Old person
IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card with a full sample answer, a Band 9 model of the two-minute long turn.
The cue card
Old person
You should say:
- who this person is
- how you know this person
- what you like to do together
- how you feel about this person
Sample answer
The older person I hold in the highest regard is my grandfather, who is now well into his eighties.
He's my father's father, so I've known him my entire life, and growing up, I actually spent an enormous amount of time at his house, since my parents both worked gruelling hours and he was the one who looked after me most afternoons once school let out.
These days, one of my favourite things is still popping over to see him, because we invariably find something to occupy ourselves with. He's a keen chess player, so more often than not we'll sit down for a game or two, and he takes it seriously enough that he still manages to beat me the majority of the time, which I find equal parts frustrating and impressive. We also enjoy ambling around his neighbourhood on slow walks, during which he regales me with stories about what the area used to look like decades ago, which I find utterly fascinating.
I feel a tremendous amount of respect and affection for him. Despite his advancing years, he's remained remarkably sharp and endlessly curious about the world - he pores over the newspaper every single day and always has a firm opinion on current events. He's also weathered a great deal in his life, including some genuinely trying periods, yet he's never grown bitter or withdrawn; if anything, he's one of the most patient and good-humoured people I know. Spending time with him never fails to leave me feeling calmer and more grounded, and I think he's taught me, purely by example, how to grow old with grace. For all these reasons, he's someone I genuinely look up to, not merely as family, but as a person in his own right.
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.