IELTS is a very important and the most popular exam for studying abroad. This test is acceptable globally, making it highly demanded. Moreover, there are 4 sections in this exam, out of which the IELTS speaking section is pretty complicated and scoring. Furthermore, there are 3 parts in the speaking section, out of which the most important is IELTS speaking part 2, known as the cue card. So, in this blog, you will read the sample responses of “Describe a person who inspired you to do something interesting” with the follow-up questions and answers.
Table of Contents
The cue card is one of the most important parts of the IELTS speaking section, where you get a card with a situation or a topic that you have to describe in your own words. You have to talk about the particular topic for 2 minutes. Moreover, you will get a minute to prepare your response apart from those 2 minutes. So, let us now understand the correct way to answer a cue card.
A cue card holds a lot of importance in your exam as it checks your fluency in the language and also evaluates you based on your thinking on a particular topic. Moreover, while speaking about your topic, you first need to introduce the topic and then continue with the things that you will include in your cue card. Always keep in mind that you will have 2 minutes in total to submit your response. In addition, you can get any topic in your cue card, but here, we will discuss the topic “Describe a Person Who Inspired You to Do Something Interesting” with sample answers.
You can use the following pointers in your response:
And How Did You Feel About It?
Now, look how your IELTS cue cards will look in the exam
In this blog, you will find 3 samples of the topic ‘Describe a Person Who Inspired You to Do Something Interesting’ with possible follow-up questions based on your response.
Here is the first example of the cue card. You can use the structure and tone of the response to score well in the IELTS exam.
Introduction
Getting inspired by someone’s life or work is beautiful as it helps people to learn new and try hard to accomplish something.
Who Is This Person?
The person who inspired me a lot is my father. He is my first and the biggest role model and I want to be like him always. His wholeheartedness toward tasks and approach to problems are great and no one can match his elegance in the same.
For What He/She Inspired?
Once I locked myself inside the room a few years back when I was afraid to appear for the exam that was scheduled for the same day. Everyone tried to convince me but I was not ready to open the door. But when my father asked me to come out, he taught me a delightful lesson that if I run away from something today, that thing will chase me for the rest of my life. His words were so strong that I had to open the door and go to take the test. That was the day I understood that he also faces a lot of issues and fear, but he never makes it obvious and tackles everything with so much grace.
Why He/She Inspired You?
He inspires me because obviously that’s what a parent does and he knows that I commend him and his life. This is the reason that he never looked tired or frustrated and motivated me to be a strong person throughout my life.
And How Did You Feel About It?
I was amazed at my performance in the exam and realized that if I am optimistic about myself, then everything is easy and achievable.
Here is another sample response to the cue card. This will help you with variations in the cue card answer.
Introduction
There are times when we are unaware of our caliber and we need someone to give a push to achieve something.
Who Is This Person?
One such person was my roommate when I was in college and was pursuing a bachelor’s degree. I met him in the class and perceived that he was just the opposite of what I was and still decided to share a room with him for the rest of my education.
For What He/She Inspired?
I always thought that he was the laziest and clumsiest person in the world but I was wrong. I realized this when we started living together and I saw him working hard in his studies as well as managing the house. To be honest, I was also very lazy and avoided doing simple things and completing assignments. On the other hand, he managed the entire house and still used to submit the assignments on time. Watching him doing so, I tried to change myself and started helping him with the house stuff and also completing my projects on time.
Why He/She Inspired You?
A few months after I became disciplined and started managing the stuff, he told me that he used to manage the house alone on purpose because he wanted me to realize that we both were part of the mess that happened at our flat and it was our joint culpability to clean and manage that.
And How Did You Feel About It?
I am happy that he did that and now I live alone, still manage my flat, submit my tasks on time, and still, l have time for myself. Thus, it is not wrong to say that he changed my life and made me more orderly.
This is the last sample response of the cue card. By these 3 samples, you will learn how you can do variations in the responses.
Introduction
There are several incidents in life when you feel like everything is meritless and you just want to quit your job and escape from reality. But, one correct person can change everything and encourage you to keep going.
Who Is This Person?
