Describe a Person You Admire: IELTS Speaking Sample Answer

The cue card

A typical version of this topic might look like this:

Describe a person you admire.

You should say:

• who this person is
• how you know this person
• what this person is like
• what this person has done

and explain why you admire this person.

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You could choose:

• a parent or grandparent
• a friend
• a teacher
• a colleague
• a coach
• a public figure
• an athlete
• a businessperson
• someone from your local community

Choose someone who gives you plenty to talk about.

For example, describing your former teacher may be easier than describing a famous actor because you can include real memories and personal experiences.

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This belongs to the wider group of IELTS Speaking Part 2 people topics, where you can practise describing friends, relatives, teachers and other important people.

A simple one-minute plan

Do not try to write complete sentences during your preparation minute.

Instead, write a few keywords that remind you what to talk about.

Imagine you choose a former teacher.

Your notes might look like this:

Person:
Mr Harris – secondary-school English teacher

Connection:
taught me for two years

Personality:
patient, enthusiastic, funny

Example:
helped me after poor exam result

Influence:
made me more confident, changed attitude to mistakes

A simple structure to remember is:

Person → Connection → Qualities → Example → Why you admire them

The example is especially important.

Compare:

He was very supportive.

with:

I remember getting a really disappointing exam result once, and he stayed behind after class to help me understand where I had gone wrong.

The second version shows the quality rather than simply naming it.

It also gives you much more to talk about.

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Band 7+ sample answer

I’m going to talk about one of my secondary-school teachers, Mr Harris, who taught me English for about two years.

I first met him when I was around fifteen, and one of the first things that stood out about him was how enthusiastic he was. He had a really good sense of humour, so his lessons were usually entertaining, but at the same time he expected us to work hard.

What I admired most about him was the way he encouraged people. I wasn’t particularly confident at school, and I remember getting a disappointing exam result once. Instead of simply criticising me, he stayed behind after class and helped me understand where I had gone wrong.

He also gave me some practical advice about how to improve, and I think that experience had quite a big impact on me. It made me realise that doing badly at something didn’t necessarily mean I wasn’t capable of improving.

Another reason I respected him was that he seemed to genuinely care about his students. He didn’t treat teaching as if it was simply a job he had to finish every day. He was interested in whether people actually understood what they were learning.

So overall, I admire him because he was knowledgeable, supportive and genuinely enthusiastic about what he did. I haven’t seen him for years, but I still remember a lot of the advice he gave me, which shows how much influence he had on me at the time.

This answer is developed, but it still sounds like spoken English rather than a memorised essay.

Useful vocabulary and collocations

These expressions can help you describe someone naturally.

Other useful language includes:

• a role model
• someone I really respect
• down-to-earth
• open-minded
• determined
• supportive
• reliable
• patient
• knowledgeable
• hard-working
• a good sense of humour
• someone I can rely on
• encourage someone to do something
• learn a lot from someone
• deal with difficult situations

Avoid filling your answer with adjectives.

Instead of:

She is kind, intelligent, helpful, generous and hard-working.

Choose one or two qualities and explain them:

She’s extremely reliable. If I ever need help, I know I can depend on her.

That creates a much stronger description.

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Why this answer works

The sample begins by identifying the person immediately:

one of my secondary-school teachers

It then explains the connection:

he taught me English for about two years

This gives the listener clear context before the description develops.

The answer also uses a specific memory rather than relying entirely on adjectives. The exam-result story demonstrates why the teacher was supportive and gives the speaker a natural sequence of past events to describe.

There is also a useful range of grammar:

I first met him...

I remember getting...

He helped me understand...

It made me realise...

I haven’t seen him for years...

The vocabulary is also relatively natural. Expressions such as stood out, had a big impact on me and genuinely care about are useful because they communicate precise ideas without sounding deliberately complicated.

Most importantly, the answer actually addresses the final part of the cue card:

why you admire this person

Do not spend your entire two minutes describing what someone looks like and then forget to explain why they are important to you.

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Part 3 follow-up questions

After Part 2, the examiner may move to broader questions connected to people, admiration, success or role models.

Possible person you admire follow-up questions include:

1. Why do people need role models?
2. Who do young people tend to admire today?
3. Do celebrities make good role models?
4. What qualities make someone a good leader?
5. Do people admire different qualities as they get older?
6. Why are some people more influential than others?
7. Should parents be role models for their children?
8. How can teachers influence young people?
9. Are sports stars good examples for children?
10. Has social media changed the people we admire?
11. Is being successful the same as being admirable?
12. Why do some people become inspirational figures?
13. Is it important for successful people to help others?
14. Can ordinary people influence society?
15. Are famous people admired for the right reasons?

Part 3 is different from Part 2 because you normally need to discuss general ideas, not simply your own life.

For example:

Do celebrities make good role models?

I think some of them can, particularly if they use their influence responsibly. However, being famous or successful doesn’t automatically make someone a good role model because we usually only see a small part of their personality in public.

A useful Part 3 structure is:

Opinion → Explanation → Example or contrast

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Create your own answer

Now choose someone you genuinely admire and prepare your own response.

Write keywords for these five areas:

1. Person

Who are you describing?

2. Connection

How do you know them?

3. Qualities

Choose two or three characteristics you can actually explain.

4. Example

Think of one specific memory or situation that demonstrates those characteristics.

5. Influence

Why do you admire them?

What have they taught you?

Have they changed the way you think or behave?

Then practise speaking for up to two minutes using only your keywords.

Do not write a complete script and memorise it word for word.

If you practise developing ideas from short notes, you will be much better prepared when the wording of the real cue card is slightly different from the version you studied.

For Describe a Person You Admire IELTS Speaking Part 2, keep your structure simple: introduce the person, explain your relationship, describe a few meaningful qualities, tell one specific story and finish by explaining why the person has influenced you. A genuine example will usually give you far more useful speaking material than a long list of impressive adjectives.

If you choose a friend for this cue card, our IELTS Speaking Part 1 friends questions can help you build useful ideas and relationship vocabulary first.

More IELTS Speaking Part 2 practice

• IELTS Speaking Part 2 People Topics
• IELTS Speaking Part 2 Sample Answers
• Describe a Skill You Want to Learn