IELTS Speaking Part 2: Idea Generation

You’re given a topic in the speaking section and expected to talk about it for two whole minutes?

Let’s talk about the “5W1H” method. The “5W1H” stands for Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.

By thinking about these questions, you can generate plenty of content to keep you talking.

Here’s how it works:

When you get your topic card, quickly write down these six words: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How. Then, for each word, think of a question or idea related to your topic. This gives you a ready-made structure for your talk!

Let me show you how this works with an example.

Imagine you get this topic:

“Describe a skill you would like to learn. You should say:

• What the skill is
• How you would learn it
• Why you want to learn it
• and explain how useful this skill would be to you.”

Using the 5W1H method, you might come up with these ideas:

Who: Who could teach me this skill? Who else might be interested in learning it?

What: What exactly is this skill? What equipment or tools would I need?

Where: Where could I learn this skill? Where is it commonly used?

When: When would I find time to learn this? When would I use this skill?

Why: Why is this skill important to me? Why don’t more people have this skill?

How: How long would it take to learn? How would I practice?

See how quickly you can generate ideas?

Even if you only use a few of these points, you’ll have plenty to talk about for two minutes.

Example Task

“The skill I’d like to learn is photography. I’ve always been fascinated by beautiful photos (What) and I think it would be amazing to capture memories and moments like that myself (Why). I’d probably start by taking an online course (How) because it’s flexible and I could fit it around my schedule (When). I might also join a local photography club (Where) to meet other beginners and maybe find a mentor (Who). I think this skill would be really useful for me, not just for personal enjoyment, but also for my social media presence and maybe even for future job opportunities (Why).”

And you can keep going from there! The beauty of this method is that it works for any topic. Whether you’re talking about a person, a place, an object, or an experience, the 5W1H questions can help you explore the topic from different angles.

To practice this technique, you might try picking random objects around your room and using the 5W1H method to talk about them for two minutes.

Remember, the goal in Speaking Part 2 isn’t to give a perfect, rehearsed speech.

It’s to show that you can talk about a topic in a clear, organized way.

The 5W1H method helps you do just that.

So, what do you think about this approach? Have you tried something similar before? Or do you have your own way of generating ideas for Speaking Part 2? Learn how to expand your answers in other example and story structure.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

Drop a comment below.