IELTS Speaking Part 2 Answer for January 2018

An IELTS speaking model answer for a Jan 2018 speaking part 2 topic. The IELTS speaking part 2 topic was reported on January 3rd, 2018. Below you will find a sample answer for this topic. On this page you will find:

  1. a part 2 topic for Jan 2018
  2. a sample answer
  3. audio of sample answer (improve your pronunciation)
  4. review questions to analyse the content of the answer
  5. useful links for speaking part 2

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Topic

Describe a time when someone took a nice photograph of you.

  • when it was taken
  • who took it
  • what was happening
  • why you like the photo

 

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Sample Answer January 2018

I’d like to tell you about a photograph that was taken of me which I’ve always liked. It was taken about 10 years ago when I was still living with my parents. I remember that year very well because it was the year before I left home. It was taken during a family get-together. My uncle Andy took the photo while I wasn’t looking. I didn’t know it had been taken until he sent me it a few months later. That’s very typical of him. He’s quite impulsive and full of surprises.

The family get-together, when the photo was taken, was in the summer. It was one of the hottest summers I remember and the temperature rose to a scorching 35 degrees. Almost 40 people turned up and stayed over the weekend. We enjoyed endless food, like seafood, salads, pies, meat and loads of desserts, different types of drinks and lots of dancing which was all hosted for by my mother. It isn’t often that my family all meet up together so this was a really special weekend.

At the time the photo was taken, I was chatting to my grandfather and we were laughing and enjoying each other’s company. That was the last time I saw him. He died later that summer. That conversation has stayed with me and will continue to stay with me all my life. He was telling me to reach for the stars and never hold back, to follow my dreams and not to be worried about the outcome. He was an inspirational man and I know he died without a single regret. If I could speak to him again, I would tell him just how much his advice has helped me throughout my entire life. I keep this photo on my bedside table. Whenever I look at it, it brings me a feeling of calmness and hope. For me it symbolises all that is possible in life as well as the importance of having a loving, supportive family.

Audio of Sample Answer

 Reviewing the Sample Answer

    1. Pay attention to the different grammar tenses used.
    2. See what extra information has been added.
    3. See how clearly it is structured. I followed the prompts but also added my own ideas and memories.
      1. If you don’t expand your talk to showcase your English, you will struggle to get a high score.

Useful Links for IELTS Speaking Part 2

Below you can click on useful links to improve your speaking part 2.

I will post more speaking topics for 2018 when students report them to me. Please post your topics after your test: Recent Exam Questions Page

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Comments

  1. Anurag Samuel says

    Very helpful.. Thanku!

  2. Asmaa says

    Hi
    Thanks a lot for this useful post.
    I have a question please about speaking part1
    When I am asked about my hometown ,should I talk about my city where I live or about my neighborhood ?

    • A hometown is the place you grew up as a child. But as the examiner does not check facts in the test, it doesn’t really matter. The only time you need to be concerned about facts is during the ID check before the recording device is switched on.

  3. Md Kamal Hossain says

    Hi Liz! I am pleased to find you and your blogs, tips, and videos on your website and on youtube. Of course, the videos are so much standard in quality, especially for non-native speakers. Your talking is very clear and pleasant to listen. I am following you at Facebook, website, blog and on youtube. In a word, everything is fantastic with you.

  4. Farshad says

    Hi dear liz:I really became confused about this question,i will be pleased if you give me an example pattern.”would you still be polite to a person who is not polite to you?”

    • The examiner doesn’t care what your answer is. You are not marked on your task response and you are not marked on your ideas. Each question is an opportunity to speak English – so just be chatty and friendly.

  5. abdul hamid says

    Hi Liz, It’s a fantastic job you are doing. I wouldn’t have got a inside view of evaluation and tips in so detail.
    I want your review on a tip, which I gained from another online source.
    Using PPF for part 2. I usually find difficult in expanding answer when I do expand them I tend to ramble and struggle to fit words to maintain the fluency and topic.
    The technique is deriving the main topic from cue card and talk about questions asked.
    3 ideas of past, present and future and talk about Past – 40secs, Present -40secs and Future – 40secs.
    This way I can easily cover all 120 sec. I have tried it, by the time I finish present idea it consumes all the time for the section.
    Will it be a good technique to attempt part -2 ?

