The IELTS Speaking topics for IELTS Speaking Part 2 can seem intimidating at first. After all, it’s the one part of the interview where you need to give a long solo speech.
Fortunately, Magoosh is here to help! Right below, we have a PDF that includes IELTS Speaking Part 2 topics you can practice with, and a great video tutorial from Eliot. And right after that, you can read on for plenty of additional help with IELTS Speaking topics Part 2.
(NOTE: This post and its featured PDF are great supplements for anyone who’s following an IELTS study schedule with Magoosh. As a matter of fact, we specifically mention this article as a resource in our one-week IELTS study plan.)
Table of Contents
IELTS Speaking Part 2 Topic Card: Main Features
In IELTS Speaking Part 2, you will receive a “topic card” that contains a detailed, multi-part question. Take a look at this official IELTS Speaking topics sample prompt, script, and recording of a Task 2 question to get a sense of what to expect. You will have one minute to prepare a short speech in response to the topic card. Then you should speak for 1-2 minutes.
Preparing for Part 2 can really pay off. As noted above, Magoosh offers a great list of Part 1 and Part 2 IELTS Speaking topics to use as you practice. Obviously, it is impossible to predict the exact questions you will receive on exam day. However, the structure of Part 2 questions is very consistent. Each Part 2 card has three basic features that you should know well:
Feature 1: Topic Introduction
Feature 2: 3 Detailed Points
Feature 3: Discussion
The right side of the card below shows the typical appearance of a Part 2 question. The notes on the left (not included on an actual IELTS topic card) highlight the three main features of this question type.
Sample IELTS Speaking Part 2 Questions and Answers
Below is a sample IELTS Speaking Part 2 question and response. And for more example IELTS Speaking Part 2 questions, with answers, consider a subscription (or a 1 week free trial) to Magoosh IELTS.
Speaking Part 2 Topic Card
| Feature 1 →
Feature 2 → Feature 3 → |
Describe a time when you gave someone advice.
You should say: and explain why you gave the person that advice. |
Notes and Preparation
You have one minute to plan your response before you speak. That may not seem like a long time to think of a response to all of these questions, but fortunately, planning a Part 2 response is simpler than it may look at first.
You will be provided with a pencil and some paper to plan your response. I advise students to read Feature 1 and Feature 2 first BUT to avoid writing notes about these questions. The best approach is simply to use these points on the card as reminders about what you need to say. At the beginning of your short speech, go through each point one by one with a brief response.
You should use most of your one-minute preparation time to plan your response for Feature 3. This point requires more detail and depth than the other talking points on the card. As you prepare, your goal should be to come up with at least two main points for Feature 3.
Hopefully, you can also think of some details and examples to support these points during your one-minute prep time. Keep in mind that you won’t have time to write detailed notes with complete sentences. Just write down a few words as reminders of what you plan to say.
Below is a sample of some notes related to the topic card above. For clarity in this blog post, I added more language on these notes than you would have time to include on the real exam.
Sample Notes:
The Situation/Who I gave advice to
- friend was failing school
- Future in danger: almost kicked off basketball team, risk of not getting into college
- Had ability: knew answers in class, but not doing homework
What advice was
- friend should apply herself
- take more time on homework
- watch less TV, play fewer video games
Did friend take advice?
- Yes
- got to stay on team
- got into college
- kept good study habits in college
Sample Response
Here is a sample response to the topic card shown above.
“When I was in secondary school, my best friend was doing very poorly in her classes, and she definitely needed some advice. She was about to be kicked off the basketball team for her low grades, and I was worried she might not get into college.
She wasn’t struggling from lack of ability. Actually, she was smart and always knew the answers in class. The problem was that she hated homework and often wouldn’t do it; instead, she would instead watch TV all evening. I told her she needed to take her studies more seriously and spend more time on her homework.
I suggested she could get that extra time by watching less TV. I’m happy to say she took my advice, and it really helped her. She was able to keep her grades up and continue playing basketball on the school team. She also got into uni, and she kept her good study habits in her college classes. I feel proud that my advice helped her.”
This simple response answers each of the questions listed in all three features of the topic card directly. Without much planning or thought, you can go down the list and supply the necessary information to cover these points. Once you start expressing these points out loud in complete sentences, it’s not as hard to fill 1 to 2 minutes as you might think!
