Part 2 cue cardFestivals and celebrations

Describe a party you enjoyed

"Where and when it was held" is two questions in one bullet, and many candidates answer only one. The marks are in "why you enjoyed it": reasons about the people and the atmosphere, not a list of food.

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

Describe a party you enjoyed.

You should say:

whose party it was
where and when it was held
what you did there
and explain why you enjoyed it

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

whose party it wasJi-ho's farewell before Vancouver
where and when it was heldMin-seo's rooftop, Mapo, mid-July
what you did therepork belly, bedsheet slideshow, notebook
and explain why you enjoyed itsmall, real goodbye, rain, tarpaulin

Sample answers

213 words · about 1:51 spoken at a Band 6 pace

The party I want to talk about was a farewell party for my friend Ji-ho. We are friends since middle school, and last summer she got a place for a master's degree in Canada, so our friends decided to make a party for her before she left.

It was held on the rooftop of my friend Min-seo's apartment building in Mapo, which is an area in Seoul. It was a Saturday evening in July, so the weather was hot and humid, but on the roof there was a little bit wind.

There were about twelve people. We brought a small gas grill and we cooked pork belly, and everybody brought one side dish. After eating, Min-seo hung a white bedsheet on the washing line and we watched a slideshow of old photos from our school days. It was so funny, because everyone looked terrible. We also wrote messages in a notebook for Ji-ho to read on the plane. Suddenly it started raining, so all of us was standing under a plastic sheet together and laughing.

I enjoyed it because it was small and everyone were close friends, so nobody felt shy. Also it was a good way to say goodbye. I was sad she leave, but this party made me feel more better.

The mistakes that keep it at Band 6

We are friends since middle school should be We've been friends since middle school
got a place for a master's degree should be got a place on a master's course
make a party for her should be throw a party for her
a little bit wind should be a little bit of wind
all of us was standing should be all of us were standing
everyone were close friends should be we were all close friends
I was sad she leave should be I was sad she was leaving
more better should be much better

Why this is Band 6, not Band 7

Fluency and coherence: Speaks at length, answers both halves of the second bullet ("on the rooftop" and "a Saturday evening in July"), and keeps events in order. It stays at Band 6 because the reasons at the end are thin and joined with "Also", so the answer runs out of steam where it should be strongest.
Vocabulary: Enough everyday vocabulary to describe the evening ("side dish", "bedsheet", "washing line", "humid"), but some collocations are awkward: "make a party for her" uses the wrong verb with party, and "a little bit wind" is incomplete. Band 7 would choose words more precisely.
Grammar: A mix of simple and complex sentences, but errors are frequent in the harder forms: "We are friends since middle school" needs the present perfect, "all of us was standing" doesn't agree, and "more better" doubles the comparative.

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

248 words · about 1:54 spoken at a Band 7 pace

The party I enjoyed most recently was a farewell for my friend Ji-ho, who I've known since we were thirteen. She'd just been accepted onto a master's programme in Vancouver, and since she was leaving in August, a few of us decided to give her a proper send-off.

It was held on the rooftop of our friend Min-seo's apartment block in Mapo, in the west of Seoul, on a Saturday evening in the middle of July. It was sticky and hot, but up there you at least got a bit of a breeze, and you could see the lights coming on across the river.

There were only about twelve of us. We set up a portable gas grill and cooked pork belly, and everyone brought a side dish, so we ended up with far too many food. Once it got dark, Min-seo pegged a white sheet to the washing line and projected a slideshow of photos from our school days, which had us all in stitches. We'd also passed round a notebook for everyone to write Ji-ho a message to read on the plane. Then, out of nowhere, there was a downpour, and we all huddled under a tarpaulin, soaked and laughing.

What made it so enjoyable was how relaxed it was. There was no pressure to dress up or impress anyone, and because we all knew each other so well, the conversation just flowed. It was sad, of course, but it felt like we'd said goodbye properly.

The slips

far too many food should be far too much food

Why this is Band 7, not Band 8

Fluency and coherence: Speaks at length easily and develops each bullet, with natural links ("Once it got dark", "Then, out of nowhere", "What made it so enjoyable"). Not Band 8 because the final paragraph gives its reasons rather briefly compared with the vivid middle of the answer.
Vocabulary: Some less common, idiomatic vocabulary: "a proper send-off", "had us all in stitches", "a downpour", "huddled under a tarpaulin", "the conversation just flowed". Band 8 would show this range throughout; "sticky and hot" and "relaxed" are plain.
Grammar: A good range of complex structures with frequent error-free sentences: the past perfect passive ("She'd just been accepted"), a relative clause commenting on a whole idea ("which had us all in stitches"), a cleft opening the last paragraph. One slip, "far too many food", with the wrong quantifier for an uncountable noun.

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

266 words · about 1:50 spoken at a Band 8 pace

The party that stands out for me was a leaving do we threw for my friend Ji-ho last summer. We've been close since middle school, and when she won a place on a master's course in Vancouver, it seemed only right to mark it before she flew out.

We held it on the roof of our friend Min-seo's building in Mapo, on the western side of Seoul, one Saturday night in mid-July. It was the kind of humid evening where your shirt sticks to you, but the rooftop caught whatever breeze there was, and from up there you could watch the bridges light up one by one along the Han River.

It was a small affair, a dozen of us at most. We fired up a little gas grill for pork belly, everybody turned up with a side dish, and we ate far more than was sensible. When it got dark, Min-seo strung a bedsheet across the washing line and projected a slideshow of our school photos, complete with haircuts none of us will ever live down. Earlier we'd been secretly passing round a notebook so everyone could write Ji-ho something to read on the flight. Then, just as she was reading the first page, the heavens opened, and we all ended up crammed under a tarpaulin, drenched and helpless with laughter.

I think I loved it precisely because it was so unpretentious. Nobody was performing; it was just old friends who knew each other inside out. It was a goodbye, so there was an undercurrent of sadness, but it was the right kind of goodbye.

Why this is Band 8, not Band 9

Fluency and coherence: Fluent and coherent, with each bullet developed into a scene and a closing line that sums the evening up ("it was the right kind of goodbye"). Short of Band 9 only because "I think I loved it precisely because" opens the final part rather formulaically.
Vocabulary: Wide and idiomatic: "a leaving do", "will ever live down", "the heavens opened", "helpless with laughter", "knew each other inside out", "an undercurrent of sadness". Band 9 would sustain this in every line, including the practical ones about who brought what.
Grammar: Flexible and accurate: the past perfect continuous for background ("we'd been secretly passing round"), a time clause interrupting the action ("just as she was reading the first page"), and a reduced relative ("haircuts none of us will ever live down"). No errors.

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

Rounding-off questions

Do people prefer big parties or small gatherings?: It depends on age, I think. Teenagers often love big, noisy parties, but most people I know now prefer a small group, where you can actually hear each other and have a proper conversation.
Why are celebrations important to people?: They mark a change, like a new job or a move abroad, and give everyone a reason to stop and spend time together. Without them, life would feel like one long working week.