Describe a challenging technological problem you faced
IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card with a full sample answer, a Band 9 model of the two-minute long turn.
The cue card
Describe a challenging technological problem you faced
You should say:
- what the problem was
- when and where you faced it
- how challenging it was
- how you solved it
Sample answer
I'd like to describe a thorny technological problem I ran into, which cropped up at a critical moment while I was slogging away on an important university assignment.
The problem was that my laptop suddenly gave up the ghost and refused to switch on, seemingly wiping out weeks of hard graft on a major project. This struck late one evening, just two days shy of the submission deadline, while I was at home putting the finishing touches to my report. To make matters worse, I hadn't backed up my most recent work.
It was a real ordeal for several reasons. Firstly, the timing couldn't have been worse, as I was already under enormous pressure with the deadline looming large. Secondly, I'm not remotely tech-savvy when it comes to hardware, so I hadn't the faintest idea what had caused the glitch or how to fix it. And of course, the thought of losing weeks of hard work filled me with sheer panic and dread. It felt like an absolute disaster in the making.
However, I forced myself to keep a level head and tackle the problem step by step. First, I scoured the internet on my phone to find out what might be wrong and tried a few basic fixes, such as removing the battery and holding down the power button, but none of it did the trick. Realising it was beyond my abilities, I took the laptop to a professional repair shop first thing the next morning. Fortunately, the technician traced it to a faulty component rather than a total write-off. He managed to patch it up and, crucially, recover every one of my files, which was an enormous weight off my shoulders.
In the end, I managed to hand in my assignment on time, though it was a nerve-racking ordeal I won't forget in a hurry. The whole episode taught me a valuable lesson about the importance of backing up my work regularly, which I now do religiously. It also drove home that keeping calm and seeking expert help is often the best approach when a problem is beyond your own know-how.
Reading a model answer is not the same as saying one. The sample above shows what a strong Part 2 answer sounds like. What it cannot tell you is how yours sounds — whether you hesitate, repeat the question back, or run out of things to say at forty seconds.
You can record an answer to this exact question and get it marked on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and pronunciation — the same four criteria the examiner uses.
Common questions
How long should I speak for in Part 2?
Between one and two minutes. The examiner stops you at two, so aim to still be talking at the ninety-second mark rather than finishing early — running out at forty seconds is the most common problem in this part.
What do I do with the one minute of preparation time?
You get one minute and a pencil and paper. Most candidates waste it writing full sentences they then read aloud, which sounds flat. Note a few keywords against each bullet instead, so you have four things to talk about rather than a script.
Do I have to cover all four bullet points?
They are prompts, not a checklist, and you are not penalised for skipping one. In practice they are the easiest way to fill two minutes, so covering them is usually the simplest way to keep going.
Does it matter if the story is not true?
No. You are assessed on your English, not on whether the events happened. Inventing detail is fine and often easier than recalling a real memory under pressure.
Model answers written and reviewed by The English All-in-One IELTS team. They are teaching models showing what each band looks like, not real candidate scripts.