How to Answer IELTS Speaking Part 2?

When it comes to the IELTS Speaking test, most students tend to find Part 2 quite intriguing. In this part, the test-taker has to speak for 1-2 minutes on a topic they've had only one minute to prepare for. This assesses an individual on how well they can organize their thoughts and speak fluently while using a range of vocabulary and mastering grammar.

By adopting the right strategies, you can find the IELTS Speaking Part 2 much easier to attempt. With this blog, you will be able to figure out the strategies, common errors of answering Part 2, and explore the three Band 9.0 Sample Answers. Remember that with consistent practice, you will be able to enhance your speaking skills and achieve a band 8+.

Let's dive in!

Understanding the IELTS Speaking Part 2

Part Two of the Speaking Test is where you are given a topic to talk about for 1 – 2 minutes. The topic can be on any subject and you are given one minute to prepare for it including making notes if necessary. After speaking for one to two minutes ( you must speak for a minimum of 1 minute and a maximum of two minutes.), the examiner will stop you and ask you a general follow-up question on the topic which should be answered briefly (ideally 5 seconds.) Remember that you should try and speak for the maximum 2 minutes permitted to maximise your chance of achieving a band 8+ in the IELTS exam.

Below is the timetable for Part 2 which is usually being followed in the test.

Tips on How to Answer IELTS Speaking Part 2 and Achieve a Band 8+

To get an IELTS Band Score of 8+ for the Speaking Section, you must first understand on how to prepare yourself with note-making before you start with your response. Remember that organization skills play a pivotal role in gaining the confidence you need for this part which will also help you ideate the pointers to speak for the given time frame. Below are some of the strategies which you can use to answer IELTS Speaking Part 2 to acquire a higher score.

• As you have two minutes to speak, don't stop too early rather speak for at least 90 seconds. If you finish too soon, the examiner will ask follow-up questions, but talking for a longer time will put across a better impression of fluency.
• If you stop in between or hesitate, don't stop there. Instead, keep going and do not pause and correct yourself. Always keep a flow in your answer since repeating words or correcting yourself could affect the coherence of the answer.
• Usage of different sentence structures along with the correct tenses would help you achieve a higher band score. Get familiar with the IELTS Grammar and work continuously on the topics so that you can showcase your ability of having a good command on the language.
• Since there are many topics which are often comes in the test, it is ideal that you keep repeating these ideas so that you are at ease. Practice with these topics and try to brainstorm ideas while allowing yourself to speak for two minutes.
• Train yourself in a way that you can brainstorm your ideas within a minute. Always note down your points and make a list of topic related vocabulary which will help you as you attempt to answer. 
• Familiarize yourself with the Linking Words for IELTS Speaking Section so that you would know how to connect your ideas and keep a logical flow throughout your response.
• Record yourself as you prepare since listening back to the recording will certainly help you with your grammar, your pronunciation, or unnatural pauses.

Time Management Tips on How to Answer IELTS Speaking Part 2 for a Band 8+

As this part of the test is time based, it is crucial to manage time for which you must practice with the timer on. You will get only a minute to prepare and two minutes to speak on the cue card provided. Let's check out the table below to understand how to prepare and answer effectively under timed conditions.

Topic Examples on How to Answer IELTS Speaking Part 2

Question 1

The table below suggests the note making process which you can use and understand How to Answer IELTS Speaking Part 2.

Sample Answer for Question 1 : 

I would like to talk about a shop which I have been going to for four years now. It is called ABC Fashion and as the name suggests it is a fashion shop dedicated to women’s fashion. It is located in the centre of my home town, only 10 minutes walk away from where I live. This means it has a prime position in the city centre. I am a big fan of it for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the store has a policy of only selling clothing items such as jackets, dresses and tops designed by locally based fashion designers. This gives all their products a freshness and originality of design which I really appreciate. It also allows me to help support and encourage local people who are building their own fashion businesses in my local area.

Secondly, despite the fact that all the items are limited edition designs, the prices are extremely reasonable and compare very favourably with the large and much more well known clothing stores in my city. Abe fashion is even able to offer similar prices to the national clothing chain stores which we have in my city.

Thirdly, Abe Fashion has a very relaxed and original layout to their shop. There are comfortable chairs and fashion magazines to read for people who come in but don’t want to buy anything. They even have a coffee machine where you can buy yourself hot drinks. I can genuinely say that the whole decoration is very tastefully and stylishly presented in a truly original way.

