Describe a plan you had to change
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 plan you had to change
You should say:
- what the plan was
- why you had to change it
- what the new plan was
- how you felt about the change
Sample answer
I'd like to describe a time when I had to overhaul an important plan quite unexpectedly. It was a couple of years ago, when my friends and I had organised a camping trip to the mountains for the weekend.
We'd been planning this trip for weeks and were all buzzing with anticipation. The plan was to drive up to a beautiful mountain campsite, spend two nights there, and enjoy activities like hiking, barbecuing and stargazing well away from the city. We'd booked everything and packed all our gear well in advance.
However, just a day before we were due to set off, we had to scrap our plans entirely. The reason was that the weather forecast suddenly took a turn for the worse, predicting heavy rain and even thunderstorms throughout the entire weekend. Camping in such conditions would have been not only thoroughly miserable but potentially hazardous, so, reluctantly, we agreed it simply wasn't worth the risk.
Rather than call off the get-together altogether, we cooked up an alternative plan. Instead of camping, we decided to spend a cosy weekend at my friend's countryside house, which was fairly close by. We still managed to enjoy a barbecue indoors, played board games, watched films and stayed up late chatting, so it blossomed into a thoroughly enjoyable time in its own right.
As for how I felt about the change, I'll admit I was pretty crestfallen at first, because we'd been looking forward to the camping trip for so long. It felt like a genuine letdown after all our preparations. However, once we were together and having a blast at the house, my disappointment quickly evaporated. In the end, I realised the most important thing was spending quality time with my friends, regardless of the setting. Looking back, I think we made the right call, and it taught me to be more adaptable and to make the best of unforeseen situations.
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.