoyed studying at school.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Activities · FoodDescribe a dish you would choose to cook for guests.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Media · MediaDescribe a radio programme or podcast you listen to regularly.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · PeopleDescribe a time when you helped someone learn something new.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a place you visited that you would like to visit again.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · Life decisionsDescribe a piece of advice that helped you make a good decision.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Media · TechnologyDescribe an app or website you use almost every day.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · PeopleDescribe a person you know who is very good at their job.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · FamilyDescribe a tradition your family keeps.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Activities · Personal developmentDescribe a goal you are currently working towards.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · ExperiencesDescribe a time you received good news.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Media · MediaDescribe a film or series that made you think.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Objects · Money and shoppingDescribe something you bought that turned out to be well worth the money.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a natural place you like to spend time in.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · ExperiencesDescribe a time you solved a problem in a clever or unusual way.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Media · CultureDescribe a language or accent you find interesting.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · ExperiencesDescribe a situation in which you had to be very patient.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Objects · ObjectsDescribe an item of clothing that is special to you.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · PeopleDescribe a teacher who expected more from you than you expected from yourself.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · PeopleDescribe a neighbour who is always willing to help others.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · PeopleDescribe a child you know who is very curious about the world.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · PeopleDescribe a person who is well known in your local area.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · FamilyDescribe a member of your family you would like to be more like.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · PeopleDescribe a stranger who helped you when you needed it.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · PeopleDescribe someone who keeps a group of people together.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · PeopleDescribe a friendship that has survived a big change in your lives.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · FamilyDescribe a relative you have become closer to as an adult.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a city abroad that you know mainly through someone who lives there.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a building in your town or city that has been given a new use.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a little-known historic place that you think deserves more visitors.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a crowded place where you unexpectedly enjoyed yourself.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a place where you used to study that you remember well.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a long journey where the travelling itself was the best part.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a holiday when you stayed somewhere unusual.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a park or garden in your city that you think is well designed.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a shopping area where you like to spend time.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Places · PlacesDescribe a waterside place in a town or city that changes a lot during the day.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Objects · ObjectsDescribe a gift you chose carefully for someone.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Objects · ObjectsDescribe a toy or game you loved as a child.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Media · MediaDescribe an advertisement that caught your attention.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Media · MediaDescribe a news story that you followed with interest.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Media · TechnologyDescribe an online video or tutorial that taught you something useful.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Media · CultureDescribe a work of art that you remember seeing.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Media · TechnologyDescribe a piece of technology you found hard to get used to.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Objects · ObjectsDescribe a letter or message you received that meant a lot to you.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Objects · ObjectsDescribe something you had repaired instead of replacing it.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Media · MediaDescribe a book you read recently about a subject that was new to you.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Activities · Personal developmentDescribe an achievement outside school or work that you are proud of.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · EventsDescribe an occasion when you arrived late and it mattered.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · Life decisionsDescribe a decision that was difficult because both choices had something to offer.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · EventsDescribe a sporting event you watched that you found exciting.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · EventsDescribe a surprise you planned for someone else.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · ExperiencesDescribe something you did for the first time as an adult.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · ExperiencesDescribe a mistake you made that you learned something from.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Activities · ActivitiesDescribe a team project in which the members disagreed.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Activities · LearningDescribe something you taught yourself to do.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · ExperiencesDescribe a time you had to speak in front of a group of people.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Abstract · AbstractDescribe a rule you think should be changed.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Abstract · AbstractDescribe an opinion you used to hold and later changed.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Abstract · AbstractDescribe a skill you think everyone should be taught.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Abstract · AbstractDescribe a change you would like to see in the way people work.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Abstract · AbstractDescribe a piece of information you decided to check before you believed it.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Activities · ActivitiesDescribe a hobby or interest you have taken up recently.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Activities · ActivitiesDescribe a part of your daily routine you would like to change.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Media · MediaDescribe a book you often recommend to other people.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Media · MediaDescribe a song or piece of music that means something to you.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- People · PeopleDescribe a friend you know you can rely on.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Objects · ObjectsDescribe a piece of equipment in your home that you find genuinely useful.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- Events · EventsDescribe a journey that did not go according to plan.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
Rehearse against the clock — one minute of notes, then two minutes of speaking.
Common questions about Part 2 practice
How long does Part 2 actually last?
Three to four minutes in total. The examiner gives you the task card, a pencil and paper, and you have exactly one minute to prepare. You then speak for one to two minutes and the examiner stops you at two. After that they may ask one or two short rounding-off questions before moving into the Part 3 discussion, which lasts a further four to five minutes.
Do I have to cover all the points on the card?
The points are there to help you structure the long turn, and covering them keeps your answer organised, but the examiner does not tick them off and you are not penalised for missing one. You are assessed on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Treat the points as a spine for a story rather than a checklist to rush through.
Should I memorise the model answers on this site?
No, and it will cost you marks if you do. Examiners are trained to identify memorised responses, and a recited answer is marked down under fluency and coherence. Attempt each card yourself first, then read the model to study how it is structured, where it slows down, and which phrases sound genuinely spoken. Borrow the technique, never the text.
Why does each card include Part 3 questions?
Because that is what happens in the test. Part 3 is a discussion on the same theme as your cue card, and the examiner works from two related discussion topics with around three questions in each — the first staying close to your own experience and the second widening out to work, society or the future. Practising the long turn without the discussion that follows it leaves out about a third of the test.
How should I use the one-minute preparation?
Write notes, not sentences. One or two words per cue point is enough, and every card here shows an example set of notes so you can see the level of detail to aim for. Sixty seconds is enough to plan a beginning, a middle and an ending; it is not enough to script an answer you will then struggle to remember under pressure.
CD IELTS Prep is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with IELTS, IDP, the British Council or Cambridge. Every cue card, model answer and discussion question in this library is original practice material written in the standard Part 2 format. They are not real, recalled or predicted exam questions, and no practice material can guarantee a particular band score.