Describe a piece of technology you find useful
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 technology you find useful in your daily life.
You should say:
- what it is
- how you use it
- how often you use it
- and explain why you find it useful
You will have one minute to prepare and should then speak for one to two minutes.
Band-8 model answer
The piece of technology I'd like to talk about is a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, which sounds fairly ordinary, but for me they've become one of the most useful things I own. I bought them about two years ago after I moved into a shared flat where I couldn't really control the background noise, and I quickly realised they weren't just for music. I use them for pretty much everything — focused work, video calls, long commutes on the metro, and even to help me fall asleep on flights. On a typical weekday they'd be on my ears for maybe four or five hours in total, sometimes with music, sometimes with nothing at all. What makes them so useful is honestly the effect of the silence rather than the sound. The moment I put them on, I can feel my concentration lock in, because all the low-level distractions I didn't even realise were bothering me just fade away. They've also protected my hearing in noisier environments, because I don't have to keep turning the volume up to compete with what's going on around me. So while a lot of gadgets promise to change your life and don't, these ones genuinely have made a measurable difference to how well I work and how I feel at the end of the day.
Why this answer scores band 8
- ✓Deliberately picks something small — a stronger move than reaching for the obvious 'my phone'
- ✓Specific usage details ('four or five hours', 'even to help me fall asleep') make it feel real
- ✓Insightful reframe ('the effect of the silence rather than the sound') that scores for coherence
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
Record a full IELTS Speaking test with Part 1, 2 and 3 and get instant AI feedback on fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
Describe a piece of technology you find useful — FAQ
How do you answer the 'Describe a piece of technology you find useful' IELTS cue card?
Spend your one minute of preparation noting a few keywords for each prompt (what it is; how you use it; how often you use it; and explain why you find it useful), 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 technology you find useful'?
Part 3 broadens the topic into a discussion. For this cue card, expect questions such as: How has technology changed the way people study or work? Do you think people rely too much on technology today? Is old technology, like books or radios, still relevant?