A news story that interested you
IELTS Speaking Part 2 · cue card
Describe a piece of news that you found interesting.
You should say:
- what the news was
- how you heard about it
- what happened
- and explain why it interested you
You have one minute to prepare and should speak for one to two minutes.
Free account required for the live AI partner.
Band 7+ sample answer
About 238 words, roughly two minutes spoken. Use it for ideas and language, not to memorise: examiners notice rehearsed answers.
A news story that really interested me this year was about a group of high school students in Khulna who built a cheap device that warns farmers when salt water is getting into their fields.
I heard about it through a short video on Facebook, and then I read a longer article on a national newspaper's website because I wanted to know more.
The background is that in the southwest of Bangladesh, rising sea levels and stronger cyclones are pushing salt water further inland, and it's destroying rice crops. These students, all around sixteen years old, used a simple sensor, a small solar panel and a basic mobile chip to measure salt levels in the soil. When the level gets too high, the device sends a text message to the farmer's phone, so they know not to use that water for irrigation. The whole thing costs less than two thousand taka to make, and they won a national science competition with it.
It interested me for two reasons. First, it's an example of climate change affecting real people right now, not in some distant future. Second, it was refreshing to read positive news. Most news is about accidents or politics, but this showed young people solving a local problem with very few resources. It made me feel a bit more optimistic, and it also made me think that I should use my own skills more for the community.
Useful vocabulary
- getting into
- entering
- inland
- away from the coast
- irrigation
- supplying water to crops
- refreshing
- pleasantly different
- very few resources
- little money or equipment
- optimistic
- hopeful about the future
Part 3 follow-up questions
- Do people trust the news in your country?
- Why is bad news reported more than good news?
- Is social media a good place to get news?
- Should children watch the news?
- How will people get news in the future?
Tip: in Part 3, give an opinion, a reason and an example, and consider another point of view. Aim for 3–5 sentences per answer.
How to practise this card
- Set a one-minute timer and write keywords for each bullet, not full sentences.
- Speak for two minutes and record yourself on your phone.
- Listen back: did you cover every bullet and the "explain" part? Note one phrase from the vocabulary list to use next time.
- Answer two Part 3 questions out loud, then try the card again with the AI Speaking Partner.