Suryansh, my best friend, whom I met 9 years ago has done a lot and he is the reason that I am still fighting with daily challenges, but now with more belief in myself. He invigorated me in every issue I faced in the past 9 years.
For What He/She Inspired?
One such incident happened when I was tired of my job and wanted to resign because I was not happy with the job profile and thought that I was wasting my time and energy. We used to share everything every day in the evening. The day I told him that I was about to resign, he reprimanded me like he was my guardian. But, he asked me to quit everything and begin farming, which we both knew was not possible for me. He encouraged me to give time to everything and see changes gradually.
Why He/She Inspired You?
He inspired me and motivated me during such a situation because he was the person who believed in me and was sure that I had the caliber to do a lot but all I needed was a strong push.
And How Did You Feel About It?
I feel great that I agreed to not quit the job because this incident happened 5 years ago and today I am the manager in the same company and now I enjoy my job. Maybe I wouldn’t have reached here without someone being there to motivate me at every step.
So, these were the samples of the cue card ‘Describe a Person Who Inspired You to Do Something Interesting’. You can follow the tone of the response to score well in IELTS speaking part 2. Now, you will go through the vocabulary for IELTS that was used in these samples, which are known as lexical resources.
While submitting your response, it is important to use advanced vocabulary for IELTS to impress the examiner. Thus, the table below shows some of the advanced words used in the IELTS cue card sample above.
Lexical Words | Meaning |
Accomplish | Achieve or complete successfully |
Wholeheartedness | Completely and sincerely devoted, determined, or enthusiastic |
Elegance | The quality of being graceful |
Delightful | Charming |
Grace | Smoothness and elegance of movement |
Commend | Praise formally or officially |
Optimistic | Hopeful and confident about the future |
Caliber | The quality of someone's character or the level of their ability |
Perceived | Come to realize or understand |
Clumsiest | Difficult to handle or use |
Culpability | Responsibility for a fault or wrong |
Orderly | Neatly and methodically arranged |
Meritless | Worthless |
Invigorate | Give strength or energy to |
Reprimanded | Scolding for something |
Caliber | The quality of someone's character or the level of their ability |
These were the advanced vocabulary used in the samples. You can use the same words in your response to make a positive impression on the examiner.
Once you finish the IELTS speaking part 2, the examiner will ask you the follow-up questions based on your response to the topic. Thus, you must know what you said in your response and be ready for the cross-questioning. Moreover, the total time for this activity is around 4-5 minutes.
1. How can teachers motivate children?
A teacher has a caliber to shape the student’s future. They can motivate them by setting some daily goals and helping them to explore their skills and develop curiosity. This way, a student will get a strong base of skill set and knowledge that will be beneficial for their future life.
2. What qualities make someone a role model?
A role model must be hardworking and their efforts should show a positive result. Moreover, their skills and qualities should reflect because a person chooses a role model by looking at their uniqueness.
3. Why should children learn from role models?
For children, their role models are everything to them. Thus, they will grasp their good qualities very soon because they try to copy them and achieve what their inspiration has achieved.
4. Who can influence children more, teachers or parents?
What I personally think is that when children are small, they are more influenced by their parents. But when they start going to school, they get influenced by their teachers easily. This is because the teacher’s role is to guide a student to a better future.
Now, that you have read the samples, lexical resources, and possible follow-up questions, it is time to understand how you can improve your score on this test.
Hopefully, now you are aware that IELTS is a very crucial part of your study abroad journey and you have to put some extra effort to score well in the IELTS speaking section and especially in the cue card.
Therefore, below are some tips by which you can excel in your score on this exam.
So, these are some of the tips that will help you improve your preparations and your scores in the exam. So, till here, hopefully, all the doubts about the cue card are clear.
In conclusion, there are some strategies and efforts that you need to score well in IELTS speaking part 2. The above-mentioned samples and follow-up questions will help you understand the tone and approach that you need to carry out while submitting your response. Also, the tips mentioned above will help you in getting a better score. So, this blog has everything you need to understand the IELTS speaking section. Moreover, if you still face any issues in your IELTS preparation, there is an option to opt for online IELTS classes, which will help you with expert guidance. So, start your IELTS journey now to make your dream of studying abroad come true.
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