Part 2 cue cardEducation and schools

Describe a course or class you took

"Whether it was worthwhile" wants a judgement with a reservation ("worthwhile, although..."), not just "yes, very useful". The trap is reciting the syllabus under "what you learned"; pick the one or two things that surprised you.

1 minute to prepare
Up to 2 minutes
Samples at Band 6, 7 and 8
Updated 20 October 2026

Describe a course or class you took.

You should say:

what the course was
why you took it
what you learned
and explain whether it was worthwhile

Rehearse the long turn

1 minute to prepare · 2 minutes to speak

Sit this card with the AI examinerThen the Part 3 discussion, and a full report

A 60-second plan

what the course wasTurkish Sign Language, eight weeks, evenings
why you took itdeaf customer at the pharmacy
what you learnedfingerspelling; the face is grammar
and explain whether it was worthwhileworthwhile, but only a beginning

Sample answers

228 words · about 1:59 spoken at a Band 6 pace

I want to talk about a sign language course that I took last year. It was a course of Turkish Sign Language, organised by the city council in Istanbul. It was free, and we had classes twice a week for eight weeks.

The reason I took it is my job. I work in a pharmacy in Kadıköy, and one of our regular customers is an older man who is deaf. Every month he comes for his medicines, and we were communicating by writing on paper, which was very slow. One day he was confused about his dosage and I couldn't explain him properly, and I felt really bad. So when I saw the advertisement of the course, I signed up immediately.

I learned a lot of things. First, we learned the alphabet with the hands, so you can spell names. After that we learned basic signs for numbers, days, and common words like pain or medicine. The most surprising thing for me was that your face is very important. If you ask a question, you must raise the eyebrows, otherwise the meaning is change.

I think it was worth, definitely. Now I can say hello to him and ask simple questions, and he looks very happy when I try. But honestly, eight weeks is not enough to become fluent, so I hope to continue in an advanced level.

The mistakes that keep it at Band 6

a course of Turkish Sign Language should be a course in Turkish Sign Language
I couldn't explain him properly should be I couldn't explain it to him properly
the advertisement of the course should be the advertisement for the course
the alphabet with the hands should be fingerspelling
you must raise the eyebrows should be you must raise your eyebrows
the meaning is change should be the meaning changes
it was worth, definitely should be it was worth it, definitely
continue in an advanced level should be continue at an advanced level

Why this is Band 6, not Band 7

Fluency and coherence: Willing and organised, using simple sequencing ("First", "After that") and a clear judgement at the end. It stays at Band 6 because the learning section turns into a list ("numbers, days, and common words"), and the linking rarely goes beyond "and", "so" and "But".
Vocabulary: Enough vocabulary to explain the course ("dosage", "regular customers", "signed up"), but some phrasing is awkward: "the alphabet with the hands" where English has a precise term, fingerspelling, and "it was worth, definitely" leaves the phrase incomplete. Band 7 needs more precision.
Grammar: A range of structures with frequent errors in the harder ones: "I couldn't explain him properly" misuses explain, "the meaning is change" confuses the verb form, and "in an advanced level" takes the wrong preposition. That is Band 6.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

267 words · about 2:03 spoken at a Band 7 pace

The course I'd like to talk about is a beginners' class in Turkish Sign Language that I did last spring. It was run by the city council in Istanbul, completely free, and we met twice a week for eight weeks in a community centre not far from where I live.

I signed up because of my job. I work at a pharmacy in Kadıköy, and one of our regulars is a deaf man in his sixties who comes in every month for his prescriptions. For years we'd communicated by scribbling notes back and forth, which was slow and rather impersonal. Then one day he got confused about his dosage, and I just couldn't get the explanation across, which left me feeling pretty useless. When I spotted a poster for the course a few weeks later, I enrolled that same afternoon.

We started with fingerspelling, so that you can spell out names and words you don't know the sign for yet, and then moved on to everyday vocabulary: numbers, days of the week, and in my case words like pain, tablet and twice a day. But the real eye-opener was learning how much of the grammar happens on your face. Raising your eyebrows can turn a statement into a question, for instance, so if your expression is wrong, your sentence is wrong.

Was it worthwhile? Absolutely, although eight weeks barely scratches the surface. I can now greet him, check his symptoms and explain simple instructions, and the first time I did, his whole face lit up. I'm planning to go on to the intermediate course in the autumn.

The slips

check his symptoms should be ask about his symptoms

Why this is Band 7, not Band 8

Fluency and coherence: Speaks at length easily, and the judgement is set up with a natural question ("Was it worthwhile?") and qualified with "although". Not Band 8 because the account of the course is still a little list-like ("numbers, days of the week") before the main insight arrives.
Vocabulary: Some less common, precise items: "scribbling notes back and forth", "get the explanation across", "the real eye-opener", "barely scratches the surface". Band 8 would avoid the occasional slightly inappropriate choice, such as "check his symptoms".
Grammar: A good range used accurately: a past perfect for the earlier situation ("we'd communicated"), a purpose clause with "so that", a conditional ("if your expression is wrong, your sentence is wrong"). Not Band 8 because the structures, though accurate, rarely go beyond these familiar patterns.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

274 words · about 1:53 spoken at a Band 8 pace

I'd like to talk about an evening course in Turkish Sign Language I took last spring. It was offered free of charge by the city council in Istanbul, two evenings a week for eight weeks, in a slightly draughty community centre a short walk from my flat.

My reason for taking it came straight out of work. I'm a pharmacist's assistant in Kadıköy, and one of our long-standing customers is a deaf gentleman in his sixties who comes in monthly for his prescriptions. For years our exchanges had been conducted entirely on scraps of paper, which was workable but painfully slow and, if I'm honest, a bit cold. Then one afternoon he misunderstood his dosage, and no matter how I rephrased it on paper, I couldn't make myself clear. I felt completely out of my depth, and a week later, when I saw a notice about the course, I signed up on the spot.

We began with fingerspelling, which is essentially a manual alphabet, and then built up a working vocabulary for everyday situations, which in my case meant words like pain, tablet and before meals. The revelation for me, though, was the role of the face. Your expression isn't decoration; it's grammar. A raised eyebrow turns a statement into a question, and a slight shake of the head can negate a whole sentence.

Looking back, it was unquestionably worthwhile, with one caveat: eight weeks gives you a foothold, not fluency. Even so, I can now greet him, ask how he's feeling and explain a dosage, and the first time I managed it, he looked genuinely moved. I've already enrolled on the next level.

Why this is Band 8, not Band 9

Fluency and coherence: Fluent and coherent, with the judgement qualified precisely ("with one caveat") and each bullet developed by an incident or an insight. Band 9 would vary its transitions slightly more than "Then one afternoon" and "Looking back".
Vocabulary: Wide and idiomatic: "out of my depth", "signed up on the spot", "Your expression isn't decoration; it's grammar", "a foothold, not fluency". The gap to Band 9 is the odd ordinary phrase, such as "painfully slow".
Grammar: Flexible and accurate: a past perfect passive ("had been conducted"), a concessive clause ("no matter how I rephrased it"), relative clauses and a balanced contrast in the last paragraph. No errors.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

Rounding-off questions

Should people keep learning throughout their lives?: Definitely. Careers change, technology changes, and learning something new keeps your mind flexible. Some of the most committed people in my sign language class were retired, and they learned faster than I did.
Is classroom learning better than learning online?: For sign language, a classroom was essential, because you need someone to correct your hands and your face in real time. For theory-based subjects, though, online courses can work just as well and are far more flexible.