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IELTS Cue Card Sample Question – Describe a Person You Admire

While preparing for the IELTS, one of the areas that you have to focus on is the cue cards section, which is Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking Test.

We have gathered the possible cue cards topics, and we will help and assist you in how to best answer them. 

This article includes sample responses on the IELTS cue card topic Describe a person you admire.’ Please continue reading. 


What is a IELTS Cue Card Question?

The topic card handed to you at the outset of IELTS Speaking Part 2 is referred to as a ‘cue card’. It is a piece of paper with the topic you will be discussing written on it.

Since you only have a minute to prepare, you must take notes as soon as you receive the cue card, using the paper and pencil that are also provided. 

Remember that you cannot beg the examiner to change the topic, and you must speak about it despite how much or little you know about it.

The examiner will direct you to begin your speech after the one-minute preparation period, and you must use as much of the two minutes as possible. 

Following that, the examiner will ask you follow-up questions regarding your speech, which you must also respond to.


How to Answer this Specific Question — “Describe a Person You Admire”?

Topic/Question:

Describe a person you love/like/admire

Guidelines to answer the question:

You should say

  • who that person is
  • what you usually do with this person
  • how often you see this person

and explain why you love/like/admire this person.

  • Think of a person who has had a great impact and influence on you, someone whom you had a lot of respect for. It could be a family member, a former teacher, a relative or a celebrity. 
  • Before taking notes, ensure that you will not change your mind. Any other person is fine, just as long as you will be able to justify and explain your reasons well. 
  • Start taking notes on who this person is and why you admire him/her. Have at least two – three reasons why you admire him/her. Do not write sentences. Simply write keywords. 
  • Take note that you have to employ advanced vocabulary and complex grammar structures. Doing so will impress the examiner and help you achieve a great band score. 
  • Make sure your handwriting is understandable, by you. What you write on the paper will not be graded by the examiner. 
  • While talking about your topic, glance at the notes that you have taken from time to time. It is completely fine and is the main reason why you are given a piece of paper to write on.

Sample Responses — “Describe a Person You Admire


Sample Response 1: 

“More often than not, if people are asked this question, their answer would either be a celebrity like an actor or a singer, a politician, or someone who is famous. But for me, I would have to say that the person I most admire is a family member. 

For everyone, ‘family’ is the most valuable asset. One cannot exist without a family, and a family is a place where everyone may expect to get anything without expecting anything in return. That is why the person I look up to the most is my father. He keeps our family together. In my life, he is my hero. For his exceptional abilities, my father is extremely admirable.

He has led me along the right route so that I can excel in both my professional and personal lives. He aided me in every way imaginable while I was a child, and as I grew older, he showed me how to make decisions. The most essential thing is that he never compels me to do or perform something against my choice. He always gives me the benefit of the doubt, presents me the options, and leads me to choose the best path. I am now a well-known photographer in our city, thanks to his guidance. When he learned that I wanted to be a photographer, he lowered his costs in half and purchased me the first camera of my life.

My father is no longer employed and spends his time with his family and friends. Most of his pals have retired as well, and they spend their time together reminiscing about their youth. My father also takes my mom out on occasion. They spend the entire day outside and return at night, just like they did when they first married. My parents’ romanticism appeals to me. Furthermore, my father enjoys gardening and looks after the garden in front of our house. He frequently purchases flowers in various categories and requests that I photograph him with the plants.

I admire and will continue to admire my father for his honesty, integrity, and sense of duty. I have never seen him neglect his obligations to my family. My father’s most distinguishing characteristic is his compassion for people, regardless of their relationship with him. In the midst of his hundreds of tasks, he rushed to care for a member of the family who had become ill. He also used to assist the poor and keep the events hidden from us. I am extremely fortunate to have such a wonderful father.”


Follow-up Question 1:

Does your father know how much you admire him?

Response:

“Yes, I have told him before and I would definitely continue to let him know how much I admire and respect him not just as my father but as a person as well. He deserves to know the kind of impact he had on me and my siblings.”


Follow-up Question 2:

Do you think you would also become a good father in the future? 

Response:

“It’s really hard to know what the future holds, but if I would be like my father, even half of what he has accomplished, I’d be extremely grateful. He has become a good father to me and my siblings and a good husband to my mom and we couldn’t ask for anything. I sure hope to be like him when the time comes. 



Sample Response 2:

“I admire a lot of people, but today, I’d like to share a story about one of my high school instructors. She had a big influence on me and was someone I looked up to as a role model.

