Describe a piece of art you like
The full IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card, a band-8 model answer you can learn from, the Part 3 questions that follow, and examiner strategy. Free, no sign-up.
Describe a piece of art you like.
You should say:
- what the piece of art is and who created it
- where and when you first saw it
- what it looks like
- and explain why you like it so much
You will have one minute to prepare and should then speak for one to two minutes.
Band-8 model answer
I'd like to talk about a painting called The Old Fisherman's Return, by a relatively unknown local artist named Miriam Cole. I first came across it about three years ago in a small gallery tucked away above a bookshop in my hometown, the kind of place you'd walk past a hundred times without noticing. I'd only popped in to escape the rain, to be honest, but the painting completely stopped me in my tracks. It shows an elderly fisherman standing on a wooden jetty at dusk, his back slightly hunched, looking out at a sea that's rendered in these incredibly thick, almost sculptural brushstrokes of deep blue and grey. What really struck me was the way the light was handled, there's this single warm patch on the horizon that makes the whole scene feel quietly hopeful rather than sad. On top of that, if you look closely, you notice the fisherman's boots are worn through, which tells a whole story about hardship and dignity without a single word being written anywhere. I ended up buying a small print of it, and it's hung in my hallway ever since. Whenever I walk past it, even after a stressful day, it has a strangely calming effect on me. Looking back, I think what I like most is that it rewards attention, there's genuinely more to it than meets the eye.
Why this answer scores band 8
- ✓Uses a range of tenses accurately: past simple for the first encounter, present perfect for lasting impact, conditional for reflection
- ✓Natural idiomatic phrasing such as 'stopped me in my tracks', 'stuck with me' and 'there's more to it than meets the eye', used appropriately rather than forced
- ✓Coherent, well-paragraphed answer with clear discourse markers (to begin with, what really struck me, on top of that, looking back) that guide the listener naturally through the story
Part 3 follow-up questions
After the cue card, the examiner discusses the topic in more depth. Practise these aloud too — Part 3 is where the highest bands are won or lost.
Examiner strategy for this cue card
Practise this answer out loud in a real Speaking test
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Describe a piece of art you like — FAQ
How do you answer the 'Describe a piece of art you like' IELTS cue card?
Spend your one minute of preparation noting a few keywords for each prompt (what the piece of art is and who created it; where and when you first saw it; what it looks like; and explain why you like it so much), then speak for the full two minutes. Cover each point briefly but give most of your time to the final 'explain why' prompt, where the marks are. A full band-8 model answer is shown on this page.
How long should the IELTS Speaking Part 2 answer be?
You should talk for up to two minutes without stopping. It is better to keep going and cover the topic in depth than to finish early — the examiner will stop you when the time is up.
What Part 3 questions follow 'Describe a piece of art you like'?
Part 3 broadens the topic into a discussion. For this cue card, expect questions such as: Why do you think some people are drawn to art while others show little interest in it? Do you think governments should spend public money supporting artists and galleries? Why or why not? How has technology, such as digital art and AI, changed the way art is created and shared?