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

Describe a person you know who is very organised.

Describe a person you know who is very organised.

You should say:

  • ·who this person is
  • ·how you know him or her
  • ·what he or she organises
  • ·how he or she keeps things in order

and explain whether you would like to be like 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 · 187 words

I'd like to talk about my older cousin, Lin. She's in her early thirties and works as an accountant. I know her well because our families live close to each other, and we often have dinner together at weekends.

She organises both her work and her daily life. At work, she keeps track of bills and deadlines for her team. At home, she plans meals, shopping and family visits. She also keeps her desk and kitchen tidy, so she can find things quickly.

She uses a paper diary and a calendar on her phone. Every Sunday evening, she checks what she needs to do during the week and writes the important tasks down. She puts her keys and wallet in the same bowl near the door, which means she doesn't waste time looking for them. If plans change, she updates her calendar.

I admire this about her because she seems calm even when she has a lot to do. I would like to be more like her, especially at planning ahead. I'm not naturally as organised, but I think I could start with a simple weekly list.

  • Relationship background · “because our families live close”
  • Add a routine detail · “Every Sunday evening, she checks”

A stronger answer

Checked at band 7.5 · 273 words

Honestly, the person who comes to mind is my older cousin, Lin, who's in her early thirties and works as an accountant. I've known her all my life, but we've become closer in recent years because our families live nearby and usually have dinner together at weekends. So I see how she manages day-to-day things, not just her work.

She's organised in both areas. At the office, she tracks invoices and deadlines for her team, so she rarely has to rush at the last minute. At home, she plans meals and shopping for the week, and keeps her kitchen and desk uncluttered. For example, after dinner, she'll note down groceries that are running low, which stops her buying things twice.

Her system is simple rather than complicated: she uses a paper diary for appointments and her phone calendar for reminders. On Sunday evening, she checks the week ahead and breaks bigger jobs into smaller tasks. She keeps her keys and wallet in a tray by the front door. It sounds minor, but it saves her from that frantic morning search when she's in a hurry. If a plan changes, she updates the calendar straight away rather than relying on memory.

That routine seems to keep her calm and gives her more time to focus on people, rather than worrying about what she's forgotten. I'd like to be more like her, especially when it comes to planning ahead. I'm more spontaneous, and I wouldn't want to schedule every hour; still, if I borrowed her Sunday routine and kept a short task list, I think I'd feel more in control without making life too rigid.

  • Detail showing a benefit · “which stops her buying things twice”
  • Describe a method precisely · “breaks bigger jobs into smaller tasks”
  • Conditional response · “If a plan changes”
  • Balance after a concession · “without making life too rigid”
Angles

3 ways to answer it

  1. 1Your mum: the shopping list she writes a week before Spring Festival
  2. 2Your class's study rep: sorting everyone's revision notes with colour-coded sticky notes
  3. 3Your team leader: planning five people's weekly tasks in one shared spreadsheet
Expressions

5 expressions that fit this card

keep on top of things
stay in control of tasks
never lets things slip
never forgets or misses a task
a to-do list
a list of tasks
plan ahead
prepare for the future
everything has its place
every item is kept in a set spot
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

    Why are some people more organised than others?

    • ·Parents made them tidy up from a young age
    • ·Personality differs; some people are naturally more relaxed
  2. 2

    Is it important for children to learn to be organised?

    • ·Packing their own schoolbag builds good habits early
    • ·Too much pressure early on may limit their freedom
  3. 3

    How do people manage their time at work nowadays?

    • ·They use calendar and to-do apps to plan tasks
    • ·Constant messages keep breaking their concentration
  4. 4

    Do you think technology makes people more or less organised?

    • ·Reminders mean people rarely forget appointments
    • ·But people rely on phones instead of remembering things
Stories

One story, many cards

This card fits these 2 stories. Prepare the story once and you can bend it to every card listed with it on the season page.

  • A close friend and a night out

    A friend since school: what they are like, a birthday or a night you spent together, a time you helped them.

  • A driven classmate or colleague

    Someone with a clear goal: what they want to become, how they study or work, a problem they solved.

Say it out loud and get a band score