Log in Sign up
IELTS / Guides / Speaking · Part 2: long turn
IELTS Speaking · Guide

IELTS Speaking Part 2: how to use one minute of preparation and speak for two

In Part 2 you receive a card with a topic and some points to cover, prepare for one minute and then speak on your own for up to two minutes. It tests whether you can talk at length without help, organise your ideas and keep going. It also shows more of your range than Part 1, because the language is less predictable.

About Speaking practice

Format

  • The middle stage of the test, about 3 to 4 minutes including your preparation, your talk and one or two short follow-up questions.
  • The card has a topic line ('Describe a...'), usually three bullet points and a final line beginning 'and explain...'. You are given paper and a pencil.
  • You have exactly one minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes. The examiner stops you at two minutes, and being stopped is a good sign.
  • Marked on the same four equally weighted criteria as the rest of the test. You are not penalised for covering the bullet points unevenly, but staying on the topic matters.
  • After your talk the examiner may ask one or two brief rounding-off questions, which you answer in a sentence or two.

Strategy

  1. Choose your subject in about ten seconds. Take the first workable idea; a place you know well beats a more impressive one you would have to invent.
  2. Write key words, not sentences, beside each bullet point, and add one specific detail to each: a name, a number, a colour, a sound. Details are what fill two minutes.
  3. Put most of your notes next to the 'explain' line, because that is where your best language will come from. Decide your first sentence so that you start without hesitation.
  4. Open by introducing the topic and shaping the talk: 'I'd like to talk about the old library in my hometown, where I spent a lot of time as a teenager.'
  5. Follow the card in order, signposting each point: 'As for where it is...', 'What I remember most is...'. Spend roughly 20 to 30 seconds on each bullet.
  6. Choose tenses to suit the content: past for an event, present for a person or place you know now, and a mix when you move from description to feeling.
  7. If you run out of ideas, add a detail you skipped, give a short example or say how you felt: 'I forgot to mention that...' Keep talking until the examiner stops you.
  8. Glance at your notes and then look up. Reading from them sounds flat, and you will lose your place.

Common traps

  • Writing full sentences during the preparation minute. You will manage two and have no plan for the rest.
  • Stopping after about a minute. The examiner will wait or ask something to fill the time, but a short talk lowers your Fluency and Coherence mark.
  • Spending too long on the first bullet point and never reaching the 'explain' line.
  • Speaking about the topic in general ('Cities are important for people') instead of describing your particular person, place or event.
  • Memorising a talk and fitting it to the card. It rarely suits the question and sounds different from your normal speech.
  • Stopping to ask the examiner whether you should continue. Keep talking until you are told to stop.

Practise it inside a real Speaking section

Practice on PrepFreely is always a complete section, so you meet this question type in the same place and proportion as on test day. Random sections never repeat until you've done them all. Every answer is explained.

Practise Speaking Take the Speaking course

FAQ

How long must I speak?

Up to two minutes. Aim to use most of it, because the examiner will stop you at two minutes and that is normal.

Do I have to cover all the bullet points?

You are not penalised for uneven coverage, but the bullets are the easiest way to stay on the topic and fill the time, and the last line, 'and explain', is where you can show your best language.

Can I choose a different topic from the one on the card?

No. You must talk about the topic on the card, but you choose which person, place or event to describe, and it does not have to be real.

Can I make notes?

Yes. You are given paper and a pencil, and you can look at your notes while you speak.

What if I cannot think of anything for the topic?

Use the first idea that comes to mind. A simple subject described in detail is better than an impressive one you cannot develop.

More IELTS Speaking guides

IELTS is a registered trademark of the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. PrepFreely is not affiliated with, approved or endorsed by them.