Describe an interesting building you'd like to visit
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 an interesting building you'd like to visit
You should say:
- what it is
- what it looks like
- what it is used for now
- what you learned there
Sample answer
An interesting building I would love to visit is the Heydar Aliyev Center, a striking cultural building located in Baku, the capital of my country.
It's a world-famous piece of modern architecture, designed by the celebrated architect Zaha Hadid, and it's often praised as one of the most beautiful buildings of the twenty-first century.
In terms of what it looks like, it's truly extraordinary. The building has a flowing, wave-like form, with smooth, sweeping white curves that seem to ripple and fold seamlessly into the ground. There are almost no straight lines or sharp corners anywhere; instead, the whole structure looks fluid and futuristic, almost as if it's in motion. At night, it's beautifully illuminated, which makes it even more spectacular.
As for what it's used for now, it functions as a major cultural centre. It houses a museum, art galleries, an auditorium and exhibition halls, and it regularly hosts concerts, conferences and international events. It has become one of the city's most iconic landmarks and a huge draw for tourists from around the world.
Although I've admired it many times from the outside and in photographs, I've never actually been inside, which is exactly why I'd love to visit it properly. I'm fascinated by its revolutionary design, and I'd love to learn more about how such a complex, curving structure was even built, as it must have been an incredible engineering challenge.
The main reason I'm so drawn to it is that it perfectly represents the modern, ambitious side of my country while showcasing genuinely groundbreaking architecture. I believe visiting it would be both an inspiring and educational experience, allowing me to appreciate first-hand the creativity and vision behind one of the most remarkable buildings in the region. It's definitely at the top of my list of places to explore.
301 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.