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 skill you learned that you found useful.
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 skill I'd choose is touch typing, which sounds unglamorous but has genuinely changed how I work. I picked it up about five years ago, when I started a job that involved writing long reports almost every day. I was a hunt-and-peck typist back then — fast for someone using two fingers, but slow compared to what was needed. I used a free website called keybr.com that drills you on letter combinations rather than full words, and I forced myself to use it for fifteen minutes every morning before opening anything else. The first three weeks were honestly painful — my output dropped by half because I was deliberately not looking at the keys. But by the end of the second month, I was typing about seventy words a minute without looking, which was roughly double my previous speed. The reason it's so useful is that it removes a kind of friction I didn't know was there. When the typing keeps up with my thinking, drafting a document feels almost effortless. I also notice it during online meetings — I can take notes without breaking eye contact with the screen. It's one of the highest-return things I've ever invested time in.
Phrases used in the sample answer that lift fluency naturally.
picked it up
learned it (often informally)
hunt-and-peck
slow typing using only a few fingers
drills you on
trains you repeatedly on
remove a kind of friction
eliminate something slowing you down
high-return
providing strong benefits relative to effort
keep up with my thinking
match the speed of my thoughts
The examiner will move from your story (Part 2) to broader, abstract questions (Part 3). Prepare answers for these.