IELTS SPEAKING TEST
PART 2
Evelyn Del Valle O
Prof. of English , Chile University.
M.A. in Teaching English , Saint Louis University, U.S.A
Teacher Trainer , Catholic University Valparaíso.
British Council Trainer.
This is a really important part of the Speaking Test. It’s where many candidates do badly and
lose their confidence and so also go on to struggle in Part 3.
You need to be well prepared because this is the first chance in the test for you to:
•talk over a long period of time without interruptions
•show that you can develop a topic
•show you can speak fluently over longer sentences
The topic card will have 3 or 4 bullet points to guide your talk.
You will be given paper and pencil to make notes.
How to use the 1 minute preparation time
Get your idea quickly
The 1 minute preparation time in Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test will go by very
quickly. Don’t waste time brainstorming lots of possible ideas to talk about!
Just take the first idea you get, that is good enough, and go with that. Spend no more
than 10 – 15 seconds on getting your idea.
Get a structure ready
Then spend the remaining 45 seconds on the structure. You can follow the bullet points,
or you can use a slightly different structure if you want.
Write down your key points briefly
Knowing the key 2 or 3 things you are going to talk about (and writing them down), will
help you focus on your language more when speaking.
Just write 2 or 3 words for each main point.
Have your first sentence ready
Before you begin talking, try and have your first sentence clear and ready, so you can
make a confident start.
Part 2 really is all about confidence!
These tips will help you to sound more fluent as you are able to keep speaking in a
logical way.
Use stalling phrases (What else can I say about that, well, another thing that I can
remember is...)
Refer directly to your task card - read out the prompt, changing the structure as you
read it (and...what did I use it for, well, that's interesting, I actually used it for...)
If the examiner is pausing and waiting for you to keep speaking, acknowledge that you
still have more time left (Oh, I still have more time left! Well, to describe my piano in
more detail, it is quite large and...)
If the examiner asks you if you have anything more to say, always say 'yes' and then
continue speaking.
Avoid fillers (eh..., uh..., em..., er...) as they are meaningless and show that you are
struggling to produce language and ideas.
Use hesitation devices to show that you can use a wider range of cohesive
devices and can think logically (well, let me think, let's see, it was a long time ago
but..., another thing I remember about it was..., that reminds me about another time
that I..).
Make sure you build your vocabulary using mind maps , so you can easily think of the
right words to describe your topic.
Organise your long turn
Show the examiner that you can organise what you want to say, by using linking
devices (and, so, but, or) and discourse markers (unfortunately, actually, however,
for example, consequently, at that time). These devices will make your long turn
easy to listen to, as it is logical and makes sense.
Use your task card as a guide. Remember there are always four things to talk
about, exploring the topic in different ways. You will always be asked question
words to describe what you are going to say. So, start at the beginning by
commenting on the topic and then move on to each bullet point.
Introduce your long turn by paraphrasing the topic:
Today, I'm going to talk about something that I own that is really important to me.
It's my piano, an upright piano which was made in Germany. It's a beautiful colour,
dark mahogany and is still in very good condition.
Start at the first bullet point and then keep going in a logical manner
Even though I said the piano was made in Germany, I actually got it in Ireland. It was
so long ago, I don't really remember the exact place where I bought it. It was probably in a
popular music store in Dublin, where I lived at the time. It was a pretty major purchase as I
had to save up for quite a few years to afford it. When I was younger, I was a music
student at university, so I was keen to continue playing the piano, in order to have a nice
pastime at home.
As I mentioned, I have had it for a long time, possibly 33 years, or maybe more, a lifetime! Even though I migrated from Ireland to Australia, I paid to have it shipped over, it
was definitely worth the expense. The piano has been moved from house to house since
then and always takes pride of place in my home.
What do I use it for? Well, obviously to play music. I'm not as good on the piano as I used
to be, because unfortunately I don't practice enough. As they say, practice makes perfect,
and I am definitely not perfect. I really need to play it more often, but life gets in the way.
It is very important to me because it's something I have had for my entire adult life. I was
very proud that I had saved enough money to buy it, so I really wanted to make sure I kept
it. My children have learned how to play the piano, so it has been well used. Hopefully,
some day, I will teach my grandchildren how to play it as well.
Note the discourse markers used in the example above, showing that the long turn is
organised; talking about a time in the past and how it impacts the present.
Now, Your turn!!
Part 2 tests your ability to talk about a topic, develop your ideas about a topic, and
relevant vocabulary and grammar. The examiner will give you a 'task card' with
written prompts. The examiner will ask you to talk about the topics and include the
points that you can cover in your talk.
TOPIC 1
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.
Describe a museum
•How often do you visit the museum?
•Which type of museum is popular in your country?
•Why do you want to visit the museum?
Follow-up:
•What do you think of the importance of museums in history?
•How do you think of the heritage of a country?
•Compare the museums nowadays and in the past
Topic 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.
Describe your favorite photograph
Where was the photo taken?
Who took the photo?
What can be seen from the photo?
Explain why it is the favorite photograph for you.
Follow-up:
How to take good photo?
When do people use camera?
How can the new technology put cinema’s
skill advanced?
Topic 3
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.
Describe an area of your country you know and like
Where is it?
What are its special features?
What do you and other people do in this area?
Explain why you like it.
Follow-up:
What do you think of the historic place in the future?
Will the government increase or decrease the safety guard?
What are the changes to the local people and economy?
What is the impact on the historic place by tourists?
Topic 4
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.
Describe a party
What is the party?
Why was the party held?
Who attended the party?
What did you do for that party?
Follow-up:
What’s the difference between serious party and friendly party?
Why are some people late for parties intentionally?
Why do some people like party while others hate it?
What would you do if the guests feel bored?
Will there be more and more people to attend parties?
Don’t forget to practice, be aware of the time you spend , give
details, examples, and make a nice conversation about your topic,
something interesting and easy to follow.