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.
Almost everyone chooses their smartphone for this card, so examiners hear the same answer all day. Choosing something slightly different (headphones, an e-reader, a smartwatch, a rice cooker) makes your answer more memorable and easier to describe in detail. Here is a plan, a Band 8 sample answer and the Part 3 questions about technology.
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 it is: noise-cancelling headphones
- how you use it: commute, studying in cafés, flights, language podcasts
- when you got it: birthday present to myself last year, saved for months
- explain why you find it useful: blocks noise, helps me concentrate, less stress on public transport
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 piece of technology you find useful.
You should say:
- what it is
- how you use it
- when you got it
- and explain why you find it useful.
Sample answerShowHide
The piece of technology I’d like to talk about is a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. They might not sound particularly impressive, but I use them every single day.
For anyone who hasn’t tried them, noise-cancelling headphones have tiny microphones that pick up the sound around you and then produce an opposite sound wave, which cancels most of it out. So when you switch the feature on, the noise of a train or an air-conditioning unit almost disappears.
I use them in three main ways. Firstly, on my commute: I take a tram that’s usually packed and noisy, and with the headphones on I can listen to podcasts in English, which has helped my listening a lot. Secondly, I use them for studying. I often work in cafés or the university library, and even when there’s no music playing, they block out conversations around me so I can concentrate. And thirdly, they’re a lifesaver on long flights, as they make the engine noise far less tiring.
I got them about a year ago as a kind of birthday present to myself. They weren’t cheap, so I saved up for a few months, and I remember hesitating for ages before buying them, wondering if they were worth the money.
They definitely were. What I find most useful is how much they reduce stress. I hadn’t realised how much background noise was tiring me out until it was gone. Now I arrive at university calmer and can focus for longer. The only downside is that I sometimes forget how much I’m blocking out, so I have to remember to take them off when I’m crossing roads!
Useful language:pick up the sound around youcancels most of it outpacked and noisyblock outa lifesaverworth the moneytiring me out
Part 3 sample answers
How has technology changed the way people communicate?
Sample answerShowHide
It has made communication instant and almost free. We can video call someone on the other side of the world or send a message to a whole group in seconds. On the other hand, conversations have become shorter and more fragmented, and some people find it harder to have long face-to-face conversations.
Useful language:instant and almost freefragmented
Do older people find it difficult to use new technology?
Sample answerShowHide
Some do, mainly because devices change so quickly and the design often assumes you already know how things work. But I think the gap is closing. Many older people now use smartphones confidently, especially for video calls with grandchildren. Patient teaching makes a big difference.
Useful language:the gap is closingpatient teaching
Are people too dependent on technology?
Sample answerShowHide
In many ways, yes. Most of us would struggle to find our way without GPS or remember phone numbers without our phones. That isn’t necessarily bad, since technology frees our minds for other things, but it becomes a problem when people can’t switch off, or when a technical failure stops everything.
Useful language:dependent onswitch off
What technology do you think will change our lives most in the future?
Sample answerShowHide
Probably artificial intelligence. It’s already changing how we search for information, write and translate, and it’s likely to affect many jobs, from customer service to medicine. The challenge will be making sure it is used responsibly and that people whose jobs change get the training they need.
Useful language:artificial intelligenceused responsibly
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#
- An unusual choice that the speaker can explain in detail, including how the technology works.
- Clear organisation of uses: Firstly… Secondly… And thirdly…
- Precise vocabulary: pick up the sound, cancels it out, block out, packed, a lifesaver.
- Honest, humorous ending (forgetting to take them off when crossing roads) that sounds natural.
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:
- A laptop or tablet you use for study
- A smartwatch or fitness tracker
- An e-reader
- A kitchen gadget (rice cooker, coffee machine, air fryer)
Mistakes to avoid#
- Choosing a smartphone and only saying “I can do everything with it”. Be specific about two or three uses.
- Spending too long on technical specifications. The examiner wants how and why you use it.
- Forgetting “when you got it”, an easy past-tense point.
Want more? Practise a random card with the 2-minute timer in the cue card generator, or see every Speaking topic with sample answers.