Sample Speaking Part 2 response: Describe a performance you recently watched

"Describe a performance you recently watched" - this is quite a "challenging" task, don't you think? In the IELTS Speaking Part 2 section, the quickest way to impress the examiner is for the candidate to choose truly interesting and valuable topics to share, for example, the highly classic musical "The Phantom of the Opera" as shown below.

Surely, if you have had real-life experience and have researched the topic in-depth, the speech you bring to the Speaking exam will make a difference. Let's experience this together in the IELTS Speaking Part 2 sample response (band 7.0+) on the topic "Describe a performance you watched recently"!

I. IELTS Speaking Part 2 question and answer: Describe a performance you recently watched

Describe a performance you watched recently. You should say: 

• What it was?

• When you watched it?

• Who you were with?

• Why you watched it?

 And explain why you watched it.

II. IELTS Speaking Task 2 samples: Describe a performance you recently watched

Below is a sample IELTS Speaking Part 2 answer on the topic "Describe a performance you recently watched". Refer to it immediately to effectively practice for the IELTS Speaking test at home.

Let's take a look at the IELTS Part 2 Speaking examples - Describe a performance you recently watched:

To be honest, I am nowhere near an art lover but there is one performance I watched recently that really blew my mind. It is the 25th-anniversary performance of the all-time best musical "The 1 Phantom of The Opera”. Actually, it was not a live performance but just a recorded version premiered on Youtube. This epic production was made available for free streaming in 2 days as a gift to all the audience at home during the COVID-19 quarantine.

I came across the video while glancing through my Youtube feed on a late Sunday night, and decided to give it a try since I didn't have anything else to do. The story based on the French novel by Gaston Leroux tells the tale of an Opera house in Paris that is haunted by a mysterious masked man calling himself "The Phantom". He secretly gives voice lessons to a young woman named Christine and consequently falls in love with her, as everyone can tell with this familiar motif.

At first, I thought it would just be another love story, but it turned out to be more than that. The moral of this story is about the beauty underneath the ugliness, and the power of compassion and empathy. This is a sentiment shared in many stories of French classical literature.

I did not expect anything from this complete random choice, yet it gave me an out of this world experience. The show was a perfectly crafted musical theater with all elements in a consistently brilliant accord. The theme, the incredible music, the ravishing costumes, and marvelous staging effects all combined create a classic masterpiece but still very approachable for the mass audience, even for people with little enthusiasm in art like me.

After three hours straight with my eyes glued to the screen, I finally understood the reason why this musical has become such a cultural phenomenon. Although having a seemingly old-fashioned plot - a love story, "The Phantom of The Opera" has proven why it stands the test of time for the values and the lessons it delivers.

Note: In addition, you can use this sample response to answer similar questions such as: Describe a performance you enjoyed watching, Describe a performance you have watched, Describe an enjoyable performance you watched, and so on.

III. Vocabulary used in the sample response: Describe a performance you watched recently

Some high-scoring vocabulary used in the IELTS Speaking Part 2 sample response on the topic "Describe a performance you watched recently" above. Quickly jot down these great words in your vocabulary notebook: 

• nowhere near = still far from

• blow one's mind = impress and excite someone greatly

• give smt a try = try doing something

• familiar motif (n) = common, familiar theme

• turn out = end up

• moral (n) = moral lesson, ethical lesson

• sentiment (n) = underlying meaning, implication

• out of this world (adj) = wonderful, beyond description

• staging effect (n) = theatrical effect

• eyes glued to smt = staring intently at something

• old-fashioned plot (n) = outdated, cliched storyline

• stand the test of time = endure over the years

This article has provided the most comprehensive IELTS Speaking Part 2 sample response on the topic "Describe a performance you recently watched", compiled by the teachers at PREP. Refer to the sample above to effectively self-study for the Speaking test at home and easily secure a high score in your actual exam!