Describe a building you like

The cue card

Describe a building you like. You should say:

• where it is
• what it looks like
• what it is used for
• and explain why you like it

You have 1 minute to prepare and should speak for 1 to 2 minutes.

🎙 Practise this card with the examiner

Notes you could make in 1 minute

Write key words only, one line per bullet point:

• State Library reading room
• Sydney, Macquarie St
• dome, old wood
• calm, beautiful

Band 7+ sample answer

A building I really like is the State Library in Sydney, especially its old reading room. It's on Macquarie Street, right next to the Botanic Garden, so it's in a lovely part of the city.

From the outside it looks like a classic sandstone building with tall columns at the front, which is quite grand but not unusual for that area. It's the inside that's really special. The main reading room has an enormous glass ceiling that lets in lots of natural light, and the walls are lined with old wooden bookshelves several floors high, with little balconies running around them. It feels a bit like being inside a very elegant old ship.

It's still used as a working library, so people go there to study, research and read. There are long wooden desks with green lamps, and it's completely silent apart from the sound of pages turning and people typing quietly. There are also free exhibitions in other parts of the building.

I like it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's simply beautiful, and it's amazing that you can walk into a place like that for free. But mostly I like it because it's so calm. When I was preparing for my exams, I used to go there on Saturdays, because I found it much easier to concentrate than at home. Something about the atmosphere makes you want to work hard. Whenever friends visit Sydney, I take them there, and they're always surprised that it's not on more tourist lists.

🔊 Listen to the sample answer

About 252 words, or roughly 2 minutes at a natural speaking pace.

Useful vocabulary for this topic

• an architectural gem
• a striking interior
• to be steeped in history
• a peaceful retreat
• high ceilings
• it takes my breath away

Why this answer works: it covers every bullet point, tells a short story with specific details (names, places, numbers), uses a range of tenses, and finishes with the "explain" point, which is where you show your best vocabulary.

Follow-up and Part 3 questions

Examiner's follow-up (Part 2): Have you been inside it?

Part 3 discussion questions:

• Should old buildings be protected or replaced with modern ones?
• What makes a city attractive to live in?
• Who should decide what new buildings look like?
• How might homes be different in the future?

Answer Part 3 questions in 3–4 sentences: your view, a reason, an example, and the other side.

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