Part 2: using your one minute
Turn the one-minute preparation time into a confident two-minute talk: read the cue card precisely, choose a story fast, write keyword notes, follow a simple four-stage structure, and know exactly what to do if you run out of ideas.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Read a cue card precisely: topic focus, tense frame and the all-important 'explain' line
- Use a 60-second routine to choose a specific story and write keyword notes instead of sentences
- Organise a long turn as intro → bullet points → explanation → wrap-up, and fill the full two minutes
- Recover smoothly when you run out of ideas, without stopping or going off-topic
What happens in Part 2, exactly
- The examiner explains that you will talk about a topic for one to two minutes, that you have one minute to prepare, and that you may make notes. You receive the cue card, a pencil and paper.
- The examiner times your minute and then asks you to begin. You don't need to say when you're ready.
- You speak. The examiner will stop you at two minutes, even mid-sentence. That is normal and not penalised. In fact, it's the ideal outcome.
- The examiner may ask one or two short rounding-off questions (e.g. 'Do you think you'll go back there?'). Answer in a sentence or two; then Part 3 begins.
- Your notes are not marked, and the card and paper are collected afterwards.
Why you should aim for the full two minutes
Talking for only 60–80 seconds means less evidence of sustained fluency, fewer chances to show range, and a talk that sounds thin. Aim to keep going until the examiner stops you. At a natural pace, two minutes is roughly 250–300 words: about 3–4 detailed points plus a well-developed explanation. You can't see a clock, so don't try to time yourself. Plan more than you think you need, and let the examiner do the timing.
Describe a place you visited that you would like to go back to.
You should say:
- where it is
- when you went there
- what you did there
and explain why you would like to go back.
- The topic lineRead every word. 'A place you **visited**' = a real trip in the past (past tenses). 'You **would like to go back to**' = a hypothetical future (would, conditionals). Many candidates describe their home town here, which doesn't fit 'visited'.
- The bullet pointsThey guide your talk and give it a ready-made order. You won't lose marks just for skipping one, but covering them all is the easiest way to fill the time and stay on topic.
- The 'explain' lineThis is the heart of the talk and should be its longest part. It invites reasons, feelings and reflection, which is exactly where band 7+ vocabulary and complex grammar appear naturally.
- One, not many'A place' means one specific place. Talking about 'trips in general' or listing three places weakens coherence.
The 60-second routine
- 1
0–10 seconds: read for focus and tense
Read the whole card, including the 'explain' line. Ask yourself: What exactly must I describe (one person, place, object or event)? Past, present or future?
- 2
10–15 seconds: choose fast
Take the first specific idea you can talk about for two minutes. Don't hunt for the perfect story: an ordinary story told well beats a brilliant story you never finish planning. Remember, the truth of the story isn't marked.
- 3
15–45 seconds: keyword notes for each bullet
Write 2–4 keywords per bullet, never sentences. Use abbreviations, arrows and Bangla if it's faster. Your notes are memory triggers, not a script.
- 4
45–55 seconds: load the 'explain' line
Add two reasons or feelings for the explanation, and jot down 2–3 good vocabulary items you want to use (e.g. mist, haunting, recharge). This is where your band 7+ language lives.
- 5
55–60 seconds: plan your first sentence
Decide exactly how you'll begin: 'I'd like to talk about…, which…'. A confident first sentence carries you into the talk. Then breathe and look up.
Sentence notes vs keyword notes (same card, same 60 seconds)
Sentence notes: ran out of time
I visited Srimangal last December with my friends. It is located in Sylhet division, in the north-east. We went there by train and we stayed in a resort near the tea gardens. In the morning we went to
Keyword notes: whole talk planned
WHERE: Srimangal, 'tea capital', NE, hills
WHEN: Dec, 2 yrs ago, 4 uni friends, night train
DID: tea gardens at dawn, mist / workers: 'two leaves + a bud' / Lawachara forest, gibbons' call / 7-layer tea
EXPLAIN: silence vs Dhaka noise / didn't finish trail / take parents (Abba grew up near tea estate)
WORDS: endless rows, struck me, haunting, do it justice, in a heartbeat
The sentence notes cover only the first two bullets before time runs out, and they tempt you to read aloud, which sounds flat and kills eye contact. The keyword notes plan the **whole** talk in about 40 words: every bullet, two reasons for the explanation, a personal detail for the ending, and five vocabulary items to use. Each keyword unlocks a sentence or two of speech.
