Cue card practice material

43 original Part 2 cue cards, each with an idea bank, topic collocations, a model answer with a note on why it works, the Part 3 discussion that follows it, 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.

People and relationshipsCards about a person you know, admire, learned from, or rely on.5 cards PlacesCards about a place you go, a place that changed, or a place you would return to.6 cards Objects and possessionsCards about something you own, kept, bought, wear, or find useful.5 cards Events and experiencesCards about something that happened to you — a day, a wait, a problem, a decision.8 cards Activities and habitsCards about what you do regularly — sport, cooking, study, routines, goals.8 cards Media, technology and cultureCards about a film, book, song, podcast, app, or something cultural you follow.6 cards Abstract and idea-led promptsCards with no obvious object or story — a rule, an opinion, a change you would like.5 cards

Browse every cue card

Filter by topic family, or search for the kind of card you want to rehearse.

Search the cards

Only cards with a model answer

Topic family

Showing all 43 cue cards.

Rehearse against the clock — one minute of notes, then two minutes of speaking.

Open the speaking simulator Practice Part 2

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.