# Describe an art exhibition you visited: IELTS Speaking sample answers

Speaking Part 2 - Events

Describe an art exhibition you visited.

You should say:
- where and when it was
- who you went with
- what you saw there
- and explain how you felt about the exhibition

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

## Band 7 sample

I'd like to talk about a photography exhibition I went to last spring. It was at a small gallery in the city centre, on the ground floor of an old office building, and it was free to enter, which is one reason I went, to be honest.

I went with my friend Dara, who studies graphic design. She saw a poster for it at her college and she persuaded me to come, because normally I'm not someone who goes to galleries very often.

The exhibition was called something like Faces of the Market, and it showed black-and-white portraits of people who works in the old central market of our city, like fishmongers, fruit sellers, butchers and cleaners. The photographer spent about a year there, getting to know them before she took the photos. Next to every picture there was a short text where the person talked about their life, for example how long they have worked there or what they think about the market changing. There were maybe forty photos, and in the last room there was a video with interviews too.

How did I feel about it? I was really surprising by how much I enjoyed it. I go past that market every week, but I never really looked at the people working there. Some of the stories were quite moving, especially an old man who had sold vegetables there for more than fifty years and was worried that the market would close. After we left, Dara and I talked about it for ages over coffee. It made me realise that art doesn't have to be in a big famous museum to be interesting, and now I check what's on at small galleries more often.

**Examiner notes.** This Band 7 answer describes the exhibition in clear, relevant detail and connects it to a genuine change in the speaker's attitude. Vocabulary such as "persuaded", "black-and-white portraits", "fishmongers" and "quite moving" shows good range. Some phrasing is general ("quite moving", "big famous museum"), and typical errors persist: "people who works" (rather than "people who work") and "I was really surprising" (rather than "surprised", since the speaker is describing a feeling). For Band 8, the speaker would discuss the art itself with more precise, critical vocabulary and use complex structures with greater accuracy.

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

## 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.