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 long journey you went on.
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 longest journey I've ever taken was an overland trip from Hong Kong to Vietnam by train and bus, which took about four days. I went with a university friend, partly because we wanted a holiday and partly because flying didn't appeal — we wanted to see the country change gradually. We started on a sleeper train from Hong Kong to Nanning, which was already an adventure because the carriages were full of families eating instant noodles and playing cards. From Nanning we took a series of buses south through Guangxi, stopping in Pingxiang, then crossed the border at Friendship Pass, and finally got to Hanoi by another sleeper train. The thing that made it memorable wasn't a single sight — it was the slow shift in everything around us. The food got spicier, the writing on signs changed scripts halfway through, the temperature climbed steadily. There was also a moment near the border when our bus broke down for two hours and we sat with the other passengers on the side of the road sharing fruit. I don't speak any Vietnamese, but somehow we ended up laughing about something. That's the bit I remember most clearly. Travelling that slowly made the distance feel real in a way that flying never does.
Phrases used in the sample answer that lift fluency naturally.
didn't appeal
wasn't attractive (to us)
sleeper train
an overnight train with beds
the slow shift
a gradual change
change scripts
use different writing systems
broke down
stopped working mechanically
feel real
become tangible or experienced
The examiner will move from your story (Part 2) to broader, abstract questions (Part 3). Prepare answers for these.