IELTS Speaking · Part 2 Cue Card
A complete preparation guide: the cue card itself, a 60-second prep framework, a band 7.5 sample answer, topic vocabulary, and likely Part 3 follow-up questions.
Cue card
Describe a hobby you enjoy and would recommend to others.
You should say:
Specific to this cue card — not generic advice.
Read it once for shape, then aloud for rhythm. Don't memorise it — examiners can tell.
The hobby I'd recommend most strongly is bouldering — basically climbing on short walls without a rope, with thick mats underneath. I started about four years ago. A friend dragged me to a climbing gym one Saturday because she didn't want to go alone, and I was useless on the easiest routes, but I was hooked by the end of the session. I now go three or four times a week, usually after work, sometimes on Saturday mornings. Each route is graded by difficulty, and the goal is to figure out how to get from the bottom to the top — it's much more like solving a puzzle than people imagine. You have to read the wall, plan a sequence, then commit to it physically. The reason I'd recommend it is that it does something most hobbies don't — it engages your body and your mind at the same intensity. After two hours of climbing, I find I genuinely can't think about work because I've been so fully absorbed. It's also surprisingly social; people in climbing gyms are unusually friendly and will give strangers advice on routes. It costs almost nothing once you have shoes, and you can keep getting better at it for decades, which is rare.
Phrases used in the sample answer that lift fluency naturally.
dragged me to
took me reluctantly
hooked by the end of
completely captivated after
read the wall
analyse a route before climbing
fully absorbed
completely focused on something
give strangers advice
help people you don't know
keep getting better
continue to improve
The examiner will move from your story (Part 2) to broader, abstract questions (Part 3). Prepare answers for these.