Describe a person who has helped you
You should say:
- who this person is
- how you know them
- what they helped you with
- and explain how you felt about their help
Part 3 discussion questions
After your talk, the examiner asks more abstract questions on help and kindness. Practise giving a direct answer, a reason and an example.
- 1Why do some people enjoy helping others?
- 2Are people today more or less willing to help strangers than in the past?
- 3Should children be taught to help others at school?
- 4What kinds of help do neighbours usually offer one another?
- 5How might technology change the way communities support each other in the future?
How to plan your answer in one minute
- Note one or two words for each bullet point; you can glance at them while you speak.
- Open with the main idea, then take the bullets in order so the examiner can follow you.
- Keep the last bullet (the "explain" part) for detail: this is where you show range.
- Keep talking until the examiner stops you; two full minutes shows fluency.
Notes for your minute of preparation
- Who: my older cousin Meera, now a software engineer.
- How I know her: family; she lived with us for two years while at university.
- What she helped with: maths before my Class 10 board exams; every evening, explain each step out loud, a notebook of mistakes.
- How I felt: grateful and more confident; now I help a younger neighbour.
Model talk
238 words · about 2 minutes spoken
I’d like to talk about my cousin Meera, who’s about eight years older than me and now works as a software engineer.
I’ve known her all my life, of course, because she’s family, but we became really close when she came to live with us for two years while she was at university in our city. At that time I was in Class 10 and, to be honest, I was struggling badly with maths. I’d lost confidence, and every test made me panic.
What she did was quite simple, but it worked. Every evening after dinner, she sat with me for about an hour. Instead of just giving me the answers, she asked me to explain each step out loud, and whenever I got stuck she drew a little diagram to show what was going on. She also made me keep a notebook of my mistakes, which I went through every weekend. Slowly, things started to make sense, and in the end I got 92 in my board exam, which I would never have believed possible a year earlier.
As for how I felt, I was incredibly grateful, not only for the marks but because she never once made me feel stupid. Looking back, I think the biggest thing she gave me was confidence. It’s actually the reason I now help my younger neighbour with his homework, because I know how much difference one patient person can make.
Written by Acedmi to show what a high-band talk sounds like. It is not an official IELTS sample, and your own ideas can be different.
Useful vocabulary
- struggle with
- Find something very difficult.
- “I was struggling badly with maths.”
- lose confidence
- Stop believing you can do something.
- “I had lost confidence after a few bad tests.”
- patient
- Calm and willing to wait or explain again.
- “She was always patient with my mistakes.”
- make sense
- Be easy to understand.
- “Slowly, things started to make sense.”
- grateful
- Thankful.
- “I was incredibly grateful for her help.”
- looking back
- Thinking now about the past.
- “Looking back, she gave me confidence.”
- make a difference
- Have a good effect.
- “One patient person can make a big difference.”
- I would never have believed
- A natural way to show surprise about the past.
- “I would never have believed I could score 92.”
Common mistakes
- Stopping after 40 or 50 seconds. Cover all four points and keep talking until the examiner stops you.
- Reading the points like a form ("Who: my cousin. How I know her: family."). Link them into one story.
- Rushing the last point. "Explain how you felt" is where you show more complex language, so give it time.