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Part 2 cue card · People · New for September–December 2026

Describe a person who taught you a new skill.

Describe a person who taught you a new skill.

You should say:

  • ·who this person is
  • ·what skill he or she taught you
  • ·how he or she taught you
  • ·how long it took you to learn it

and explain how you feel about this person.

One minute to prepare, up to two minutes to talk. Then Part 3 asks the questions below.

Sample answers

Two answers to the same card

Same story, two levels. Both were written by Ashore, then checked against the public band descriptors in a separate pass. The bands are practice estimates, not official IELTS results.

A simpler answer

Checked at band 6.5 · 182 words

The person who taught me a new skill was my older sister. She lives in the same city, and we are quite close. She taught me how to swim when I was about twenty-two. I could move around in the water a little, but I was not confident and could not swim very far.

She took me to the swimming pool in our neighbourhood on Sunday mornings. First, she showed me how to breathe out under the water and float on my back. Then she held my hand while I practised kicking. She was patient and explained things in a simple way. If I got tired, we had a short rest before trying again.

It took me about six weeks to learn. We went to the pool almost every week, and I practised a little by myself too. I still remember swimming across the shallow end without holding her hand for the first time. I felt very happy and proud. I’m grateful to my sister because she helped me learn something useful, and I feel she is a kind and supportive person.

  • Simple description · “She was patient and explained things”
  • Expressing a feeling · “I felt very happy and proud”

A stronger answer

Checked at band 7.5 · 246 words

Honestly, the person who taught me a new skill was my older sister, who’s a few years older than me. We’ve always been close, and she’s a confident swimmer. She taught me to swim when I was about twenty-two. I could splash around in a pool, but I couldn’t swim a proper length, so I felt nervous whenever I couldn’t touch the bottom.

She took me to the swimming pool in our neighbourhood on Sunday mornings, when it was fairly quiet. Rather than pushing me straight into deep water, she started with the basics: breathing out underwater and floating on my back. Then she held one hand near mine while I practised kicking along the side. If I started to panic, she’d remind me to slow down and breathe, which helped me relax. She was patient, and she explained each step in a way that was easy to follow.

It took me around six weeks to feel comfortable swimming across the shallow end without holding on to anything. We went almost every week, and I practised a little on my own between lessons. I still remember the first time I made it across by myself; I was surprised by how much I’d improved.

I’m really grateful to her, not just because swimming is useful, but because she made learning feel manageable. I admire how calm and encouraging she was. If she’d rushed me, I might have given up, so I think she’s a very caring sister.

  • Adds personal detail · “who’s a few years older than me”
  • Contrasts teaching methods · “Rather than pushing me straight into deep water”
  • Adds a result · “which helped me relax”
  • Uses a conditional · “If she’d rushed me, I might have given up”
Angles

3 ways to answer it

  1. 1Your dad: teaching you to ride a bike one summer, running behind holding the seat
  2. 2A gym coach: teaching you to squat properly and fixing your knee position
  3. 3A colleague: showing you Excel pivot tables at lunch so you finished a report early
Expressions

5 expressions that fit this card

get the hang of it
learn how to do something
a patient teacher
someone who explains calmly
break it down into steps
divide it into easy parts
trial and error
learning by trying and failing
practice makes perfect
you improve by practising
Part 3

The questions that follow

After the long turn, Part 3 asks bigger questions on the same theme. Each one comes with two points you can build an answer from.

  1. 1

    What skills do young people most want to learn today?

    • ·Job-related skills like video editing and coding
    • ·Life skills such as cooking and managing money
  2. 2

    Is it better to learn a skill from a teacher or from online videos?

    • ·A teacher can spot and correct mistakes face to face
    • ·Videos are free and can be replayed many times
  3. 3

    What makes someone a good teacher?

    • ·Patience and the ability to explain things simply
    • ·Adjusting the method to each learner's level
  4. 4

    Do you think older people find it harder to learn new skills?

    • ·Memory slows down, so learning takes longer
    • ·But they are often more patient and focused
Stories

One story, many cards

This card fits this story. Prepare the story once and you can bend it to every card listed with it on the season page.

  • An older relative who shaped you

    A grandparent, aunt or uncle: what they taught you, what they make or grow, what they got through.

Say it out loud and get a band score