Onterra TutorDescribe a gift you gave to someone
An IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card, with the structure examiners reward. You get 1 minute to prepare and up to 2 minutes to speak.
The cue card
Describe a gift you gave to someone.
You should say:
- what the gift was
- who you gave it to
- why you chose it
- and explain how the person reacted.
Your 2-minute structure
- Open with a direct answer (10 seconds). Name your choice immediately: one sentence that answers "describe a gift you gave to someone". Do not waste your first 20 seconds on "that's an interesting question".
- What the gift was (about 25 seconds). Give the fact, then add one detail and one feeling. A specific memory always beats a general statement.
- Who you gave it to (about 25 seconds). This is where a past-tense story earns grammar marks. Set the scene in one sentence, then say what happened.
- Why you chose it (about 25 seconds). Slow down and be concrete: a name, a place, a number. Details are what make an answer sound fluent rather than memorised.
- And explain how the person reacted (about 25 seconds). Link back to your opening sentence with a connector like 'which is exactly why' so the whole answer feels planned.
- Close with why it matters (15 seconds). End on how it affected you or what it taught you. A natural closing line signals confidence to the examiner.
Sample band 8+ answer
About 90 seconds when spoken at a natural pace. Notice how specific the details are; that specificity is what you should copy, not the story itself.
The gift I'm proudest of giving was a smartphone I bought for my mother two birthdays ago. For years she was using an old button phone while the whole family's life moved into group chats, photos and video calls she couldn't see. I chose it because my brother had just had a baby abroad, and my mother was receiving descriptions of her first grandchild second-hand, which quietly broke my heart. I saved for about three months, picked a model with a simple interface and a big screen, and set everything up before wrapping it, so it would work the moment she switched it on. Her reaction was better than I imagined: she was confused for a minute, then someone started a video call with the baby, and she went completely silent, just staring. She still overtypes in the family chat, in capital letters, and every message is a small reminder of why that was the best money I've ever spent.
Why this answer works
- The reason for the gift is emotional and specific, which powers the whole answer.
- Small planning details (set it up before wrapping) show the thoughtful HOW examiners reward.
- The capital-letters detail closes with warmth and personality, not a formula.
What the examiner listens for
Fluency (can you keep going for 2 minutes without long pauses), vocabulary range (topic words, not just "good" and "nice"), and grammar variety (past tenses and linking words like "which is why" and "even though"). Hesitation is normal; stopping is what costs bands. If you lose your thread, say "what I mean is..." and keep moving.