Onterra TutorDescribe an interesting conversation you have had
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 an interesting conversation you have had.
You should say:
- who you spoke with
- what it was about
- where it took place
- and explain why it was interesting.
Your 2-minute structure
- Open with a direct answer (10 seconds). Name your choice immediately: one sentence that answers "describe an interesting conversation you have had". Do not waste your first 20 seconds on "that's an interesting question".
- Who you spoke with (about 25 seconds). Give the fact, then add one detail and one feeling. A specific memory always beats a general statement.
- What it was about (about 25 seconds). This is where a past-tense story earns grammar marks. Set the scene in one sentence, then say what happened.
- Where it took place (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 why it was interesting (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.
An interesting conversation I still think about happened on a delayed flight, with an elderly man seated beside me who turned out to be a retired ship captain. It started with ordinary complaints about the delay, and somehow became a two-hour tour of his life: piracy scares near the Gulf of Aden, months away from family, and how he navigated before GPS existed, with paper charts and stars. What made it fascinating was how casually he described things I'd only seen in films, and how honest he was about the cost, saying he had captained ships across the world but missed most of his children's birthdays. I mostly asked questions and listened, which honestly is not my usual style. The conversation stayed with me because it complicated my idea of an exciting career: I had been chasing adventure in my own plans, and he made me weigh what adventure quietly charges you. We never exchanged numbers, which somehow makes the memory better, like a complete short story.
Why this answer works
- A stranger with a story is ideal material: it justifies retelling vivid details.
- Reported speech ('saying he had captained...') is high-value grammar in this part.
- The reflection at the end converts an anecdote into an answer about why it was interesting.
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.