IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a website or app you use often

This is one of the newer cue cards, and candidates often default to describing a huge platform like Instagram in generic terms. Naming exactly what you use it for, rather than what it's generally known for, is what separates band 7 from band 9 here.

The cue card

Describe a website or app you use often.

You should say:

  • what it is
  • what you use it for
  • how often you use it
  • and explain why you find it useful

60 seconds to prepare · speak for 1–2 minutes

Your one-minute prep plan

  1. 1Pick an app you actually open daily, not one that sounds impressive. Genuine familiarity gives you fluent detail.
  2. 2Note the one or two specific functions you use, not the whole feature list.
  3. 3Note a rough daily or weekly pattern — when in the day, on what device.
  4. 4Note one concrete moment it actually helped you, which becomes your 'why useful' answer.

Band 9 model answer

The app I want to talk about is called Duolingo, which I've had installed for a bit over a year now, mainly to learn Korean. I don't use most of what it offers, honestly, I ignore the stories and the leaderboards completely, I just do the daily listening and speaking exercises, usually on the bus on my way to work, so about fifteen minutes, six days out of seven. What actually keeps me using it is the streak feature, which sounds a little silly when I say it out loud, but I'm currently at something like four hundred days, and I genuinely do not want to break it, even on days I'm exhausted and would otherwise skip practising entirely. There was a stretch last winter where I had a bad flu for about a week and I still did the minimum exercise from bed just to keep the streak alive, which in hindsight is a bit obsessive but it worked, I never fully stopped. Why I find it useful isn't really the content itself, plenty of apps teach vocabulary. It's that it solved the actual problem I had, which was consistency, not knowledge. I'd tried textbooks twice before and given up within a month both times, and this is the first method that's actually stuck for me.

The same answer at band 7

The app I want to describe is Duolingo. I use it to learn Korean and I have had it on my phone for more than a year. I use it almost every day, usually on the bus when I am going to work, for about fifteen minutes. I mostly do the listening and speaking exercises, not the other features like stories. I like this app because it has a streak feature, which shows how many days in a row you have practised, and I do not want to lose my streak, so it makes me practise even when I am busy or tired. I find this app useful because before this I tried to learn with textbooks two times and I always stopped after a few weeks, but with this app I have continued for more than a year, which has never happened before.

The band 7 answer explains the app clearly and gives a genuine comparison with textbooks. The band 9 answer adds a specific, slightly self-deprecating anecdote (doing exercises from bed with the flu) and separates the general benefit of the app category from the specific problem it solved for the speaker, which is a more sophisticated 'why' answer.

Phrases worth stealing

“I don't use most of what it offers, honestly.”
Natural qualifier that adds credibility to app descriptions.
“…which sounds a little silly when I say it out loud.”
Self-aware aside that sounds unscripted.
“…in hindsight is a bit obsessive but it worked.”
Balanced reflection that shows range of language.
“It's that it solved the actual problem I had, which was…”
Reframes the 'why useful' bullet with precision.
“…this is the first method that's actually stuck for me.”
Strong personal closing line about a habit.
“…for about fifteen minutes, six days out of seven.”
Precise frequency phrasing for the 'how often' bullet.

Part 3 questions that usually follow

Do you think apps have changed the way people learn?

Compare app-based learning with traditional classroom learning on one specific dimension, such as consistency or feedback.

What are the disadvantages of relying on smartphone apps for daily tasks?

Name a concrete risk, like data privacy or shortened attention span, rather than a vague 'too much screen time'.

Will physical shops and services disappear because of apps?

Hedge with 'in some sectors' versus 'in others' rather than giving one blanket prediction.

Mistakes to avoid

Now say it out loud

Reading model answers only gets you so far. Linguently gives you a timed Part 2 recorder with AI feedback on fluency, grammar and pronunciation, plus native speakers to practise with in real conversations.

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