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Describe someone who speaks another language well: cue card and sample answer

Cue card

Describe a person you know who speaks a foreign language well.

You should say:

  • who this person is
  • which language they speak
  • how they learned it

and explain why you think they speak it so well.

You have one minute to prepare and should speak for one to two minutes.

Try it before you read the sample. Answer this card out loud with our AI examiner and get an estimated band.

Practise with the AI examiner

Sample answer

About 247 words, or roughly two minutes of speaking.

The person I'm going to describe is my former colleague Daniela, who speaks Japanese better than anyone else I know. We worked in the same office for about three years, and she's still a good friend.

What makes it remarkable is that she has no family connection with Japan and didn't begin until she was twenty-five. She started because she loved Japanese films and was tired of reading the subtitles. At first she simply used a free app for twenty minutes a day on the train. After a year she joined an evening class, and later she found a conversation partner online, a woman in Osaka who wanted to practise Spanish. They've spoken every Sunday for six years.

She also did something I thought was clever. Instead of studying from textbooks all the time, she read things she actually cared about, such as cookery blogs and comic books, and kept a notebook of phrases she wanted to use herself.

I think there are two reasons she speaks so well. The first is that she was never afraid of sounding silly. She told me she made mistakes in every sentence for the first two years and simply carried on. The second is consistency. She never studied for hours, but she did a little every single day and never took a month off. When a group of Japanese clients visited our office, they assumed she had grown up there, which is about the best compliment a learner can get.

Why this works: it covers every point on the card in order, gives specific details and a short story rather than general statements, and ends by explaining the feeling or reason, which the last line of the card asks for.

Useful vocabulary

subtitles
the words at the bottom of a film that translate the speech
a conversation partner
someone you practise speaking a language with
sounding silly
seeming foolish when you speak
carried on
continued without stopping
consistency
doing something regularly over a long time
a compliment
something nice that a person says about you

Rounding-off question

After you finish, the examiner may ask one short question, such as:

Would you like to learn that language too?

Part 3 questions: Learning languages

In Part 3, the examiner asks more abstract questions linked to the cue card topic. Give an opinion, explain why, and add an example.

Why are some people better at learning languages than others?

I don't think it's mainly about talent. The people I know who've succeeded are the ones who had a real reason to learn, like a partner, a job or a passion for the culture, because that keeps them going when progress is slow. Personality matters too. People who don't mind making mistakes in public get far more practice than those who wait until they're perfect.

Will translation technology make language learning unnecessary?

I doubt it. Translation tools are already very good for menus and emails, and they'll keep improving. But speaking through a machine isn't the same as speaking to someone directly. You can't build a friendship or really understand another culture that way. I think fewer people will learn languages for practical reasons, but those who want real contact still will.

More questions to practise

  • What is the best age to start learning a foreign language?
  • Is it possible to learn a language well without living in the country?
  • Should everyone learn at least one foreign language?

Now say it out loud

Reading a good answer helps, but speaking is what improves your band. This set includes this cue card, Part 1 questions on dictionaries and singing, and a Part 3 discussion.

Start this Speaking test

This sample answer was written by TestWise Prep to show language that scores well. It is not official IELTS material. Use it for ideas, not to memorise, because examiners mark rehearsed answers down.