Part 2 cue cardCulture and tradition

Describe a language you would like to learn

Two bullets are real (which language, why) and two are hypothetical (how you would learn it, how it would be useful), so the answer must switch cleanly between present and conditional forms. Generic reasons ("it's popular") score little; tie each one to your own life.

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

Describe a language you would like to learn.

You should say:

which language it is
why you want to learn it
how you would learn it
and explain how it would be useful to you

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

which language it isPortuguese, for Angola and Brazil
why you want to learn itLuanda clients at work; Bahia's Yoruba words
how you would learn itapp on commute, Brazilian tutor, music
and explain how it would be useful to youAngola accounts promotion; visit Salvador

Sample answers

232 words · about 2:01 spoken at a Band 6 pace

The language I would like to learn is Portuguese. Many people don't know that it's spoken not only in Portugal and Brazil but also in some African countries, like Angola and Mozambique.

There are two reasons why I want to learn it. First is my job. I work for a shipping company in Lagos, and a lot of our customers are from Luanda, in Angola. Most of them can't speak English very well, so at the moment I am using a translation app for all the emails, and sometimes it makes funny mistakes. The second reason is more personal. I'm Yoruba, and I read that in Bahia, in Brazil, many people are still using Yoruba words in their religion and their food, because of history of slavery. I find it very interesting.

If I start learning, I will download an app and practise every day on the bus to work, because the traffic in Lagos is terrible, so I have a lot of time. I would also like to find an online teacher from Brazil, maybe two times in a week, and listen to Brazilian music for improving my listening.

It would be very useful for my career. My manager said if somebody can speak Portuguese, he can be promoted to handle the Angola customers. And one day I really want to visit Salvador and talk with people there in their language.

The mistakes that keep it at Band 6

First is my job should be The first is my job
many people are still using Yoruba words should be many people still use Yoruba words
because of history of slavery should be because of the history of slavery
If I start learning, I will download should be If I started learning, I would download
maybe two times in a week should be maybe twice a week
for improving my listening should be to improve my listening
My manager said if somebody can speak should be My manager said that if somebody could speak
handle the Angola customers should be handle the Angolan customers

Why this is Band 6, not Band 7

Fluency and coherence: Willing and well organised, with the reasons signposted ("There are two reasons", "The second reason"). It stays at Band 6 because the later bullets are lists of plans joined by "and" and "also", with little development of how each would actually help.
Vocabulary: Enough vocabulary for the topic ("translation app", "promoted", "religion"), but there are word-form and precision problems: "the Angola customers" needs the adjective, and "funny mistakes" is vague. Band 7 needs a wider, more precise range.
Grammar: Tries conditionals and reported speech, but the forms slip: "If I start learning, I will download" treats a hypothetical plan as a real one, "said if somebody can speak" doesn't shift tense, and "for improving my listening" uses the wrong pattern. 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 language I'd most like to learn is Portuguese. People tend to think of it as the language of Portugal and Brazil, but it's also spoken across a big chunk of Africa, in Angola and Mozambique.

My reasons are partly professional and partly personal. I work for a logistics firm in Lagos, and a growing share of our clients are based in Luanda. Very few of them are comfortable in English, so I end up running every email through a translation app and hoping for the best, which occasionally leads to some fairly embarrassing misunderstandings. The personal side is that I'm Yoruba, and I've read that in Salvador, in the Brazilian state of Bahia, Yoruba words have survived for centuries in religious ceremonies and even in the names of dishes. I'd love to explore that connection myself.

If I took it up seriously, I'd start with an app for the basics, since I spend an hour a day stuck in Lagos traffic anyway. Alongside that, I'd book an online tutor, ideally someone Brazilian, a couple of evenings in a week, so that I'd actually have to speak rather than just tap answers. And I'd listen to a lot of Brazilian music, which is a painless way to tune your ear.

In terms of usefulness, it could make a real difference to my career. My manager has hinted that whoever learns Portuguese will end up running our Angola accounts, which would be a big step up. And beyond work, I've always dreamed of visiting Salvador and being able to chat to people without a phone in my hand.

The slips

a couple of evenings in a week should be a couple of evenings a week

Why this is Band 7, not Band 8

Fluency and coherence: Speaks at length without effort and moves clearly between real reasons and hypothetical plans ("My reasons are partly professional and partly personal", "If I took it up seriously", "In terms of usefulness"). Not Band 8 because the last bullet repeats ideas from the first rather than adding new ones.
Vocabulary: Some less common and idiomatic language: "a big chunk of Africa", "hoping for the best", "tune your ear", "a big step up". Band 8 would sustain this precision throughout, including plainer phrases like "fairly embarrassing misunderstandings".
Grammar: A good range used mostly accurately: a second conditional ("If I took it up seriously, I'd start"), a purpose clause with "so that", the present perfect for what has been read ("I've read that"), and "whoever" as a subject. One slip: "in a week", where the frequency phrase needs no preposition.

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

286 words · about 1:58 spoken at a Band 8 pace

If I could pick up one language tomorrow, it would be Portuguese. Most people associate it with Portugal and Brazil, but it's spoken by tens of millions of Africans too, mainly in Angola and Mozambique, and that African dimension is a big part of its appeal for me.

The practical motivation is my job. I work in freight logistics in Lagos, and over the past couple of years more and more of our business has come from Luanda. Our Angolan clients are courteous and patient, but very few are at ease in English, so I currently rely on translation software, which works until it doesn't, and when it doesn't, the results can be mortifying. The other reason is closer to home. I'm Yoruba, and I've learned that in Salvador, in north-east Brazil, Yoruba vocabulary has survived for centuries in religious practice and even in everyday cooking. I find that astonishing, and I'd love to experience it first-hand rather than through documentaries.

As for how I'd go about it, I'd use an app to lay the foundations during my commute, since Lagos traffic gives me more than enough time. But apps only take you so far, so I'd also book a Brazilian tutor online for two evening sessions a week, purely for conversation, and I'd immerse myself in Brazilian music and podcasts to train my ear.

The benefits would be considerable. My manager has made it fairly clear that whoever gets to grips with Portuguese first will be put in charge of the Angolan accounts, which would be a significant promotion. And on a personal level, I'd finally be able to visit Salvador and recognise something of my own heritage in a language that isn't mine yet.

Why this is Band 8, not Band 9

Fluency and coherence: Fluent and coherent, with each reason developed and the answer ending on a reflective line ("a language that isn't mine yet"). Band 9 would vary its signposting a little more than "As for" and "And on a personal level".
Vocabulary: Wide and precise: "works until it doesn't", "mortifying", "lay the foundations", "apps only take you so far", "gets to grips with". The gap to Band 9 is the odd conventional choice, such as "closer to home".
Grammar: Flexible and accurate: an opening second conditional, the present perfect for a trend ("has come from Luanda"), a "whoever" clause with a passive ("will be put in charge"), and consistent conditional forms for the plans. No errors.

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

Rounding-off questions

Why is it useful to speak more than one language?: Apart from the obvious advantages for work and travel, it changes how you think. Every language has ideas that don't translate neatly, so learning one gives you a slightly different way of seeing things.
Will one global language ever replace others?: I doubt it. English will probably stay dominant in business, but people are deeply attached to their own languages, and the Yoruba words in Bahia show that a language can survive for centuries against the odds.