Speaking Part 2 · ObjectsIn the May–Aug 2026 forecast
Describe a Photo You Like
In short
“Describe a Photo You Like” 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 Photo You Like. You should say:
- •What the photo shows
- •When it was taken
- •Who took it
- •And explain why you like it
Band 9 model answer
The photo I'd like to describe is a slightly blurry, completely unplanned picture of my family on a beach, which is easily my favourite photograph despite — or maybe because of — how imperfect it is.
It was taken years ago, on a summer holiday when I was a teenager. In it, the four of us are caught mid-laugh at something off-camera; nobody is posing or looking at the lens, my little sister is halfway through jumping, and the evening light behind us has turned everything a warm gold.
My uncle took it, more or less by accident — he was trying to get a proper group shot and pressed the button at the wrong moment, so what he captured instead was a real, candid instant rather than a stiff arranged one. For years it sat forgotten on an old memory card until I found it again recently.
The reason I love it is that it takes me straight back to exactly how that whole holiday felt — carefree, warm, all of us together before life scattered us. A posed photo shows you what people looked like; this one shows you what a moment actually felt like. That's why, of all the polished pictures on my phone, this is the one I treasure and keep as my background — it's a small, honest keepsake of a time I look back on very fondly.
Make it your own: three angles
A candid family photo
Richest for emotion and the "why" bullet — the imperfect, unposed angle is memorable.
A travel or landscape photo
Good for descriptive scenery language and the memory attached to the place.
A funny or unexpected shot
Works well for a light, natural story — describe the moment it froze.
What the examiner is listening for
Describe the image clearly first (who, what, the light, the mood), then spend the rest on why it matters to you. Past tenses set the scene; present tenses explain why you still love it. Emotional, evaluative language ('it takes me back', 'I treasure it') is exactly what pushes this everyday topic into the top bands.
Part 1 warm-up questions
- Do you like taking photographs?
- Do you prefer taking photos or being in them?
- Do you keep printed photos or digital ones?
- Did your family take many photos when you were young?
Part 3 follow-up questions & answers
Why do people take so many photos nowadays?
Mainly because it costs nothing and the camera is always in our pocket, so there's no reason not to. Photos also help us hold onto experiences and, increasingly, share them on social media. The downside is that quantity has gone up while the value of any single photo has probably gone down.
Has smartphone photography changed the way we take pictures?
Completely. It's democratised photography — everyone is a photographer now — and made it instant and endlessly editable. But it's also made it more casual and disposable; we take hundreds of near-identical shots and rarely look at them again, which is very different from the era of a single roll of film.
Do photos help us remember, or replace our memories?
A bit of both. A photo can be a powerful trigger that brings a whole memory flooding back. But there's evidence that relying on the camera can weaken the memory itself — if you're busy photographing a moment, you're not fully living it. The healthiest approach is to capture a little and experience a lot.
How has social media affected the way people share photos?
It's turned sharing into something almost performative — people increasingly take photos with an audience in mind, choosing what looks impressive rather than what's meaningful. That can create pressure and unrealistic comparison. On the plus side, it keeps distant family and friends genuinely connected to each other's lives.
Is it better to live in the moment than to photograph it?
Usually, yes — the moment itself is the thing, and no photo fully recreates it. That said, a few thoughtful pictures can enrich a memory without stealing it. The problem is only when the photographing takes over, so I'd say capture sparingly, then put the camera away and actually be there.
Will printed photographs disappear?
As everyday objects, largely — most photos now live and die on screens. But I think printing will survive as something deliberate and special: framed prints, photo books, gifts. Precisely because it's no longer the default, a printed photo carries a bit more weight and intention than it used to.
Useful vocabulary
| Word / phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| to capture a moment | to record a moment in a photo |
| candid | natural and unposed |
| to take me back | to make me remember a past time |
| to treasure | to value something greatly |
| a snapshot | a quick, informal photo |
| a memento | an object kept as a reminder |
| out of the blue | unexpectedly |
| a keepsake | something kept for the memories it holds |
| to look back on | to think about the past |
| priceless | so valuable it cannot be priced |
More cue cards
Describe a Memorable Journey You Took
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