IELTS Speaking Part 2: Cue Card / Long Turn | Complete Guide

Speaking Part 2 at a Glance

The Cue Card is the part most students fear. It is also the part that gives you the most control. You get 60 seconds of silence to plan, paper to write on, and then a clear stage to speak without interruption.

This is your chance to show range: tenses, vocabulary, opinions, and storytelling - all in one short monologue.

What Is IELTS Speaking Part 2?

After Part 1 ends, the examiner hands you a small card. The card has:

• A topic (for example: “Describe a present you gave to someone”)
• 3 to 4 bullet points telling you what to include
• A final instruction like “…and explain why this was special”

Then you get 1 minute to prepare. The examiner gives you a sheet of paper and a pencil. Use them.

After exactly 60 seconds, the examiner says: “All right, remember you have 1 to 2 minutes for this, so don’t worry if I stop you. Please start speaking now.”

You then talk for 1-2 minutes. Aim for the full 2 minutes. The examiner will not interrupt. When you finish (or hit 2 minutes), they ask 1-2 short follow-up questions like “Do you think you’ll do this again?” or “Was this something you usually do?”

What Examiners Are Really Listening For

The same four criteria as Part 1, but with sharper focus on a few things:

Marvel’s Tips for Speaking Part 2

These come straight from the Marvel IELTS Companion. They are the difference between band 6 and band 7.

To get a high score in IELTS, you need to:

• Structure your answer coherently (mostly follow the points on the cue card)
• Remember to link your speaking (e.g. “As I was saying”)
• Use simple but effective spoken phrases (e.g. “some time ago now”)
• Include interesting detail
• Speak at a natural pace using natural spoken English

Don’t forget to give reasons too. You can always exploit the vocabulary in the questions. For example, you might be asked about a time when you won a game, and then you can use the vocabulary to talk about how you played and won a match.

The 1-Minute Prep: How to Use It

This minute is gold. Most candidates waste it staring at the card.

A 4-Step Prep Plan

Sample Notes for “Describe a present you gave to someone”

- Who: my friend XXX, from Haryana
- What: a painting of Sukhna Lake, 10x14, gold frame
- Why: we used to punt together every week
- Special: signed by local artist
- Feeling: brings back great memories

That is 35 words. You will speak 250+ words from those keywords.

How to Structure Your 2-Minute Talk

Use this 4-part skeleton. It works for almost every cue card.

Opening Phrases to Use

Borrow these directly from the Marvel Companion model answers:

• “I’m going to talk about a [topic] that I [verb]…”
• “Today I am going to talk about [topic] I particularly enjoy…”
• “Ok, I’d like to tell you about [topic]…”
• “I’m going to describe a [place] that I’ve enjoyed visiting many times…”
• “Thank you very much for giving me the chance to talk about my favourite [topic]…”

Marvel’s “What to Include When…” Cheat Sheet

The Marvel Companion gives a structured list of what to include for each cue card type. Use these as backup bullets if the card runs short.

Describing things: What is it? What do you do with it? How long have you had it? How important is it to you?

Well-known person: Who he/she is? What makes him/her famous? Why you admire him/her?

A friend: Who he/she is? When did you become friends? Why is he/she important to you? How does he/she influence you?

A colleague/co-worker: Who is he/she? When did you work together? What do you often do together? Why do you like to work with him/her? What can you learn from him/her?

A restaurant or café: Where is it? What does it look like? What kind of services are provided? What kind of food is famous? Why you like it?

A building: Where is it located? What does it look like? What services are provided? How do you like it?

A book: What kind of books do you like most? What is it about? Why do you like it the most? What effect have books brought on you?

Music: Whether you like music? What kind of music do you like best? What role does music play in people’s lives?

Festival: What is it? When is it celebrated? How to celebrate? What you usually do on that day? What you like and don’t like?

Trip/holiday: Where would you go? When would you go? Whom would you go with? What are you going to do?

Hobby: What is it? How long do you spend on it? How often do you do it? Why do you like it?

Environmental problem: What is it? How long has it existed? What effect has it brought to people’s lives? What can we do to solve it?

Extreme weather: What is it? When did it happen? Where were you? How did you feel at that time?

Band 9 Model Cue Card Answers (Verbatim from Marvel)

These are full-length model answers pulled directly from the Marvel IELTS Companion. Study the structure: intro, body, supporting details, close.

