IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a Piece of Advice (Band 9 Sample)
This Part 2 cue card asks you to describe a useful piece of advice you were given and to explain why it helped. A band-9 answer sets the scene, quotes the advice clearly, and develops one genuine reason it made a difference. Below is a model long-turn of about 230 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 advice was
- who gave it to you
- when you received it
- and explain why it was so useful
02 · Band 9 sample answer
The piece of advice I'd like to talk about is something my old university tutor told me, and it's stuck with me ever since: "Don't wait until you feel ready, because you never will."
She said it to me in my final year, when I was agonising over whether to apply for a job that felt way out of my league. I kept telling myself I needed another year of experience first, and she gently pointed out that I was really just making excuses out of fear. She explained that confidence tends to come after you take the leap, not before, and that everyone feels like a fraud when they start something new.
The reason it was so useful is that it completely reframed how I approach big decisions. Before, I'd hesitate endlessly and talk myself out of opportunities; now, whenever I catch myself waiting to feel one hundred per cent ready, I remember her words and just go for it. I ended up applying for that job and, to my amazement, I got it. More than any technical skill I picked up at university, that single sentence has probably shaped my career the most, and I find myself passing it on to friends whenever they're stuck.
03 · Why this scores Band 9
The answer covers every cue-card point — what, who, when, and why — with natural linking ("She said it to me in my final year...", "The reason it was so useful...") and builds to a reflective close, sustaining a full two-minute turn without stalling.
Vocabulary is idiomatic and precise — "stuck with me", "agonising over", "out of my league", "take the leap", "feel like a fraud", "talk myself out of", "go for it" — the natural phrasing a confident speaker reaches for rather than flat words.
A wide range is controlled accurately: past continuous for the background ("when I was agonising over whether to apply"), a "used to"-style habitual past ("I'd hesitate endlessly and talk myself out of opportunities"), and a "whenever" clause for the present habit ("whenever I catch myself waiting..., I remember her words"). All accurate.
The script is built from speakable, stress-timed phrases with natural chunking, and the reflective content invites genuine intonation, so the recording lands clear sentence stress without tongue-twisting clusters.
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
Should I quote the advice word for word?
A short, clear quote works beautifully, as this answer shows. It makes the advice concrete and memorable and gives you something specific to explain. You do not have to quote it, but a neat one-liner helps.
How do I fill two minutes with a piece of advice?
Set the scene (who said it and when), state the advice, and then spend most of your time on why it was useful — how it changed your thinking or what happened as a result. The story and its impact fill the time naturally.
What tense should I use?
A mix: past for receiving it ("she said it to me"), past continuous for the situation ("I was agonising over..."), and present for its lasting effect ("whenever I catch myself..., I remember her words"). Accurate mixing lifts the grammar score.
Does the advice have to be profound?
No — simple, practical advice often works best because you can explain its impact clearly. What matters is a genuine reason it helped you, not how grand or philosophical it sounds.
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