IELTS cue cards part is one of the prominent in the IELTS Speaking section. It is the second part of the speaking section from which the part 3 questions will depend on. This part tests the candidate’s quick thinking ability, time management, and English Speaking skills. Here in this article, you can find the best and quick tips to solve difficult IELTS Speaking cue cards.
What is an IELTS Cue Card?
The second part of the IELTS Speaking section is Cue Cards. The interviewer will handle a card on which a question or a topic is written, and the candidate needs to speak for two minutes on the given topic. They can be a real-life incident or a general topic.
Some of the most common IELTS Cue card topics are:
- A rule you agree or disagree with from school
- A Foreign country you’d like to visit
- A Friend who solved a problem cleverly
- Talk about good news you recently heard
- Explain some recent changes in your life
- Talk about Healthy Lifestyle
- Talk about an organization you’d love to work with
- Describe a book that influenced you
- A plan you made but changes d or canceled it
- Talk about an interesting conversation you had with a stranger
How to answer IELTS Speaking Cue Card?
A minute with a pen & paper will be provided for the candidate to prepare and note down the ideas to talk about the given topic. Students need to utilize that one minute to plan what to talk about in 2 minutes to improve the IELTS Speaking Score.
For Example, here is a sample question of the IELTS Cue Card:
A rule you agree or disagree with from school.
Model Answer:
- What is the rule?
- Why is it implemented?
- Why did you agreed or disagreed with it?
- What are the effects of your decision?
- What did you learn from it?
How to Solve Difficult IELTS Speaking Cue Cards?
A common tip we have for any test is practice. This is what we say to our students too. There are no shortcuts for success. Only through thorough practice, one can achieve the score one dreamed of. Along with that, here are some expert tips to solve cue cards in IELTS speaking.
1. Practice planning in a minute:
Before beginning, the candidate can have a minute to think about the topic and plan what to talk about. As a pen and paper will be given, make a note of all the keywords to mention and points to cover.
2. Set the timer for 2 minutes
Practice speaking on a topic and finish it with all the required points within two minutes. This is not something that can be mastered in one attempt. Giving consistent and perfect answers with all points should be practiced.
[Read more: IELTS Exam Pattern and Syllabus ]
3. Speak to the mirror
Practice speaking in front of a mirror. By this practice, one can observe their boy language which is one of the key factors interviewers observe. Make sure to maintain eye contact and a little hand moment.
4. Always Elaborate
Never give short answers or one-word answers. Make sure to elaborate the answer with the experience and examples if possible. Short answers indicate poor knowledge of a topic or disinterest to talk. So always elaborate on the answer.
5. Never pause
Pauses like ‘and’, ‘ah’ are the biggest minus for your IELTS Score. How to achieve it? Go back to the second tip. Practice Speaking and record it. Make sure to avoid pause while speaking in the next session.
6. Be Confident
Confidence is something that can be easily identified through body language. Constant leg tapping, slouching, shallow breaths, or slumping, are the signs of anxiety. It is quite common to have a panic attack. How the candidate handles that anxious situation is the thing that is tested by the interviewer.
7. Make up a story with all possibilities
The most common doubt for every IELTS test-taker is what if I don’t have a situation to talk about on the given topic? Relax. You can always make up a story. But make sure you make up some examples, proofs, or possible situations for questions too for the upcoming part.
Keeping all these tips to ace IELTS Speaking Cue cards, practice speaking. For expert guidance and tips, join our Intensive IELTS Coaching Sessions.