Cue Card #1: Present / Gift Given to Someone

“I’m going to talk about a present that I gave to someone. The person that I gave it to was a very good friend of mine at the time. His name was XXX, and he came from Haryana. I knew him because we studied together at a language school in Zirakpur. Although we were from different backgrounds and cultures, we got on really well, and we had the same sense of humour, so we became very good friends.

The present was a picture that had been painted of the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh. It was not so big - maybe around 10 inches by 14 inches, but it was very beautiful. It came in a gold plated frame, and the picture had been drawn by a particularly well-known local artist. It had been signed by this person as well.

It’s the first time I have given this person a present, and I guess it’s quite different from presents that I have given to other people before. I don’t recall ever giving someone a picture actually. If I’m buying for the family, then I’ll usually buy clothes or maybe some jewellery if it is a special occasion.

The reason why I decided to give this particular gift is that we had spent a lot of time together in Chandigarh and we had had some really fun times punting on Sukhna Lake. We used to go punting at least once a week, sometimes a couple of times. On one occasion there was a group of about ten of us that went down there, and we spent the whole day sitting by the river in the sun.

So my friend, XXXX, is the person that I gave a present to and this was because I felt it would always remind him of the fun times that we had and also of Chandigarh.”

Cue Card #2: Place You Enjoy Visiting

“A place that I enjoy visiting is Chandigarh. It’s the capital of Punjab and Haryana, with a population of nearly 10 million. It lies in the north of the country, in the centre of the region.

There are lots to do in Chandigarh. It has several universities, so first and foremost it’s a fantastic place to be a student. It’s buzzing, with a good nightlife, good restaurants, and a lively cultural life. In fact, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a cultural and economic centre of North India.

If you climb up to the hill overlooking the town, you have an amazing view of the city. What strikes me most when I go up there is all the similar symmetrical buildings, and then right in the middle of it all, a remarkable piece of art and engineering, the Rock Garden and Lake. It is one of the most loved attractions in Chandigarh.

The last time I went to Chandigarh, they were having a heritage festival. People were enjoying there, tasting all kinds of foods from stalls on the street, very informally and chatting with friends while they ate. It was wonderful.

How has it changed since I first visited it? Well, I would say it has undoubtedly become trendier. Another example is ‘Elante Mall’, the most happening place in the town after City Center. I would say the local inhabitants have become more overtly proud of their city too. The local people are invariably friendly and helpful.”

Cue Card #3: Old Person You Know

“Ok, I’d like to tell you about an old person that I know. His name is John, and he is the owner of a small convenience store at the end of my street.

I would say that my relationship with him is as a friend. I know him because I regularly go to the shop in order to buy things when I don’t have time to go to a supermarket. He’s quite friendly, and I always have a chat with him. I’ve known him now for about five years - since I’ve lived in the area in fact. That’s why I’d now call him a friend.

I’d say that I see him fairly regularly. As I said, I go to the big supermarket out of town sometimes to stock up, but you always need odd things during the week such as milk, or some snack or another. So when this happens, I just have a walk down to his shop. So I’d say I see him every one or two days.

The reason that I like him is that he’s great to have a chat with. For instance, a while back, I was having problems with my work, and I was really feeling stressed. I didn’t really have anyone to talk to at the time as my family is abroad and a couple of my good friends were not around. I mentioned it to John, and he was great. He listened and also gave me some really good advice. He didn’t need to do that, so it was great that he made the time to anyway. Generally, though, he’s really welcoming when you go to his shop. He’ll always have a smile on his face.”

Cue Card #4: Childhood Event

“I’m going to talk about a happy childhood event that I remember, and that event was my 13th birthday. It was ten years ago now because I’m 23. My birthday is on the 7th of May.

What happened was my parents surprised me on my birthday by telling me that they were going to take me to a theme park that is a few hours from our house. I’d never been before. It had only been open a few months, and they knew that I really wanted to go. As I recall, it was a Saturday that we went.

My whole family was involved in the event. I have a brother and a sister so of course, they came as well as my Mum and Dad, and not only that, we also picked up my grandparents on the way so they could join us. They were too old to go on the rides, but it was still a great trip out for them!

