, but without any of the embedded documents, so that it loads easier on slow Internet connections]
The first few terms I taught IELTS preparation courses, I stuck rigidly to the curriculum dictated by the assigned textbooks. Because of this, I spent a lot of time with the students examining possible speaking part 2 questions, and discussing which type of questions might pop up in speaking part 2.
Then I decided that it would be much better simply to flood the students with practice rather than talk about strategies. I would give them a speaking part 2 card at the beginning of every lesson. After the end of the term, they would know perfectly well from their own experience which type of questions were likely to pop up on the test. And they would also (hopefully) have developed their own strategies for extending their answers and dealing with all the parts on the card. This, I decided, was much better than me trying to teach the students about question types and strategies.
I combed through all the IELTS textbooks in the Teacher's Resource Center at my school to try to find speaking part 2 cards. I couldn't find any textbook with 30 days worth of questions, but by taking questions from all of the textbooks I managed to come up with enough questions to cover 30 days worth of classes. (Absolutely none of these questions are my own design--they all come from various published IELTS textbooks. However, as no more than any 2 of these questions come from the same textbook, I'm confident I'm still within the fair use law by posting them here on this blog.)
At the beginning of the class, I would distribute these cards to the students. Following the rules of the IELTS test, they would have one minute to prepare. Then I would assign them a partner. One partner would speak for 2 minutes. I would keep the time for the whole class. (In the IELTS test, the candidates have to speak for 1-2 minutes, but I figured it was good to push the students to always extend their answers to a full 2 minutes in the practice). Then I would announce when the time was up. The partner would then give feedback to the speaker. Then the pairs would switch speakers, and repeat.
Describe a particular situation or event in which you were successful, eg an exam, a sporting event, a competition, etc.
You should say:
What the situation/event was
When and where it happened
What preparation was involved
You should also say how you felt about achieving this success.
|
Describe a machine that has made a big impact on your life. You should say:
What this machine is and what you use it for
Why you bought this particular machine
How often you use it
And also what difference it has made to your life.
|
Describe a museum or art gallery that you have visited.
You should say:
Where it is
Why you went there
What you particularly remember about the place
|
Talk about a person from your childhood whom you particularly admired.
You should mention:
Your relationship to him or her
What he or she did
What you admired about this person
|
Describe something exciting that happened to you recently.
Say:
What happened
Where you were
Who you were with
How you felt
|
Describe a surprise that you have had recently.
Say:
What happened
Where it happened
Who you were with or if you were alone
Why you were so surprised
|
Describe a film you saw which made an impression on you.
You should say:
What film and what type of film it is
When you saw it
What your favourite part of the film is
And explain why it made an impression on you.
|
Describe an electronic item which is very important to you.
You should say:
What it looks like
What it does
How it works
How long you have had it and explain why it is important to you
|
Describe an adventure from your childhood
You should say:
Where you were
Who you were with
What happened
And explain why you think it was an adventure
|
Describe a plan you have made for your future that is not related to your studies
You should say:
What the plan is
When you think you will do it
How it could change your life
And explain why you have made this plan
|
Describe a city or town that you do not like
You should say:
Where the city or town is
When you first visited the city or town
What the city or town is like
And explain why you do not like the city or town
|
Describe a modern building you like.
You should say:
Where the modern building is
When you first saw the modern building
What the modern building is like
And explain why you like the modern building.
|
Describe an idea you had for improving something at work or school
You should say:
When and where you had your idea
What your idea was
Who you told about your idea
And explain why you thought your idea would make an improvement
|
Describe a party that you enjoyed.
You should say:
Whose party it was and what it was celebrating
Where the party was held and who went to it
What people did during the party
And explain what you enjoyed about this party.
|
Describe a book you enjoyed reading.
You should say:
What the book was
What it was about
When you read it
And explain why you enjoyed it
|
Describe an important letter you received
You should say:
Who the letter was from
What it was about
Why it was important
And explain how you felt about it.
|
Describe an advertisement that you found very persuasive.
You should say:
What the advertisement was for
Where you saw or read it
What the advertisement consisted of
And why you found it so persuasive
|
Describe a website on the Internet that you use regularly.
You should say:
What sort of website it is
What you use it for
What you like and dislike about it
And explain why you use it regularly
|
Describe a shop that you enjoy going to.
You should say:
Where this shop is
What it sells
How often you go there
And explain why you enjoy visiting this shop
|
Describe a memorable meal.
