What actually happens in Part 2
The examiner hands you a cue card with a topic and four bullet points, along with a pencil and paper. You get exactly one minute to prepare notes, then you must speak for one to two minutes without the examiner interrupting, before one follow-up question.
Part 2 of the Speaking test is the same for every candidate in its structure. The examiner gives you a card describing a topic, such as "Describe a skill you learned that you found difficult", followed by three or four bullet points telling you what to cover.
You are given one minute to prepare, with paper and a pencil to make notes. You are not being tested on your handwriting or your notes themselves, only on the two-minute talk that follows. Once your minute is up, the examiner asks you to begin, and you should aim to speak for the full two minutes, since the examiner will not prompt you further and stopping early wastes an opportunity to demonstrate range.
After you finish, or after two minutes, whichever comes first, the examiner asks one short follow-up question before moving to Part 3.
Why most people waste the preparation minute
Under pressure, most candidates either freeze, choosing a topic without planning what to say about it, or try to write full sentences, which is far too slow. Both approaches leave the talk itself unplanned, causing hesitation, repetition, or running out of things to say early.
A minute feels short, and it is, which is exactly why planning strategy matters more than in almost any other part of the test.
Two failure patterns are extremely common. The first is spending most of the minute deciding what to talk about rather than how to talk about it, leaving no time to plan structure. The second is trying to write out full sentences, which is far too slow to complete in sixty seconds and produces notes that are only half-finished when time is called.
The fix for both is the same: decide on your topic within the first five seconds using whatever genuine example comes to mind first, then spend the rest of the minute on structure and keywords, never full sentences.
The step-by-step method for the sixty seconds
Pick your real example immediately, then write one keyword per bullet point on the card, then add one or two feeling or reflection words at the end. This produces four to six words total, enough to structure two minutes of speech without ever reading from a script.
- Choose your example in the first five seconds. Do not search for an impressive answer. The most honest, specific example you can think of will always produce more natural speech than an invented one you have to think through as you talk.
- Write one keyword per bullet point. Not sentences, just enough to remind you what that bullet point covers. Four bullet points should produce four short keywords or phrases.
- Add a word for how you felt about it. Cue cards almost always end with a bullet like "and explain how you felt", so plan this on paper too rather than improvising it live, since reflection is often the weakest part of a rushed answer.
- Order your keywords in the sequence you will say them. A rough timeline, past to present, is usually the simplest structure to speak from without losing your place.
This produces a short list of five or six words, not a script, which is exactly enough scaffolding to speak fluently without ever reading.
How to structure the two minutes once you start
A reliable structure is an opening sentence naming the topic, two or three sentences of background using when, where, and who, the main description following your bullet points in order, and a closing sentence on how you felt or what you learned.
Once the examiner says begin, structure buys you time to think while still sounding organised.
Open with a single sentence that directly names your topic: "I'd like to talk about the time I learned to swim." This costs nothing to plan and buys a few seconds to settle in.
Move into background using when, where, and who, since these are easy details to describe and naturally fill time without requiring complex opinions. Then work through your bullet points in the order you planned, using your keywords as prompts rather than reading them.
Close with the feeling or reflection bullet point. This is the part examiners listen for most closely, since it usually requires slightly more complex language than pure description, and ending on it gives your answer a clear finish rather than trailing off.
The mistakes that cost fluency and coherence marks
The recurring errors are stopping after thirty seconds with nothing left to say, ignoring bullet points that seem less interesting, memorising a script that collapses under a slightly different topic, and speaking too fast in a rush to fit everything in.
Avoid these four and Part 2 becomes far less stressful.
- Running out of things to say early. This almost always means the preparation minute was spent choosing a topic rather than planning structure. Trust the keyword method above, and lean on background detail (when, where, who) to extend naturally.
- Skipping bullet points. Every bullet point on the card is there to be covered. Skipping the one that feels hardest, often the feelings or reflection point, is the most common reason a fluent-sounding answer still misses full marks.
- Memorising a general script in advance. A pre-written answer about "a memorable trip" rarely fits the exact cue card given on test day, and reciting it against a mismatched topic sounds unnatural and is easy for an examiner to notice.
- Rushing. Speaking quickly to fit more content in reduces clarity and pronunciation scores. Two minutes is enough time for a genuine, unhurried answer; there is no reward for finishing early or cramming in extra facts.
Frequently asked questions
What if I cannot think of a real example?
Adapt the closest real experience you have, or invent plausible details around a real feeling or place you know well. Examiners assess your English, not the truth of your story, so a slightly adjusted real memory works better than an entirely invented one you have to construct on the spot.
What happens if I finish talking before two minutes are up?
The examiner will not prompt you to continue and may move straight to the follow-up question. Finishing early is not directly penalised, but it usually means less language was produced for the examiner to assess, so aim to use the full time.
Can I ask the examiner a question about the topic?
No. Part 2 is designed as an uninterrupted monologue. If a bullet point is unclear, make a reasonable interpretation and continue rather than asking the examiner to clarify.
Should I write full sentences during the preparation minute?
No. A minute is not enough time to write full sentences for every bullet point, and reading from a script during your answer noticeably lowers fluency scores. Keywords only, planned in the order you will speak them.
