IELTS Speaking · Part 2 Cue Card
Describe a piece of music you love
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 piece of music you particularly love.
You should say:
- •What the piece is
- •When you first heard it
- •How often you listen to it
- •And explain why you love it
How to use your 1 minute of prep time
Specific to this cue card — not generic advice.
- 1Choose one piece — a song, an album, or a single composition. Not 'pop music'.
- 2Use specific musical vocabulary: tempo, instrument, vocals, chorus.
- 3Anchor your first listen to a place or feeling.
- 4End with how the piece affects you physically or emotionally now, not in the past.
Sample answer (band 7.5)
Read it once for shape, then aloud for rhythm. Don't memorise it — examiners can tell.
The piece of music I'd talk about is 'Spiegel im Spiegel' by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. It's a very minimal composition — just a piano and a violin, repeating an extremely simple pattern for about ten minutes. Almost nothing happens in it. I first heard it about twelve years ago in a friend's car, in winter, on a long drive between two cities at night. He played it without comment, and by the end of the piece neither of us had said anything for the whole drive. Since then I've listened to it probably hundreds of times. It's not background music for me — I can't have it on while working, because it pulls all the attention out of whatever else is going on. I usually listen to it before bed, or on walks when I want to think clearly. The reason I love it is hard to put into words, which is true of most music I really love. It does something with time. The piece is genuinely slow, but it doesn't feel boring, because each note seems considered. Most of my life is the opposite — fast and approximate. Listening to that piece is one of the few reliable ways I have of slowing down without forcing it.
Topic vocabulary & collocations
Phrases used in the sample answer that lift fluency naturally.
minimal composition
music with very few elements
background music
music played behind another activity
fast and approximate
rushed and imprecise
considered
thoughtful, deliberate
without forcing it
naturally, not artificially
do something with time
alter how time feels
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 people listen to sad music when they're sad?
- Has streaming changed how people experience music?
- Is music education important in schools?
- Can a country's music represent its culture?
- Will live concerts always be valued?
Common pitfalls on this card
- ⚠Naming a chart-topper without specific reasons.
- ⚠Listing your favourite genres instead of one piece.
- ⚠Saying 'it has a nice beat' — examiners want depth.