Describe a person you know who speaks a foreign language well

In IELTS Speaking Part 2 you get this card, one minute to prepare and up to two minutes to speak. Below: the notes a strong candidate might make in that minute, a natural Band 7–8 answer, the words that make it work, and the Part 3 discussion the examiner usually moves on to.

The cue card

One-minute notes

Notes in the preparation minute should be keywords, not sentences — one line per bullet, plus the one detail that makes your story yours. Something like:

• my cousin Elif — fluent Spanish
• started at 18, no Spanish at school
• app → evening class → 1 year in Valencia (Erasmus)
• speaks fast, jokes, even dreams in it
• why: lived there, spoke only Spanish, not afraid of mistakes

Band 7–8 sample answer

Someone I know who speaks a foreign language extremely well is my cousin Elif, who is fluent in Spanish. What's impressive is that she didn't learn a word of it until she was eighteen.

She started almost as a joke. She'd watched a Spanish TV series, liked the sound of the language, and downloaded a free app to learn a few phrases. After a few months she realised she was serious about it, so she joined an evening class twice a week. Then, in her third year at university, she got a place on an exchange programme and spent a full year in Valencia.

That year was clearly the turning point. She made a rule for herself that she'd avoid speaking Turkish or English while she was there, which was quite hard because there were lots of other international students. She shared a flat with three Spanish students, watched local TV, and even got a part-time job in a café. She says she was exhausted for the first two months, because she had to concentrate all the time.

Today, if you hear her on the phone, you'd honestly struggle to guess where she's from. She makes jokes, she speaks very fast, and she claims she sometimes dreams in Spanish. I think she speaks it so well for two reasons. One is that she lived the language rather than just studying it. The other is her attitude: she's never been embarrassed about making mistakes. She'd just laugh, ask what the right word was and keep going.

About 255 words — roughly two minutes at a relaxed pace. Notice what it does: one specific story instead of general statements, every bullet covered, natural spoken linking rather than "firstly… secondly…", and the "why" part of the card answered properly at the end — that is where many candidates run out of things to say. Use it to see the structure; don't memorise it. Examiners are trained to spot memorised answers, and your own story will always sound more fluent.

Useful vocabulary

• fluent — able to speak a language easily and well
• a turning point — the moment when something changes significantly
• immerse yourself in — to surround yourself completely with something
• pick up (a language) — to learn a language naturally, without formal study
• have an ear for languages — to be naturally good at hearing and copying sounds
• get by in — to know enough of a language for basic situations

Part 3: questions and model answers

After your two minutes, the examiner moves to a discussion linked to the card's topic. These questions are more abstract: give an opinion, a reason and an example, and it's fine to say "it depends" — as long as you explain on what.

At what age should children start learning a foreign language?

The earlier the better, generally, especially for pronunciation. Young children pick up sounds very naturally and aren't afraid of making mistakes. But I don't think starting late is a disaster — adults learn grammar and vocabulary efficiently because they can use strategies children can't.

Is it necessary to live abroad to speak a language well?

It helps enormously, but it's not strictly necessary anymore. With films, podcasts and online conversation partners, you can get a lot of exposure from home. The difference is that living abroad forces you to use the language every day, whereas at home you have to create that pressure yourself.

Will translation apps make language learning unnecessary?

For basic things, like reading a menu or asking for directions, maybe. But a translation app can't help you make a friend, tell a joke or understand a culture properly. Learning a language also changes how you think, and an app can't give you that.

Why is English so widely spoken?

Largely for historical reasons — the British Empire and later the economic and cultural power of the United States. Today it's self-reinforcing: because it's the language of science, business and the internet, people learn it to access those things, which makes it even more dominant.

More cue cards about people

• Describe a person who has influenced you
• Describe an older person you admire
• Describe a friend you have known for a long time
• Describe a teacher who helped you
• Describe a person who is very good at their job

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