About today's practice
Welcome to the Part 2 weeks. The long turn is a 1–2 minute monologue from a cue card with four bullets and one minute to prepare. We start with the friendliest category — describing a person — and we run it as timed pair work.
Part 2 is the long turn: you get exactly one minute to make notes, then speak for one to two minutes without interruption. Use the prep minute to jot ideas against each bullet.
Describe a person you admire
You should say:
- who the person is
- how you know them or know about them
- what they are like
- and explain why you admire them
You have one minute to plan, then talk for one to two minutes.
More cue cards (same category)
Describe a person who has influenced you
You should say:
- who the person is
- how you know them
- what they did
- and explain how they influenced you
You have one minute to plan, then talk for one to two minutes.
Describe an older person you respect
You should say:
- who they are
- your relationship with them
- what they are like
- and explain why you respect them
You have one minute to plan, then talk for one to two minutes.
Describe a person you would like to meet
You should say:
- who they are
- how you know about them
- what you would ask or do
- and explain why you’d like to meet them
You have one minute to plan, then talk for one to two minutes.
Model note-plan & sample answer
1-minute note-plan: WHO: my grandmother, Indira · KNOW: she lived with us when I was small · LIKE: calm, patient, quietly funny · ADMIRE: raised five children alone, never complained Sample long turn (~2 minutes): I’d like to talk about my grandmother, Indira. I knew her well because she lived with us when I was small, so she was a daily part of my childhood. What was she like? Calm and endlessly patient, but also surprisingly funny — she had a dry sense of humour that caught you off guard. The reason I admire her so much is that she raised five children largely on her own after my grandfather died young, and I never once heard her complain about how hard it must have been. She passed away a few years ago, but honestly, when I’m stressed I still ask myself how she would have handled it — and that usually calms me right down.
Part 2 follow-up questions
- Is it better to be influenced by family or by friends?
- Do you think famous people make good role models?
- How have the qualities people admire changed over time?
Pair-work sequence (~30 min) ▸ Model & prep · 5 min — Read the card aloud. Show how to turn the four bullets into a quick note-plan — one phrase each — inside the 1-minute prep window. ▸ Talk · round 1 · 10 min — A times B’s 1-min prep + up-to-2-min talk and notes one strength and one fix; swap (~5 min each).
▸ Talk · round 2 · 12 min — Re-pair. Same card — or a fresh one from the extras below — second attempt, smoother, with a clear past–present–future shape and at least one vivid descriptive phrase. Swap. ▸ Feedback · 3 min — Hands up: who lasted the full two minutes the second time? Spotlight one good signposting phrase you heard.
Listen for / feedback: Did they keep going for the full two minutes without drying up? Did they touch all four bullets? Flag anyone who finishes in 40 seconds — they need feelings, detail and a short story. Praise good signposting: “The thing I remember most is…”, “What made it special was…”.
Flexibility: Short on time today? Assign the whole set as paired home practice — a quick voice call or an in-person run — and have each student record one answer to bring back. If the room runs ahead of schedule, this slots straight in after the wrap-up.