Describe a café or restaurant you often go to

In IELTS Speaking Part 2 you get this card, one minute to prepare and up to two minutes to speak. Below: the notes a strong candidate might make in that minute, a natural Band 7–8 answer, the words that make it work, and the Part 3 discussion the examiner usually moves on to.

The cue card

One-minute notes

Notes in the preparation minute should be keywords, not sentences — one line per bullet, plus the one detail that makes your story yours. Something like:

• small café on my street, run by a couple
• coffee, homemade cakes, soup at lunch
• go alone to work, or with my sister on Sundays
• they know my order; no music, big windows
• keep going back: feels like a second living room

Band 7–8 sample answer

The place I'd like to talk about is a small café at the end of my street. It's run by a married couple in their fifties, and it's been there for as long as I've lived in the neighbourhood, which is about six years.

It's not a fancy place at all. There are maybe eight tables, mismatched wooden chairs and big windows looking onto the street. They serve coffee, tea and a few homemade cakes — the lemon one is famous locally — and at lunchtime there's always one soup of the day, which changes depending on what the wife found at the market that morning.

I go there in two quite different ways. During the week, I often take my laptop there for a couple of hours when I'm tired of working from home. And on Sunday mornings I usually meet my younger sister there for breakfast, which has become a bit of a ritual for us.

The reason I keep going back has less to do with the coffee than with the atmosphere. There's no loud music, nobody hurries you to leave, and the owners know their regular customers by name. They know my order before I open my mouth, and if I haven't been in for a week they ask if I've been ill. In a big city, that kind of small personal connection is surprisingly rare. It feels a bit like a second living room, and I'd be genuinely upset if it ever closed.

About 248 words — roughly two minutes at a relaxed pace. Notice what it does: one specific story instead of general statements, every bullet covered, natural spoken linking rather than "firstly… secondly…", and the "why" part of the card answered properly at the end — that is where many candidates run out of things to say. Use it to see the structure; don't memorise it. Examiners are trained to spot memorised answers, and your own story will always sound more fluent.

Useful vocabulary

• run (a business) — to manage and operate it
• a regular (customer) — someone who goes to the same place often
• a ritual — something you do regularly in the same way
• cosy — warm, comfortable and relaxing
• nobody hurries you — you can stay as long as you like
• have a soft spot for — to like something a lot, often emotionally

Part 3: questions and model answers

After your two minutes, the examiner moves to a discussion linked to the card's topic. These questions are more abstract: give an opinion, a reason and an example, and it's fine to say "it depends" — as long as you explain on what.

Why do people eat out more than in the past?

Mainly because people are busier and both partners usually work, so there's less time to cook. Eating out has also become more affordable and varied. And for many young people, cafés and restaurants have replaced homes as the place to meet friends, because flats are small.

Are cafés important places for a community?

Very much so. A good local café is one of the few places where neighbours actually meet each other. It's neutral ground — not home and not work — where people can spend time without much money. When small cafés are replaced by chains, a neighbourhood often loses some of that sense of community.

Should restaurants be required to show calorie information?

I think it's a reasonable idea, at least for larger chains. It helps people make informed choices without banning anything. The risk is that people focus only on calories and ignore other things like salt or sugar, so the information should be clear and fairly complete.

How has food delivery changed eating habits?

Hugely. People now order food several times a week instead of cooking or going out. It's convenient, but it's created a lot of packaging waste, and the delivery workers often have poor conditions. It's also hurt small restaurants that can't afford the fees delivery apps charge.

More cue cards about places

• Describe a place where you like to relax
• Describe a city you would like to visit
• Describe a natural place you have visited
• Describe a building you find interesting
• Describe a place in your town or city that has changed
• Describe a crowded place you have been to

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