IELTS Speaking Part 2 Topics & Questions

Speaking part 2 is called:

“The Long Turn”

It simply is a face to face talk to the examiner (3‑4 minutes)

You will be given a topic card, you will have 1 minute to prepare your talk and then you will need to give your talk to the examiner for 1‑2 minutes. 

You can see real speaking test part 2 samples below.

The lady got band 6.0

Most topics are stories about yourself or something that happened in your life.

Below I will list a group of most common topics and what are you supposed to talk about in each topic

If you wish to get a sneak peek of whats below, you can see this video on my YouTube channel

Art

Describe a piece of art you like.

You should say:
what the work of art is
when you first saw it
what you know about it
and explain why you like it.

Books

Describe a book you have recently read.

You should say:
what kind of book it is
what it is about
what sort of people would enjoy it
and explain why you liked it.

Communication

Describe a piece of advice you recently received.

You should say:
when this happened
who gave you the advice
what the advice was
and explain how you felt about the advice.

Daily Routine

Describe a time of the day you like.

You should say:
what time of day it is
what you do at that time
who you are usually with
and explain why you like it.

Exercise

Describe an exercise you know.

You should say:
what it is
how it is done
when you first tried it
what kind of people it is suitable for
and explain why you think it is a good exercise.

Family

Describe a member of the your family you get on well with.

You should say:
who it is
what relationship you have to that person
what that person is like
what you do together
and explain why you get on so well.

Gift

Describe a gift you recently gave to someone.

You should say:
who you gave it to
what kind of person he/she is
what the gift was
what occasion the gift was for
and explain why you chose that gift.


Hobby

Describe an interesting hobby.

You should say:
what it is
what kind of people do it
how it is done
and explain why you think it is interesting.

Internet

Describe a useful website.

You should say:
what it is
how often you visit it
what kind of site it is
what kind of information it offers
and explain why you think it is useful.

Journey

Describe a journey that didn’t go as planned.

You should say:
where you were going
how you were travelling
who you were with
what went wrong
and explain what you would do differently.

Kindness

Describe a person you know who is kind.

You should say:
who it is
how you know this person
what sort of person he/she is
and explain why you think they are kind.

Language

Describe a language you have learned.

You should say:
what it is
when you started learning
how you learned it
what was difficult about it
and why you decided to learn that language.

Music

Describe an song you like.

You should say:
what kind of song it is
what the song is about
when you first heard it
and explain why you like it.

News

Describe some good news you recently received.

You should say:
what the news was
how you received the news
who gave it to you
and explain why this was good news.

Old people

Describe an old person you know.

You should say:
who this person is
how old he/she is
what this person is like
and explain why you like this person.

Photograph

Describe a photograph you like.

You should say:
what can be seen in the photo
when it was taken
who took it
and explain why you like it.

Respect

Describe someone you respect.

You should say:
who the person is
how you know about this person
what this person does
what this person is like
and explain why you respect this person.

Sport

Describe a sports you would like to learn.

You should say:
what it is
what equipment is needed for it
how you would learn it
and explain why you would like to learn
this sport.

Travel

Describe a place you have recently visited.

You should say:
where you went
who you went with
how you got there
and explain why you enjoyed it.

Unexpected

Describe an unexpected event.

You should say:
what it was
when it happened
who was there
why it was unexpected
and explain why you enjoyed it.

Vocation

Describe a vocation you think is useful to society.

You should say:
what it is
what it involves
what kind of people usually do this work
and explain why you think it is useful to society.

Water

Describe a place near water.

You should say:
where it is
how you get there
how often you do there
what you can do there
and explain why you like it.

Your Favourite Shop

Describe your favourite shop.

You should say:
where it is
how often you go there
what it sells
and explain why you think it is a good shop.

Zoo

Describe a place with animals.

You should say:
where it is
how you heard of it
what animals can be seen
and explain why it might be an interesting
place to visit.

Grammar: Present Perfect Simple

Present Perfect Simple

Forms

Principal uses

• ·         To refer to a time period which is not yet finished (e.g. today, this month):

          We've bought a new house this week. (an incomplete period)

• ·         To show that something happened in the past. We don't state when is happened:

          I've lost my watch. Have you seen it anywhere?
          Note: If we give the time we must use the simple past:
          I lost my watch yesterday. (not I've lost my watch yesterday)
         The following time expressions are often used: ever, never, always, up to now, so far.
         This is the worst storm we've ever had. (at any point before now)

• ·         To talk about a situation which started in the past and usually continues after the time of speaking in the present:

He has lived here for six years. (He has lived here till now)

We use for with a length of time (e.g. for three weeks, for two days, for six years) and since with a point in time (e.g. since 2010, since Wednesday, since nine o'clock, since I was five, since I moved here)

• ·         To talk about an action which occurred at an unstated time in the past, provided that there is still a connection with the present:

          I’ve collected all the documents that are needed for the house sale. (I have the documents now)

     Note: If we give the time we must use the simple past:
     I lost my watch yesterday. (not I've lost my watch yesterday)

Commonly used expressions

• ·         recently, just, already, and yet with negatives or questions.

               I've just arrived.
               Have you done your homework yet?

Note the position of the following time expressions that occur with the present perfect:

• ·         between the auxiliary and main verb (e.g. recently, already, always, ever, just, never):

               I've already bought my ticket.               I’ve never met your brother.

• ·         Ever is generally used with questions or negatives:

               Have you ever been to London?

• ·         After the main verb (e.g. all my life, every day, yet, before, for ages, for two weeks, since 2001, since I was ten etc.)

               I haven't seen him for ages.               I’ve known John since I was ten.

