Describe an important decision you made
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 an important decision you made.
You should say:
- what the decision was
- when you made it
- why it was difficult to decide
- and explain how you felt afterwards
You will have one minute to prepare and should then speak for one to two minutes.
Band-8 model answer
The decision I'd like to talk about is when I chose to leave a very stable job to go and study abroad for a year. I made it about three years ago, when I was in my mid-twenties and had been working at the same company for nearly four years. On paper, everything was going well — decent salary, a promotion on the horizon — but I'd been feeling for a while that I was stagnating, and I'd always regretted not doing a Masters straight after university. What made it genuinely difficult was that I'd have to give up not only the salary but the safety of a career I'd carefully built, and there was no guarantee that a foreign qualification would open the doors I hoped it would. I remember spending weeks going back and forth, making pros-and-cons lists that never really settled anything. In the end, I applied to just one programme, half-thinking I probably wouldn't get in, and when I did, I felt I couldn't in good conscience say no. Afterwards, I honestly felt a mixture of terror and relief — terror because I was walking away from something safe, and relief because for the first time in months I felt I was actually moving forward. Looking back, it was easily one of the best decisions I've made.
Why this answer scores band 8
- ✓Complex cause-effect reasoning across time ('had been feeling', 'had always regretted', 'would have to give up')
- ✓Names competing emotions ('terror and relief') instead of one generic feeling
- ✓Handles the classic 'stability vs growth' theme with mature phrasing
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 an important decision you made — FAQ
How do you answer the 'Describe an important decision you made' IELTS cue card?
Spend your one minute of preparation noting a few keywords for each prompt (what the decision was; when you made it; why it was difficult to decide; and explain how you felt afterwards), 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 an important decision you made'?
Part 3 broadens the topic into a discussion. For this cue card, expect questions such as: Do people today make decisions more quickly than in the past? Are important life decisions best made alone or with advice from others? Should young people be trusted to make major decisions about their future?