2021 IELTS Speaking Part 2 Topic with Band 8+ Sample

Describe an important decision made with the help of other people

You should say:

– when it happened

– who helped you to make the decision

– what the decision was

– and how you felt about it

Sample Answer 1:

I’m going to tell you about the stressful period in my life when I had to choose which college to go to. As I was accepted to several different colleges in my region of the USA, it was no easy task. Actually, I relied on myself quite a bit to feel out  (test) what was best for me, but I couldn’t have done it without the help of my aunt and uncle, as my father doesn’t have any experience with college and my mother passed away when I was 13 years old. So, I was very fortunate to have two role models (people who i respect and model) to help me set of the next stage of my life positively.

This was back in 2010. Oh, how time flies (time goes fast)! I began looking for colleges during my senior year of high school, so this search even started in 2009. My aunt, uncle, and I used to have dinners to weigh the pros and cons (count the positives and negatives)  of the different options I had. After repeating this several times, we finally narrowed it down (came to a few options) to 3 different colleges, two public universities in my state and one out of state. Since out of state college prices skyrocket, I quickly eliminated that option. Then there was the decision between the two in-state colleges. My aunt, uncle, and I came to the conclusion that I wanted some distance from my hometown, but not too far. As one college was only 40 minutes away while the other was 3 hours away on the coast, I chose the latter (the last mentioned).

All in all, I felt extremely satisfied with this decision. After I chose this, I felt extremely excited to have space from my hometown, not to mention to be close to the beach. However, I was a bit apprehensive because I had heard that this was a big party school (a college famous for drinking and parties), but I trusted in myself to make good decisions. These ended up (finally) being some of the best years of my life.

Sample Answer 2:

I’m going to tell you about when I had to make the hardest decision of my life, which was whether to get a divorce or not. It was no easy task, as divorce is frowned upon (seen negatively) in my country, not to mention that we have a 3 year old daughter together. However, I knew I needed to do something to fix my happiness.

So, I decided to divorce my husband back in 2015. We had attended marriage counseling together and had endless conversations with our friends and family members about it. However, ultimately the decision was up to us. We tried to make it work for a year, but we simply couldn’t cope with (put up with) one another. Luckily, we sat down on the sofa together one day and came to the mutual agreement that we wanted to get a divorce. 3 weeks later, we signed the official papers.

To be honest, I’m still suffering from this decision. Although I know my ex-husband and I weren’t compatible, it tears me apart (makes me extremely sad) inside to see us break up the family for our daughter. My ex-husband and I wish we could give her the “perfect” family that all parents and children dream of. Although I’m still plagued (overcome with) by sadness and disappointment some days, I feel clarity in knowing husband and I made the right decision. I’m beginning to feel hopeful for the future. Unfortunately the right decisions are often the most difficult!