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Part 2 cue card · People · Retained in September–December 2026

Describe a person who met difficulties but succeeded.

Describe a person who met difficulties but succeeded.

You should say:

  • ·who this person is
  • ·what difficulties he or she met
  • ·how he or she dealt with them
  • ·what he or she finally achieved

and explain what you learned from 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 · 161 words

I’d like to talk about my cousin Lin, who lives in my city. A few years ago, she decided to open a small bakery near her home. At first, it was very difficult for her. She didn’t have much money, and she had never run a business before. Also, there were already several bakeries nearby, so not many people came in.

She dealt with these problems by working long hours and learning from her mistakes. She watched online videos about baking and asked people in the neighborhood what kind of bread they liked. She also made a simple sign outside her shop and gave small samples to customers. It took time, but more people started to visit.

After about two years, her bakery became popular, and she was able to hire one worker. I learned from her that success does not come quickly. If you keep trying and are willing to learn, you can make progress even when things are hard.

  • Specific action · “working long hours”
  • Lesson learned · “success does not come quickly”

A stronger answer

Checked at band 7.5 · 260 words

Honestly, I’d like to talk about my cousin Lin, who opened a small bakery near her home a few years ago. She’d always enjoyed baking for family gatherings, but turning that hobby into a business was a much bigger challenge than she expected. Her savings were limited, and she had no experience running a shop. On top of that, several bakeries nearby already had regular customers, so people had little reason to try a new place.

At first, the lack of customers made her anxious because rent and other costs kept coming every month. Rather than give up, she treated the early months as a chance to learn. She watched baking and small-business videos online, and she asked neighbors what they actually wanted to buy. For example, some people said they wanted bread that was less sweet, so she adjusted a few recipes and offered small samples outside the shop. She also put up a clear sign, which helped passers-by notice the bakery.

It took nearly two years for the business to become steady. Gradually, local customers began returning, partly because they liked the fresh bread and partly because Lin remembered their preferences. She eventually had enough income to hire one worker, which meant she no longer had to do every task alone.

What I learned from her is that persistence works best when it comes with flexibility. If she’d simply kept making the same products and waited for customers, the shop might not have survived. She stayed patient, but she also paid attention to feedback and made practical changes.

  • Relative clause · “who opened a small bakery near”
  • Example supports a point · “some people said they wanted”
  • Adding a result · “which helped passers-by notice”
  • Developing with a conditional · “If she’d simply kept making”
Angles

3 ways to answer it

  1. 1Your uncle: losing his factory job, learning to drive lorries and now running a small delivery fleet
  2. 2A school friend: retaking the gaokao after a bad result and getting into her dream university
  3. 3An older student at university: overcoming a stammer to become a key debate team member
Expressions

5 expressions that fit this card

a setback
a problem that delays progress
bounce back
recover quickly
never lose heart
keep hoping
turn things around
change a bad situation into a good one
learn the hard way
learn through difficult experience
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 difficulties do young people face when they start working?

    • ·Low starting pay and high rent in big cities
    • ·Not knowing how to communicate at work
  2. 2

    Do you think people learn more from failure than from success?

    • ·Failure forces people to reflect on mistakes
    • ·Success builds confidence, which matters too
  3. 3

    Should parents protect their children from difficulties?

    • ·Overprotected children may fall apart when trouble comes
    • ·Very young children still need adult help
  4. 4

    Why are stories about people overcoming difficulties so popular?

    • ·They give ordinary people hope
    • ·For example, documentaries about Paralympic athletes
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.

  • An older relative who shaped you

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

  • 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