A cue card gives you a topic, a minute and a pencil. Then you talk for two minutes with nobody helping.
Most of what goes wrong in Part 2 goes wrong in that first minute. So this page starts with the method, shows it on three cards, and then gives you seventeen more to practise on.
How a cue card is built
Every card has the same four parts.
Describe a teacher who helped you. You should say:
- who the teacher was
- what subject they taught
- how they helped you
and explain why you still remember them.
- The topic line tells you what to talk about.
- Three points ask for facts. They are quick to answer.
- The last line asks you to explain. It has no short answer, and it is where the longer, more complex language comes from.
Plan to spend about half your talk on that last line. Speaking Part 2 explains why the points are a guide and not a checklist.
The one-minute method
- Choose fast. Take the first real example that comes to mind. Ten seconds, no more.
- Write key words, not sentences. One or two words for each point.
- Write most for the last line. Two or three reasons or feelings.
- Add one detail that only you would know. A name, a place, something that was said. Specific details are what make a talk sound natural.
Sample answer 1: a person
Describe an older person you enjoy talking to. You should say:
- who the person is
- how you know them
- what you usually talk about
and explain why you enjoy their company.
Notes: Mr Tan – neighbour – 70s – retired engineer / balcony plants – tea / old city, trams, his job / listens – no phone – calm – advice re job
I’d like to talk about my neighbour, Mr Tan, who lives in the flat opposite mine. He’s in his seventies now, and he used to be an engineer before he retired about ten years ago.
I got to know him almost by accident. When I first moved into the building, I noticed he had an amazing collection of plants on his balcony, and one day I asked him how he kept them alive, because mine always died. He invited me in for tea, and since then I’ve been going round most weekends.
We talk about all sorts of things, but mostly about how the city has changed. He remembers when there were trams on our street and when the shopping centre was just a field. He also tells me stories from his working life, like the time he had to repair a bridge during a storm, which I never get tired of hearing.
As for why I enjoy his company, I think the main reason is that he really listens. Most people I know are checking their phones while you’re talking, but he gives you his full attention, and he never rushes to give an opinion. Another thing is that he makes me feel calmer. When I was trying to decide whether to change jobs last year, he didn’t tell me what to do. He just asked a few questions, and by the end I’d worked it out myself. I suppose spending time with him reminds me that most problems look smaller if you slow down.
256 words.
What to notice. The first three points take about half the talk. The explain line takes the rest and gives two reasons, each with a small example. Tenses move naturally: present for who he is, past for how they met, used to for his career.
Sample answer 2: a place
Describe a place you go to when you want to be alone. You should say:
- where it is
- how you found it
- what you do there
and explain why it suits you.
Notes: library top floor – uni – window seat / exams – lost – wrong stairs / read, write lists, nothing / quiet not silent – view river – no one knows me – reset
The place I’m going to describe is the top floor of the public library in my city. It’s an old building near the river, and on the fourth floor there’s a row of desks next to some large windows.
I found it completely by chance. A few years ago I was studying for my final exams and the main reading room was full, so I went looking for somewhere else to sit. I took the wrong staircase and ended up on a floor I didn’t know existed. There were only two or three people there, and I remember thinking that I’d discovered a secret.
These days I go there about twice a month. Sometimes I take a book, and sometimes I write lists of things I need to do, which always makes me feel more organised. Quite often, to be honest, I don’t do anything at all. I just look out at the river and the boats.
I think it suits me for a few reasons. First of all, it’s quiet without being silent. You can hear pages turning and people walking around downstairs, so you don’t feel completely cut off. Secondly, nobody there knows me, so nobody is going to interrupt me or ask me for anything. That’s quite rare in my life, because I live with my family and work in an open office. And finally, there’s something about being high up with a view that helps me think more clearly. Whenever I leave, I feel as if my head has been reset, and problems that seemed complicated in the morning are usually a lot simpler.
268 words.
What to notice. A very ordinary place, made specific with small details: the wrong staircase, the boats, pages turning. The explain line is organised with first of all, secondly and finally, used once each.
Sample answer 3: an experience
Describe a journey that did not go as planned. You should say:
- where you were going
- who you were with
- what went wrong
and explain how you dealt with it.
Notes: cousin’s wedding – coast – 5 hrs / brother – his car / engine light – smoke – village – garage closed Sunday / bus – ran – changed in station – laughed – lesson: leave early
I’m going to tell you about a trip I took two years ago, when I was travelling to my cousin’s wedding. It was being held in a small town on the coast, about five hours from where I live.
I was with my older brother, and we’d decided to drive there in his car because it seemed easier than taking the train. We left early on the morning of the wedding, which, looking back, was our first mistake.
About halfway there, a warning light came on, and a few minutes later we could see smoke coming from the engine. We managed to stop in a village, but it was a Sunday, so the only garage was closed. For a while we honestly thought we were going to miss the whole ceremony.