You should say:
What you ate
What the occasion was
What happened during the meal
And explain why the meal was memorable
|
Describe a personal possession that is valuable to you.
You should say:
What it is
How long you have owned it
How you use it
And explain why it is so significant for you
|
Describe a leader who has greatly influenced you.
You should say:
Who he or she is or was
What he or she did that was so significant
What other people think about this person
And explain how he or she personally influenced your life.
|
Describe a place that has a special meaning to you.
You should say:
What kind of place it is and where it is
What it looks like
What sounds you associate with it
And explain why you particularly like the place
|
Describe a music video or a concert that has made an impression on you.
You should say:
What kind of music it was and who performed it
What it was like musically
What it was like visually
And explain why you liked it or disliked it.
|
Describe a place you have lived in that you particularly liked
You should say:
When you lived there
Who you lived with
What was most memorable about this place
And explain why you liked it so much.
|
Describe a family holiday you have been on which you particularly enjoyed.
You should say:
Where you went
How you travelled there
What you remember most about the holiday
And explain why you particularly enjoyed this holiday.
|
Describe an important person in your country’s history.
You should say:
What did he or she do?
When?
What impacts did this have?
|
Describe a famous road, bridge, or tunnel.
You should say:
Where is it?
What does it connect?
When was it built?
Who built it?
Why is it important?
Have you seen it yourself?
|
Describe something which you have made.
You should say:
What it was
When you made it
How you felt about making it
And explain why you made it
|
Describe a sporting activity you like.
You should say:
When you first played it
Who you do it with
Where you do it
And explain why you enjoy doing it
|
The above list is what I put together at the beginning of term. However, as I only used one speaking card per class, I also made up Microsoft word documents consisting of only one single speaking card duplicated many times, so that I could print it off, cut it up, and distribute one copy of the card per person. Below are the links to each respective Microsoft word document on google docs. (I was doing this for a class of approximately 30 students, so each document has at least 30 copies of each speaking card.)
1. Describe a particular situation or event in which you were successful, eg an exam, a sporting event, a competition, etc. You should say: What the situation/event was, When and where it happened, What preparation was involved, You should also say how you felt about achieving this success. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
2. Describe a book you enjoyed reading. You should say: What the book was, What it was about, When you read it, And explain why you enjoyed it (
drive,
docs,
pub)
3. Describe a city or town that you do not like. You should say: Where the city or town is, When you first visited the city or town, What the city or town is like, And explain why you do not like the city or town (
drive,
docs,
pub)
4. Describe a family holiday you have been on which you particularly enjoyed. You should say: Where you went, How you travelled there, What you remember most about the holiday, And explain why you particularly enjoyed this holiday. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
5. Describe a famous road, bridge, or tunnel. You should say: Where is it? What does it connect? When was it built? Who built it? Why is it important? Have you seen it yourself? (
drive,
docs,
pub)
6. Describe a film you saw which made an impression on you. You should say: What film and what type of film it is, When you saw it, What your favourite part of the film is, And explain why it made an impression on you. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
7. Describe a leader who has greatly influenced you. You should say: Who he or she is or was, What he or she did that was so significant, What other people think about this person, And explain how he or she personally influenced your life. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
8. Describe a machine that has made a big impact on your life. You should say: What this machine is and what you use it for, Why you bought this particular machine, How often you use it, And also what difference it has made to your life. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
9. Describe a memorable meal. You should say: What you ate, What the occasion was, What happened during the meal, And explain why the meal was memorable (
drive,
docs,
pub)
10. Describe a modern building you like. You should say: Where the modern building is, When you first saw the modern building, What the modern building is like, And explain why you like the modern building. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
11. Describe a museum or art gallery that you have visited. You should say: Where it is, Why you went there, What you particularly remember about the place (
drive,
docs,
pub)
12. Describe a music video or a concert that has made an impression on you. You should say: What kind of music it was and who performed it, What it was like musically, What it was like visually, And explain why you liked it or disliked it. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
13. Describe a party that you enjoyed. You should say: Whose party it was and what it was celebrating, Where the party was held and who went to it, What people did during the party, And explain what you enjoyed about this party. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
14. Talk about a person from your childhood whom you particularly admired. You should mention: Your relationship to him or her, What he or she did, What you admired about this person (
drive,
docs,
pub)
15. Describe a personal possession that is valuable to you. You should say: What it is, How long you have owned it, How you use it, And explain why it is so significant for you (
drive,
docs,
pub)
16. Describe a place that has a special meaning to you. You should say: What kind of place it is and where it is, What it looks like, What sounds you associate with it, And explain why you particularly like the place (
drive,
docs,
pub)
