IELTS Speaking Part 2 Tips

⚡ TL;DR

Expert tips and strategies for this part of the IELTS Speaking test. Includes sample responses and key vocabulary for Band 7+.

Originally published August 2017. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.

In this post, see the top 6 speaking part 2 tips that will help you to achieve a band score 7 or above.

The IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 lasts 3-4 minutes.

After part 1 the examiner will give you a card or booklet with your question and related ideas you need to talk about.

1 minute >> You will be given 1 minute to make notes.

1-2 minutes >> You will talk about for 1-2 minutes about the topic on the cue card/booklet.

1-2 minutes >> After you have finished speaking, the examiner will ask you one or two questions relating to what you have just talked about.

The cue card the examiner gives to you will look something like this >>

Some students admit to finding this part of the test difficult as they have to give a monologue for 1-2 minutes. They sometimes run out of ideas or start repeating themselves. Practising and developing a strategy can help to make sure that you have success in this area.

Read on for our top 6 tips for getting a high-level band score >>

SPEAKING Test Part 2 TIPS

TIP 1 >> Think of Ideas

When the examiner gives you the cue card during your speaking test, read the topic and the bullet points and think of ideas. It is better to think of a couple of relevant ideas, rather than too many ideas.

The bullet points on the cue card are there to help you to think of ideas so that you can develop an answer. However, you do not have to use those bullet points as a guide and can talk about anything you want in relation to the topic.

The cue card will give you the main topic, then list several bullet points below, stating ‘you should say‘ this means that it is optional. It is up to you, whether you wish to use those bullet points as a guide to help you, and add further information, or not. If there are any bullet points you do not wish to talk about, you may leave them out and talk about something else. As long as all of your ideas are related to the main topic and relevant, then you will still be able to gain a high-level band score.

TIP 2 >> Develop A Strategy

When planning your part 2 monologue, developing a strategy can help you to deliver a high-level answer.

Take a look at the post on how to develop a speaking test part 2 strategy.

TIP 3 >> Make Useful Notes

Making useful notes in the time allowed (1 minute) will help you to organise your thoughts and plan your answer.

Take a look at the post on how to organise your notes.

TIP 4 >> Be Honest

When answering the question, try to be as honest as possible, telling the examiner your thoughts, feeling and opinions. Use examples from your past experiences and be sure to give your opinion. You are allowed to make up information for your monologue, but make sure that you are really confident about what you are saying, as this may lead you into difficulties.

Being honest about your thoughts, feelings, opinions and own experiences is the best way to expand on the topic and give plenty of information to the examiner.

TIP 5 >> Extend Your Answers

When giving your answer, try to make sure that it is not too short – think of ideas that will allow you to talk about the topic confidently for 1-2 minutes.

You can expand your answer by adding more detail and giving examples. Whatever topic you get, you will be able to think of something relevant and share your own thoughts, feelings, opinions and experiences. You can also give relevant examples that can support your points.

Think about the who, what, when, where and how, then think of the details, where you went, who you went with, how you got there, etc.

The answers in part 2 should not be too long either if the examiner feels as though you have gone over your time, they will stop you and ask an extension question.

TIP 6 >> Practice

Practice as much as possible with your native speaking IELTS teacher, a partner or friend. Take a look at past cue cards (see the other posts in this section) and practice answering those questions, making use of the 1-minute note taking time. Whatever you do, don’t memorise any answers, the examiner will see through this and they can give you a low score.

Time yourself and see how much you can say in 1-2 minutes, you may need to develop your answer further or learn to be more concise.

A good way to listen for errors is to record yourself speaking. Listen to your recording and notice any errors you have made, including grammar mistakes, pronunciation, intonation and fluency. Keep practising and use the posts in this section to help you.

I hope that all of these tips have been useful to you in your IELTS practice and preparation, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below >>

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Strategies For Speaking Part 2

⚡ TL;DR

Expert tips and strategies for this part of the IELTS Speaking test. Includes sample responses and key vocabulary for Band 7+.

Originally published August 2017. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.

This post will look at strategies for giving a high-level part 2 answer.

In part 2 the examiner will give you a cue card that could ask you to talk about any subject. this will normally include something about your daily life and own experiences. The talk you give should be honest and show the examiner your ability to use English well.

When giving your talk, try to make sure that it is not too short – use the 1 minute allowed to make notes to your advantage, looking at the keywords and using them as prompts.

Strategy

When working on a strategy for answering part 2, you need to think about how to extend your answer as much as you can, so that you don’t run out of ideas and things to say.

Include the following in your answers, so that you can develop more ideas as well as including the bullet points on the cue card (if you want);

Introduce the topic – I’d like to talk about……
Give some background information (describe it in physical terms)
The Past – say something about what you used to do / something you saw last year, etc (depending on the topic)
Give your thoughts and feelings
Include an example
Say something about the future – What will you do in the future / where would you like to visit, etc (depending on the topic)

If you practice with past cue cards and find yourself running out of ideas while talking, look at your notes and refer back to an earlier point, expand on it and keep talking, while you think of other things to say.

Cue Card Example

The bullet points on the cue card above ask obvious questions about the topic. However you don’t need to follow this to just the bullet points on the card, you can say whatever you want about the chosen topic. Some students follow the bullet points and get a high score, while others have said they ran out of ideas.

Here are some ideas/questions to answer, that you could include when making notes and planning your answer for this cue card >>

Introduce the activity (what it is) extend your answer and explain.
The location (where) – explain
Have you always done it? (When) have you just started doing it recently?
Describe – give a good description of the activity (include here who you do it with)
Give your opinion (why you like to do it).
Will you continue to do it in the future?

Model Answer

I’d like to talk about walking my dog, we recently rescued a dog who was found by our neighbour by the side of the road. At the time he was only around 4 weeks old and quite ill, he was covered in fleas, had a belly full of worms and various skin conditions. He soon became healthy after many vet visits and now has grown into a large healthy dog, who has a routine of walks at certain times every day to burn off his energy. We started his walking routine slowly when he was little, as he was scared of the park at first. He soon loved to go there and looks really happy with the freedom he has to be able to venture out on his own.

I normally walk him around my village in the morning before work for around 45 minutes. Then in the afternoons after work at around 7 pm we will visit the park, so he can run free. He loves to be able to run around and explore the park, meeting up with other dogs and playing. He enjoys running after people jogging and cycling, showing them that he can go faster than them. He also likes to have his photograph taken with tourists when they are posing next to monuments in the park.

In my opinion, walking with my dog is great exercise, as we walk together (or run) daily for at least 2 hours. This is good for both of us, as he can burn off his energy and I can also keep fit. I also think that getting away from my desk and breathing in the fresh air is beneficial for my health and to clear my mind. It helps to keep my mental health in check, by taking these walks and having the time to think about things. I will continue to walk my dog every day, taking him with me to various locations on the island, as he also enjoys the beach and the town park, but these areas are busy in the summer months, so he will have to wait until the autumn.

Feedback

This is a high-level answer, as there are concrete words being used to tell a story (the story of the dog and the relationship to the activity). Words and phrases are used to describe thoughts and feelings. The bullet points have been covered with the extra information given, which extends the answer.

Practice

Practice as much as you can with past cue cards and develop a good strategy for answering in 1-2 minutes. Practice with your speaking partner or native speaking IELTS teacher, who will help you to improve.

Have you been practising? Does this strategy help you? Let us know in the comments >>