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 memorable event you attended.
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.
I'd like to talk about my cousin's wedding three years ago, which sticks in my memory more than almost anything else. It was held in a small village in the mountains where her grandmother grew up, partly because she wanted something private and partly because it's just stunning up there in early summer. About sixty people came — close family on both sides, plus a handful of friends who had basically become family. What made it memorable wasn't the formal ceremony itself, which was actually quite short. It was the dinner afterwards. We ate outside on long wooden tables under fairy lights, and at some point her grandfather, who's normally extremely shy, stood up and gave a five-minute speech about how he had met his wife. He'd never told that story to anyone, including his own children. Half the table was in tears, and the other half was laughing. The whole thing felt completely unscripted, which I think is why it stayed with me. Most events you go to feel produced, almost performed. This one felt like real life happening to be witnessed. Whenever I go to weddings now I quietly compare them to that evening, and they almost always come up short.
Phrases used in the sample answer that lift fluency naturally.
sticks in my memory
is hard to forget
stunning
visually breathtaking
fairy lights
small decorative bulbs on a string
completely unscripted
spontaneous, not planned
come up short
fall below expectations
happening to be witnessed
occurring naturally rather than for show
The examiner will move from your story (Part 2) to broader, abstract questions (Part 3). Prepare answers for these.