Do I have to address all of the bullet points on the Speaking Part 2 cue card?
In short, no.
You definitely have to talk about the topic you've been given, but you do not have to cover all of the bullet points. You also do not have to limit yourself to the bullet points on the cue card.
Look very closely at the instructions on the cue card. (See Speaking Academy Module 4)
It says should. It does not say "must." It does not say "should only." And, as Chris says in Module 4, this has been confirmed by people high up in the IELTS community.
Examiners are definitely not instructed to make sure candidates cover the bullet point. The only essential part is the topic at the top.
Of course, you can cover the bullet points on the cue card. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this.
If you follow Chris' Part 2 strategy, you will very likely end up covering several of the bullet points anyways. The advantage of Chris' strategy is that you never have to worry about running out of things to say, especially if you utilise the last three:
- Past
- Present
- Future
