A new skill you learned
IELTS Speaking Part 2 · cue card
Describe a skill you learned recently that was difficult at first.
You should say:
- what the skill is
- why you decided to learn it
- how you learned it
- and explain why it was difficult at first
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 240 words, roughly two minutes spoken. Use it for ideas and language, not to memorise: examiners notice rehearsed answers.
A skill I learned fairly recently is swimming. It may sound surprising, but even though Bangladesh is a country of rivers, many people in cities, including me, never learned to swim properly.
I decided to learn last year for two reasons. One was safety; there are terrible news stories every monsoon about people drowning, and it worried me that I'd be helpless in water. The second reason was that my friends were planning a trip to Saint Martin's Island, and I didn't want to sit on the beach while everyone else went snorkelling.
I joined a three-month adult course at a public swimming pool, with classes twice a week in the early morning. The instructor was patient but very strict. We spent the first two weeks just learning to put our faces in the water and breathe out slowly. Then we moved on to floating, kicking and, finally, the front crawl.
It was difficult at first mainly because of fear. As an adult, you overthink everything. Every time I tried to float, my body tensed up and I sank, which made me panic even more. The instructor kept telling me that water supports you if you relax, and eventually, in about the fifth week, something clicked and I floated for the first time. It was a fantastic feeling. By the time we went to Saint Martin's, I could swim fifty metres without stopping, and I went snorkelling with everyone else.
Useful vocabulary
- helpless
- unable to protect yourself
- snorkelling
- swimming with a mask and breathing tube
- moved on to
- started the next stage
- overthink
- think about something too much
- tensed up
- my muscles became tight
- something clicked
- I suddenly understood or could do it
Part 3 follow-up questions
- Is it harder for adults to learn new skills than children?
- Which skills should every person learn?
- Do people learn better from a teacher or by themselves?
- Why do some people give up learning a new skill?
- Should employers pay for staff to learn new skills?
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.