Finally what makes Abe store are the staff-they are wonderful. I have known some of them for the entire four years that I have been going in to the store. They say that it is such a nice atmosphere to work in that they don’t want to leave and look for work elsewhere. In fact, I now consider them to be my friends. They even sometimes reserve clothes which they think that I will like to buy. These are the little things that make shopping in ABC fashion store such a great experience and indeed why I decided to talk about it here today.

Question 2

Identify the Key words (Place, enjoy visiting recently, where, why, what). Focus on the table given below to brainstorm ideas.

Sample Answer for Question 2 : 

I would like to talk about a place which I visited last summer. This place is called White beach. It is on Mindoro island in the centre of my country. Mindoro island is actually so large that it made up of two provinces. To get there we had to go on a two and a half hour bus and boat ride from my home city which is in the centre of Luzon island.
I went to Mindoro with friends from home. We wanted to go to somewhere interesting that we had never been to before, where we could enjoy both the sun and the sea. We did an extensive search on the internet and found out that White Beach in Mindoro offered these things. Before I went to White Beach with my friends I had never been to Mindoro, and I had not met anyone else who had been to the island either. However the island is being heavily promoted now as a holiday destination for Filipino people, so myself and my friends were aware of it. However we had always assumed that it would be too expensive for us to visit and stay there. So when we went to our local travel agent and found out that it was within our holiday budget, we were both amazed and really happy. We booked for a week and stayed in a hotel with a good view of the large, sandy beach.
The first thing I noticed when we arrived there was how hot it was-Mindoro is in the centre of your country, so it is warm all year round. I think it was about 34 degrees on the day we landed at the airport. Myself and my friends were so hot that after checking in to our hotel rooms, we all changed in to our beach clothes and headed straight out onto the beach. We were amazed at just how hot the sand was on the beach. The sea was amazing, we had never seen such blue water.
We spent a week at White beach and when we returned we brought some traditional handicrafts made by the local people. We gave these as souvenirs to our friends and family. White beach was a place that I really enjoyed visiting.

Question 3

While answering this question, identify the keywords: A job interested you, what, what job involves, Why interests you. These prompts will help guide you to note down the points, as given in the timetable below.

Sample Answer for the Question 3

I think that for many people acting seems like glamorous work, but it is a profession that requires talent and lots of practice and training. For most actors as well there is a large degree of luck involved in becoming successful in your career. However acting is something that I have always wanted to do. I can remember wanting to act as a child, and it is an ambition that has stayed with me to this day. For me, all the hard work and effort involved would be rewarded by the sense of satisfaction that I would get from having acted in a great film.

When most people think of film stars, they think of celebrities, of being famous and being admired for who you are. I have to admit that I too would like to be famous and to be admired by people. I think that this is a normal part of being a human being, and that everybody secretly wants to be respected by others. I think that the problem would come in finding out how well to deal with becoming suddenly famous and being well known throughout the country.

A big attraction in acting for me would be the ability to travel and meet new people. I really enjoy travelling and look forward to doing this whenever I can, and it would become a very big part of my job if 1 was to become an actor. Acting would also involve meeting new people and this is also something that I am greatly interested in and I would genuinely enjoy this side of the profession.

It seems that everybody wants to become a movie star, so I know that I would have a lot of intense competition to achieve my dream. However with hard work and practice and an admittedly large amount of luck, I feel confident in being able to achieve this ambition. How soon this may happen however is unclear, because there are so many factors involved. Many other people have succeeded in becoming well respected actors both domestically and internationally, and Ifeel that there is no reason why I cannot do the same. I believe that talent and hard work will go a long way in becoming successful in life.

Common Mistakes to Avoid as You Learn How to Answer IELTS Speaking Part 2 

There are three possible serious errors to answering Part 2 of the Speaking test, These are:
1. Not Speaking at all
2. Not speaking for a minimum of 1 minute.
3. Not speaking about the topic – called being off topic.

IELTS Speaking Part 2 gives you an opportunity to showcase some of your best speaking practices to the examiner. In this way, you will be demonstrating your skills to the examiner that you can not only organize ideas efficiently, but also speak at length using extensive vocabulary and grammar. With regular practice, great confidence, and a planned strategy for preparation, one finds improvement in both fluency and clarity.

Next time you get a cue card, take a deep breath, plan your speech quickly, and let it flow like a story to a friend. You've got this!

Also Check : 

• 10 Useful IELTS Speaking Tips to Impress the Examiner
• IELTS Speaking Recent Actual Tests with Suggested Answers for IELTS 2025
• Useful Idioms for IELTS Speaking to Score Band 8.0+
• 5 Tips to Ace Your IELTS Speaking Test
• Understanding Fluency and Coherence in IELTS Speaking