    • There is no such thing as a formulaic technique for part 2 speaking. It is all about how you find it easiest to a) expand your talk b) offer the examiner a range of language. Is it a good idea to follow the prompts? Yes, of course it is. The prompts offer a good structure and that is useful. You don’t need to use all of them, but use them ones you want. Is it a good idea to do PPF? It is one way to include three tenses into your talk and that is a good thing. But three tenses is not a lot. You need to offer more. You should be giving descriptions of people, places, events. You should offer comparisons, conditional statements, etc. You can now see that there are many things you can add to your talk. The list is endless of essential language that can be added to show the examiner your range. Keep all options in mind and then choose that to include. Does that help?

  6. Hi Liz ,

    My question is I can speak about Rice in the topic of traditional product of your country ???

  7. January 6/2018 General Module
    Speaking
    Part1
    Name
    Where do you live. How far is your home from here?
    On what occasions people like to gift presents in your country?
    Do you like buying gifts?
    Do you have friends?
    PART 2
    Describe a photograph you like?
    You should say:
    what can be seen in the photo
    When it was taken
    Who took it
    And explain why you like it.
    PART 3
    Why people hire professional photograph on special occasions.
    Does printed photograph will be replaced by digital photograph in future?

  8. Neha chopra says

    Hi, can you please help answering this question

    if you could choose between being fluent in english or your own language which would you choose ?

  9. wonder what is the weight of a foreign accent in the markings of the speaking module of academic IELTS. Assuming that the speaker can still be correctly and easily understood, but without having a native English speaker accent. Would your accent harm your score?

    • It is possible to have an accent and still get a high score. But it depends how thick your accent is.

  10. Megan Stevens says

    Hi Ms Liz,

    This may be a very stupid question but I can’t find any information on this. Is it mandatory or advisable to wear formals for Speaking test? What do you suggest? It is too cold here, I’m confused.

    Thanks
    Megan

  11. Hey Liz! Thanks so much for all your help!
    I just had my speaking test (Academic) – Jan 19th
    Here are some of the questions I got:

    What do you do?
    How was your secondary school experience like?
    Do you think the best way to learn about a different country is by having a friend who lives there? (If not, explain your reason)
    Do you think its necessary to learn about a country you’re about to visit for the first time?
    If yes, why is this necessary?
    What are the different ways you can learn about another country?
    Mention an interesting person from a different country that you’ve met or would like to meet. (Who is this person? How did you get to know the person? What do you like about this person?) – Part 2

    What do you think about international corporation?
    How do you think a sporting event can foster international corporation?
    Do you think cultural differences have any impact on international corporation?

    All the best guys!

  12. Yesterday i had my speaking exam they asked me only three introduction question and proceed the cue card. Is it affect my band score?

    • It is not possible. IELTS have clear rules. Part 1 speaking MUST last for 4 mins – never less time. The examiner can’t change this. 4-5 mins part 1 and 3-4 mins part 2.

  13. hi mam. plz tell me answer of this cue card .
    what would be your perfect holiday or vacation look like ?
    where would u like to go ?
    who would u like to go with ?
    how would u like to spent it ?

    • There are no questions on a cue card. You have written this incorrectly. The examiner is not interested in your answers – only in your language skills.

    • Richaaa says

      Hello mam..my exam is on 20 th of Jan..please give some latest topics of speaking and. .I msgs you on Facebook. .why u didn’t reply me back..

      • Due to the thousands of messages I have on my website and facebook waiting for an answer – I can’t actually answer them all.

  14. Hi mam is it hard to get good band score in BC exam or is the exams conducted under BC are very complex. Pls reply immediately.

  15. jagjeet says

    tomorrow my speaking test i am in truble so what should i do please tell me about new cuecards

  16. Hi liz
    I have my speaking exam tomorrow. In the cue card ‘ An interesting person from foreign country’ can I explain a person of my own country and just change the name and place of a person.
    Is it correct?
    Please give me idea about this cue card . I am totally confused about it..

    • There is no right or wrong. You can adapt the topic as you wish. Just say that you will talk about an interesting person in your own country because you don’t know any foreign people – it’s fine.