Her name is Mrs. Lou, and she was my Math teacher for three years in high school. She was in her fifties and had a lot of experience as a teacher. She was also my form teacher, so we saw each other almost every day. She adored us and treated us as though we were her sons and daughters. For example, she always brought some medicines with her so that if any of her students developed a cold, coughed, or had any other illness, she could treat them right away.

Above all, the way she taught us in the class had the greatest impact on me. Her dedication to teaching inspired me to pursue Math, despite my previous lack of interest in the subject. I was able to ace the entrance exam in college with an excellent Math grade, thanks to her effective teaching technique. I was also impressed by her way of life, which was so modest and deserving of respect that I wanted to emulate it. She always gave us advice regarding whatever challenges we had because she is a warm-hearted person. I had the impression that she was a friend with whom I could share everything.

Despite the fact that we have all graduated from high school, my friends and I still visit her on weekends to tell her about our university lives.”


Follow-up Question 1:

Do you ever think she’d be someone you would admire when you first stepped into her class?

Response:

“To be honest, I had no idea she’d be someone who would have a great impact on my life. Mathematics is one of those subjects that I do not like. It’s something I have struggled in even in grade school. But as time goes by, and the fact that she has made everything about Math so simple just for me and my classmates to learn about it, is something I would always remember about her.”


Follow-up Question 2:

What else about her do you like the most?

Response: 

“She has a lot of qualities about her that make her stand out from the rest of my previous teachers. She takes an extra effort to assist me and my classmates with lessons we are having difficulties with. Sometimes, she would stay in school late just to give us extra lessons. That’s something we admire about her because during those times, she didn’t get any extra pay. She did it because she was passionate about her profession.”




Vocabulary Tips for Answering this IELTS Cue Card Question (Describe a person you admire):

Here are some words in the sample responses for the cue card topic ‘Describe a person you admire.’ with their meanings and sample sentences for your reference. 

WordPart of SpeechMeaning
/Definition
Example usage of the word in a sentence
adoreVerbTo respect and love someone deeply“I simply adore how you pull off that dress.” 
appealVerbTo be interesting or attractive“Abstract painting appeals to a lot of people.”
the benefit of the doubtIdiomAn admission that a person or statement must be viewed as correct or justifiable if the opposite is not proven“Her teacher is going to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she did the homework by herself.”
celebrityNounA famous person“He had turned into a celebrity overnight after the news broke that he had won the lottery.”
compassionNounAn empathetic pity and concern for other people’s hardships or misfortunes“She was taken aback by the compassion in his voice, and she looked up at his solemn expression, tears streaming down her face.”
compelVerbTo force someone to do something“I sometimes have to compel my daughter into performing her tasks by threatening her that she would be grounded if she doesn’t.”
dedicationNounThe state of being committed to an activity or objective“He admired my dedication in ensuring all of the details were accurate.”
emulateVerbTo imitate“She attempted to emulate my recent accomplishment.”
exceptionalAdjectiveUnusually good, outstanding“My younger brother has an exceptional talent in memorizing the capital city of each and every country.”
impactNounA person’s, thing’s, or action’s effect or influence on another“Her speech had a big impact on a lot of individuals.”
influenceNounThe ability to influence someone’s or something’s character, growth, or conduct, or the effect itself“His parents still have a significant influence of power over him.”
integrityNounMoral uprightness; the trait of being honest and possessing strong moral principles“What I respect about my dad the most is his integrity.”
look up toPhrasal VerbTo have a great degree of respect for someone“The players look up to their coach because of his passion for football.” 
modestAdjectiveHumble and unassuming “Despite everything she had accomplished, she remained modest.”
neglectVerbTo fail to care for properly“In order to have a tidy kitchen, do not neglect to wash the dishes.”
obligationNounAn activity or course of action that a person is ethically or legally bound to do; a responsibility or commitment“He strongly believes that each and every human being has a moral obligation to protect human rights.”
reminisceVerbTo delight in pleasurable reminiscences of the past“I figured that once it was all over, we’d be able to reminisce on what we’d accomplished and perhaps rejoice in all the good we’d done.”
techniqueNounA method of carrying out a specific task“She solved the problem in a different technique than her brother, but the result was the same.”
valuableAdjectiveOf extreme importance and worth“My grandmother always gives me valuable pieces of advice.” 
warm-heartedAdjectiveKind and sympathetic“She has a sympathetic look, I believe she is warm-hearted.” 

Additional Reading — IELTS Speaking Cue Card Questions


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