In Part 2, you get a cue card, a short time to prepare, and up to two minutes to speak. The challenge is often organizing enough relevant ideas quickly.
Use the cue card as your guide. Its prompts help you develop the topic, but you do not need to treat them as a script. Focus on answering the main task and use the prompts that help you give a clear, complete response.
Plan with Five Headings
During your preparation minute, write a few keywords under headings like these:
- Introduction: What person, place, event, or thing will you describe?
- Past: When did you first encounter it? What happened?
- Description: What does it look, feel, or sound like? What stands out?
- Opinion: What do you think or feel about it? Why?
- Future: Could it change, or might you encounter it again?
These headings are prompts, not a fixed order. Choose the ones that fit the cue card. A future prediction may suit a question about a place, but feel forced when describing a past event.
Example Cue Card
Describe a teacher you know. You should say:
- What the teacher looks like
- What kind of person they are
- What they taught you
- Why they are popular
Your notes might be:
- Introduction: science teacher, secondary school
- Past: helped with a difficult project
- Description: patient, explains ideas with simple examples
- Opinion: made science easier to understand
- Future: hope to use the study habits they taught
Use keywords rather than writing full sentences. The notes should remind you what to say, not lock you into memorized wording.
Develop Your Ideas
To expand a point, ask yourself:
- Who was involved?
- What happened?
- Where and when did it happen?
- Why did it matter?
- How did you feel?
Specific details help you keep speaking and make your answer easier to follow. Use examples you remember, or describe a plausible situation if you have no direct experience. Keep the details consistent with the topic.
Use Grammar That Fits the Story
A story about the past naturally gives you a chance to use past tenses. You might describe a habit with used to, explain background with the past continuous, or show that one event happened before another with the past perfect.
You can give an opinion with phrases such as I think, In my view, or I’d say. Mention the future only when it fits the topic. Use a range of grammar where it comes naturally, and avoid forcing a tense just to show variety.
Practise with Different Topics
Ask someone to give you cue cards at random. First, practise slowly with notes. Later, practise with only one minute to plan and speak without help. Review whether your answer stayed focused, developed a few points, and used clear language.
A planning method can help you get started, but adapt it to each cue card. The goal is a clear, relevant response that sounds like you.