IELTS Speaking Part 2 topics, with the real timing
In Part 2 you get a cue card, one minute to plan and up to two minutes to talk. Topics are usually a person, a place, an object or an experience. Pick a card below, start the timer, and talk until the examiner would stop you. Every card here is original.
Choose a cue card
How to plan in one minute
Example card: Describe a public place in your area that you enjoy visiting.
Choose fast
Pick the first true answer you can talk about for two minutes. Here: the park by the river.
One note per point
Where: 10-minute walk, by the river. Do: run on Saturdays, read. Who: families, dog walkers, a Sunday market. Why: quiet after a busy week.
Add one story
A specific moment fills time naturally: the first weekend after I moved, I found it by accident.
Know your ending
Finish on why it matters, so you are never stuck when the two minutes run out.
What the examiner listens for
The same four criteria in every part.
Fluency and coherence
Keep going, and link your ideas so they follow on.
Lexical resource
Words that fit the topic, used naturally.
Grammatical range and accuracy
A mix of simple and complex sentences, mostly correct.
Pronunciation
Clear to a listener, with stress and rhythm that help the meaning.
Feedback on what you actually said
The Writing and Speaking System reads your own Part 1, 2 and 3 answers against the band descriptors, then helps you revise them. No band is promised.
IELTS Genius Writing and Speaking System
£249 once. No VAT is charged.
Feedback on your own Writing and Speaking answers, as often as you write them. For 12 months.
- Everything in IELTS Genius Pro: every lesson, test and writing task
- Any Task 1, Task 2 or Speaking question, including your own
- Each answer read against the public band descriptors, quoting your words
- Up to 25 answers read a day, revisions included, each version compared
- Speaking read from your words, typed or transcribed. No audio marking
Access for 12 months, until 11 October 2027.
By paying you agree to our Terms and get access straight away, which ends your 14-day cancellation right.More IELTS Speaking
Questions people ask
How long is IELTS Speaking Part 2?
You have one minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes. The examiner stops you at two minutes, then may ask one or two short questions.
Are these the real 2026 Part 2 topics?
No. No one outside the test knows the real cards. These are original cards of the same kinds, written for practice.
Can I write notes in Part 2?
Yes. You get paper and a pencil for the minute of planning.
What if I run out of things to say?
Go back to the card's points, add a specific example or story, then say why it matters to you.