A simple four-stage structure
| Stage | Approx. time | What to do | Useful language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–15 sec | Name your choice and give context or a hook. Cover the first bullet if you can. | 'I'd like to talk about…, which…' / 'The place I've chosen is…' / 'I'm going to describe…' |
| 60–70 sec | Cover the bullets in order. For each, add detail: who, where, when, plus one description or mini-scene. | 'It all started when…' / 'As for…' / 'The first thing that struck me was…' / 'After that…' |
| 30–40 sec | Answer the 'explain' line in depth: two reasons or feelings, then vs now, what it taught you. | 'The main reason… is that…' / 'What made it so special was…' / 'Looking back, I realise…' |
| Until stopped | A short reflection or future angle. If you still have time, add a 'bonus' detail rather than stopping. | 'Next time, I'd love to…' / 'So all in all…' / 'That's why I'd jump at the chance to…' |
Build a story bank: one story, many cards
| Story you prepare | Cue cards it can fit | How to adapt it |
|---|---|---|
A weekend trip to Srimangal's tea gardens with university friends | A place you'd like to revisit · a journey you remember · a time you were happy · a holiday · a time with friends · a photo you took · an interesting animal you saw · new food you tried | Shift the focus to the bullet: the train ride (journey), the gibbons (animal), the seven-layer tea (food), the group photo at dawn (photo). |
Helping organise a fundraiser for flood victims at university | A time you helped someone · a team project · something you're proud of · an event you organised · a time you were very busy · a time you had to solve a problem | Change which part you zoom in on: the people you helped, the team, the stressful deadline, the problem with the venue. |
Your grandmother | A person you admire · an older person you know · someone who taught you something · a good cook · a family member you're close to · a person who influenced you | Keep the same person, but choose the matching anecdote: her stories, her recipes, the advice she gave you before your exams. |
Your first smartphone | An important object · a gift you received · a piece of technology you use · something you saved up to buy · a thing you lost | Present tense for an object you still use; past tenses for the day you got it or lost it. |
Filling two minutes: five expansion moves
When a bullet point feels 'finished' after one sentence, use one of these moves to develop it. Each adds 10–20 seconds of natural, relevant speech, and most of them push your grammar and vocabulary up a level.
- Zoom in on the senses. What did you see, hear, smell, taste? 'The air smelt of wet earth and fresh tea leaves.'
- Add a mini-scene. Bring in a moment or a line of direct speech: 'My friend turned to me and said, "We're completely lost, aren't we?"'
- Then vs now. Contrast your feelings at the time with now: 'At the time I was terrified, but looking back, it was hilarious.'
- Compare. With your expectations or something familiar: 'It was nothing like the crowded beaches of Cox's Bazar.'
- Consequences and the future. 'Since then, I've…' / 'Next time, I'd definitely…'
Notice that these moves stay on topic. Filling time with general statements ('Tourism is very important for a country's economy…') belongs in Part 3, not here.
Run out of ideas? Your rescue plan
- 1
Go back to a bullet
Return to the bullet you covered most quickly and add detail with an expansion move: 'Actually, I should say a bit more about the people I was with…'
- 2
Give another reason
The 'explain' line can always take one more angle: 'Another reason it meant so much to me is that…'
- 3
Do it differently
Imagine a second time: 'If I went back, I'd do things differently. For one thing, I'd…' (a natural second conditional).
- 4
Bridge a blank mind
If your mind goes blank mid-sentence, don't freeze or apologise. Use a bridge while you think: 'What I mean is…', 'The thing I remember most is…', 'There's one more thing I should mention…'
- 5
Never announce the end
Avoid 'That's all' or 'I have nothing more to say.' If the examiner hasn't stopped you, there is still time to show your English. Keep adding relevant detail.
Check your understanding
6 questions- 1
Put the steps of the 60-second routine in order.
Drag the cards (or use the arrows) into the correct order.
- 1Read the whole card, noting what to describe and which tense it needs
- 2Add notes for the 'explain' line and a few words you want to use
- 3Write 2–4 keywords for each bullet point
- 4Choose a specific idea you can talk about for two minutes
- 5Plan your first sentence
- 2
What should your Part 2 notes look like?
- 3
You will lose marks if your Part 2 notes are messy or incomplete.
- 4
The last line of the cue card, which begins 'and …', is usually the richest part of your talk.
- 5
'Describe a time when you were very busy.' Which TWO choices would work best?
Select 2.
- 6
'Describe a place you visited that you would like to go back to.' Which tense frame fits best?
Answer every question to check.
