Media, technology and culture
Media cards are the family where candidates most often reach for something impressive rather than something they can actually discuss. A film you half-watched gives you nothing; a podcast you genuinely listen to every week gives you two minutes without effort. These cards also carry the richest opinion language, because you are expected to evaluate, not just report.
What the examiner is listening for
Evaluative language and the ability to justify an opinion, plus the discipline to summarise content briefly instead of retelling an entire plot.
How to spend the preparation minute
You get exactly sixty seconds with a pencil and a sheet of paper. This is how to divide them on a card of this shape.
- 0:00–0:15
Choose what you actually consume
Pick the thing you would talk about with a friend, not the one that sounds most literary. Authenticity is audible.
- 0:15–0:30
A one-line summary
Write the content in a single line you could say in ten seconds. Plot retelling is the number one time sink on this family.
- 0:30–0:45
One specific moment
Note one scene, episode, or lyric you remember. A specific moment is what separates a real answer from a review.
- 0:45–1:00
Your verdict and why
Write the opinion plus the reason. This is the explain bullet and it should take up the last thirty seconds of speaking.
Language that transfers across every card here
- it has stayed with me
For something that keeps coming back to you afterwards.
- it is not for everyone, but…
A hedged opinion; sounds far more considered than 'it is great'.
- I got hooked on it
Phrasal verb for becoming addicted to a series or podcast.
- it strikes a chord
Idiom for something that resonates personally.
- it stands up to a second viewing
Evaluative collocation that shows genuine familiarity.
- a slow-burn thriller
Precise genre description; specific genre words score better than 'interesting'.
- it puts things in perspective
For media that changed how you see something.
Grammar this family pulls out of you
Grammatical range is a quarter of your Speaking band. These structures arise naturally on these cards, so you do not have to force them in.
- Present simple for describing content
- “It follows two brothers who have not spoken in ten years.”
- Comparatives for evaluation
- “It is far more thoughtful than most things in the genre.”
- Reason and result linkers
- “Because the pace is so slow, the ending lands much harder than you expect.”
What costs people marks on these cards
- Retelling the plot for ninety seconds. The examiner does not need the story; they need your view of it.
- Choosing something you have only heard about. The specific moment you cannot supply is exactly where you will hesitate.
- Saying 'it was very interesting' and stopping. Every opinion needs a because.
Cue cards in this family
12 cards- MediaDescribe a radio programme or podcast you listen to regularly.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- TechnologyDescribe an app or website you use almost every day.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- MediaDescribe a film or series that made you think.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- CultureDescribe a language or accent you find interesting.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- MediaDescribe an advertisement that caught your attention.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- MediaDescribe a news story that you followed with interest.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- TechnologyDescribe an online video or tutorial that taught you something useful.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- CultureDescribe a work of art that you remember seeing.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- TechnologyDescribe a piece of technology you found hard to get used to.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- MediaDescribe a book you read recently about a subject that was new to you.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- MediaDescribe a book you often recommend to other people.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
- MediaDescribe a song or piece of music that means something to you.Ideas, model answer & Part 3
Where Part 3 usually goes after these cards
The examiner follows your long turn with a four to five minute discussion on the same theme, worked from two related discussion topics. On this family the discussion tends to travel in these directions.
- Whether streaming has improved or narrowed what people watch and hear
- The role of public broadcasters and libraries in the digital age
- How recommendation algorithms shape taste
- Whether reading for pleasure is declining and what that means
- How technology is changing the way languages and cultures spread
The timing you are rehearsing against
- 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.