Describe a positive change in your life
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 positive change in your life.
You should say:
- what the change was
- when it happened
- how you made this change happen
- and explain why this change had a positive effect on your life
You will have one minute to prepare and should then speak for one to two minutes.
Band-8 model answer
One change that genuinely reshaped my life was moving to a new city on my own, away from my hometown, to start a new job about three years ago. Up until then I had never lived independently, so it was a fairly daunting decision, but I had reached a point where I felt I was stagnating and needed a fresh challenge. I made it happen quite deliberately, actually. I spent months applying for positions, saved up some money as a buffer, and eventually took the plunge when I was offered a role in a city where I knew almost nobody. To begin with, it was genuinely tough; I felt homesick and a bit lost. What really made a difference, though, was forcing myself to join a local hiking club and a language exchange group, which pushed me out of my comfort zone. Looking back, this change had a hugely positive effect because it made me far more self-reliant; I learned to manage my own finances, solve problems without relying on family, and build an entirely new social circle from scratch. It also boosted my confidence enormously, since I proved to myself I could adapt to unfamiliar situations. Ever since that move, I have approached other challenges with much less anxiety, which I consider a real blessing in disguise.
Why this answer scores band 8
- ✓Wide range of tenses used accurately: past simple, present perfect, past continuous and conditional forms to link past change with present benefits
- ✓Idiomatic and natural spoken phrasing such as 'took the plunge', 'a blessing in disguise' and 'ever since', giving fluent, native-like colouring
- ✓Clear discourse organisation with linking phrases (to begin with, what really made a difference, looking back) that guides the listener without sounding like a list
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 expert feedback on fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
Describe a positive change in your life — FAQ
How do you answer the 'Describe a positive change in your life' IELTS cue card?
Spend your one minute of preparation noting a few keywords for each prompt (what the change was; when it happened; how you made this change happen; and explain why this change had a positive effect on your life), 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 positive change in your life'?
Part 3 broadens the topic into a discussion. For this cue card, expect questions such as: What kinds of changes do people in your country find hardest to make, and why? Do you think people generally become more open to change as they get older, or less? How important is family support when someone is trying to make a big change in their life?