Describe a skill you learned as an adult

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:

• swimming — learned at 26
• no pool near school as a kid
• coach, public pool, 2×/week, 4 months
• hard part = panic, not technique → floating first
• reason: boat trip, stayed on deck

Band 7–8 sample answer

The skill I want to talk about is swimming, which might sound surprising, because most people learn it as children. I didn't — I grew up a long way from the sea and there was no pool anywhere near our school — so I finally learned when I was twenty-six.

I learned it the old-fashioned way, with a coach at a public pool, twice a week for about four months. The first few lessons were honestly a bit humiliating. I was in the shallow end next to a group of seven-year-olds who were clearly better than me, and they weren't shy about pointing that out.

In terms of difficulty, the physical side wasn't really the problem. The hard part was mental. As an adult you're much more aware of the risk, so every time my face went under the water, my body just panicked. My coach's approach was to forget about technique for a while and simply get me comfortable floating, and that turned out to be the key.

The reason I wanted to learn in the first place was a holiday with friends. They all jumped off a boat into the sea and I stayed on deck, pretending I was happy to watch. I wasn't. I felt I was missing out on something basic, and I promised myself that next time I'd be in the water with them.

And I was, the following summer. It's probably the only New Year's resolution I've ever actually kept.

About 246 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

• the old-fashioned way — in a traditional, simple way — "with a coach at a public pool"
• humiliating — making you feel embarrassed and foolish
• the key (to something) — the thing that makes success possible — "that turned out to be the key"
• miss out on — to not experience something enjoyable that others experience
• get the hang of — to slowly learn how to do something
• a late starter — someone who begins something later than most people

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.

Is it harder to learn new things as you get older?

In some ways, yes. Children have more free time and they aren't embarrassed about making mistakes, which helps a lot. Adults, on the other hand, are better at planning and understanding why something works, so I'd say it's not harder overall — it's just a different kind of hard.

Should employers pay for staff training?

I think they should, at least for skills connected to the job. A company that trains its staff gets better work and usually keeps people longer, so it's an investment rather than a cost. It's a bit less clear for personal development courses, but even those often pay off in motivation.

Which skills will be most valuable in the future?

Probably the ones machines find difficult: communicating clearly, working with people from different backgrounds, and being able to learn new tools quickly. Specific technical knowledge goes out of date fast, so the ability to keep learning may be the most valuable skill of all.

Do you think online learning is as effective as classroom learning?

For self-motivated people it can be just as good, and it's far more flexible. But a lot of learners need the structure of a classroom and the pressure of a teacher who notices when they haven't done the work. So I'd say online learning is effective for some people rather than for everyone.

More cue cards about activities and habits

• Describe a meal you enjoyed
• Describe a sport you enjoy watching or playing
• Describe an outdoor activity you did for the first time
• Describe a hobby you would like to take up
• Describe a healthy habit you have

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