What we did in the end was leave the car outside the garage with a note and ask in a cafe about buses. It turned out there was one bus to the coast, leaving in ten minutes from the other side of the village, so we ran for it, carrying our suits in plastic bags. We had to change our clothes in the bus station toilets when we arrived, and we walked into the wedding just as the music was starting.
I think we dealt with it quite well because we didn’t waste time arguing about whose fault it was. My brother stayed calm and I did the talking. If we had panicked, we would definitely have missed that bus. It also taught me a lesson, which is that for anything important I now travel the day before.
269 words.
What to notice. A story told in order, with the past simple for events and the past continuous and past perfect for background: was being held, we’d decided. The explain line includes a conditional, if we had panicked, we would have missed, which arises naturally from the story.
17 more cue cards to practise
Each follows the same layout. Time yourself: one minute to prepare, two to speak.
A person
Describe someone who taught you a useful skill. You should say: who the person is, what the skill was, how they taught you, and explain why the skill has been useful.
Describe a friend you have known for a long time. You should say: how you met, what you do together, how often you see each other, and explain why the friendship has lasted.
Describe a person in your family you would like to be more like. You should say: who the person is, what they are like, what they do, and explain why you admire them.
A place
Describe a city you would like to visit again. You should say: where it is, when you went, what you did there, and explain why you would go back.
Describe a building you find interesting. You should say: where it is, what it looks like, what it is used for, and explain why it interests you.
Describe a cafe or restaurant you like. You should say: where it is, how often you go, what you usually have, and explain why you like it.
Describe a part of your town or city that has changed. You should say: where it is, what it was like before, what it is like now, and explain how you feel about the change.
An object
Describe something you bought and use every day. You should say: what it is, when you bought it, how you use it, and explain why it is important to you.
Describe a gift you gave that took effort to choose. You should say: who it was for, what it was, how you chose it, and explain how the person reacted.
Describe something you own that you would never sell. You should say: what it is, how you got it, where you keep it, and explain why you would not sell it.
An event or experience
Describe a time you helped a stranger. You should say: who the person was, what help they needed, what you did, and explain how you felt afterwards.
Describe an occasion when you had to wait a long time. You should say: where you were, what you were waiting for, what you did while waiting, and explain how you felt about it.
Describe a time you learned something from a mistake. You should say: what the mistake was, when it happened, what you did about it, and explain what you learned.
Describe a celebration you enjoyed. You should say: what was being celebrated, who was there, what you did, and explain why you enjoyed it.
Something you would like to do
Describe a skill you would like to learn. You should say: what the skill is, why you have not learned it yet, how you would learn it, and explain how it would change your life.
Describe a country you would like to work in for a year. You should say: which country, what work you would do, what you would need to prepare, and explain why you chose it.
Describe a change you would make to your neighbourhood. You should say: what you would change, why it is needed, who would benefit, and explain how life there would be different.
One story, several cards
Look back at the first sample answer. Mr Tan could also answer someone who taught you a useful skill (keeping plants alive), a person you admire, and with a small shift, a time someone gave you good advice.
That is the point of practising by category. You do not need twenty answers. You need about five stories that bend. IELTS Speaking topics shows how to build them and how to adapt one out loud.
Practise it
Record yourself on one card today and listen back with a stopwatch. Most people who believe they spoke for two minutes spoke for a little over one.
You can practise IELTS Speaking with AI band feedback on IELTS Studio, which scores your answer on all four criteria so you can see which one is holding your band down.
Sources
- IELTS Speaking test format Official description of Part 2: a task card, points to include, one aspect to explain, one minute to prepare with pencil and paper, and a talk of up to two minutes.
- IELTS Speaking band descriptors (PDF) The four criteria used to mark the talk, including the Fluency and Coherence wording on speaking at length.
Last reviewed October 5, 2026. See our editorial policy for how guides are checked and corrected.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a cue card in IELTS Speaking?
- It is the task card the examiner gives you in Part 2. It names a topic, lists points you should include and asks you to explain one aspect. You have one minute to prepare and then speak alone for up to two minutes.
- Are these the real IELTS cue cards for this year?
- No. IELTS does not publish its cards, so no website has the real list. These 20 cards were written for practice in the format of the test. Practising the method on any card prepares you better than chasing a predicted list.
- How many cue cards should I practise before the test?
- Enough to have one flexible story in each of the five categories: a person, a place, an object, an event and something you would like to do. Practising each story against three or four different cards is more useful than answering fifty cards once.
- How long should a cue card answer be in words?
- Roughly 230 to 300 words, which fills between one and a half and two minutes at a natural speaking pace. Do not count words in the test. Keep talking until the examiner stops you.
- What should my one-minute cue card notes look like?
- Six to ten key words, not sentences. One or two words for each point on the card, and more for the final explain line, because that is where you have the most to say. Glance at the notes while you speak; do not read from them.
- Can I change the topic of a cue card if I have nothing to say?
- You can adapt it, as long as you stay broadly on the topic and say what you are doing. Speaking has no criterion for task response, so you are marked on your English. If the card asks about a magazine and you never read one, say so and describe a book.