1. Get ready for a long turn
In Speaking Part 2, you receive a task card, have one minute to prepare notes, and then speak for up to two minutes. The examiner stops you when time is up and may ask one or two related questions. See the official IELTS Speaking format.
This page is an independent practice activity. It does not listen, record, recognise speech or produce a band score. You can practise aloud without granting microphone access.
Original practice cue card
Describe a small change that made a study or work space easier to use.
Include these points in your response:
- what the place was like before
- what you changed
- how you decided to make the change
Explain why the change was useful to you.
Choose an ordinary example you can describe with detail: moving a lamp, organising a desk, labelling storage or changing a seat. You do not need an impressive renovation. Avoid spending your preparation minute trying to find the “best” story.
2. Use one minute to make a speaking plan
Use short prompts rather than complete sentences. The following time split is a practice strategy, not an official rule.
- 0–10 seconds: choose the place. Pick one example and stay with it. A familiar setting gives you details quickly.
- 10–25 seconds: note the before and after. Write a few words for the problem and the change.
- 25–45 seconds: choose one small incident. What happened that made you act? This gives the response a clear sequence.
- 45–60 seconds: note the effect. Add one practical result and a personal reaction, then check the cue-card points.
See a brief plan for the sample response
Place: bedroom desk, evenings after work
Before: papers + cables, lost notes
Change: paper tray, lamp, one notebook
Trigger: ten minutes searching, only half an hour free
Effect: start faster, better light, no purchase
Feeling: pleased; still sometimes distracted
These are memory prompts. The speaker can choose different words each time instead of reading a prepared script.
Your one-minute notes
Notes stay on this page and are not submitted or saved. Copy them elsewhere if you want to keep them.
3. Practise aloud with the stopwatch
Start the timer for preparation. At 01:00, reset it and begin speaking. Aim to keep going until about 02:00 with relevant detail. The stopwatch counts up, does not make a sound and does not stop automatically.
Preparation: 01:00. Reset before your response; then practise speaking for up to 02:00.
If you finish early, explain the effect of the change or describe a specific before-and-after moment. If you keep going past two minutes, try removing repeated points on your next attempt. Do not speak unnaturally fast just to fit in more words.
4. Explore a sample long turn
This original sample is designed for a roughly two-minute delivery at a comfortable pace, but the time varies by speaker. It is a source of ideas about organisation, not a script to memorise or a scored performance. A written transcript alone cannot demonstrate pronunciation.
Read the sample response
I’d like to describe a change I made to the desk where I study at home. It’s a small desk in the corner of my bedroom, and I use it most evenings after work. For a long time, it was covered with notebooks, cables and things I hadn’t decided where to put.
The change itself was quite simple. I cleared everything off the desk, put a small tray beside it for loose papers, and moved a lamp from another room. I also decided that only the notebook I was actually using could stay open on the desk.
I made the change after a particularly frustrating evening. I had only half an hour to study, but I spent the first ten minutes looking for a page of notes. By the time I found it, I was annoyed and had lost interest in starting. That made me realise the problem wasn’t necessarily that I needed a bigger desk. I needed a better way to use the space I already had.
What surprised me was the difference the lamp made. Before, I relied on the ceiling light, which left part of the desk in shadow. With the lamp, I could read comfortably, and the corner felt like a place where I wanted to sit.
The new arrangement hasn’t made studying effortless. I still get distracted sometimes. But now I can begin straight away, and tidying up takes less than a minute. I’m pleased with it because I didn’t have to buy anything. I just made a few small decisions that removed an everyday annoyance.
Notice how the speaker keeps the response moving
- Establish the setting: a small bedroom desk used in the evenings gives the listener a clear starting point.
- Describe concrete actions: the tray, lamp and open notebook make the change easy to picture.
- Develop one incident: searching for notes explains the decision without a long list of unrelated events.
- Add a surprising detail: the better lighting gives the response another relevant angle.
- Finish with a realistic effect: the speaker explains what improved while admitting that distraction has not disappeared.
Flexible language to adapt
Try completing these beginnings with your own experience:
- “Before I changed it, I used to…”
- “I realised something needed to change when…”
- “What surprised me was…”
- “It hasn’t solved everything, but…”
Use a phrase only if it fits what you want to say. Natural, accurate language is more useful here than trying to insert every expression.
5. Reflect, then try a different version
After your first attempt, choose one change for the next response. If you use your own recording app, listen for a concrete issue you can work on rather than trying to award yourself a band.
Now close the sample, choose a different place and repeat the activity. Keep the structure if it helps, but change the content and wording. The goal is to build an adaptable response from your notes.
Two follow-up questions
- Would you make any further changes to that space?
- Has anyone else noticed the difference?
Answer each briefly and naturally. For a separate extension, discuss this broader question: How can shared workplaces balance personal preferences with other people’s needs?
Format verified on 15 October 2026 using IELTS Speaking format. The cue card, sample, follow-up questions and activities are original. The site does not record audio, evaluate speech or save your notes and checklist selections.