IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 Tips

IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 Tips

Don’t stress about IELTS: master it! Follow these IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 tips to feel confident about your IELTS Speaking Test.

IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 Tips

Overview of the IELTS Speaking Part 2 Format

Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking Test works in the following way:

  • You are given a card, which has your prompt.
  • The prompt requires you to talk about a specific topic (for example, “Birthdays”).
  • You will be asked to talk about four things relating to the topic.
    • For example, you must talk about your last birthday, including:
      • what you did to celebrate
      • who you celebrated with
      • a gift you received
      • say why you remember this particular gift.
  • You have one minute to prepare an answer.
  • You should then speak for one or two minutes.

In this section of the test, you are expected to give reasons and examples for your answer.

The topics for Part 2 can range from themes of travel, family, culture, media, science, technology, education. . . the list goes on!

IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 Tips

Practice

Practice, practice, practice to feel comfortable with this exam. Here are some sample questions for Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking Exam.

IELTS Speaking Prompt 1:

Describe a wonderful restaurant in your city.

You should say:

  • where it is
  • what the decor is like
  • your favorite dish

and explain what makes this restaurant so special.

IELTS Speaking Prompt 2:

Describe an influential member of your family.

You should say:

  • how you are related to this person
  • what their personality is like
  • what makes this person so special

and explain why you admire this person.

IELTS Speaking Prompt 3:

Describe a movie you really like.

You should say:

  • what the plot is
  • who the main characters are
  • your favorite scene in the movie

and explain why you recommend this movie.

IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 Tips

Tips for Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking Exam:

1. You are expected to answer all parts of the prompt. Make sure that you do so!

2. Use your one minute of preparation time wisely: take notes!

3. Remember that you must give reasons and examples.

4. When giving reasons and examples, take the opportunity to use linking words and phrases, like “for example,” “in addition,” “one of the reasons,” etc.

5. Try to use idioms, phrasal verbs, and more complicated sentence structures when you can. Check out some of our posts on idioms, phrasal verbs, and the tenses in the English language for some practice!

 

CISL San Diego provides IELTS preparation courses in classes of no more than 8 students. This allows students to receive the one-on-attention they need to succeed with IELTS.

For more information on the IELTS exam, check out our post on how to make a thesis with predictors, our tips for the IELTS Writing Module, and our lesson on how to answer a question in the Speaking Exam when you do not understand the question’s vocabulary.