Speaking Part 2 · the 2-minute template

Part 2 is the intimidating one — a two-minute unbroken monologue from a cue card, with only one minute to prepare. Students freeze, under-talk, or rush. This guide is the template I use with every student to make the two minutes feel ample instead of endless.

What Part 2 is actually testing

The examiner is marking four things: Fluency & Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range & Accuracy, and Pronunciation. Nothing on that list is “impressive content.” You do not need interesting anecdotes. You need connected speech for two minutes.

The PPF framework (Past · Present · Future)

Almost every cue card can be answered in three thirds, each covering a different time frame:

• Past — how you first encountered the topic, when, what was happening around you.
• Present — what it means to you now, what you do with it, how often.
• Future— what’s next, what you’d like to do differently, whether you’d recommend it.

Each third is roughly 40 seconds, with two or three sentences per bullet. That’s enough.

Worked example — “Describe a person who influenced you”

One-minute preparation: jot PPF on your paper, with one keyword per section.

PAST:    first met → school, year 9, maths teacher Ms Tan
PRESENT: still text, advice on uni + first job
FUTURE:  visit next year, want to teach like she did

Then the answer flows:

“The person I’d like to talk about is Ms Tan, who was my maths teacher in year nine. I first met her about eight years ago, when I transferred to a new school and was really struggling with algebra. She stayed after class almost every day for a month to work through problems with me, and that completely changed how I thought about studying. [Past, ~35 seconds]

Now, even though I finished high school five years ago, we still message every few weeks. I ask her for advice when I’m making big decisions — which university to pick, whether to take my first job offer. She’s incredibly direct, and that’s something I really value. [Present, ~35 seconds]

I’m actually planning to visit her next year, when I go back to Melbourne for Christmas. And I think, long-term, she’s part of why I’ve started thinking about teaching myself — I’d like to give someone else what she gave me. [Future, ~35 seconds]”

That’s around 115 seconds — comfortably past the two-minute mark if you speak at a natural pace.

Phrases that buy you time

When you need a second to think — which is allowed and natural — use these instead of “um”:

• “That’s a good question, actually — let me think.”
• “I suppose what I’d say is…”
• “Now that I think about it…”
• “To give you a concrete example…”

These aren’t memorised phrases that will dock your score — they are the natural discourse markers of fluent English speakers.

What to avoid

• Reading the cue card aloud to pad the intro.Examiners hear this all day. Start with “I’d like to talk about…” and paraphrase lightly.
• Rushing to finish before two minutes. Speak slightly slower than feels natural. Your pronunciation and grammar scores improve.
• Over-preparing the content. Students who pre-memorise answers about specific people/places get flagged immediately by examiners. Use the framework, not scripts.

Next step

Record yourself answering three cue cards using PPF. Listen back with the clock running. You’re aiming to fill two minutes without noticeable silence — not to say something remarkable. Submit the recording for mock grading to get specific feedback on which of the four criteria are costing you marks.