Describe a time you helped someone: cue card and sample answer

Cue card

Describe a time when you helped someone.

You should say:

who you helped
what the problem was
what you did

and explain how you felt about helping.

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 258 words, or roughly two minutes of speaking.

I'd like to describe something that happened about a year ago at the main railway station in my city. I was on my way home from work, and I noticed an elderly woman standing in front of the ticket machines looking completely lost.

She had two large suitcases and a piece of paper in her hand. When I asked if she needed help, she explained, in quite limited English, that she was visiting her daughter and was supposed to change trains here. Unfortunately her first train had been late, she'd missed the connection, and she had no idea what to do next. Her phone had also run out of battery, so she couldn't call anyone.

First I looked at the departure board and found that there was another train to her daughter's town in forty minutes, from a platform at the far end of the station. I helped her exchange her ticket at the office, which took a while because of the queue. Then I let her use my phone to call her daughter, carried one of the suitcases to the platform and waited with her until the train arrived. I asked a man in her carriage to make sure she got off at the right stop.

I got home an hour late, but I felt surprisingly good about it. What stayed with me was how small the effort was for me and how big the difference was for her. I also thought of my own grandmother, and I hoped that somebody would do the same for her.

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

looking completely lost: clearly not knowing where to go or what to do
miss a connection: to arrive too late for the next train or flight
run out of battery: to have no power left
departure board: the screen showing train times and platforms
exchange a ticket: to swap a ticket for a different one
what stayed with me: the thing I remembered afterwards

Rounding-off question

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

Do you often help people you don't know?

Part 3 questions: Helping others

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

Do people in cities help each other less than people in small towns?

I think that's often true, but not because city people are less kind. In a small town you probably know the person who needs help, or you know their family, so it feels natural. In a city you're surrounded by strangers, everyone is in a hurry, and people assume that someone else will stop. When city people do notice a problem, they're usually just as generous.

Is it better to give money to charity or to give your time?

Both are valuable, but they do different things. Money lets a charity pay for professionals and equipment, which a volunteer can't replace. Time, on the other hand, changes the person who gives it, because you actually meet the people you're helping. If I had to choose, I'd say give money to large organisations and time to local ones.

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 public transport and laughing, 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.