Part 2 – planning in one minute and speaking for two
How to use the one-minute preparation time in IELTS Speaking Part 2, make useful notes and structure a two-minute talk, with a fully worked example.
In Part 2 the examiner gives you a card, a pencil and paper. You have exactly one minute to prepare, and then you speak without interruption for up to two minutes. For many candidates this is the most stressful moment of the whole test: two minutes can feel endless when you are alone with your thoughts. A simple method for the preparation minute changes everything.
What the card asks
Describe a place near water that you enjoy visiting. You should say:
- where this place is
- how often you go there
- what you do there
and explain why you enjoy visiting this place.
Every card has the same design:
- A topic line (Describe a…).
- Three bullet points asking for facts: who, what, where, when, how.
- A final line asking you to explain something: why it was important, how you felt, why you would recommend it.
The bullet points are there to help you. You are not penalised for covering them unevenly or in a different order, but you are assessed on staying on the topic and speaking at length, and the bullets are the easiest way to do both.
The final ‘explain’ line is the most valuable part. Facts need only simple language. Explaining feelings and reasons lets you use more complex grammar and vocabulary, so plan to spend the largest share of your time there.
How long must you speak?
The instructions say ‘one to two minutes’. Aim for the full two. The examiner will stop you when the time is up, and being stopped is a good thing: it means you filled the time. If you finish after fifty seconds, the examiner will wait, perhaps ask ‘Can you tell me anything more about that?’, and you will have shown that you cannot sustain a long turn.
Two minutes of natural speech is about 220–280 words.
The one-minute plan
Step 1 (10 seconds): choose your subject – fast
Take the first workable idea. It does not have to be true, impressive or interesting. A local reservoir is as good as the Maldives; in fact it is better, because you know it well and can describe it in detail. Do not waste twenty seconds deciding.
If nothing real comes to mind, borrow: a friend’s experience, a place you saw in a film, an adapted version of something that did happen.
Step 2 (40 seconds): note key words for each point
Write words, not sentences. You are making a map to glance at, not a script to read. A good layout is one line per prompt:
where: reservoir – hills – 30 min drive – path all round how often: 2×/month – autumn best – trees orange, reflection what: walk circuit 8 km – wooden hut tea+cake – camera, herons – bench, read why: contrast – screen, noise → calm – water slows thoughts – problems smaller – father, childhood
Notice three things:
- Specific details (30 minutes, 8 km, herons, a wooden hut). Details are what fill two minutes.
- A few good words you want to remember to use (circuit, reflection, contrast).
- Most notes on the last line. That is where your best language will come from.
Step 3 (10 seconds): decide your first sentence
Knowing exactly how you will begin removes the worst moment of nerves.
‘The place I’d like to describe is a reservoir in the hills about half an hour’s drive from where I live.’
A structure for the talk
| Stage | Time | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | 10 sec | Say what you are going to talk about |
| Point 1 | 20–25 sec | First bullet, with a detail |
| Point 2 | 20–25 sec | Second bullet, with a detail |
| Point 3 | 25–30 sec | Third bullet, with details or a short story |
| Explain | 35–45 sec | The final line: reasons and feelings, in depth |
| (Closing) | 5 sec | A rounding-off sentence if time allows |
Signpost the move from one point to the next, so that your talk is easy to follow:
- The place I’d like to describe is… / I’m going to talk about…
- I go there fairly regularly… / As for how often…
- As for what I do there… / When it comes to…
- Why do I enjoy it so much? I think it’s mainly… / The reason it means so much to me is…
- So, all in all, … / And that’s why…
The model talk
The place I’d like to describe is a reservoir in the hills about half an hour’s drive from where I live. It was built to supply the city with drinking water, but nowadays it’s also a kind of unofficial park, with a path running all the way round it.
I go there fairly regularly, probably twice a month, and more often in the autumn, which I think is when it’s at its best. The trees on the far side turn orange and red, and on a still day you get a perfect reflection in the water.
As for what I do there, it’s nothing very adventurous. I usually walk the full circuit, which is about eight kilometres and takes a couple of hours if you’re not rushing. There’s a little wooden hut at the halfway point that sells tea and cake, so that’s an essential stop. Sometimes I take my camera, because there are herons and other water birds, and occasionally I just find a bench and read for a while.
Why do I enjoy it so much? I think it’s mainly the contrast with the rest of my week. I spend most of my time indoors, looking at a screen and surrounded by noise, and the reservoir is the opposite of all that. There’s something about a large area of water that slows your thoughts down. I often arrive with some problem going round in my head, and by the time I’ve walked round, it either seems smaller or I’ve worked out what to do about it. It’s also a place I associate with my father, who first took me there when I was little, so it has a certain sentimental value as well.
What makes this a strong answer?
- Length: about 280 words, a comfortable two minutes.
- Organisation: it follows the card, with a clear signal at each change (I go there…, As for what I do there…, Why do I enjoy it so much?).
- Detail: numbers, colours, the hut, the herons.
- Balance: the ‘why’ section is the longest.
- Range of grammar: passive (was built), relative clauses (which I think is when…, who first took me there), a time clause (by the time I’ve walked round), present perfect.
- Natural vocabulary: a kind of unofficial park, at its best, nothing very adventurous, an essential stop, going round in my head, sentimental value.
- A personal touch at the end, which sounds genuine.
If you run out of things to say
It happens. Have some ‘rescue’ moves ready.
| Move | Example |
|---|---|
| Add a specific memory | ‘I remember one time last winter when the whole thing was frozen…’ |
| Compare with something else | ‘It’s very different from the beach, which I find much too crowded.’ |
| Describe other people’s reactions | ‘My friends think it’s a bit quiet, but I’ve converted one or two of them.’ |
| Talk about the future | ‘I’d love to take my own children there one day.’ |
| Speculate | ‘If I lived closer, I’d probably go every week.’ |
| Go back to a bullet and add detail | ‘I forgot to mention that there’s also a small visitor centre…’ |
The rounding-off questions
After your talk, the examiner may ask one or two short questions (‘Do your friends like this place too?’). Answer in one or two sentences. This is not Part 3 yet.
‘Most of them do. A few find it a bit quiet, but I’ve converted one or two of them.’
Common mistakes in Part 2
- Writing sentences during the preparation minute. You will manage two of them and have no plan for the rest.
- Reading from your notes. Glance, then look up and speak.
- Finishing in under a minute.
- Spending ninety seconds on the first bullet and never reaching the ‘explain’ line.
- Reciting a memorised talk that does not quite fit the card.
- Talking about the topic in general (‘Water is very important for human life’) instead of describing your particular place, person or event.
- Stopping to ask the examiner whether you should continue. Keep going until you are told to stop.
Practice routine
- Take a Part 2 card from any practice test on this site.
- Set a timer for one minute and make notes as described.
- Set a timer for two minutes, record yourself and speak.
- Listen. Did you reach two minutes? Did you cover the last line properly? Where did you hesitate?
- Read the sample answer, note three expressions you like, and do the same card again the next day without looking at your first notes.
Ten cards practised this way, each done twice, is enough to make the long turn feel manageable.
Key points
- One minute: choose quickly, note key words for each prompt, plan your first sentence.
- Write words, not sentences; put most notes on the ‘explain’ line.
- Aim for two full minutes, following the card and signposting each stage.
- Specific details and a personal reason are what fill the time convincingly.
- Keep rescue moves ready, and keep talking until the examiner stops you.
Now try it in a real section
A complete IELTS speaking section in the official format — every answer explained.
IELTS is a registered trademark of the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. PrepFreely is not affiliated with, approved or endorsed by them.