Tier 2 -- Intermediate & Strategy (Band 6.0-6.5) · Speaking

Describe a Skill You Learned as an Adult

Passage / Prompt

In Part 2 you get a task card, one minute to prepare (with paper and pencil), and then you speak for 1-2 minutes without interruption. TASK CARD Describe a skill you learned as an adult. You should say: - what the skill is - when and how you learned it - what difficulties you had and explain how this skill has helped you. ONE-MINUTE PLAN: write 3-4 key words for each bullet, NOT full sentences. Example notes: driving / 25, after moving / instructor, 20 lessons / reverse parking, nervous / independence, job. TIP: Use past tenses for the story, then switch to the present perfect to explain the result ('It has given me...').

Practice Questions

1. What should you do in the one-minute preparation time?

  • A. Write a full script to read out
  • B. Write key words for each bullet point
  • C. Sit silently and think
  • D. Ask the examiner questions

Correct answer: B. Write key words for each bullet point

There isn't time for a full script, and reading aloud sounds unnatural. Key words keep you on track and help you cover every bullet.

2. Fill in the blank with the correct tense: 'Since then, it ______ (make) my life much easier.'

Correct answer: has made

'Since then' connects a past event to the present, so the present perfect ('has made') is needed. Accurate tense control across a story is a key Band 6.5-7 feature.

3. You finish speaking after 50 seconds. What is the best thing to do?

  • A. Stop and wait
  • B. Add more detail about a bullet point, such as a specific difficulty or feeling
  • C. Start talking about a different topic
  • D. Repeat what you already said

Correct answer: B. Add more detail about a bullet point, such as a specific difficulty or feeling

Aim to speak until the examiner stops you. Expanding on a bullet point -- especially with feelings, a short story or a comparison -- is the most natural way to extend your answer.

Band 9 Model Answer
I'd like to talk about learning to drive, which I didn't actually do until I was twenty-five. I grew up in a big city with excellent public transport, so I never really needed a car. But when I moved to a regional town for work, I quickly realised that without a licence I was stuck -- the buses only ran a few times a day. So I booked a course with a local instructor and took about twenty lessons over three months. To be honest, it was harder than I expected. Most of my friends had learned as teenagers, and I felt a bit embarrassed being a beginner at my age. Reverse parking was my nightmare -- I must have practised it a hundred times in an empty car park before I could do it without hitting the kerb. And I was so nervous before my test that I barely slept the night before. Luckily, I passed on my first attempt, and since then it has made my life so much easier. I can get to work without relying on anyone, I've been able to apply for jobs that require a licence, and I've explored parts of the country I would never have seen otherwise. More than anything, though, it taught me that it's never too late to learn something new -- you just have to accept feeling a bit awkward at the start.