IELTS Speaking Topics for Part 2
Now, let’s look at a number of other possible topic cards (these come from our IELTS Speaking Topics PDF). You can use the tips from this tutorial as you practice these topics.
1. Free Time
You should address:
- What the activity is and what it involves.
- When you first started doing the activity.
- Whether you do the activity alone or with other people.
And explain why you enjoy the activity.
2. School
You should address:
- When you took the class.
- Where you took the class.
- The subject of the class.
And explain why the class was so useful.
3. Travel
You should address:
- What the method of travel is
- How often you travel by this method.
- Whether this travel method is cheap or expensive.
And explain why this method of travel is your favorite.
4. Work
You should address:
- What the job is.
- The job requirements.
- The activities that are done on the job.
And explain why this job is your dream job.
5. Family
You should address:
- What the tradition is.
- How it’s celebrated.
- When it’s celebrated.
And explain why the tradition is important to your family.
6. Hometown
You should address:
- Do you prefer to spend time at places in your hometown, or explore new places elsewhere?
- How often you go there.
- What you do there.
And explain why you enjoy going to this place.
7. Friends
You should address:
- Who this person is.
- How you met your best friend.
- How often you see this friend.
And explain why this person is your best friend.
8. Seasons
You should address:
- Which season it is.
- What the weather is like during the season.
- What you like to do during the season.
And explain why this season is your favorite.
9. Food
You should address:
- What the food is.
- What it tastes like.
- How often you eat it.
And explain why you enjoy this food.
10. Music, Movies, Books, Television
You should address:
- The name of the song.
- Who sings it.
- What the song is about.
And explain why the song is meaningful to you.
11. Recreation, Exercise, Sports
You should address:
- What the sport is.
- Whether you play the sport, watch the sport, or both.
- How long you’ve been interested in the sport.
And explain why you think the sport is interesting.
12. Holidays
You should address:
- What the holiday is.
- Who you celebrate the holiday with.
- How you celebrate the holiday.
And explain why you celebrate this holiday with other people.
13. Technology, Internet, etc….
You should address:
- What the device is.
- What it can do.
- Whether you use the device for fun, for work, or both.
And explain why you purchased the device.
14. On a typical day…
You should address:
- What you do.
- Why you do it.
- How important it is.
And explain why you do this thing at the beginning of the day.
15. Household
You should address:
- What the piece of furniture is.
- How long you’ve had the furniture.
- Where it is in the house.
And explain why that piece of furniture is important.
16. News and Current Events
You should address:
- What happened.
- When the story happened.
- Where the story happened.
And explain why you found this news story surprising.
17. Shopping
You should address:
- Where this place is.
- What you can buy there.
- How often you go there.
And explain why you often shop at this place.
18. Decisions
You should address:
- What the decision was about.
- What you decided to do.
- Why you made the decision.
And explain why you feel you made a good decision.
19. Art
You should address:
- What kind of art it is.
- What the art looks like.
- Where you saw the art.
And explain why you think this piece of art is good.
20. Gifts
You should address:
- Who gave you the gift.
- What the gift was.
- When you received the gift.
And explain why the gift was given to you.
21. Kindness
You should address:
- What you did.
- Why you did it.
- How the person or people responded to your kind act.
And explain the reasons that the act was kind.
22. Language Learning
You should address:
- What language you were learning.
- What the difficulty was.
- Whether or not you overcame the difficulty.
And explain why you found learning the language so difficult at the time.
IELTS Speaking Part 2: The Takeaway
Ultimately, timing is key to IELTS Speaking Part 2. The most common challenge my students face with these IELTS Speaking topics is either not speaking enough, or speaking too much and running out of time. Do practice responses and time them. This will help you figure out how to write notes that really do fill at least one minute of time, but less than two. Above all, take advantage of the flexibility of the timing. You have one or two minutes to speak, and that’s a really nice range that allows for a variety of answers.
And remember, the topic IELTS Speaking Part 2 is also the basis for Part 3 of IELTS Speaking. But Part 3 is formatted a bit more like Speaking Part 1, because you give conversational responses rather than giving a “long turn” speech. You can also read about the “big picture” of these three parts by looking at our complete guide to common IELTS Speaking topics. And for general advice on how to navigate the entire IELTS Speaking section, check out our top 10 IELTS Speaking tips!
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