  17. juweria says

    Hi liz,
    in speaking part 2 if i’m asked to describe a famous tree in my country and i describe “The Oak Tree” although it’s not present in my country would it be ok? I mean can i say i dont know any famius tree in my homeland but i’d like to tell yku about the Oak whuch is grown in English? will i get a lower score if i answer in this way?

    • You are not marked for being on topic or being off topic – adapt the topic as you want.

  18. Hii liz plz give new cue card list for January exam

  19. Denisa says

    Thank you for sharing Liz. Last time that I took IELTS, I was worried about speaking good and I made more mistakes. I got 7 in a mock speaking test, but I got 6 in the real test. What a shame.

  20. Thanks Liz for maintaining this IELTS blog.

  21. Manish says

    Can you please elaborate me about vocation. What we have to talk about this?
    I don’t get the question

  22. Rachelle Francisco says

    Hi. Just finished my IELTS exam in GT module here in Vancouver, Canada. Some of the questions that I remember are:
    Writing task 1: letter to your landlord on some problems or concerns in your apartment
    Writing task 2: Some countries encourage teenagers to have part-time job as a good thing while others disagree. Give your opinion and explain both views.

    Speaking:
    Part 1: Where do you live and how far?
    Do you like your area?
    About outdoor activity
    Did you do outdoor activities at your childhood?
    What kind of outdoor activities you want to join?
    Why some children become popular in schools?
    Part 2: Tell about a person you know very popular in your country.
    Where and when do you see this person?
    What makes hime popular?
    What do you like in that person?
    Part 3: About being popular and celebrities.
    And their influence to children.

    Thank you! Wish me luck for the result. 🙂

  23. Fatemeh Mohammadzadeh says

    Dear Liz,
    I add ‘s’ at the end of most of the words in the speaking whitout conscious. I know Grammer which no need to add some at the end of Verb. it is like accent till when I have learned English. How I can solve it?

  24. Robert says

    Good morning Liz. First, Thank you for these lessons and videos, they have really help me . please, am from Nigeria and kind of worried here, my main test should be 13th of this month i.e a week from today, but till now i havn’t seen any mail for the speaking test and my center wasn’t what i filled on my application form. i was giving another center outside my state which i have reported for the change and a mail was sent to me that it would be resolved within 7 working days but till now , no mail as regards to that. am confused and worried , please what should i do again. thanks

    • Contact the relevant center about this and continue pushing for your problem to be resolved.

  25. dear liz thank you for your helpful lessons.

  26. Harman sandhu says

    My speaking test finish today
    Bathinda , India
    Part 1 topic
    Business
    Computer
    Internet
    Part 2
    Describe a river famous in your country

  27. Hlo mam i like ur support

  28. Maurine Arusii Omballo says

    today i sat for my IELTS speaking test in kenya, some of the questions that were asked included;
    do you work
    do you have any friends at your work place
    why do you have them as your friends
    Do you read newspapers
    what do you read in newspapers
    do any of your family members read newspapers
    describe a city or town where you would like to live or work in the future
    why do you want to work in an opportunistic place
    do you prefer having a good job or good environment
    why do people go most people go abroad
    what is quality of life
    what is the quality of life in your country
    what can the government do pertaining to the quality of life
    how can we tell if a country is happy
    time up

  29. Very helpful. I have started doing ‘off the cuff’ model part 2 answers and encouraging my students to video me.

    I usually quickly put up some notes on the whiteboard and sit at the opposite end of the classroom and begin. Afterwards the student’s task is to reconstruct my answer pairs then small groups. I also quiz them on what I said.

    For my notes I mainly write up good expressions or vocabulary I want to use, in addition to any key words the students would be unable to understand otherwise.

    If there is time I then have the students attempt the same task in groups of about 3.

    • Sounds like you are really enjoying your IELTS teaching 🙂 And that will have a great effect on your students. The more the teacher gets into IELTS and finds new ways of helping them, the better 🙂

      • Thanks. I just did one IELTS demo class but I have been doing that type of activity in my general English classes and pointing out how it’s an IELTS speaking test task. Most students here [Vietnam] hope or plan to take IELTS sooner or later.

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