IELTS Speaking Part 2: Cue Card Topics, Sample Answers and Tips (2026)

In IELTS Speaking Part 2 you talk on your own for up to two minutes about a topic on a card. For many candidates it’s the most stressful part of the test: there’s no conversation to lean on, and two minutes feels very long when you run out of ideas after forty seconds.

The good news is that Part 2 is the most predictable part of the test. The cue cards follow a small number of patterns, and a simple plan works for all of them. This guide explains the format, shows you how to use your one minute of preparation, and lists every cue card on Worddemy with a Band 8 sample answer.

How Part 2 works#

The examiner gives you the card, paper and pencil, and says when your minute starts. After one minute they ask you to begin, and they’ll stop you at two minutes. Aim to keep talking until they stop you. Finishing at 1:10 doesn’t fail you, but it gives the examiner less evidence of your fluency and vocabulary.

Part 2 leads straight into Part 3, where the examiner asks broader questions linked to your cue card topic.

What a cue card looks like#

Describe a person you admire.

You should say:

• who this person is
• how you know this person
• what this person has done

and explain why you admire this person.

The bullet points are suggestions, not rules: you won’t lose marks for skipping one. But they are a ready-made structure, so use them. The last line (“and explain why…”) is the most important one: it’s where you can show opinion, reasons and more advanced language.

How to use your 1 minute of preparation#

Don’t write sentences. You only have time for key words: one or two per bullet point, plus a vivid detail or two.

Example notes for the card above:

• who: aunt Leila, nurse, 50s
• how I know her: mum’s sister, lived with us when I was 15
• what she did: night shifts + degree at 40 → now runs a ward
• why: calm under pressure, never complains, “never too late”

Those 25 words are enough for two minutes. Notice the specific details: a name, an age, a number. Details are what make a talk sound natural rather than memorised, and they’re much easier to talk about than general ideas.

Tip: Spend the first 10 seconds choosing what to talk about, and go with the first real person, place or event that comes to mind. A true story you know well beats a “better” topic you have to invent.

A simple structure for a 2-minute talk#

1. Opening (10 seconds). One sentence saying what you’ll talk about. “I’d like to talk about my aunt Leila, who I’ve admired since I was a teenager.”
2. The bullet points (60–80 seconds). Go through them in order, adding a detail or a short story to each.
3. The “explain” point (30–40 seconds). Give two reasons, with an example for at least one of them.
4. Closing (5–10 seconds). Link back to you. “So that’s why, whenever things get difficult, I think about how she’d handle it.”

If you run out of ideas before two minutes, use one of these to keep going:

• A short story: “I remember one time when…” (see our personal anecdote strategy and story structure tip)
• The five senses: what you saw, heard, smelled… (our five senses technique)
• Past, present, future: how it was then, how it is now, how it might be (our time travel tactic)
• A comparison: “Compared to most people I know…”

The 5 types of cue card#

Almost every Part 2 card belongs to one of these groups. Prepare one or two stories for each and you’ll be ready for most cards.

Many stories can be reused: one good trip story can answer “a beautiful place”, “a trip that didn’t go as planned” and “a time you were surprised”.

Every cue card with a sample answer#

Each page has a cue card, one-minute notes, a Band 8 sample answer, useful vocabulary, a built-in recorder with a 1-minute timer and the Part 3 questions that usually follow.

Common mistakes in Part 2#

Common mistakes: these are the habits that keep Part 2 scores at Band 6.

1. Stopping after one minute. Use the extra techniques above to fill the time.
2. Writing full sentences in the preparation minute. You’ll run out of time and end up reading.
3. Reciting a memorised answer. Examiners notice when a talk doesn’t quite match the card, and it affects your Fluency and Coherence score.
4. Listing instead of telling. “He is kind. He is clever. He is funny.” A short story showing one of those qualities is worth more than five adjectives.
5. Only using the present tense. Most cards invite past tenses (when I was…, I’d never…before) and a future or conditional at the end. Use them.

How to practise Part 2#

• Choose a cue card above, set the 1-minute preparation timer on the page, make notes, then record a 2-minute answer.
• Listen back and check: did you keep going until 2:00? Did you answer the “explain” point properly?
• Then read the sample answer and borrow two or three phrases for your next attempt.
• Do the Part 3 questions on the same page: in the real test they follow straight after your talk.

New to the Speaking test? Start with our Part 1 guide, or see all IELTS Speaking topics.

Frequently asked questions#

How long should I speak in IELTS Speaking Part 2?#

You can speak for up to two minutes, and the examiner will stop you at that point. Aim to keep talking until you are stopped. One minute is the minimum to aim for, but shorter talks give the examiner less evidence of your English.

Do I have to cover every bullet point on the cue card?#

No. The bullet points are there to help you, and you won’t lose marks for missing one. Most candidates find it easiest to use them as a structure and cover them in order.

Can I make notes in Part 2?#

Yes. You get one minute, a pencil and paper to make notes before you speak. Write key words, not sentences. The examiner collects the paper at the end, but your notes are not marked.

What happens if I don’t know anything about the topic?#

Talk about something close to it, or invent a reasonable answer. The examiner assesses your English, not your knowledge. For example, if you’ve never been to a festival, you can describe a family celebration or a festival you’d like to go to.

Are Part 2 cue card topics repeated?#

The exact cards change, but the types repeat: describe a person, a place, an object, an event or an activity. If you prepare a few flexible stories for each type, you can adapt them to most cards.