IELTS Speaking Part 2 · objects

Describe a gift you gave someone.

A strong long turn names the subject in the first sentence, spends most of the two minutes on the last bullet — the why — and arrives at a prepared final line rather than trailing off.

The question, as the examiner gives it

IELTS Speaking Part 2

Describe a gift you gave someone.

You should say

  • what the gift was
  • who you gave it to
  • why you chose it
  • and explain how they reacted

60 seconds to prepare, up to 2 minutes to speak

A band 7 to 8 answer

About 199 words at a natural pace — roughly what 120 seconds holds.

Answer it yourself first

Record your own answer first. A model you have read three times comes out with a flattened rhythm, and examiners are trained to hear exactly that. Read it afterwards for the vocabulary and the shape, not to memorise the sentences.
A band 7 to 8 answer

Two years ago I gave my father a framed photograph for his sixtieth birthday, which does not sound like much until I explain the photograph. He had mentioned once, years earlier, that the only picture of his own father as a young man had been lost when the family moved. I remembered it, and eventually found that an elderly cousin in another city had a copy in an album. It took about four months, three phone calls with people I had never spoken to, and a scan that arrived at a terrible resolution and had to be repaired by somebody who does that professionally. I chose it because he is impossible to buy for. He genuinely does not want objects, and anything practical he has already bought a better version of. How he reacted was not dramatic at all. He looked at it for a long time, said thank you, and put it on the shelf in his study. He has mentioned it four or five times since, which from him is an enormous reaction. I have since realised the whole thing took four months because I was enjoying it, which makes it slightly less selfless than it sounds.

The words that earn marks

Each one links to how it is pronounced.

  • framed

    participle used as an adjective, precisely

  • elderly

    the right adjective for an older relative

  • resolution

    four syllables with the stress on the third

  • repaired

    past participle with an audible ending

  • professionally

    five syllables with the stress on the second

  • practical

    three syllables, concrete about the alternative

  • reaction

    the question's own noun, used in the final line

How a strong answer is built

  1. 1Name the gift and say why it needs explaining.
  2. 2Tell the story of finding it, with real obstacles.
  3. 3Say why you chose it, given the person.
  4. 4Describe the reaction honestly, and interpret it.

Sounds to watch

The ones this answer leans on most.

Straight answers

How long should my answer to “Describe a gift you gave someone.” be?

You get 60 seconds to make notes and then speak for up to two minutes without interruption. Aim to still be talking at ninety seconds: finishing at forty is the commonest way to lose marks on this part.

Should I memorise the model answer?

No. Record your own version first, then read the model for the shape and the vocabulary. A memorised answer changes rhythm and pace noticeably, and examiners are trained to hear it — it usually costs more than the better wording gains.

Does sayit score this answer?

It scores what a microphone can observe: an estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.

What the band on your result means

An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.
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