Part 2

IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a time you helped someone with something difficult

The long turn. You are handed a cue card, given 60 seconds to make notes, and then asked to speak for 1 to 2 minutes without interruption. Most candidates lose marks by stopping early rather than by saying anything wrong.

The cue card

Describe a time you helped someone with something difficult.

You should say:

  • Who you helped
  • What the difficulty was
  • What you did to help
  • How the person responded

How to use the preparation minute

This is a plan, not a script. Examiners are trained to recognise memorised answers and mark them down, so the aim is to know what you will cover — not which words you will use.

  1. Seconds 0–15 · commit to one examplePick a real, specific instance and write its name down. Candidates who spend the preparation minute hunting for the perfect example start the long turn with nothing concrete to say.
  2. Open with · who you helpedSay who they are to you before you describe them. The relationship is what makes the rest of the answer make sense.
  3. Then cover · what the difficulty wasGive the specific over the general, then one detail that could only be true of your example.
  4. Then cover · what you did to helpSequence two or three concrete actions rather than summarising. Past tenses live here, and this is where accuracy is easiest to demonstrate.
  5. Then cover · how the person respondedFinish on evaluation rather than repetition. The examiner has heard the facts; what earns marks here is what you make of them.
  6. If you run out before the time doesSay what you would change about it now, or how it compares with something similar. Stopping at ninety seconds costs more than an imperfect extra sentence.

What comes next

The long turn does not end the topic. The examiner moves straight into Part 3 with something broader, often along these lines:

Should schools do more to teach young people to help others?

What is being marked

Every part of the test is scored on the same four criteria, each carrying equal weight in the final band.

Fluency & Coherence
Lexical Resource
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Pronunciation

Voxtis is an independent practice tool and is not affiliated with the British Council, IDP, or Cambridge Assessment English. Band estimates are indicative.

Practise this one out loud

Reading a cue card is not the same as speaking for two minutes under timing. Take it with an AI examiner that responds to what you actually say, then get a band estimate and the specific sentences that held you back.

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