Describe a skill you learned that is useful to you

The cue card

Describe a skill you learned that is useful to you. You should say:

• what the skill is
• when and how you learned it
• how often you use it
• and explain why it is useful

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:

• touch typing
• online course, lockdown
• every day at work
• saves hours

Band 7+ sample answer

A skill I learned that's turned out to be incredibly useful is touch typing, which means typing without looking at the keyboard. It sounds like a small thing, but it's made a huge difference to my daily life.

I learned it about three years ago, during one of the lockdowns, when I had a lot of free time at home. I found a free online course that gave you short exercises every day, starting with just a few keys and gradually adding more. At first it was really frustrating, because I was much slower than my old two-finger method, and I was very tempted to give up. But I forced myself to practise for twenty minutes every morning, and after about six weeks it suddenly clicked.

Now I use it constantly. I work in an office, so I'm writing emails and reports all day, and I also used it a lot when I was preparing for my English test, especially for the writing tasks, because I could focus on my ideas instead of hunting for the keys.

The reason it's so useful is that it saves me so much time. I'd guess I type at least twice as fast as before, and I make fewer mistakes. It's become second nature, to the point where I don't even think about it. If I had to recommend one practical skill to a student, it would definitely be this one, because the time you invest at the beginning really pays off.

🔊 Listen to the sample answer

About 248 words, or roughly 2 minutes at a natural speaking pace.

Useful vocabulary for this topic

• to pick up a skill
• second nature
• trial and error
• to boost productivity
• a steep learning curve
• it paid off

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): Was it difficult to learn?

Part 3 discussion questions:

• What skills do young people need to find a good job?
• Should schools teach practical skills like cooking and managing money?
• Is it easier to learn new skills as a child or as an adult?
• How has technology changed the way people learn skills?

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

More cue cards

• Describe a memorable journey you have made
• Describe a time when you helped someone
• All 30 IELTS cue cards