Speaking Part 2 · Media & abstractIn the May–Aug 2026 forecast
Describe a Book You Enjoyed Reading
In short
“Describe a Book You Enjoyed Reading” is a common IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card. You get 1 minute to prepare and should speak for 1–2 minutes, covering all four points below. This page gives you a Band 9 model answer, an idea map so you can make it your own, the Part 3 follow-up questions with answers, and the vocabulary examiners reward.
The task card
Describe a Book You Enjoyed Reading. You should say:
- •What the book is
- •What it is about
- •When you read it
- •And explain why you enjoyed it
Band 9 model answer
The book I'd like to talk about is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which I first read at school but only really appreciated when I re-read it a couple of years ago as an adult.
It's set in a small town in the American South during the 1930s and is narrated by a young girl called Scout. On the surface it's about her childhood, but the heart of the story is her father, a lawyer, defending a Black man who has been wrongly accused — so it deals with serious themes of justice, prejudice, and growing up, all seen through a child's eyes.
I read it again during a fairly stressful period, almost by accident, and I was surprised how completely it drew me back in. What makes it such a page-turner isn't a fast plot — it's how real the characters feel and how gently it makes you think about big moral questions without ever lecturing you.
The main reason I enjoyed it is that it genuinely stayed with me. It's rare for a book to be that readable and that thought-provoking at the same time, and reading it as an adult I picked up layers I'd completely missed as a teenager. It also made me far more sympathetic to points of view different from my own, which I think is the real gift of good fiction — it lets you live inside someone else's experience for a while. That's exactly why I'd recommend it to almost anyone.
Make it your own: three angles
A novel that moved you
Best for emotional and moral depth — easy to answer "why" through characters and themes rather than plot summary.
A non-fiction book that taught you something
Strong for the "what it is about" bullet and for showing you learned or changed your thinking.
A childhood favourite
Good for nostalgia and past tenses; contrast how you saw it then vs. now.
What the examiner is listening for
Avoid a long plot summary — a couple of sentences on what it's about is plenty. Spend your time on why you enjoyed it, using evaluative language ('thought-provoking', 'stayed with me') and a mix of past tense (reading it) and present tense (why it still matters).
Part 1 warm-up questions
- Do you like reading?
- What kinds of books do you enjoy?
- Do you prefer e-books or paper books?
- Did you read a lot as a child?
Part 3 follow-up questions & answers
Do you think people are reading less than before?
Reading long books may have declined, but overall people arguably read more than ever — just in shorter, fragmented forms on screens. The concern is that deep, sustained reading, which builds focus and empathy, is being crowded out by quick scrolling.
What are the benefits of reading for children?
Enormous ones — it builds vocabulary, concentration, and imagination, and reading stories helps children understand emotions and other people's perspectives. Children who read for pleasure also tend to do better across the whole curriculum, not just in language subjects.
Will paper books eventually disappear?
I doubt it. E-books are convenient and won't go away, but many readers still prefer the feel of paper and find it easier to focus on. I'd expect the two to coexist, much as cinema survived television — the format suits different situations.
Should students be made to read classic literature?
There's real value in it — classics carry cultural knowledge and tackle enduring human themes. But forcing them can kill enjoyment, so I'd pair a few classics with contemporary books students actually relate to, so reading feels like a pleasure rather than a chore.
Does reading fiction make people more empathetic?
I think it genuinely can. Fiction puts you inside another person's thoughts and circumstances in a way facts rarely do, so over time it seems to widen your understanding of people unlike yourself. There's even research suggesting regular fiction readers score higher on empathy.
How has technology changed the way people read?
Hugely — we now read on phones, listen to audiobooks, and often skim rather than read deeply. That's made reading more accessible and portable, but it's also shortened attention spans, so sitting with one long book has almost become a deliberate act.
Useful vocabulary
| Word / phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| gripping | so exciting or interesting you cannot stop |
| a page-turner | a book you want to keep reading |
| to relate to | to feel connected to or understand |
| thought-provoking | making you think seriously about something |
| to immerse yourself (in) | to become completely absorbed in something |
| to come to life | to seem real and vivid |
| the protagonist | the main character of a story |
| to stay with you | to remain memorable long afterwards |
| escapism | entertainment that helps you forget reality |
| well-rounded | complete and balanced (of a person or story) |
More cue cards
Describe a Person You Admire
Preparing for the whole test, not just Speaking?
Practise Reading with unlimited AI-generated Cambridge-style passages and trap-level feedback, and check your Writing against the official criteria — free to start.