17. Describe a place you have lived in that you particularly liked. You should say: When you lived there, Who you lived with, What was most memorable about this place, And explain why you liked it so much. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
18. Describe a plan you have made for your future that is not related to your studies. You should say: What the plan is, When you think you will do it, How it could change your life, And explain why you have made this plan (
drive,
docs,
pub)
19. Describe a shop that you enjoy going to. You should say: Where this shop is, What it sells, How often you go there, And explain why you enjoy visiting this shop (
drive,
docs,
pub)
20. Describe a sporting activity you like. You should say: When you first played it, Who you do it with, Where you do it, And explain why you enjoy doing it (
drive,
docs,
pub)
21. Describe a surprise that you have had recently. Say: What happened, Where it happened, Who you were with or if you were alone, Why you were so surprised (
drive,
docs,
pub)
22. Describe a website on the Internet that you use regularly. You should say: What sort of website it is, What you use it for, What you like and dislike about it, And explain why you use it regularly (
drive,
docs,
pub)
23. Describe an adventure from your childhood. You should say: Where you were, Who you were with, What happened, And explain why you think it was an adventure (
drive,
docs,
pub)
24. Describe an advertisement that you found very persuasive. You should say: What the advertisement was for, Where you saw or read it, What the advertisement consisted of, And why you found it so persuasive (
drive,
docs,
pub)
25. Describe an electronic item which is very important to you. You should say: What it looks like, What it does, How it works, How long you have had it and explain why it is important to you (
drive,
docs,
pub)
26. Describe an idea you had for improving something at work or school. You should say: When and where you had your idea, What your idea was, Who you told about your idea, And explain why you thought your idea would make an improvement (
drive,
docs,
pub)
27. Describe an important letter you received. You should say: Who the letter was from, What it was about, Why it was important, And explain how you felt about it. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
28. Describe an important person in your country’s history. You should say: What did he or she do?When? What impacts did this have? (
drive,
docs,
pub)
29. Describe something exciting that happened to you recently. Say: What happened, Where you were, Who you were with, How you felt (
drive,
docs,
pub)
30. Describe something which you have made. You should say: What it was, When you made it, How you felt about making it, And explain why you made it (
drive,
docs,
pub)
Update: For a class that I had for more than 30 days, I found it necessary to add more speaking cards. These are, like the ones above, taken from various IELTS textbooks. Google Drive Folder
HERE
31. Describe a tourist attraction you have visited. You should say: What the attraction was, When you visited it, What you saw and did there, And explain what you thought of it (
drive,
docs,
pub)
32.
Describe something you own which is very important to you. You should say: Where you got it from, How long you have had it, What you use it for, And explain why it is so important to you. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
33. Describe a film, theatre or TV performer you admire, You should say: What they look like, What they do, Where and when you say them, and explain why you admire this person. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
34.
Describe a teacher who has influenced you in your education. You should say: where you met them, what subject they taught, what was special about them, And explain why this person influenced you so much. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
35.
Describe a country or state that you have lived in or visited. You should say: What its main features are (e.g. cities, landscape), What the climate is like, What it has to offer visitors, And explain how you feel about the country or state. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
36. Talk about your room in your house. You should say: What type of building the room is in
What is in the room, What you like/dislike about it, And you should say how you would change the room if you could. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
37.
Talk about an activity you have done to keep fit or healthy, eg, some kind of physical exercise, a diet, stopping smoking, etc. You should say: What the activity was, What you did exactly, How long you did this activity for, Also say whether the activity was successful or not (
drive,
docs,
pub)
38.
Describe a job you would like to do in the future. You should say: what the job is, why you would like to do this job, what skills are needed to do this job well, You should also say what you would like most about this job. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
39. Describe a scientific development that has benefited mankind. You should say: What type of development it was, Why it was needed, How it has been used, And explain why this scientific development was so beneficial. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
40. Describe a time that when you were scared of an animal. You should say: what happened,
where you were then, who was with you (
docs,
pub)
41. Describe a good leader you know. You should say: who he/she is, how you get to know him/her, what you think make him/her a great leader (
docs,
pub)
Bonus--this board game, which a colleague of mine gave to me, is also great for practicing IELTS speaking part 2. (
drive,
docs,
pub)
Update: (June 16, 2015)
I'm at a new school now which makes a big deal of communicating to students the purpose of each activity, so I designed the hand-out below to talk about why I was starting each class out with Speaking Part 2 practice. Google (
drive,
docs,
pub)
Speaking Part 2 Quiz—Discuss these questions with a partner:
1. Is speaking part 2 a conversation or a monologue?____________________________
2. How long do you have to prepare for speaking part 2? ____________________________
3. How long do you have to talk for during speaking part 2? ____________________________
We will practice speaking part 2 at the beginning of every class.
