Skip to the tool

Describe a generous person you know

Try the card on the exam timer first, then read the band-8 sample answer and the Part 3 questions that follow it.

Practice it like the exam

Part 2 · Candidate task card

Describe a generous person you know.

You should say:

  • who this person is
  • how you know them
  • what they do that shows they are generous

and explain how you feel about this person.

Ready

1 minute to prepare, then 2 minutes to speak. It switches on its own.

Recordings stay in this tab and are never uploaded.

Band 8 sample answer

251 words · about 2 minutes at a natural pace · Phrases from the vocabulary list are highlighted.

The generous person I'd like to talk about is my aunt Mavluda, my father's sister. She has a small shop that sells fabrics and clothing in our town, and she is, without exaggeration, the most giving person I know.

The way she shows her generosity is by looking after people around her. Every holiday, she prepares food parcels for several elderly neighbours who live alone, and she delivers them herself. When one of her employees had a serious problem with paying hospital bills, she quietly covered a large part of it and told nobody. She also donates school clothes to children from families that struggle, and during the winter she brings blankets to a local shelter.

What I find striking is that she does it without any fuss. She doesn't mention it to others or expect to be praised, and sometimes we only find out about her kind acts from third parties. When I asked her once why she does it, she shrugged and said, 'I have enough, so why not share?'

I feel enormous admiration for her. Many people say they'd help others if they were richer, but she has shown that generosity doesn't depend on wealth. She's not a rich woman; she just chooses to prioritise others.

Her example has influenced me, too. Recently I started giving some of my old books and clothes to a charity, and I volunteer at a children's reading club on Saturdays. I'd like to be as warm-hearted as she is when I'm older.

What to notice

  • It takes the points on the card in order, so the examiner can follow it.
  • Each point gets a specific detail or a short story, which is what keeps a talk going for two minutes.
  • The "explain" line at the end gets the most time, because that is where you give an opinion and show your range of language.

We wrote this answer for practice; it does not come from IELTS. Take its structure and phrases and tell your own story, because examiners notice memorised answers.

Getting ready for IELTS?

Get your study plan

Useful vocabulary

PhraseMeaning
have a heart of goldbe very kind and generous
give without expecting anything in returnhelp without wanting a reward
go out of their waymake an extra effort
donate to charitygive money to good causes
selflesscaring more about others than yourself
share what you havegive part of your belongings to others

Plan it in one minute

Choose what to talk about in the first ten seconds, then write two or three key words for each point. Full sentences take too long to write and to read back.

Who or what you could talk about

  • A relative who always brings gifts or hosts guests
  • A friend who shares their time and help
  • A business owner who supports the community

How to spend the two minutes

  1. 25 swho this person is
  2. 25 show you know them
  3. 25 swhat they do that shows they are generous
  4. 45 sand explain how you feel about this person.

Part 3 questions

In the exam these come straight after your talk, on the wider subject: Generosity and charity. Answer each in 3–4 sentences, with your view, a reason and an example.

  1. Are people more generous when they have less money? Why?
  2. Why do people give money to charity?
  3. Do you think rich people have a duty to help others?
  4. Is it better to give money or time to help others?
  5. How can children learn to be generous?
  6. Should governments or individuals be mainly responsible for helping the poor?

Frequently asked questions

How should I describe a person in an IELTS cue card?

Pick someone you know well enough to tell a story about: that is easier to stretch to two minutes than a famous name. Say who they are and how you know them in a few sentences, spend most of your time on one or two specific moments, and finish with why they matter to you.

Getting ready for IELTS?

All free tools

Writing topic generator

Write to Task 1 and Task 2 prompts with a timer and a word counter.

IELTS band score calculator

Average your four skill bands, rounded the way IELTS rounds them.

IELTS score converter

Compare an IELTS band with TOEFL, Duolingo and PTE scores and CEFR levels.

University IELTS requirements

Look up the IELTS score a university asks for, with the source.