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

Describe a person who is good at learning and speaking new languages.

Describe a person who is good at learning and speaking new languages.

You should say:

  • ·who this person is
  • ·how you know him or her
  • ·which languages he or she speaks
  • ·how he or she learned them

and explain why you think he or she is good at learning languages.

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 · 166 words

The person I want to talk about is my friend Lin. We used to work in the same office, and we still meet for coffee sometimes. I first noticed her language skills when a new colleague from Spain joined our team. Lin spoke to him in English, and she also knew a few Spanish phrases.

She speaks Mandarin, English and Spanish. Her English is very good, and she can have long conversations without much trouble. She learned English at school and later watched English videos and read simple books. She learned Spanish by using an app and going to a weekly class near her home. She also practised with people online.

I think she is good at learning languages because she studies a little every day. She is not afraid to make mistakes, so she keeps talking even when she does not know a word. She is patient and remembers new words well. I think that is why she can learn and speak languages so well.

  • Attitude · “She is not afraid to make mistakes”

A stronger answer

Checked at band 7.5 · 251 words

Honestly, I'd talk about my friend Lin, who used to sit across from me at work. We still meet for coffee now and then, so I've known her for about six years. I first realized she had a real ear for languages when a new colleague from Spain joined our team. Lin switched to English with him and even used a few Spanish phrases to make him feel welcome.

She speaks Mandarin, English and Spanish. Mandarin is her first language, and her English is fluent enough for work meetings and casual conversation. Her Spanish is more basic, but she can manage everyday topics like food and travel. She learned English at school, although she says classes alone weren't enough. Later, she watched short videos, read easy books and wrote down useful phrases she heard. For Spanish, she started with a phone app and then joined a weekly class near her home. She also practised online with speakers from other countries, which gave her a chance to use the language naturally.

What makes her especially good, in my view, is that she has a steady routine and isn't embarrassed by mistakes. She reviews a few words on the bus each morning and tries to use them that day. If she can't remember a word, she explains the idea another way instead of giving up. That habit keeps conversations moving and helps her remember what she's learned. So she's not just good at studying languages; she's willing to use them in real life.

  • Relative clause · “who used to sit across from me”
  • Specific learning method · “joined a weekly class near her home”
  • Habit plus detail · “reviews a few words on the bus”
  • Conditional plus strategy · “If she can't remember a word”
Angles

3 ways to answer it

  1. 1A high-school classmate: copying lines from TV shows daily until her accent sounded natural
  2. 2Your university roommate: teaching herself Japanese through anime and dropping subtitles after a year
  3. 3A colleague in sales: switching between English and Spanish with overseas clients on calls
Expressions

5 expressions that fit this card

pick up a language
learn a language naturally
a good ear for languages
good at hearing and copying sounds
not afraid of making mistakes
happy to speak even if wrong
fluent in
able to speak a language easily
immerse herself in
surround herself with something
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 do some people learn languages faster than others?

    • ·They speak more and practise more
    • ·They heard several languages as children
  2. 2

    What is the best age to start learning a foreign language?

    • ·Young children copy pronunciation more easily
    • ·Adults have clear goals and grasp grammar faster
  3. 3

    Do you think translation apps will make learning languages unnecessary?

    • ·They are enough for ordering food or asking directions
    • ·Friendships and business still need real language skills
  4. 4

    Should schools teach more than one foreign language?

    • ·Each extra language opens more opportunities
    • ·Students' timetables are already very full
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.

  • 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