IELTS Speaking cue cards › Reading
Describe a book that changed the way you think about something
Describe a book that changed the way you think about something. You should say: - what the book was and who wrote it - what the book was about - when and why you decided to read it and explain in what way the book altered your thinking or attitude.
How to approach it
Open with the book title and author to immediately address the first bullet, then move through the plot and your reasons for reading it before landing on the transformation in your thinking – this is the heart of the card and deserves at least 40 seconds. Examiners reward a clear personal narrative, specific vocabulary related to ideas and attitudes, and a genuine-sounding reflection rather than a rehearsed-sounding summary.
1-minute preparation notes
- Title + author – Sapiens / Yuval Noah Harari
- Topic – history of humankind, big ideas
- When/why – university, friend's recommendation
- Shift in thinking – human constructs, money/nations
- Feelings – humbled, fascinated
Band 8+ sample answer (Part 2)
Show the sample answer (try speaking first)
I'd like to talk about a book called Sapiens, written by an Israeli historian. It's a sweeping history of humankind that takes you all the way from early Homo sapiens roaming the African savannah right up to the modern era of technology and globalisation. The central argument is that what sets humans apart isn't raw intelligence but our unique ability to believe in shared fictions – things like money, nations, and laws – which allow millions of strangers to cooperate.
I actually picked it up about four years ago, during my first year at university. A close friend who was studying philosophy practically shoved it into my hands and said, "Just read the first chapter – you won't be able to put it down." She was absolutely right. I was also going through a phase of being genuinely curious about why the modern world is organised the way it is, so the timing couldn't have been better.
Now, in terms of how it changed my thinking – and this is really the interesting part – it fundamentally shifted the way I see institutions I'd always taken for granted. Before reading it, I'd never really questioned why money has value or why borders exist where they do. The book makes you realise these things aren't natural laws; they're just stories we collectively agree to believe. That idea honestly blew my mind. I remember sitting back and thinking, "Everything I assumed was fixed is actually just a consensus."
It made me far more willing to question received wisdom and approach big social questions with an open mind, which I think has made me a much more critical thinker overall.
Written for StudyChat as an example of a band 8+ answer. 272 words, about 2 minutes spoken.
Part 3 discussion questions
Do you think reading physical books is becoming less common among young people today? Why?
Yes, I think it's definitely declining, though not disappearing entirely. Young people today are bombarded with short-form content – social media reels, podcasts, online video – which conditions the brain to expect instant gratification. Sitting with a physical book for hours requires a kind of sustained attention that feels increasingly countercultural. That said, I've noticed a trend where young readers share recommendations online, which has actually driven some impressive physical book sales, so it's a nuanced picture.
How can literature help people develop greater empathy for others from different backgrounds?
Literature is arguably one of the most powerful empathy-building tools we have, because it places you directly inside another person's perspective in a way that news or statistics simply can't. When you spend ten hours inside the mind of a character from a completely different culture or era, you inevitably start to understand their fears and motivations. Some psychology studies suggest that regular fiction readers score higher on measures of empathy, which I find completely unsurprising given my own experience.
Do you think schools should give students more freedom to choose what they read, rather than following a set curriculum?
I think a blended approach works best. A set curriculum ensures students are exposed to culturally significant texts they might never choose themselves – works that broaden their horizons precisely because they're unfamiliar. But if every single book is prescribed, reading starts to feel like a chore rather than a pleasure, and you lose the intrinsic motivation that turns children into lifelong readers. Giving students perhaps one or two free-choice titles per term seems like a sensible compromise that keeps both goals in balance.
What impact might the decline of reading habits have on society in the long term?
I think the consequences could be quite serious. Deep reading is closely linked to critical thinking – the ability to follow complex arguments, detect logical flaws, and sit with ambiguity. If fewer people develop that skill, societies become more vulnerable to misinformation and oversimplified rhetoric. We're arguably already seeing this with the rise of polarised, slogan-driven political discourse. A population that reads widely and deeply is simply better equipped to make informed decisions, both as individuals and as citizens.
Useful language
- it fundamentally shifted the way I see… – Strong verb phrase to describe a deep change in perspective, more vivid than 'changed my view'.
- take something for granted – Natural idiom for assumptions we never question; very relevant when discussing attitude change.
- blew my mind – Informal idiom conveying genuine intellectual surprise; use once for authenticity, not repeatedly.
- a sweeping history / a sweeping narrative – Useful collocation to describe an ambitious, wide-ranging book or argument.
- received wisdom – Formal collocation meaning ideas that are widely accepted without question; excellent for Part 3 discussions.
- approach something with an open mind – Natural phrase for describing intellectual flexibility; works in both Part 2 and Part 3.
- collectively agree to believe – Precise phrasing for shared social constructs; shows conceptual vocabulary beyond basic level.
- sustained attention – Academic collocation useful when discussing reading, technology, and focus in Part 3 answers.
Common mistakes on this card
- Spending too long summarising the plot and running out of time to explain the shift in thinking – examiners note that the final prompt ('explain in what way') carries the most evaluative weight, so aim to reach it with at least 40 seconds remaining.
- Using vague language like 'it changed my thinking a lot' without specifying what belief changed and what replaced it – concrete before-and-after comparisons are what push an answer from Band 6 to Band 8.
- Choosing an overly simple or children's book in an attempt to seem relatable, then struggling to generate sophisticated vocabulary and ideas – picking a book with genuine intellectual content gives you far more to work with linguistically and conceptually.
Record your answer and get a band score
Answer this card out loud, then the Part 3 questions. You get a band estimate on all four criteria, with pace, pauses and fillers measured from your recording.
Tap to start recording
Not ready to speak yet? from a real recording
2 free speaking checks a day. No sign-up. Your recording is deleted right after it is transcribed.
Uploading…