IELTS Speaking Part 2: The Cue Card Long Turn

Quick answer

Part 2 is the long turn: the examiner gives you a cue card with a topic and three or four bullet points, you get one minute to make notes, then you speak alone for one to two minutes. Cover every bullet, spend most of your time on the final "and explain…" line, and keep talking until the examiner stops you — stopping early at 45 seconds is the most common way candidates lose marks here.

Part 2 is the only stretch of the test where you speak without interruption, and it is where fluency and coherence are most visible. The card always names a topic ("Describe a book that influenced you"), lists three or four prompts under "You should say", and ends with an "and explain…" line. The prompts are a suggested structure, not a checklist you must recite: examiners are listening for a connected talk, not four disconnected sentences.

1 minute preparation, 1–2 minutes speaking · Updated September 2026

What does IELTS Speaking Part 2 test?

Part 2 tests sustained, organised monologue: whether you can plan quickly, structure two minutes of speech, signal your organisation with discourse markers, and keep going without prompting. It samples narrative tenses, descriptive vocabulary and the ability to develop an idea rather than list facts — which is why the "and explain" line, not the bullets, carries most of the marks.

What is the examiner listening for in Part 2?

A talk that runs the full two minutes without long silences or a premature ending.
Coherent organisation: an opening line, the bullets in a sensible order, a closing thought.
Descriptive and evaluative language, not just a list of facts about the topic.
Narrative control — consistent tenses when you tell the story behind the card.

How should you answer Part 2 questions?

1Use the full preparation minute: note keywords, not sentences, and jot one idea per bullet.
2Decide your specific example before you start — a real person, place or day, never a general category.
3Open by naming what you are going to describe, so the examiner hears immediately that you answered the card.
4Move through the bullets with clear signposts ("The reason I chose this…", "As for when it happened…").
5Save at least 30 seconds for the "and explain" line — develop it with a reason and a consequence.
6If you finish early, add a comparison ("Compared with…") or a future thought rather than falling silent.

What mistakes lose marks in Part 2?

Stopping at 45–60 seconds. The examiner will not rescue you; the silence is graded.
Reading your notes aloud, which flattens intonation and sounds memorised.
Describing a general category ("books in general") instead of one specific instance.
Rushing through the bullets in 30 seconds and then having nothing left to say.
Forcing a memorised topic onto the card — examiners hear it instantly and the answer stops addressing the question.

How long does IELTS Speaking Part 2 last?

One minute of preparation, then one to two minutes of speaking. Aim to still be talking at the two-minute mark so the examiner stops you — that is the target, not a failure. Roughly: 15 seconds introducing your choice, 60 seconds on the bullets, 30–45 seconds on the explanation.

Practise Part 2 cue cards

39 free cue cards with examiner audio, a one-minute prep timer and an original Band 8–9 model answer. See the newest cards.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: common questions

How long should you speak in IELTS Speaking Part 2?

Between one and two minutes, and you should aim for the full two so the examiner stops you. Under a minute of speech gives too small a sample to score well.

What happens if you cannot think of a real example?

Invent one. The examiner is grading your English, not checking the facts — a well-told invented example scores exactly the same as a true one.

Do you have to cover every bullet point on the cue card?

The bullets are a suggested structure and covering them keeps you talking, but the final "and explain…" line matters most — it is where developed, band-raising language appears.

Practise the other parts

Speaking Part 1 Speaking Part 3 New cue cards All speaking practice