Describe an occasion when many people were smiling
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 occasion when many people were smiling
You should say:
- when and where it was
- who was there
- what made people smile
- and explain how you felt
Sample answer
I'd like to describe an occasion when I saw a great many people smiling — it was at my cousin's wedding celebration last summer.
The event took place on a warm evening in July, at a beautiful outdoor venue on the outskirts of my city. It was a large, traditional wedding, so the atmosphere was absolutely bursting with joy and festivity from start to finish.
There were a great number of people there — I'd estimate well over two hundred guests. The gathering included both families, along with countless relatives, friends and neighbours of all ages, from tiny children to elderly grandparents. Everyone had dressed in their finest clothes for the special occasion.
There were many things that made people smile throughout the evening. Above all, the sheer happiness of the bride and groom was infectious; seeing the newlyweds so radiant and in love brought a smile to everyone's face. Beyond that, there was wonderful music and dancing, delicious food, and lots of laughter as old friends and relatives reunited and caught up with one another. The traditional celebrations, the speeches and the general sense of togetherness created an atmosphere of pure joy. At one point, when the couple shared their first dance, practically everyone in the room was beaming.
As for how I felt, I was genuinely swept up in the happiness of it all. It was heart-warming to be surrounded by so many smiling, joyful faces, and to celebrate such a meaningful milestone with people I care about. Weddings have a special way of bringing everyone together and reminding us of what truly matters in life — love, family and friendship.
Looking back, it was one of the most joyful occasions I've experienced in a long time. The image of all those smiling faces has stayed with me, and it served as a lovely reminder of how powerful and contagious genuine happiness can be when people come together to celebrate.
322 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.