One minute. Make it count.
Build a pathway, not a script.
Before your Part 2 long turn, you’re given a topic card and exactly one minute to prepare, along with a pencil and paper for notes. That minute goes by fast — and trying to write full sentences almost always backfires, leaving you with an unfinished script and no clear plan.
A far more reliable approach is to use that minute to build a simple pathway through your topic: a small set of prompts with brief notes beside them, giving you somewhere to go next at every point in your two minutes of speaking.
A practical strategy
Use WH-question prompts to build your pathway
One reliable way to fill your minute productively is to quickly write out the six WH-question words — Who, What, Where, When, Why and How — down the side of your paper, then jot a short note beside each one as it relates to your topic. This gives you six natural directions to speak in in, in a logical order, without ever needing to script full sentences.
Who?
Who was involved?
The people connected to your topic — yourself, family, friends, or anyone else relevant.
What?
What happened / what was it?
The core of your topic — the event, object or experience itself.
Where?
Where did it happen?
The location or setting, giving your answer a concrete sense of place.
When?
When was it?
The timing — recently, years ago, a particular season or stage of your life.
Why?
Why was it important or memorable?
The significance behind your topic — why it stands out or matters to you.
How?
How did I feel / how did it affect me?
Your personal reaction or the lasting effect — often a natural, reflective way to close your answer.
Seeing it in practice
From a topic card to a pathway of notes
The example below is original and written for teaching purposes. Notice that each note is brief — a few words, not a sentence — just enough to remind you what to say once you’re speaking.
Topic Card
Describe a journey you remember well.
You should say: where you went, who you went with, what happened during the journey, and explain why you remember it well.
Sample Preparation Notes
Six prompts. Brief notes. Nothing scripted.
- Who? — my sister, road trip
- What? — car broke down halfway
- Where? — mountain road, remote
- When? — two summers ago
- Why? — turned into a funny story, bonded
- How? — laugh about it now, closer since
Why This Works
Six notes, two minutes, no gaps.
With six short prompts and a note beside each, the speaker always knows where to go next. There’s no need to remember a script — just expand naturally on each note as it comes up, speaking at a normal pace until the two minutes are used.
Not confident with WH-questions yet?
This page teaches the strategy — not the grammar itself
This page focuses on using WH-questions as a speaking and idea-generation strategy. If you’re not yet confident with how WH-questions themselves work, Teacher-in-a-Box Grammar remains the right place for that foundation.
Need a refresher on WH-questions?
Review WH-Questions in Teacher-in-a-Box Grammar
A quick review there will make this preparation strategy much easier to use with confidence.
Ready for the next step?
See how this all gets scored.
Understanding the official band descriptors shows exactly what examiners are listening for across all three parts of the test.