I'd like to talk about Srimangal, a small town in the north-east of Bangladesh that's often called the tea capital of the country. I went there about two years ago, in December, with four friends from university, and it's one of the few places I'd go back to in a heartbeat.
We took the overnight train from Dhaka, which was an adventure in itself, and arrived just as the sun was coming up. The first thing that struck me was the landscape: endless rows of tea bushes covering the hills, with a thin layer of mist hanging over everything. It looked more like a painting than a real place.
As for what we did, we spent the first morning walking through the tea gardens and chatting to some of the workers, who showed us how they pick only two leaves and a bud. In the afternoon we hiked through Lawachara forest, hoping to see the gibbons that live there. We heard them long before we saw them. They have this haunting, echoing call. And of course we tried the famous seven-layer tea. I still have no idea how they make it.
The main reason I'd like to go back is the sense of calm. Coming from Dhaka, where there's constant noise, it was the first time in years that I'd actually heard silence. I also feel we didn't really do the place justice. We only had two days, so we never finished the longer forest trail. Next time, I'd love to take my parents, because my father grew up near a tea estate, and I think it would bring back a lot of memories for him.
- Intro (≈15 sec)Names the place, locates it ('in the north-east'), adds a reputation ('often called the tea capital') and a hook with an idiom ('I'd go back to in a heartbeat'). Bullet 1 is done in the first sentence.
- Bullet 2, woven in'about two years ago, in December, with four friends' answers 'when' inside the story. There's no robotic 'Now I will talk about when I went'.
- Bullet 3 with expansion movesSequenced with 'As for what we did', 'In the afternoon', 'And of course'. Sensory detail ('mist hanging over everything', 'haunting, echoing call') and a comparison ('more like a painting than a real place') fill time with high-quality language.
- The explanation (longest part)Signalled clearly ('The main reason… is'), then two reasons, a contrast with Dhaka, and a future plan using 'I'd love to' and 'it would bring back'. The personal detail about the father gives a natural ending.
- Grammar rangePast continuous ('was coming up'), past perfect ('the first time in years that I'd heard'), passive ('is often called'), relative clauses ('who showed us', 'that live there', 'where there's constant noise'), participle clauses ('hoping to see', 'Coming from Dhaka') and conditionals.
- LengthAbout 280 words. At a natural pace this fills roughly two minutes, so the examiner would probably stop the speaker during the final sentences. That is exactly what you want.
Listen: the band 8 long turn on Srimangal
Speaking Part 2 practice
1 min prep · up to 2 min talkDescribe a time when you helped someone.
You should say:
- who you helped
- why they needed help
- how you helped them
and explain how you felt about helping this person.
Start your one minute of preparation, then talk for up to two minutes.
Tips for a band 7+ answer
- • Use the full minute: 2–4 keywords per bullet, then two feelings or reasons for the 'explain' line and a few words you want to use.
- • Choose ONE specific occasion: a particular day or week, not 'I often help people'.
- • Use narrative tenses: past simple for events, past continuous for background ('It was pouring with rain when…'), past perfect for earlier events ('She had lost her ticket').
- • Add at least one expansion move: a mini-scene with direct speech, a sensory detail, or how you felt then compared with now.
- • Keep talking until the timer stops you at two minutes. If you run out, go back to a bullet and add detail, or give another reason.
- • Rounding-off practice afterwards: 'Do people in your neighbourhood often help each other?' Answer in one or two sentences.
Final quiz: preparing and delivering the long turn
10 questions- 1
You have covered all the bullets and the explanation, but the examiner hasn't stopped you. What should you do?
- 2
Match each expansion move to an example.
Sensory detailMini-sceneThen vs nowComparisonFuture angle - 3
Find and correct the mistake:
Last year I visit my uncle in Chattogram and we go to Patenga beach.
- 4
Find and correct the mistake:
If I will get the chance, I would go there again.
- 5
You must cover the bullet points in exactly the order they are printed on the card.
- 6
Which is the best opening sentence for the Srimangal card?
- 7
Which THREE are good rescue strategies when you run out of ideas?
Select 3.
- 8
'Describe a piece of good news you received.' Which choice is best?
- 9
Put the four stages of a long turn in order.
Drag the cards (or use the arrows) into the correct order.
- 1Wrap-up: a reflection or future angle, until you are stopped
- 2Explanation: reasons and feelings in depth
- 3Intro: name your choice and give context
- 4Bullet points: cover each with detail
- 10
Part 2 notes should be keywords, not full .
Answer every question to check.
Key takeaways
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