Top Tips for IELTS

IELTS speaking topics and practice


This is a selection of sample cue cards for IELTS part 2 speaking.  To help you I have divided them into six IELTS speaking topics you need to be able to talk about. Please note how some questions ask you to use either the present, future or past tenses.

  1. people
  2. places
  3. objects
  4. habits and likes (or present tense questions)
  5. plans (or future aspect questions)
  6. experiences (or past tense/present perfect questions)

How to get band score 7.0 speaking and above

All these answers are easily band score 9.0 even though they do not contain much “clever” vocabulary.  You should note that to get a high score in IELTS you need to

structure your answer coherently (mostly follow the points on the cue card)

remember to link your speaking (e.g. “As I was saying“)

use simple but effective spoken phrases (e.g.” some time ago now“)

include interesting detail 

speak at a natural pace using natural spoken English

You will find highlighted phrases in the answers to help you with this.

Understanding the cue card

The cue card you will receive in the exam will contain

a main topic

3 suggestions for details to include

1 opinion question

You do not have to follow the cue card exactly or include all the suggested details. It is a good idea though to practise including these details as it will help you give a more fluent answer.

A sample cue card

A restaurant

Describe a restaurant you know.

You should say:

where this restaurant is

what type of food the restaurant serves

how often you go to this restaurant

and explain why you would recommend this restaurant.

Key vocabulary

The important you vocabulary you need for this part of IELTS speaking is

The speaking topics


An older personmodel answer with MP3

A good cookmodel answer with MP3

An adventurous person:lesson with sample answer and helpful vocabulary


A tourist attraction: 3 MP3 recordings with full notes and transcripts 

A house or apartmentsee lesson for sample answer and helpful vocabulary

A room: model answer and MP3

A place to travelmodel answer with MP3

A restaurantModel answer with MP3

A hotel model answer with MP3

A garden model answer with MP3

Objects (and animals!)

An animal: model answer with MP3 and a lesson on how to make your answer personal.

A magazinemodel answer with MP3

A photographmodel answer with MP3

A lettermodel answer and MP3

Clothes model answer and MP3

Habits and likes/the present

Leisure time: model answer with MP3

A skillmodel answer with MP3

A television programme part 1: Lesson with sample talk to listen to and help with vocabulary 

A television programme – part 2Find a lesson with MP3, notes and transcript

A bookmodel answer with MP3

A film you did not enjoy model answer and Mp3

Plans/the future

A country you would like to visitmodel answer and Mp3

Shopping model answer with MP3

Experiences/The past

A historical event: model answer with MP3

A happy experience: model answer with MP3r

A school rule: model answer and  MP3

A wedding sample answer with advice on how to extend your answer

A decision: model answer with MP3

A musical eventListen to a sample answer and get help with vocabulary

A news story: A sample version and help with vocabaulary

A group: A model answer with a full lesson including MP3 and notes

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