"Describe a person who influenced you" is one of the most common cue cards in recent IELTS Speaking tests. It has appeared in dozens of test variations over the past few years. The exact wording shifts (positive influence, person who changed your life, role model) but the structure stays the same. If you prepare this one cue card well, you have prepared for about 15% of all Part 2 prompts.
The cue card
Describe a person who has had a positive influence on your life.
You should say:
- Who this person is
- How long you have known them
- What kind of person they are
- And explain why they have influenced you positively
You have one minute to plan. Then you talk for one to two minutes. The examiner will not interrupt during your response.
How to choose your person (in 30 seconds)
Most candidates pick the obvious choices. Their mother. Their father. A teacher from school. These work, but they are also the answers examiners hear constantly. Standing out a little helps your Lexical Resource and Task Response scores because you can use more specific, less rehearsed language.
Some less common but effective choices we see candidates use well:
- A grandparent. Often has interesting historical context (lived through wars, migration, social change).
- A sports coach. Lets you talk about discipline, perseverance, specific skills learned.
- A workplace mentor. Allows professional vocabulary and concrete career examples.
- A school friend. Personal and relatable. Easier to describe in detail.
- A public figure or author. Lets you discuss values and ideas. Requires more abstract vocabulary.
One thing to avoid. Do not pick someone you genuinely have no relationship with just because they sound impressive. Talking about Steve Jobs influencing your life will sound forced unless you can actually explain how. Pick someone you can speak about naturally for two minutes.
Model answer (Band 7+)
One person who has genuinely shaped who I am today is my grandfather on my mother's side. We have known each other my entire life, of course, but the relationship really deepened when I was about twelve and started spending summers at his house in the countryside.
He is what I would call a quietly determined person. Not particularly outgoing or charismatic, but when he sets his mind to something he simply does not stop until it is done. He worked as a small-scale farmer for over forty years and never complained about the difficulty of the work, even when crops failed or prices collapsed. There is a kind of steady patience about him that I have always admired.
What he taught me, more than anything else, was the value of consistency. While other adults in my life would give me elaborate advice about success, my grandfather just did the work. Every day. For decades. Without making a big deal of it. He once told me, "Most things in life that matter take longer than you expect, and the people who finish them are not the most talented, just the ones who kept going."
That single piece of advice changed how I approach almost everything, including my own studies and career choices. Whenever I feel like giving up on something difficult, I think about him in his fields, season after season, and it gives me the patience to continue. So yes, he has had an enormous positive influence on my life, even though he would probably be embarrassed if he heard me say so.
What makes this answer band 7+
Let us break it down. Specifically. So you can apply the same techniques to your own response.
Notice what the answer does NOT do. It does not use forced "advanced vocabulary" like "exquisite" or "exemplary". It does not have memorised template phrases. It does not try to be impressive. It just tells a focused, specific story with natural variety.
Useful vocabulary for describing people
Likely Part 3 follow-up questions
After Part 2, the examiner moves to Part 3 with related abstract questions. For this cue card, you should be ready for questions like these. Practice answering them in 2-3 sentences each.
Who do you think influences children more, parents or teachers?
Strong answers acknowledge both contribute but argue for one based on specific roles. Avoid "they both influence children equally" which sounds like you cannot commit to a position.
How has the role of role models changed in modern society?
Strong answers discuss the shift from local figures (family, teachers) to celebrities and social media influencers. Acknowledge both positive and negative aspects of this shift.
Do you think influential people have responsibilities to society?
This invites a clear opinion. Take a position (yes, they do) and back it up with reasoning about their visible platform and impact on followers.
Why do some people influence others negatively?
Strong answers consider motivations (power, money, ego) rather than just describing the negative effects. Demonstrates causal reasoning, which examiners reward.
Common mistakes specific to this cue card
Describing the person without explaining the influence
Half the cue card is about THIS person. Half is about how they influenced YOU. We see candidates spend 90 seconds describing their mother in detail and then have 30 seconds to explain why she influenced them. Balance the two halves.
Picking someone too distant
"Albert Einstein has influenced me because of his theories on relativity..." Unless you are a physics student, this will not work. The examiner can tell you have no real relationship with this person. Pick someone you actually know or have a genuine connection to.
Being too vague about the influence
"He influenced me to be a good person and have good values." What does that even mean? Be specific. "He taught me that consistency matters more than intensity." That is concrete. Examiners reward concrete.
Other cue cards this answer also works for
One strong "person" story can be reused for several cue cards. If you prepare the person above well, you only need a small change for each of these. Prepare smart, not hard.
| If the cue card asks about | Use the same person, but focus on |
|---|---|
| A teacher who influenced you | What they taught you and how. |
| A family member you admire | Your relationship and the time you spent together. |
| A person you are close to | Why you trust and value them. |
| A role model or someone you idolise | The qualities you want to copy. |
| An older person you respect | Their experience and the advice they gave you. |
Frequently asked questions
Can I describe a fictional person in this cue card?
It is risky. The examiner expects a real person. If you describe a fictional character convincingly, you can technically get away with it, but only as a backup if you genuinely cannot think of a real person. Better to pick a real person you can speak about naturally.
Should I prepare this cue card even if it does not come up?
Yes. The structure (introduce the person, describe their character, explain their impact) applies to many other cue cards. Preparing this one builds skills transferable to "Describe your best friend", "Describe a teacher you remember", "Describe a successful person you admire", and others.
Can I use the same person if multiple person-based cue cards come up?
In a single test, you only get one Part 2 cue card. So this question really applies to retake situations. Yes, you can use the same person, but adapt your response to the specific question asked.
What if the person who influenced me is no longer alive?
Completely fine, and often makes for more powerful answers. Talk about them in past tense when describing their actions, and use phrases like "I still remember" or "His influence still shapes how I make decisions" to bring relevance to today.
Is it better to describe someone famous or someone I know personally?
Someone you know personally, almost always. You can speak about them with specific details and genuine emotion. Famous people work only if you have a genuine connection to their work (you have read their books, studied their methods). Otherwise it sounds rehearsed.