Practise this cue card out loudPrepare for 1 minute, speak for up to 2 minutes, then compare with the Band 8 sample and try the Part 3 questions.
“A difficult decision” and “an important decision” cards reward candidates who can weigh options out loud, using language like on the one hand, the downside was, in the end. It’s also a natural place for conditionals. Here is a plan, a Band 8 sample answer and the Part 3 questions about decision-making.
How to plan your answer in one minute#
You get one minute and a pencil. Don’t write sentences: note one or two key words per point, plus a detail or two that will make your story vivid. For example:
- what the decision was: whether to study abroad for a master’s
- what your options were: stay: good job offer at home, family, girlfriend / friends; go: scholarship, better course
- how you made your choice: pros and cons list, talked to my dad, visited the university online, deadline
- explain why it was difficult: fear of missing out vs leaving people; glad now
Practise, then compare: Band 8 sample answers
Record your own answer first, listen back, then compare. Don’t memorise these: examiners spot memorised answers. Borrow the structure and the highlighted vocabulary instead.
Part 2 sample answer (cue card)
Cue card
Describe a decision that was difficult to make.
You should say:
- what the decision was
- what your options were
- how you made your choice
- and explain why it was difficult.
Sample answerShowHide
The most difficult decision I’ve made was whether to move abroad to do a master’s degree, about two years ago.
At the time, I had two very different options. The first was to stay at home. I’d just been offered a decent job at a local company, which was quite rare for a new graduate in my town, and it meant I could stay close to my family and friends. The second option was to accept a place on a master’s programme abroad, which came with a partial scholarship. The course was exactly what I wanted to study, but it meant leaving everything familiar behind and taking on some debt.
I made the choice in a fairly methodical way, at least at first. I wrote a list of pros and cons, which didn’t help much because the two columns were almost equal! So I talked to a few people. My father’s advice was very useful. He’d changed careers late in life himself, and he asked me which choice I would regret more in ten years’ time. That question made it much clearer. In the end, I decided to go, about a week before the deadline.
It was difficult for a few reasons. Emotionally, it meant leaving my family, especially as my father had been ill, and I felt guilty about that. Financially, it was a risk, because I was giving up a secure salary. And there was simply the fear of the unknown. I had never lived alone, let alone in another country.
Looking back, I’m really glad I went. The first few months were hard and I was quite homesick, but I’ve grown a lot more independent. I think the most useful thing I learned is that difficult decisions rarely feel completely right; at some point, you just have to choose and commit.
Useful language:a decent jobleaving everything familiar behindtaking on some debtin a fairly methodical waywhich choice I would regret morethe fear of the unknownlet alone
Part 3 sample answers
What important decisions do young people have to make?
Sample answerShowHide
The biggest ones are usually about education and careers: what to study, where to study and which job to accept. Later come decisions about relationships, where to live and whether to buy a home. Many of these come at the same stage of life, which can be very stressful.
Useful language:the same stage of lifestressful
Should parents make decisions for their children?
Sample answerShowHide
For young children, yes, as they don’t have the experience to judge risks. But as children grow up, parents should gradually let them make their own decisions, including mistakes, because that’s how they learn responsibility. Advice is helpful; control is not.
Useful language:judge riskslearn responsibility
Do people make better decisions when they take more time?
Sample answerShowHide
Usually, for big decisions, as it gives them time to collect information and consider consequences. However, too much time can lead to overthinking, and some decisions need to be made quickly. Sometimes your first instinct is right.
Useful language:overthinkingfirst instinct
Why do some people find it hard to make decisions?
Sample answerShowHide
Often because they’re afraid of making the wrong choice, especially when the decision can’t easily be reversed. Having too many options can make it worse, which is sometimes called “choice overload”. Personality plays a role too; some people are naturally more cautious.
Useful language:can’t easily be reversednaturally more cautious
Want your own answer scored? With Worddemy Pro, the AI examiner asks you real Part 1–3 questions and gives a band score for fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
Why this answer would score well#
- Weighs two options clearly (The first was… The second option was…), exactly what the card requires.
- Explains the process of deciding, including a useful turning point (the father’s question).
- Advanced language: let alone, taking on some debt, which choice I would regret more, a conditional.
- Reflection that shows maturity: decisions rarely feel completely right; you choose and commit.
Other ideas you could talk about#
You don’t have to use a true story, and you can adapt one you know well. Other good choices:
- Choosing a university course or a career
- Deciding whether to move house or city
- Choosing between two jobs
- Deciding to end a friendship or change a habit
Mistakes to avoid#
- Choosing a trivial decision (what to eat for dinner) that can’t fill two minutes.
- Not explaining why it was difficult. Give emotional, financial or practical reasons.
- Saying “I took a decision”. Both make and take are used in British English, but make a decision is the safest choice.
Want more? Practise a random card with the 2-minute timer in the cue card generator, or see every Speaking topic with sample answers.