How long should I speak in IELTS Speaking Part 2?

1 minute 45 seconds to 2 minutes. The examiner will stop you at 2 minutes. Speaking less than 1 minute 30 caps your score at band 6.5.

Can I take notes during the 1-minute prep?

Yes. Write 2-word anchors (not full sentences) for each bullet point on the card. You can refer to your notes while speaking.

What happens if I run out of things to say at 1 minute?

Add reflection: how you felt, what you learned, what you'd do differently. Reflection lengthens any answer without sounding artificial.

Can I practice IELTS Speaking Part 2 with AI feedback?

Yes — speakonaut's IELTS Speaking practice includes 200+ cue cards with AI scoring aligned to the official band descriptors (Fluency, Lexical, Grammar, Pronunciation).

IELTS guide

IELTS Speaking Part 2 — cue cards & strategy

Updated 29 May 2026 · 5 min read

Part 2 (the 'long turn') is where IELTS Speaking is won or lost. You get a topic card, 1 minute to prepare, then 1–2 minutes to speak uninterrupted. Most candidates either run out of things to say at 45 seconds, or ramble and never hit the 4 points on the card. Band 8 scorers do neither — they use a structure that fills exactly 1m45s.

This page gives you the structure, 50+ recent cue cards, and the techniques that consistently produce band 7.5–8.

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The 4-point structure (1m 45s)

Every cue card has 3–4 bullet points (e.g. 'Describe a journey you remember well: where you went, who you went with, what you did, why you remember it'). Use them as your structure — but spend roughly equal time on each.

Point 1 — Set the scene (25s): Where, when, why this came to mind.

Point 2 — Add detail (30s): Who was involved, specific moments, sensory details.

Point 3 — Describe the experience (30s): What you did, what happened, how it unfolded.

Point 4 — Reflect (20s): Why it stuck with you, how you feel now, what it taught you.

Total: 105 seconds. The examiner will stop you at 2 minutes — but hitting at least 1m30s consistently is what separates band 7 from band 6.5.

The 1-minute prep — what to write

Don't write sentences. Write a 2-word anchor for each bullet point. Example for 'Describe a journey you remember well':

WHERE: Bali, monsoon season
WHO: my brother, post-grad trip
WHAT: scooter, rice fields, market
WHY: first solo planning, sense of adulthood

This takes 30 seconds. Use the other 30 seconds to mentally rehearse the opening sentence.

Language that pushes you to band 8

Discourse markers: 'Actually...', 'Now that I think about it...', 'What stands out is...'. These signal native-speaker fluency.

Past narrative tenses: Mix past simple, past continuous, and past perfect. 'I was wandering through the market when I realised I'd left my wallet at the hostel.'

Vivid vocabulary: Replace 'good' with 'striking', 'amazing' with 'unforgettable', 'beautiful' with 'breathtaking'.

Hedging: 'I suppose', 'I'd say', 'something like that'. These soften your statements and sound natural.

Recent cue card topics (last 6 months)

1. A skill you'd like to learn 2. A time you helped someone 3. A book you read recently 4. A piece of advice you received 5. A place you visit to relax 6. A person who inspires you 7. A time you were late 8. A meal you enjoyed cooking 9. A neighbour you got on well with 10. A wild animal you've seen 11. A historical place you visited 12. A famous person from your country 13. A subject you didn't enjoy at school 14. A time you waited a long time 15. An app you use often

Practice 3–5 of these per week with a timer. Don't write out scripts — that destroys spontaneity.

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