The theme park was really amazing. There was a huge roller coaster which I remember was really scary but still excellent fun. One particular thing I remember is the ghost train. My younger sister was not allowed to go on the ride because she was too young and she was really upset and jealous of my brother and me! It was really realistic - there were real people in there who were actually dressed up as ghosts, and they jumped out just when you weren’t expecting it.

The reason that I remember it so well is that I had been so desperate to go to the theme park and I’d been talking to my friends at school for ages about how I wanted to go. Also, I remember it so well because all of our family was together. So for these reasons, it was a really special occasion that I’ll never forget.”

Cue Card #5: Environmental Problem

“Ok, I’m going to talk about a problem with the environment in my country. One of the most serious problems at the moment is flooding. This is starting to happen every year, and each year it seems to get worse.

I think it may be caused by a number of factors. Firstly there has been a lot of deforestation in the north of the country, a lot of it from illegal logging. Because of this, when it rains, the water has nothing to soak it up, so it just runs down the mountains and into the villages and towns. Another factor may be global warming. Scientists believe that this is causing more severe weather so this may account for the increasing amount of rain that we seem to be seeing.

Unfortunately, there have been really serious effects on my country. The excess water runs into the villages and the towns through the rivers, and the rivers then overflow, causing massive flooding. This affects thousands of people who then become homeless. Several hundred usually die each year as well.

The government is trying to tackle the problem, but it is not easy. They are trying to stop so much deforestation, but a lot of the damage has already been done. They are also starting to build defences such as walls along some of the major rivers. Another thing they are doing is trying to improve their response systems.

I think this problem is a top priority to solve because it has such devastating impacts. So, that is a serious problem in my country, and I only hope that it does not continue to get worse.”

Cue Card #7: Street Market

“I’m going to describe a street market that I’ve enjoyed visiting many times in Chandigarh. It’s Sector 22, and it comes to the city for about a month from the end of November every year. The market stalls are spread across several sites in the city centre, but the centrepiece is the large local market in Sector 17 next to the Bus Stand.

The street market stalls sell an array of gifts and mouth-watering food and drink from all over India. It’s a great place to find handmade crafts such as jewellery, ornaments, wooden toys and other souvenirs, but it’s the food and drink that seem to be most popular. Probably the biggest seller is the ‘Sindhi Sweets’.

The market was originally quite small, occupying just one of the central squares in Sector 22, but it’s grown quickly in recent years, spilling over into maybe five other pedestrian streets and a few other squares. Apparently, there are over 200 stalls now, so it’s become a really big event attracting thousands of visitors.

The main reason I’ve always enjoyed visiting Sector 22 Market is the fantastic atmosphere. When I went there last December, it didn’t matter how cold or wet the weather was, Chandigarh seemed to come alive when the market opened; the streets were bustling with people, and there was a real festive feel to the city.”

Cue Card #8: Person You Admire (Mother)

“I’ve got a small family with only five members, and all of us are very close to each other, and we love each other very much. Among them, I love my mother more than anyone else in the whole world. I adore my mother for her caring, loving, adorable behaviours, and wit. She is the person I can share everything with, and that’s the reason I worship her so much.

Possibly she was the first human I saw when I opened my eyes in this world. A relationship with a mother is divine, and all of my childhood memories are either related to my mom or my school. I can still remember a day I was late to come back home after school, and that’s because there was a ceremony at the school I did not know about. All of a sudden I found that my mother was entering through the school-gate to find me.

I was so frightened that my mother would rebuke me for being late, and she must be mad at me. But to my best surprise, when my mother saw me, she had a warm smile on her face that I’ll never forget till my last breath on this earth. Then she hugged me and gave me a kiss.

I spent my 19 years or so with my father and mother, but I stay in a metropolitan city now for my education. Whenever I get the vacation, I meet my mother at my village home. On average, I spend 2-3 months with my mother each year, but I talk to her over the phone almost twice a day.

The reasons why I admire her are endless. She is caring, tender, she has got a big heart, and she possesses a love for everyone. She had been an ideal mother to raise three kids and making sure of our education and moral values. She is the person who reminds me of the power of love and caring.”

Cue Card #26: Favourite Hobby (Running)

“Today I am going to talk about a hobby I particularly enjoy. I will tell you what the hobby is, how long I have been doing it, who I do it with and why it is important to me.

