Describe a website or app you find useful

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:

• a public transport route planner app
• use it every day, several times
• live times, delays, walking routes
• saved me during a strike last winter
• useful: replaced timetables + guessing

Band 7–8 sample answer

I'm going to talk about a map app — the one that comes pre-installed on most phones. It's not exactly exciting, I know, but if I'm honest it's the app I'd struggle most to live without.

I use it pretty much every day, often without really thinking about it. Obviously I use it for directions when I'm going somewhere new, but it's become more than that. I check it before I leave home to see how bad the traffic is, I use it to find out whether a shop is still open, and when I travel I save the places I want to visit so I can see them all on one map.

What I mainly use it for, though, is public transport. The city I live in has a fairly complicated bus network, and before this app I genuinely didn't understand it. Now it tells me which bus to take, where to change and roughly when it'll arrive, which means I've stopped taking taxis almost completely. That's saved me a surprising amount of money over the last couple of years.

The reason I find it so useful is that it removes a certain kind of anxiety. I used to plan journeys really carefully and still worry about getting lost. Now I just go. The flip side, I suppose, is that I've got worse at remembering routes myself — if my battery died in a part of town I didn't know, I'd probably be in trouble. But on balance, I'd say it's made my everyday life noticeably easier.

About 258 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

• can't do without — to need something so much that life would be harder without it
• in real time — showing what is happening right now
• user-friendly — easy to use, even for beginners
• a lifesaver — something that helps you a lot in a difficult moment (informal)
• keep track of — to follow and stay informed about something
• take something for granted — to stop noticing how useful something is

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.

How has the internet changed the way people find information?

It's made information instant and almost free, which is a huge change. When my parents were students they had to go to a library and hope the right book was there. Now the problem is the opposite — there's so much information that the real skill is deciding what to trust.

Should there be more regulation of social media?

I think some regulation is needed, particularly to protect children and to stop clearly false information spreading during emergencies. But it's a delicate balance, because if governments decide what can be said online, that power could easily be misused. Independent oversight seems safer than direct government control.

Do you think people trust online information too easily?

Yes, I'd say so. If something looks professional or has thousands of shares, people assume it's accurate. Very few people check the original source, partly because they're busy and partly because the information often confirms what they already believe, so there's no reason to question it.

What are the risks of relying on apps for everyday tasks?

The main risk is that we lose basic skills. If a navigation app fails, many people genuinely can't find their way. There's also the privacy issue — these apps collect a lot of data about where we go and what we do, and most of us agree to it without reading anything.

More cue cards about media and technology

• Describe a book or film that made an impression on you
• Describe a piece of news you found interesting
• Describe an advertisement you remember
• Describe a song or piece of music that is special to you

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