Describe a successful business person you know
IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card with a full sample answer, a Band 9 model of the two-minute long turn.
The cue card
Describe a successful business person you know
You should say:
- who this person is
- how you know them
- what business this person does
- why this person is successful
Sample answer
I'd like to describe a successful business person I know personally - my uncle, who has built a thriving company from decidedly humble beginnings.
My uncle is my father's older brother, so naturally I've known him my whole life, and I've always looked up to him as something of a role model. Over the years, I've watched him morph from an ordinary employee into a genuinely accomplished entrepreneur.
He runs a fairly sizeable construction and building-materials company. He started out working for someone else in the industry, gradually learning the ropes and squirrelling away his earnings. Then, about fifteen years ago, he took a bold gamble and set up his own small business with just a handful of employees. Today, that business has grown enormously, employing over a hundred people and undertaking major building projects the length and breadth of the country.
There are several reasons why I consider him so successful. Above all, he possesses an incredible work ethic and grit; in the early days, he'd put in extremely long hours and personally oversee every detail, refusing to throw in the towel even when times got tough. Secondly, he has a real gift for building relationships and treating both his clients and his employees with fairness and respect, which has earned him a sterling reputation. He's also remarkably shrewd when it comes to spotting opportunities and adapting to shifts in the market.
What impresses me most, however, is that despite his success, he's remained remarkably humble and generous. He often helps out family members and supports charitable causes in our community, which shows that success hasn't gone to his head. To my mind, this makes him successful not just in business but as a person too. He frequently dishes out advice about hard work and perseverance, and his journey has taught me that with dedication and integrity, it's genuinely possible to build something remarkable from scratch.
Reading a model answer is not the same as saying one. The sample above shows what a strong Part 2 answer sounds like. What it cannot tell you is how yours sounds — whether you hesitate, repeat the question back, or run out of things to say at forty seconds.
You can record an answer to this exact question and get it marked on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and pronunciation — the same four criteria the examiner uses.
Common questions
How long should I speak for in Part 2?
Between one and two minutes. The examiner stops you at two, so aim to still be talking at the ninety-second mark rather than finishing early — running out at forty seconds is the most common problem in this part.
What do I do with the one minute of preparation time?
You get one minute and a pencil and paper. Most candidates waste it writing full sentences they then read aloud, which sounds flat. Note a few keywords against each bullet instead, so you have four things to talk about rather than a script.
Do I have to cover all four bullet points?
They are prompts, not a checklist, and you are not penalised for skipping one. In practice they are the easiest way to fill two minutes, so covering them is usually the simplest way to keep going.
Does it matter if the story is not true?
No. You are assessed on your English, not on whether the events happened. Inventing detail is fine and often easier than recalling a real memory under pressure.
Model answers written and reviewed by The English All-in-One IELTS team. They are teaching models showing what each band looks like, not real candidate scripts.