IELTS Speaking Part 2: two minutes without freezing

Hi! Part 2 is the moment most students fear: you get a topic and have to talk alone for up to two minutes. In this lesson you'll learn a simple plan that keeps you talking, calmly, the whole time.

How Part 2 works

Here's how it works. You get a card with a topic and four prompts. You have one minute to prepare, and you can write notes. Then you speak for one to two minutes, and the examiner will stop you. Stopping early, after thirty seconds, is what hurts your score.

Why people freeze

Why do people freeze? They try to write full sentences in the minute, and run out of time. They answer the four prompts like a list, one short line each. And after forty seconds they have nothing left to say. Let's fix all three.

• Full sentences: Notes take the whole minute
• A list of answers: One short line per prompt
• Out of ideas: Nothing left after 40 seconds

Today's card: a place you'd go back to

Here's today's card. Describe a place you visited that you would like to go back to. You should say where it is, when you went, what you did there, and explain why you'd like to return.

• Where it is
• When you went
• What you did there
• Why you'd return

Your one-minute notes

Use your minute for keywords, not sentences. One line per prompt. Where: Sheki, in the north, in the mountains. When: two summers ago, with family. What: the old caravanserai, silk, halva. Why: the quiet, and grandfather's stories. Then the secret ingredient: one short story. Getting lost in the old town. A story is what fills two minutes naturally.

The shape of your answer

Give your answer a shape. Start by naming the place and setting the scene. Then when you went and who with. Around forty seconds in, tell your story: this is the longest part. Around a minute thirty, explain why you'd go back, and finish with a clear last line.

Phrases that buy you time

When your mind goes blank, don't go silent. Use a phrase that sounds natural and buys you two seconds. That's an interesting one to think about. What really stands out for me is. Let me think how to put this. The main reason I'd go back is. These sound fluent, not stuck.

• "That's an interesting one to think about…"
• "What really stands out for me is…"
• "Let me think how to put this…"
• "The main reason I'd go back is…"

Find the weak line

Here's part of a student's answer. One line shows almost no range and would pull the score down. Tap it.

Your turn

Your turn. What's the best thing to write in your one minute of preparation?

Put the answer in order

Put the parts of a strong answer in order. Tap two items to swap them.

Fill the gaps

A quick recap. Fill in the gaps.

You can now

Great! You can now make useful notes in one minute, fill two minutes with a real story, and keep talking even when your mind goes blank. Practise with a timer and a new card every day.

• Make useful notes in one minute
• Fill two minutes with a story
• Keep talking when your mind goes blank