Why?
· Learning about the types of speaking part 2 questions: Many students are curious about what types of questions they may receive in speaking part 2. Practicing a variety of speaking part 2 questions in class will give you a good idea of what type of questions usually appear, and what you can expect on the exam.
· Practicing Timing: The timing of speaking part 2 is important. (You only have one minute to prepare, and you must talk for 1-2 minutes). Practicing the timing of this in class every day will help you to get a good feel for the timing, and help you adjust to the time pressures.
· Fluency practice: Many students know a lot of English, but have problems with speaking fluency. That is, they know the words, but have trouble getting the words from their brains to their tongues. Or they have trouble making their mouths form unfamiliar words. But the more you practice this, the easier it will get. Your tongue and your mouth will remember the words, and pretty soon these words will come off your tongue easily.
· Building confidence: a lot of students are nervous about speaking by themselves for a full minute in the test. Practicing this over and over and over again in class will help you to build confidence, so that when you take the IELTS test, speaking part 2 will be very familiar to you, and will not make you nervous.
How does speaking part 2 work?
The examiner will give you a card. You will have one minute to prepare, and then you must speak for one to two minutes about the topic on the card. Speaking Part 2 is not a conversation. You must talk on your own for at least a full minute. You should use the speaking prompts on the card to help you extend your answer more (although the prompts are only suggestions. You do not lose points if you do not talk about all the prompts.)
In-Class Practice
We will practice speaking part 2 at the beginning of every lesson. The teacher will assign you a partner, and give you a card. You will have 1 minute to prepare notes. Then you and a partner will take turns doing the speaking.
On the actual test, you only need to speak for a minimum of 1 minute. So don’t worry if you can’t speak for the whole two minutes. If you can make it to one minute, you will be fine in the actual test.
However, for the purposes of our practice, we will practice for 2 minutes. This will give you a lot of practice in extending your answers. It’s good to make the practice harder than the actual test. If you can learn to talk for 2 minutes, then you can talk for one minute easily.
Use the prompts on the speaking card to help you extend your answer. (These prompts are there to help you extend your answer only. You will not be penalized if you don’t talk about all of them. So if you get to the end of two minutes, and you haven’t gotten around to talking about all of the prompts, don’t worry.)
Remember, speaking part 2 is not supposed to be a conversation. One partner should talk, and the other partner should be quiet during this time.
If your partner gets stuck or can’t think of anything to say, let them struggle with it until they can continue. (This is important, because the examiner will not help you during the real test.) After the time finishes, then you can give your partner advice on how they could have extended their answer.
After one partner finishes, there will be a brief time when the other partner will give feedback. Then, the other partner will speak.
During this practice, the teacher will walk around the class and listen. Afterwards, the teacher will give feedback on any grammar or pronunciation mistakes that he hears. Hopefully, this feedback will be useful for you. However, this feedback is not the main point of the activity. The main point is simply to help get you familiar with speaking part 2 question types, and help you build your confidence through practice.
Another Update:
Using Writing to Practice IELTS Speaking Part 2
Google Drive Folder
HERE
* Mistakes:
docs,
pub
* Homework re-write 1:
docs,
pub
Describe a book you enjoyed reading:
docs,
pub
Describe a City or Town that You Do Not Like:
docs,
pub
Describe a Family:
docs,
pub
Describe a famous road, bridge, or tunnel:
docs,
pub
Describe a Film You Saw:
docs,
pub
Describe a Leader:
docs,
pub
Describe a Machine:
docs,
pub
Describe a Memorable Meal:
docs,
pub
Describe a modern building you like:
docs,
pub
Describe a Music Video:
docs,
pub
Describe a party that you enjoyed:
docs,
pub
Describe a personal possession that is valuable to you:
docs,
pub
Describe a place that has a special meaning to you:
docs,
pub
Describe a place you have lived in that you particularly liked:
docs,
pub
Talk about a person from your childhood whom you particularly admired:
docs,
pub
