# IELTS Speaking Part 2 Cue Card: Long Turn Guide | topin IELTS guidesSpeaking Part 2 (cue card) Time 3 to 4 minutes in total, including preparation and any follow-up question Preparation 1 minute, with pencil and paper for notes Talk 1 to 2 minutes; the examiner stops you when the time is up Card A topic, usually three or four prompts, and a final 'explain' prompt Notes Your notes are not marked ## How it works The examiner hands you a cue card that begins with 'Describe…' followed by prompts such as what, when, who and why. After one minute of preparation you talk on your own for up to two minutes. The examiner may then ask one or two short questions to round off before moving to Part 3. ## Worked example Describe a skill you learned as an adult. You should say: what the skill is how you learned it how long it took you to learn and explain why you decided to learn it. Show the answer I'd like to talk about learning to swim properly, which I only did a couple of years ago, in my late twenties. As a child I could just about stay afloat, but I'd never learned a real stroke, and I was honestly a bit embarrassed about it. I signed up for a course of adult lessons at the leisure centre near my office. There were six of us in the group, all complete beginners at front crawl, and the instructor was brilliant at making us feel less self-conscious. We started with breathing, which sounds simple but was the hardest part for me, because I kept lifting my whole head out of the water. It took me about three months of weekly lessons, plus a lot of practice on my own on Sunday mornings, before I could swim twenty lengths without stopping. I still remember the first time I did it, because I was so tired I could barely climb out of the pool. As for why I decided to learn, the main reason was a holiday. Friends had invited me to a lake, and I realised I'd be sitting on the shore while everyone else swam. But I think there was a deeper reason too: I wanted to prove to myself that it's not too late to become good at something you missed as a child. The answer follows the four prompts in order, so it never runs out of direction. Specific details, such as the breathing problem and the twenty lengths, fill the time naturally, and the final prompt is developed with two reasons. Said at a steady pace, a talk of this length fills about two minutes. ## A method for Speaking Part 2 (cue card) 1. 1 ### Choose quickly Pick the first real example you can talk about in detail. A true story is easier to extend than an invented one, and time spent choosing is time lost for notes. 2. 2 ### Write keywords, not sentences Note three or four words for each prompt. Full sentences take too long to write and tempt you to read aloud. 3. 3 ### Use the prompts as your structure Talk through the prompts in order, giving each around 20 to 30 seconds. Save the 'explain' prompt for last and give it the most development. 4. 4 ### Add a story or a detail when you slow down If you feel yourself running out, describe a specific moment, a feeling or a comparison with the past. Concrete detail is the easiest way to keep talking. 5. 5 ### Keep going until you are stopped Do not finish early with 'that's all'. The examiner will stop you at two minutes, and being stopped is not a problem. ## Traps to avoid * Stopping well short of two minutes, which limits the evidence of fluency. * Spending the preparation minute writing full sentences and then reading them out. * Giving a long general introduction and never reaching the final 'explain' prompt. * Switching to a memorised talk that does not fit the topic on the card. ## Speaking Part 2 (cue card) FAQs What happens if I stop talking before two minutes in IELTS Part 2? The examiner may prompt you to continue. Stopping early is not penalised in itself, but it gives less evidence of fluency, so aim to keep talking until you are stopped. Can I choose a different topic in Part 2? No. You must talk about the topic on the card you are given, but you can choose which example to talk about within it. Are my Part 2 notes marked? No. The notes are only for you and are not assessed. Do I have to cover every prompt on the cue card? The prompts are there to help you, and following them keeps your talk organised. Covering them all is the safest way to fill the time and stay on topic. ## Try Speaking Part 2 (cue card) under real timing Your first full-length IELTS mock is free, with every section included. [Take the free mock ](/ielts/login)