IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe an Important Decision You Made (Band 9 Sample)
This Part 2 cue card asks you to describe an important decision you made and to explain why it mattered. A band-9 answer tells the story of the decision — the dilemma, the choice, the outcome — and lands one clear, developed reflection. Below is a model long-turn of about 235 words in a natural spoken register, followed by a breakdown of why it earns a 9 on all four speaking criteria and the collocations worth stealing.
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01 · The cue card
- what the decision was
- when and why you had to make it
- how you decided
- and explain why it was so important
02 · Band 9 sample answer
The decision I'd like to talk about is my choice to leave a stable, well-paid job to start my own company. Looking back, it was probably the single most important decision I've ever made, and certainly the most nerve-wracking.
It came about four years ago. I was working at a big firm, and on paper everything was fine — good salary, job security, the lot. But I couldn't shake the feeling that I was drifting, and I had this idea for a product that I just couldn't stop thinking about. So I was torn between playing it safe and taking the plunge. I spent weeks weighing it up, talking it through with my family and running the numbers to see how long my savings would last. In the end, I decided I'd rather try and fail than always wonder "what if".
The reason it was so important is that it completely changed the direction of my life. It's been far harder than the comfortable path I gave up — there have been plenty of sleepless nights — but I've grown more in these four years than in the previous ten. More than anything, it taught me that I'd regret the risks I didn't take far more than the ones I did.
03 · Why this scores Band 9
The answer tells the decision as a story — the situation, the dilemma, how it was resolved, and why it mattered — with natural linking ("It came about four years ago...", "So I was torn between...", "In the end...", "The reason it was so important..."). It builds to a clear reflection and sustains a full two-minute turn.
Precise, idiomatic vocabulary — "nerve-wracking", "couldn't shake the feeling", "taking the plunge", "weighing it up", "running the numbers" — carries the story, and the closing reflection is expressed memorably rather than with flat phrasing.
Structures vary and stay accurate: a "torn between X and Y" construction, a comparative ("I've grown more in these four years than in the previous ten"), and a would-conditional reflection ("I'd regret the risks I didn't take far more than the ones I did"). Narrative tenses stay consistent.
Sentences are chunked into speakable breath groups, and the contrast structures invite natural emphasis, giving the recording clear, well-paced intonation without hard consonant clusters that trip the tongue.
04 · Useful phrases for this topic
Tap a phrase to see what it means and how to use it. Natural phrases like these lift your Lexical Resource score.
05 · Frequently asked questions
Does the decision have to be a huge life choice?
It should be genuinely important to you, but it doesn't have to be dramatic. Choosing a course, moving city, or ending a relationship all work. What matters is that you can describe the dilemma and reflect on why it mattered.
How do I fill two minutes on a decision?
Tell it as a story: the situation you were in, the dilemma, how you actually decided (who you spoke to, what you weighed up), and the outcome. The "how I decided" and "why it mattered" parts naturally fill the time.
What tense should I use?
Mostly past simple and past continuous for the decision ("I was working at a big firm", "I spent weeks weighing it up"), with present perfect for the lasting effect ("I've grown more in these four years"). Accurate mixing lifts the grammar score.
How important is the "why it was important" part?
It's the heart of the task. The story sets it up, but the examiner wants a developed reflection. This answer lands on regretting the risks you don't take, which is far stronger than simply saying "it changed my life".
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