# Describe a film you watched recently: IELTS Speaking sample answers

Speaking Part 2 - Media

Describe a film you watched recently.

You should say:
- what the film was
- when and where you watched it
- what it was about
- and explain what you thought of it

Source: Sample answers and examiner notes are written by Testmigo.

## Band 6 sample

The film I want to talk about is Inside Out 2. It is an animated film from Pixar and I watched it about two weeks ago at home with my younger sister. Actually it came out a few years ago, but I didn't watch it at that time, so when I saw it on the streaming app, I decided to watch it.

The story is about a girl called Riley, and the main characters are the emotions inside her head, like Joy, Sadness and Anger. In first film she was a child, but in this film she becomes teenager, so some new emotions arrive, and the most important one is Anxiety. Anxiety wants to control everything and she pushes Joy and the other old emotions away. At that time Riley is going to a hockey camp and she wants to make the new friends, so she starts to behave differently and she forgets her old friends a little bit.

I thought the film was really good. First, the animation is very colourful and funny, so my sister, she is twelve, enjoyed it a lot. But for me the story was also quite deep. There is one scene near the end when Riley have a panic attack, and I felt it was very realistic, because I also feel anxious before my exams sometimes.

The message of the film is that all emotions are important, even the bad ones, and we should accept ourself as we are. I think this is a good lesson especially for young people.

The only thing I didn't like is it was a little bit short, I wanted to see more. But overall I would give it maybe eight out of ten and I recommend to everyone.

**Examiner notes.** This Band 6 answer explains the plot clearly and gives a genuine personal reaction, linking the panic-attack scene to exam stress. Organization is fine, but linking is basic ("First", "But", "So") and evaluation stays general: "really good", "quite deep". Errors are noticeable but do not block meaning: "In first film" and "becomes teenager" drop articles, "Riley have" breaks agreement, and "I recommend to everyone" is missing an object. To reach Band 7, the speaker would need more precise opinion language, such as "surprisingly moving", and better control of articles and verb forms.

## Band 7 sample

I'd like to talk about a documentary called My Octopus Teacher, which I watched last weekend. I'd heard people mention it a few times, but I'd never got round to seeing it, so on Saturday evening I finally put it on at home, mainly because I was too tired to go out.

It follows a South African filmmaker called Craig Foster, who was going through a period of burnout and decided to start free-diving every day in a cold kelp forest near his home. On one of these dives he comes across a common octopus, and over the course of about a year he visits her almost daily. Gradually she starts to trust him, and there are some amazing scenes where she reaches out and touches his hand, or rides on his chest while he swims.

What I liked most was how personal it felt. Unlike most nature documentaries, which tend to have a very serious, scientific narrator, this one is told by Foster himself, and he's quite open about his own struggles. So it's really two stories at once: one about the octopus, and one about a man slowly getting his life back on track.

I have to admit there were a couple of moments that were hard to watch, especially one where a shark chases the octopus. And towards the end it gets quite emotional, so I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for something light-hearted.

Overall, though, I thought it was beautifully filmed, and it actually changed the way I think about sea creatures. I'd never have imagined an octopus could be so intelligent, or that you could feel genuinely attached to one.

**Examiner notes.** This Band 7 answer moves smoothly from context to plot to evaluation, and the speaker's view is clear and balanced: "how personal it felt" is set against moments that were "hard to watch". Vocabulary includes useful phrasal verbs and collocations, such as "got round to" and "getting his life back on track", and grammar is varied, with relative clauses and a third conditional used accurately. For Band 8, the evaluation would need sharper, more precise language about the filmmaking itself, and ideas would be developed with more nuance rather than general praise like "beautifully filmed".

The Band 8 sample is free with an account on the [topic page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/speaking/topics/describe-a-film-you-watched-recently).

## Part 3 follow-up questions

1. Why do you think people enjoy watching films?
2. Do you prefer watching films at the cinema or at home? Why?
3. How have streaming services changed the film industry?
4. Should films be used in schools to help students learn?
5. Do you think films influence the way young people behave?

## Common questions

### How long should an IELTS Speaking Part 2 answer be?

You get one minute to prepare and then speak for up to two minutes; the examiner stops you at two. Aim to keep talking for the full time, which is usually 220 to 300 words.

### Can I use these sample answers in my test?

No. Examiners are trained to spot memorised answers, and a learned script is marked down. Use the samples to see what each band does, then answer in your own words.