• ·                 If there is an object clause, the time expression comes at the end:

               I've read this book every morning since then.               He hasn't ridden since he broke his arm.

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Prepositions (In, On & At)

Use prepositions

Answer the question first to test your self, then read the explanation

IN / ON / AT

1. …...................... 1999.
2. …...................... the morning.
3. …...................... Thursday.
4. …...................... the 1st of July.
5. …...................... the summer.



Now, listen to the audio below, or read the script underneath then find the answer at the end

When English speakers talk about time and place, there are three little words that often come up: in, on, and at. These common words are prepositions that show a relationship between two words in a sentence.

Some prepositions are rather easy for English learners to understand: behind, over, under, next to, etc…

But these little two-letter prepositions seem to create confusion. Here are a few rules to help you understand when to use in, on, and at in a sentence.

For describing time and place, the prepositions in, on, and at go from general to specific.

Prepositions and Time

Let’s start by looking at how we talk about time. English speakers use in to refer to a general, longer period of time, such as months, years, decades, or centuries. For example, we say “in April,” “in 2015” or “in the 21st century.”

Moving to shorter, more specific periods of time, we use on to talk about particular days, dates, and holidays . You may hear, “I went to work on Monday,” or “Let’s have a picnic on Memorial Day.”

For the most specific times, and for holidays without the word “day,” we use at. That means you will hear, “Meet me at midnight,” or “The flowers are in bloom at Easter time.”

To conclude preposition of time, see the picture below

Prepositions and Place

When English speakers refer to a place, we use in for the largest or most general places. You can say that “VOA is located in Washington, D.C.” And “for the best food, try the restaurants in Chinatown.”

For more specific places, like certain streets, we use the preposition on. You may know that President Obama lives on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.

Finally, we get to the most specific places. For exact addresses or intersections, we use the preposition at. If I invited you to visit us here at VOA, I would say, “Come to my office at 330 Independence Avenue.” To be exact, it’s at the corner of Independence and 3^rd Street.”

To conclude preposition of place, see the picture below

In English, though, there is always an ‘exception to the rule.’ When talking about transportation, things get a little hard to understand. We use on for public vehicles like buses or trains, but also for smaller ones like a bicycle. “I rode there on my bicycle.” However, you ride in a car.

Still, it helps to know that English prepositions do have some rules.

Following the “general to specific” rule should help you most of the time.

Do you think you got the question above right? tell us in the comments section below

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR VOCABULARY

Tips to improve your  vocabulary

We have a series of vocabulary blog posts such as This one and This one

• Start by learning practical vocabulary.  Learn words that are actually important to you at work, at home and out and about. 
• Use stick it notes and label things around your home.
• Use self-study vocabulary books, these should include a good dictionary, and a thesaurus.
• Expose yourself to as much English as possible by reading, watching the TV, films or the news and listening to the radio or music.
• Read an English magazine. If you can afford it take out a subscription to a magazine or newspaper.
• Do online exercises. Keep a note of how you did and go back in a few weeks / months to see how you have improved.
• Try to memorize whole sentences, not just individual words. When you have learnt a word, write about it in context.
• Create or play word games. Scrabble, Crossword Puzzles, Hangman, and Dingthings are all great ways to play with words.
• When you know you need to learn a particular word list for a test, start using the words immediately, use them in context and frequently. See if anyone is talking about those words online and comment on people's blogs or pages in Facebook, or on Google Plus.
• Review, revise, review.  These are my 3 rs.  Review your word lists.  Revise the ones you keep getting stuck on.  Review the list ... ad infinitum.
• No one said it was going to be easy, but unless you are studying to become an  Aerospace  engineer, it's not rocket science.

Notebooks

• Keep a notebook to help you remember what you've learnt.
• Here's a guide to keeping an English notebook.
• Vocabulary webs
• Build a vocabulary web to organise your vocabulary about certain subjects.
• For example your personal life:-

and then extend it:-

• and then extend it further...
• Flash cards
• Start a flash cards box.
• Buy or cut out some cards all the same size.
• Draw or cut out some pictures.
• Paste the pictures onto one side of the card and write the correct word on the other side.
• Put new words in the front of the box.
• Test yourself using either the pictures, the words or both.
• If you have forgotten a word bring it to the front of the box.
• For more advanced vocabulary, write the word on one side and the dictionary definition on the other.

And finally, try learning the words to English ads, flyers and all readable materials. 

Find a friend and practice with him.

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Grow your vocabulary : talk about the weather

Using verbs to describe the weather

	The sun is shining		It's drizzling
	The wind is blowing		It's raining (The rain is falling.)
	It's hailing		It's pouring (The rain is pouring down.)
	It's snowing (The snow is falling.)		It's thundering

Using adjectives to describe the weather

Sweltering = It's sweltering. or It's a sweltering day.

Freezing = It's freezing. or It's a freezing day.

Warm = It's warn. or It's a warm day.

Cold = It's cold. or It's a cold day.

Sunny = It's sunny. or It's a sunny day.

Cloudy = It's cloudy. or It's a cloudy day.

Clear = It's clear. or It's a clear day.

Stormy = It's stormy. or It's a stormy day.

Misty = It's misty. or It's a misty day.

Foggy = It's foggy. or It's a foggy day.

Breezy = It's breezy. or It's a breezy day

Windy = It's windy. or It's a windy day.

Showery = It's showery. or It's a showery day.

Rainy = It's rainy. or It's a rainy day.

Frosty = It's frosty. or It's a frosty day.

Snowy = It's snowy. or It's a snowy day.

Icy = It's icy. or It's an icy day.

Drizzly = It's drizzly. or It's a drizzly day.

. Dry = It's dry. or It's a dry day.

Wet = It's wet. or It's a wet day.

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