IELTS Speaking Part 2

Describe a writer you would like to meet: IELTS cue card with sample answer

An IELTS cue card for Speaking Part 2 with a Band 8 sample answer, the one-minute plan behind it, the vocabulary that lifts it and the Part 3 follow-up questions the examiner can ask next.
  • 262 words
  • A person
  • 1 minute to prepare
  • 2 minutes to speak

The cue card

Describe a writer you would like to meet.

You should say:

  • →Who the writer is?
  • →What did you know about this writer already?
  • →What you would like to find out about him/her?
  • →And explain why you would like to meet this writer.

One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.

A person

How to answer this cue card: a one-minute plan

  1. 1

    Choose a writer whose work you genuinely know to ensure your points sound authentic.

  2. 2

    Use the bullet points to create a logical flow from past knowledge to future curiosity.

  3. 3

    Focus on how their work influences you personally to add depth to your explanation.

Model answer

Band 8 sample answer

Band 8262 words, about two minutes at a natural pace. Details are invented; use your own.

If I had the chance to sit down with any author, I would choose Kazuo Ishiguro, the Nobel Prize-winning novelist. I have been fascinated by his work ever since I stumbled upon 'Never Let Me Go' in a dusty university bookshop. I already know that he was born in Japan but raised in Britain, a duality that seems to permeate his prose. His writing style is remarkably understated; he often uses unreliable narrators who look back on their lives with a sense of melancholic resignation, which I find incredibly moving. Beyond the biographical snippets available in interviews, I would love to find out about his specific drafting process. I am curious whether he maps out the emotional arcs of his characters before he starts writing, or if he allows the narrative voice to emerge more organically. I also want to ask him about the transition from his earlier, more realistic style to the speculative elements he has embraced in his recent fiction. The primary reason I am so eager to meet him is that his books have profoundly shifted my perspective on memory and regret. There is a quiet, meditative quality to his sentences that forces me to slow down and reflect on my own experiences. Engaging with him in person would be an intellectual dream, as I believe his insights into the human condition are as sharp as they are compassionate. A conversation with him would not just be about literature, but about the very nature of how we perceive our own histories and the choices we make along the way.

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8 words

Useful vocabulary for this cue card

  • permeate

    to spread throughout every part of something

  • understated

    presented in a subtle or restrained way

  • unreliable narrators

    storytellers whose credibility is compromised or limited

  • melancholic

    feeling or expressing a deep, pensive sadness

  • resignation

    accepting something unpleasant that one cannot change

  • speculative

    fiction involving hypothetical or futuristic concepts

  • meditative

    involving deep thought or reflective contemplation

  • human condition

    the essential characteristics and experiences of mankind

6 questions

Part 3 follow-up questions

  1. 1What kinds of books are most popular with children in your country? Why do you think that is?
  2. 2Why do you think some children do not read books very often?
  3. 3How do you think children can be encouraged to read more?
  4. 4Are there any occasions when reading at speed is a useful skill to have? What are they?
  5. 5Are there any jobs where people need to read a lot? What are they?
  6. 6Do you think that reading novels is more interesting than reading factual books? Why is that?

Answer each in three to five sentences: position, reason, example, limit. See how to answer IELTS Speaking Part 3.

Frequently asked questions

How should I start the cue card "Describe a writer you would like to meet."?+

Choose a writer whose work you genuinely know to ensure your points sound authentic.

How long should I speak on an IELTS cue card?+

You get one minute to prepare, then speak for the full two minutes, about 220 to 280 words at a natural pace. The examiner will stop you at two minutes, which is a good sign, not a problem.

How is the cue card scored?+

Part 2 is not scored on its own. Your whole Speaking test gets one band from four criteria: fluency and coherence, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. The cue card is where the examiner hears whether you can keep going for two minutes.

Can I use this sample answer in the exam?+

Use its structure and vocabulary, not its sentences. Examiners recognise memorised answers and mark fluency down; a shorter answer from your own memory scores higher than a recited one.

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