IELTS Speaking · Part 2 Cue Card
Describe an important decision you made
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 an important decision you made.
You should say:
- •What the decision was
- •When you made it
- •What the options were
- •And explain why you made that particular choice
How to use your 1 minute of prep time
Specific to this cue card — not generic advice.
- 1A decision implies a real alternative — make sure you can describe what you didn't do.
- 2Show the deliberation, not just the outcome.
- 3Mention who you consulted (or didn't).
- 4It's fine to admit you're still not 100% sure it was right — Band 7 examiners reward nuance.
Sample answer (band 7.5)
Read it once for shape, then aloud for rhythm. Don't memorise it — examiners can tell.
The most important decision I've made recently was turning down a job offer from a large tech company in another country. It happened about eighteen months ago. I was working as a software developer at a small startup, and a friend put me in touch with a recruiter at a multinational. The interviews went well, the offer came in, and the salary was almost double what I was earning, plus relocation. The other option was staying where I was, with people I genuinely liked, working on a product that mattered to me but with much less stability. I deliberated for nearly three weeks. I made a list, talked to my partner, talked to two former colleagues. What ultimately tipped the decision was something my mother said offhand — she pointed out that I always describe my current job in the present tense and the new job in the conditional. I thought that was sharper than most of the formal advice I'd been given. So I turned the offer down. I won't pretend I was sure at the time. There were two months afterwards where I genuinely regretted it. But the startup has since had its best year ever, and I'm working on things I find interesting. The decision was right for me, even if it wasn't optimal on paper.
Topic vocabulary & collocations
Phrases used in the sample answer that lift fluency naturally.
tipped the decision
caused the final choice
offhand
casually, without much thought
in the conditional
using 'would' (hypothetical mood)
optimal on paper
best-looking from a calculation
won't pretend
won't claim falsely
deliberated
thought carefully and slowly
Likely Part 3 follow-up questions
The examiner will move from your story (Part 2) to broader, abstract questions (Part 3). Prepare answers for these.
- Why do some people find it harder to make decisions than others?
- Should young people make their own career decisions or follow their parents?
- Has the internet made decision-making easier or more difficult?
- How important is gut instinct in big decisions?
- Should governments help citizens with major decisions like buying a home?
Common pitfalls on this card
- ⚠Picking a decision with no real alternative ('I decided to study').
- ⚠Skipping the options and only talking about the result.
- ⚠Pretending you were certain — examiners notice.