Sports person you admire
IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card with a full sample answer, a Band 9 model of the two-minute long turn.
The cue card
Sports person you admire
You should say:
- who this person is
- what this person has achieved
- how you know about this person
- why you like this person
Sample answer
The sportsperson I admire most, without any hesitation, is Rafael Aghayev, a karateka who has done more to put Azerbaijani sport on the map than almost anyone else I can think of.
His list of achievements is nothing short of extraordinary — five world championship titles, an unprecedented record for a male karateka, eleven European titles, and an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo, all within the fiercely competitive discipline of karate. Sustaining that level of dominance over nearly two decades is a testament to sheer perseverance and unwavering dedication.
I first became aware of him years ago through extensive news coverage every time he clinched another major title, and I've followed his career closely ever since, particularly whenever a major tournament rolls around.
What I admire most about him isn't merely the medals themselves, but rather his remarkable longevity in such a punishing sport — he was still competing and clinching silver at the Olympics well into his thirties, which speaks volumes about his discipline and mental fortitude. He's earned the nickname the "Panther of the East," and watching him compete, it's not difficult to see why — there's a real precision and controlled aggression underpinning every move he makes. For a country as modest in size as Azerbaijan to produce someone who dominates a global stage for so long is nothing short of inspiring, and it's precisely why I follow karate far more closely than I otherwise might.
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.