My hobby is running. I know I do not really look like a runner, and it is true I am not very fast, but this is still the activity that I like to do in my spare time. I have not been running for very long. I started running just 18 months ago, as I decided I needed to get fit, and I thought it would be a cheap way to exercise. I did not expect to enjoy myself.

Near to where I live there is a park. It is very beautiful with trees and streams. Each Saturday a large group of about 500 people meet at 9:00 am in the morning and go for a 5 km run together. This event is called Parkrun, and it happens in over 300 different places each week. I was nervous when I first went but found the group was friendly and encouraging. Now I go every week, and I even have trained for some longer races - 10 km and my longest was 20 km!

However, the best surprise was that when I went to my local Parkrun, I met someone I had not seen for over 30 years. We had been at school together but did not keep in touch. We had both moved to the new city and did not realise we lived so close to each other. Now I run with this friend every week, and we go for breakfast each Saturday after our run.

Running is important to me because it keeps me fit, has helped me make new friends, and it has shown me that I am not too old to try new things.”

Cue Card #30: Situation of Being Late

“The city I live in has a severe problem of traffic jams, and due to that we often get late. One such event when I was late for an important exam was a frustrating experience for me.

It was two years ago when I was a student at the university. I had an exam at 8:30 am, which I thought would be at 9:30 am. I made this mistake because I noted the time wrong in my notebook. I prepared for the exam well and left home at 8:15 am as my usual journey to my university takes around 40 minutes.

I already had a wrong idea about the exam timing, and on top of it, I found that it was raining outside and there was very little transportation available on the road. I had to stand at the bus stop for more than 30 minutes before I actually got into a bus. To my surprise, the traffic on the road was very bad.

I reached the exam hall at 10:15 am, and I was shocked to learn that the exam would end only in 15 minutes. I was so worried and anxious that I could not think clearly what to do. I felt helpless at that time and asked the teacher what I could do now. He asked me to come after the exam ends.

After I reached the class exam coordinator’s room, he took me to our advising tutor and asked me to give a good reason why I was late for the exam. I told everything that had happened, and the coordinator arranged an exam in his room. As a penalty, he deducted 20 minutes from the exam time. As my preparation was good, I was able to answer all the questions in due time. Thus the situation was handled, and I was not in big trouble for the lateness I made unintentionally.”

Common Cue Card Topics (from the Marvel Companion)

The Marvel Companion lists 30+ standard cue cards. Here are the most common categories:

Tense Range: Show Off Your Grammar

Most cue cards are about a past event, person, or place. But the rounding-off question often pushes you into present or future tense. Plan to mix all three.

Practice this skeleton: “It was X years ago… I have been there many times since… I will probably go again next year.” That one sentence shows past, present perfect, and future in 15 words.

Common Mistakes in Part 2

IELTS vs LangCert Academic vs PTE Academic

How to Practice Part 2 Properly

What Good Practice Looks Like

A 6-Week Cue Card Plan

Exam Day: Mindset & Recovery Tips

During the 1-Minute Prep

• Do not panic if the topic feels unfamiliar. Adapt it.
• Write keywords, not sentences.
• Plan your opening sentence in your head.
• Take one deep breath before the examiner says “Please start speaking now.”

If Something Goes Wrong

Marvel’s Special Tips for Speaking about Restaurants / Hobbies / Pets

The Marvel Companion adds topic-specific tips. Two of the most useful:

Restaurants/Hotels: You should talk about a restaurant that you know about. Do not pick a renowned restaurant that you know very little. You are free to describe the interior design, service, external environment, dishes served at the restaurant the way you like. It does not have to be an exact match with the restaurant you actually go to a lot. You should add some of your memorable events of this restaurant.

Hobbies: Be prepared to talk about your hobbies and how often you do them. Search online or in language books for texts describing your pastimes. Note down and learn any useful words, phrases or collocations, and then practice talking about your hobbies with a friend.

Practice IELTS Speaking Part 2 with CD IELTS

The Marvel Edu CD IELTS practice software gives you:

• Realistic examiner-style prompts on the actual CD interface
• 1-minute Cue Card prep timer with paper-and-pencil simulation
• AI pronunciation, fluency, and lexical resource scoring
• Replay + self-review
• Band-9 model answers from the Marvel IELTS Companion

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