IELTS Speaking Part 2 — How to Give a Long Turn
Part 2 gives you 1–2 minutes to speak. Learn how to structure your answer and keep talking confidently.
📖 Lesson
IELTS Speaking Part 2 — The Long Turn
In Part 2, you receive a task card and have 1 minute to prepare, then speak for 1–2 minutes.
What a Task Card Looks Like
Describe a person who has had a positive influence on your life.
You should say:
- who this person is
- how long you have known them
- what this person has done that influenced you
and explain why this person has been a positive influence on you.
The 1-Minute Preparation
Do NOT try to write full sentences. Write 5–7 keywords only.
Example:
- My uncle Hasan
- Since childhood / 20 yrs
- Started own business / encouraged me
- Why: showed me failure is ok
How to Extend Your Answer — The PEEL Technique
Point — State the fact
Example — Give a specific detail
Explain — Why it matters / how you felt
Link — Connect to the next point
Example:
"The person I want to talk about is my uncle Hasan. I've known him since I was about five years old. What really influenced me was watching him start his own business from nothing — he worked from a small room in his house for the first two years. Seeing that taught me that success doesn't come quickly, and that hard work is more important than talent."
Useful Phrases to Buy Time
- "What I mean is…"
- "What's interesting about this is…"
- "I suppose what really stands out for me is…"
- "Come to think of it…"
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Stopping before 1 minute | Extend with PEEL — add feelings and reasons |
| Reading from your notes | Use notes as reminders only — speak naturally |
| Speaking too fast | Slow down — clarity beats speed |
| Ignoring one bullet point | Cover all 4 bullets — the examiner checks |
Tenses to Use
- Past simple: "I decided to…"
- Past continuous: "I was studying when…"
- Past perfect: "By the time I arrived, he had already left."
Mixing tenses correctly shows grammatical range — a key marking criterion.
- Use your 1-minute preparation to write keywords, not full sentences.
- Cover all bullet points on the task card — examiners check this.
- Use PEEL (Point, Example, Explain, Link) to extend every answer.
- Speak for the full 2 minutes — stop only when the examiner tells you.
- Slow down if you feel nervous — clarity matters more than speed.
- Do not memorise a speech — examiners detect rehearsed answers and lower your fluency score.