Common IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card topics for 2026, with sample answers
The most common IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card themes for 2026, how to answer for two full minutes and three natural Band 7+ sample answers.
By IELTSora teaching team · Updated · 6 min read
How Speaking Part 2 works
In Part 2 the examiner gives you a task card with a topic and three or four prompts. You have one minute to make notes and then speak for up to two minutes without interruption. The examiner then asks one or two short follow-up questions before moving to Part 3, which discusses the same theme in a more abstract way.
Cue card questions change regularly and nobody can tell you the exact card you will get. However, the themes repeat year after year because they are designed to suit candidates of any age or background. If you prepare stories for the common themes below, you will rarely face a card you have nothing to say about.
Common cue card themes to prepare
Group your preparation by theme rather than by individual card. One good story can often answer several cards; for example, a trip to Cox's Bazar could answer 'a place you visited', 'a happy memory', 'a time you were with family' or 'a time you saw something beautiful in nature'.
- People: a person who inspired you, a family member you admire, a teacher who helped you, a friend you have known for a long time.
- Places: a city you would like to visit, a quiet place you like, a building you find interesting, a park or garden.
- Objects: a gift you received, something you bought recently, a useful piece of technology, an item you would never throw away.
- Events and experiences: a celebration you enjoyed, a time you helped someone, a time you were late, a challenge you overcame.
- Activities and skills: a skill you learned, a hobby you started recently, a sport you enjoy watching, a book or film that influenced you.
- Plans and ideas: a goal you want to achieve, a job you would like to do in the future, a change that would improve your area.
Using the one minute of preparation
Do not write full sentences. Write four or five short keywords for each prompt, plus one feeling or opinion word and one detail you can describe vividly, such as a smell, a sound or a conversation. Concrete details make a story easy to extend and sound natural.
Answer the prompts in order, but do not stop when you reach the last one. If you still have time, add how you feel about it now, or whether you would do it again. The examiner will stop you at two minutes, and being stopped is perfectly fine.
Sample answer 1: describe a person who inspired you
Band 7+ style answer
I'd like to talk about my maternal uncle, who runs a small pharmacy in our hometown in Rajshahi. He's in his fifties now, and he's probably the most patient person I've ever met.
What inspires me about him is the way he treats people. Lots of his customers are elderly or can't read the labels on their medicine, so he spends ages explaining doses, sometimes even writing the times on the box in Bangla. He never rushes anyone, even when there's a queue out the door.
I first noticed this when I was about fifteen and helped in the shop during the holidays. I remember an old man who came back three times in one afternoon because he'd forgotten the instructions, and my uncle just smiled and explained everything again as if it were the first time.
I think he inspired me because he showed me that being good at your job isn't only about knowledge. It's about respect. That's partly why I want to study public health abroad, so that one day I can work on something that helps people the way he does, just on a bigger scale.
Sample answer 2: describe a place you visited that you liked
Band 7+ style answer
The place I'd like to describe is Sreemangal, the tea-growing area in Sylhet division. I went there with three university friends during the winter break last year.
We stayed in a small guesthouse right next to a tea garden, and what struck me first was how green and quiet everything was compared with Dhaka. In the mornings there was a thin mist over the hills, and you could hear the workers chatting as they picked leaves.
We spent most of our time walking, visiting Lawachara forest and, of course, trying the famous seven-layer tea, which honestly looks more impressive than it tastes.
I liked it so much because it was the first trip I'd organised entirely myself, from booking the train to planning the route. It made me feel more independent. I'd love to go back during the rainy season, because people say the hills look completely different then.
Sample answer 3: describe a skill you learned recently
Band 7+ style answer
A skill I've learned fairly recently is basic video editing. I picked it up about six months ago, mainly because my younger sister wanted help making short videos for her school science project.
I learned it almost entirely from free online tutorials and a lot of trial and error. At first I found the timeline really confusing, and I lost one whole project because I didn't save it properly, which was frustrating.
Now I can cut clips, add subtitles and adjust the sound, and I've started editing short clips for a friend who sells handmade jewellery online.
It's been useful in ways I didn't expect. It's improved my patience, and it's made me notice how much work goes into the videos I watch every day. I'd like to take a proper course eventually, maybe once my exams are over.
What these answers do well
Each answer covers the prompts in a natural order, uses past tenses accurately for the story and switches to present or future for feelings and plans. They include specific details (a pharmacy in Rajshahi, seven-layer tea, a lost project) that make the speaker sound genuine. They use natural spoken phrases such as 'honestly', 'what struck me first' and 'in ways I didn't expect' rather than written linking words like 'furthermore'. That is what examiners reward under Fluency and Coherence and Lexical Resource.
Frequently asked questions
What if I have no real experience of the topic? You may describe an imagined or adapted story. The examiner assesses your English, not whether the story is true, but a story close to real life is easier to tell fluently.
Is it bad if I speak for less than two minutes? Stopping after one minute usually lowers your Fluency score. Practise with a timer until two minutes feels comfortable.
Should I memorise sample answers? Use them to learn structure and phrases, but do not memorise them word for word. Memorised answers sound flat and often do not fit the card.
Can I ask the examiner to explain a word on the card? You can ask for clarification of the task, but keep it brief and start your notes quickly.