Describe a piece of technology you find useful

The cue card

Describe a piece of technology you find useful. You should say:

• what it is
• how long you have had it
• what you use it for
• and explain why it is useful to you

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:

• noise-cancelling headphones
• two years
• train, study, calls
• focus anywhere

Band 7+ sample answer

The piece of technology I find most useful is a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. I bought them about two years ago, when I started commuting into the city every day, and I honestly don't know how I managed before.

They look like normal over-ear headphones, but they have tiny microphones that pick up the sound around you and cancel it out, so when you switch the feature on, the world just goes quiet. The first time I tried them on a busy train, it felt almost like magic.

I use them for all sorts of things. On my commute I listen to podcasts or audiobooks, which is a great way to practise my English listening. At home I wear them when I'm studying, because I share a flat with two other people and it can get quite noisy. I also use them for video calls at work, since the microphone is much clearer than my laptop's.

The reason they're so useful is that they help me concentrate wherever I am. I'm someone who gets distracted very easily, so being able to block out background noise makes a huge difference to how much I get done. They weren't cheap, I think they cost around three hundred dollars, but considering I use them for several hours every day, they've definitely been worth every cent. If I lost them, I'd replace them the same day.

🔊 Listen to the sample answer

About 232 words, or roughly 2 minutes at a natural speaking pace.

Useful vocabulary for this topic

• a game-changer
• to block out noise
• battery life
• I'd be lost without it
• worth every cent
• to help me concentrate

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): Could you manage without it?

Part 3 discussion questions:

• How has technology changed the way people communicate?
• Do older people find it difficult to use new technology?
• Are we too dependent on technology?
• What new technology do you think will be important 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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