Gift you want to buy
IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card with a full sample answer, a Band 9 model of the two-minute long turn.
The cue card
Gift you want to buy
You should say:
- what gift you want to buy
- who you'd like to give it to
- why you'd want to buy a gift
- why you've chosen that gift
Sample answer
The gift I'd like to talk about is a classic gold watch, which I've had my eye on for quite some time now, fully intending to buy it for my father.
I'd like to give it to him partly because he's never been the type to indulge himself, however richly he might deserve it, and partly because a milestone birthday of his is fast approaching later this year, which strikes me as the perfect occasion to finally follow through on this long-held idea.
I've settled on a watch specifically, and a classic gold one at that, because it embodies exactly the kind of man my father is — understated, dependable, and someone who prizes timeless craftsmanship over fleeting trends. He's always admired elegant, classic watches whenever we've passed a jewellery shop together, though he'd never dream of splashing out on one for himself, dismissing it as an unnecessary extravagance. A well-crafted gold watch also carries that quality of feeling more like a treasured keepsake than a mere purchase; it's something he could wear daily and eventually pass down, which I suspect would mean the world to him.
Beyond the object itself, I want to give him this gift as a heartfelt way of thanking him for everything he's sacrificed for our family over the years. He's rarely been one for grand gestures or overt expressions of gratitude, so I think a gift like this, both practical and quietly meaningful, is precisely the right way to show him how deeply he's appreciated, without making a great fuss about it.
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.