Describe a teacher who helped you

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:

• Ms Kaya, maths, age 13–15
• I was failing, felt "not a maths person"
• stayed after class; explained with real examples (football, shopping)
• made mistakes OK — "wrong answers are information"
• remember: changed how I learn anything

Band 7–8 sample answer

The teacher I'd like to describe is my maths teacher from when I was about thirteen to fifteen. Her name was Ms Kaya, and I think she's probably the reason I didn't give up on maths entirely.

Before her class, I'd decided I simply wasn't a maths person. I was getting low marks, I panicked during tests, and I'd stopped even trying to understand — I just copied methods and hoped for the best. Ms Kaya noticed this quite quickly. She asked me to stay after class one day, and I was sure I was in trouble, but instead she asked me which bits I found confusing.

From then on, she stayed behind with me and a couple of other students once a week. Her approach was to connect everything to real life. Percentages were explained through football statistics and shop discounts, and equations through planning a budget for a school trip. More importantly, she changed how we felt about mistakes. Whenever someone got something wrong, she'd say that a wrong answer was just information — it showed us exactly what to fix next.

I still remember her because that idea changed how I learn anything, not just maths. By the end of the second year, my marks had gone from failing to fairly good — not brilliant, but good enough that I chose to study economics later. I don't think she ever realised how much difference she made, and I sometimes think I should find her and tell her.

About 250 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

• give up on — to stop trying to succeed at something
• hope for the best — to hope things work out without really trying
• stay behind — to remain after others have left
• explain something through — to use a familiar example to teach
• make a difference — to have an important positive effect
• bring out the best in — to help someone show their best qualities

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.

What makes a good teacher?

Knowing the subject is necessary but not enough. A good teacher also notices when a student is lost, explains things in several different ways, and makes students feel that asking questions is normal. I'd say the best teachers are often the ones who still remember what it felt like not to understand.

Should teachers be paid more?

In most countries, yes. Teachers have a huge influence on how a society develops, yet the salary often doesn't reflect their workload or responsibility. Better pay would attract more talented people into teaching and keep good teachers from leaving for better-paid jobs.

Will technology ever replace teachers?

I don't think so. Technology can deliver information and even give feedback on exercises, but teaching is also about motivating people, managing a group and noticing problems at home or with confidence. Those human parts are exactly what software is worst at.

Is it better for students to have strict or relaxed teachers?

Somewhere in between is usually best. A teacher who's too strict can make students afraid of making mistakes, and a teacher who's too relaxed may lose control of the class. Students generally respond well to clear rules combined with genuine warmth.

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 person who is very good at their job
• Describe a person you know who speaks a foreign language well

→ All 45 IELTS cue cards · Random cue card generator with a timer · IELTS Speaking mock test