Introduction
This part of the test is sometimes called the 'long turn'. It will last for three or four minutes, though you will not need to talk for all of this time.
Your examiner will ask you to speak for one or two minutes on a particular topic. The examiner does not choose the topic, but instead gives you a task card. The task card tells you what you should speak about, and some ideas connected with the topic, and also one aspect of the topic that you will be asked to explain.
The topics are things that everybody in any country or society can talk about for a minute or two. It might be - for example about your leisure time, a holiday, what things you always carry with you, or what you would buy if you were given $1000. You might be asked to talk about something that uses the past tense, the present or future tense, or to speculate. (e.g. What do you think your life will be like in 15 years time?)
The ideas on the card (points) will help you to organize what you want to talk about, and you have a minute to get organized. The ideas are there to help you, and you do not need to mention them all in your talk, as long as you talk about the main topic on the card. The examiner will give you some paper and a pen so that you can make some notes (Don't write on the task card!) You do not have to make notes, but it is a good idea to do this, both because then you have something to remind you what you want to say, and because you should always take every opportunity to think about what you are going to do. It is almost always a mistake to start talking as soon as you get the card.
While you are talking, the examiner will not interrupt. If fact she might not even look at you, as she will be busy with her assessment tasks. If you stop talking before your time is up, you might be asked one or two follow-up questions, or you might be asked these anyway once you have finished talking. The examiner will stop you once she feels you have talked for long enough. Don't worry about being interrupted - you do not have to know how to time yourself, and will not be penalized if the examiner stops you because otherwise you might talk for too long.
Practice: By knowing what a two-minute turn feels like.
Practice: With your friends by playing 'just a minute' in which they name a topic and you have to start talking about it immediately for a minute without repeating yourself or using null sounds like 'ummm' or 'errrr' (on the other hand null phrases like 'Well then, let me see, actually, I think ...' are very useful, and you should get into the habit of using these.)
Remember: Fluency does not equal speed. In fact you should speak slightly more slowly than you usually do, and make sure that if you are going to pause, you do it at the end of a sentence or clause rather than in mid-phrase.
Remember: If you catch yourself making a grammatical mistake, you can correct yourself immediately. But if you focus too much on speaking with perfect grammer your fluency and coherence might suffer.
Remember: After you give an opinion, try to follow it with a reason or explanation, and give an example, preferably from your personal experience. (Always speak about what you know best, and you are an expert on yourself!)
Extract from an example speaking test part 2.
Examiner: Okay, are you ready to start speaking?
Carlos: Yes, I think so, sure.
Examiner: Remember you have between one or two minutes. Don't worry about speaking for too long, I'll stop you. Okay, please begin.
Carlos: I've been asked to speak about my dream home, and actually, I don't think that this is really a possible home. I mean, you know, it's possible for me to have a dream home, but it's got to have my family, because we have always been living all together. So my family have to live at my dream home, but they want a dream home so different from what I think it. So it's hard to see how we can all ..., because we have all got to be happy, you see, or it's not a dream home.
Carlos: Okay. I've got to have my own bathroom. And one for each of my sisters, because they kind of live in them. I mean, they're there for hours in the morning and evening. ... And a sound pre .. a sound .. a room that no sounds are coming out, where I can do music really loud and no-one says me to stop it. And Zorro, he's my cat, I want him to have a whole room just for him, where he can play and climb on things. Maybe have his own television, why not?
Carlos: Oh yes, where has this home got to be? In my town, definitely. My friends ....
Examiner: Okay, thank you. How many sisters do you have?