Describe a type of food that people eat at special events
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 type of food that people eat at special events
You should say:
- what the food is
- why people eat it at special events
- how people prepare this food
- why you like this food so much
Sample answer
A type of food that people in my country traditionally eat at special events is plov, which is a rich and aromatic rice dish. It's considered our national dish and is an absolute staple at celebrations.
Plov consists of fluffy rice cooked with tender pieces of lamb or beef, along with carrots, onions and a fragrant blend of spices. Depending on the region and the occasion, it's often garnished with dried fruits such as apricots, raisins and chestnuts, which give it a subtle sweetness. It's a hearty, flavourful and quite luxurious dish.
People eat plov at special events because it's associated with abundance, hospitality and celebration. It's traditionally served at weddings, religious holidays and large family gatherings, where a big pot of plov sits proudly at the centre of the table. Preparing it for guests is seen as a gesture of respect and generosity, so no important occasion would feel complete without it.
Preparing plov properly is quite an art and takes considerable time and skill. First, the meat and onions are browned in a large pot, then the carrots and spices are added and cooked until soft. The rice, which has been soaked beforehand, is layered on top and left to steam slowly over a low heat, so that it absorbs all the wonderful flavours. Getting the rice perfectly fluffy, rather than sticky, is the mark of a truly skilled cook.
I love this dish so much for several reasons. Firstly, the taste is simply irresistible — the combination of savoury meat, sweet dried fruit and fragrant rice is absolutely delicious. More than that, though, plov holds deep sentimental value for me, as it reminds me of joyful family celebrations and the warmth of being gathered together with loved ones. Whenever I smell it cooking, it instantly evokes happy memories, which is why it will always be one of my favourite foods.
313 words — roughly 2–3 minutes at a natural speaking pace.
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 say and can speak naturally from them.
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.