IELTS Speaking Task 2

For those of you completely new to the IELTS, please take a look at this post before reading further.

Task 2 (also known as the Long Turn) is your opportunity to speak for a long time (roughly 2 minutes). The Task will require you to talk about a topic related to personal experience. The examiner will give you a task card with discussion prompts. After you have finished speaking on the topic, the examiner will ask you 1 or 2 short follow-up questions.

You are given 1 minute to prepare for your talk. The 1 minute given to you for preparation is very important – use this time to make notes to assist you when you are speaking. Plan your talk.

Planning: Managing your time

• You will be given 1 minute to make notes about your talk.
• The examiner will give you a pen/pencil and a piece of paper to write on.
• When making notes on the topic and discussion prompts: use the language which is most useful for you. You don’t need to make notes in English. If you feel comfortable making notes in your native language, that is perfectly fine.
• Read the task card carefully: If there is any part of the instruction that you do not understand: ask the examiner.
  It is okay to ask for clarification.
• Make notes for each part/prompt of the task. Avoid using whole sentences.
  Focus on single words or short phrases to assist you when speaking.
• The task card given to you by the examiner includes discussion prompts: You NEED to talk about each prompt.
  For each prompt: Aim for 2-3 points to speak about.
  

How to start Talking

The simplest/easiest way to start speaking and introduce your topic:
“I’m going to. . .”
“I’ve decided to. . .”
“Well, there are many _____ I could talk about, but I suppose the _____ I’ve experienced/had is/was. . .” (This example will help you achieve a higher band score because the language used is much more advanced. If this example seems very difficult to you use the first or second example.)

Example: Suppose the topic was: “Describe someone who has had an influence on your life”

Student: “I’m going to talk about my uncle. . .”
OR
Student: “Well, there are many people who have influenced me in my life, but I suppose my uncle has had the most positive impact on my life.”

How to start Talking – PARAPHRASING the Instructions on the Card

Please note: this is not something you HAVE to do – it is merely a suggestion.

What you can do: pay close attention to the first instruction on the topic card given to you, you can attempt to reflect it:

Example: “Describe someone who has had an influence on your life”

Student: “My uncle has influenced me in a major way. . .“
Student: “My uncle has reshaped my outlook on life. . .“
Student: “A key influence on my life has been my uncle. . .”
If you are aiming for a high band score, you need to show the examiner that you can paraphrase and use synonyms appropriately.

Tips for Speaking for 1-2 Minutes

• The topic card will contain 4 points you need to talk about: 3 short points and 1 long point which will usually ask you to explain/clarify something.
  Recommended timings for discussion prompts:
  Prompt One: 10-20 seconds
  Prompt Two: 10-20 seconds
  Prompt Three: 10-20 seconds
  Prompt Four: 30-60 seconds

Additional Tips/Preparation

• Follow the prompt order on the topic card given to you by the examiner. (This is not mandatory, just a good guideline to follow.)
• For the first 3 prompts: aim to use 1-2 sentences for each.
• WHERE RELEVANT: you can give some quick examples.
• Remember conversation fillers – if you feel like what you have prepared to talk about is not long enough, make use of conversational fillers.
• When you have finished, indicate this to the examiner:
  You could say: “That’s it.” or “That’s all I have to say.” or “That’s that.”
• When the examiner asks you the follow-up question(s): answer in 1-2 sentences.
• Try and find a preparation partner. Better still, find an IELTS Tutor – a good tutor will show you how to do speaking task 2 in the best way, and will give you tips on how to improve.
• Record yourself on your phone/computer – after listening/watching the recording, think of ways you can improve.
• Practice making notes – when first starting, don’t time yourself. When you begin feeling more confident with your note-taking skills, give yourself 2 minutes, and then later, 1 minute.

What a typical Question and Candidate Answer will look like

Describe an Activity that you enjoy doing in your free time.
You should say:

• Where you do this activity
• Who you do it with
• How often you do it
• Explain why you enjoy the activity

Candidate: “I’m going to talk about an activity that I really enjoy, jogging. I go jogging in a park which is about two kilometers from my home.

I go jogging there because the air is a bit clearer than in my neighborhood. I usually try to run for at least thirty minutes and I always go myself.

I really enjoy jogging and try to do this activity every morning, although I occasionally get lazy and decide to skip it. If the weather is really hot, I will instead go jogging in the evening when it is a little cooler.

I really enjoy this activity because it keeps me fit. On top of that, it helps me to relieve stress and relax as I work long hours at my job. Mmm. . . what else. . . I suppose jogging also motivates me to try and stay healthy in general. For example, it motivates me to eat a balanced diet and get plenty of sleep. That’s all I have to say.”

Examiner: “Is jogging a popular activity in your hometown?”

Candidate: “I personally think it is very popular. I often see people jogging in the park, umm. . . especially over the weekend.”