How to answer Speaking Part 2 - Animals

IELTS Speaking Part 2

Also known as the "Long Turn" in this part of the speaking exam the examiner will give you a topic card with several related questions. You have 1 minute to prepare your ideas. You will then need to speak about this topic for 1 - 2 minutes. The examiner will stop you after 2 minutes and will ask you 1 or 2 follow up questions.

For Example:

Describe a time when you visited a place with animals.

You should say:
# where it was
# who you were with
# why you visited that place
# was it interesting 

To get a good score in Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test it is best to try and tell an anecdote as naturally as possible. Imagine you are telling this story to a friend, rather than an examiner. 

Model Answer:

I've been a huge animal lover for as long as I can remember. We always had pets growing up and so I guess that's where it stems from. I remember one time my parents took me to a wildlife park for my birthday. It was amazing to see such a range of different species; there were lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes and zebras. The zoo keepers talked about their natural habitats and it was fascinating to see them up close, rather than on TV. Also I'll never forget how small the zebras were, I was surprised, I had expected them to be much bigger.