Speaking Part 2 · PeopleIn the May–Aug 2026 forecast
Describe a Child You Know
In short
“Describe a Child You Know” is a common IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card. You get 1 minute to prepare and should speak for 1–2 minutes, covering all four points below. This page gives you a Band 9 model answer, an idea map so you can make it your own, the Part 3 follow-up questions with answers, and the vocabulary examiners reward.
The task card
Describe a Child You Know. You should say:
- •Who this child is
- •How you know this child
- •What they like to do
- •And explain how you feel about spending time with them
Band 9 model answer
The child I'd like to talk about is my little niece, Amara — she's my older sister's daughter, and she's just turned five. She's at that lovely age where everything is a question and nothing's off-limits, and honestly she's one of my favourite people to spend time with. I've chosen her partly because I actually looked after her this past weekend, so she's very fresh in my mind.
I've known her her whole life, really — I was even at the hospital the day she was born. My sister lives just a couple of streets away from me, so I end up babysitting quite a lot, usually on Sunday afternoons when my sister needs to catch up on work. Over time we've built up this little routine: I'll pick her up, we'll walk down to the local park, and she'll chat non-stop the entire way there and back. It's exhausting, but it's genuinely lovely, and I wouldn't swap those afternoons for anything.
In terms of what she's like, she's incredibly curious and a bit of a chatterbox. At the moment she's completely obsessed with animals, especially sea creatures, so she'll reel off facts about octopuses and whales that, to be honest, I didn't even know myself, and then quiz me to check I was listening. She can be quite stubborn, mind you — if she's decided she isn't putting her shoes on, there's simply no reasoning with her. But she's also got this real warmth about her; she'll notice straight away if you seem a bit down and come over to give you a hug without anyone asking her to.
As for how I feel about spending time with her, it genuinely recharges me more than almost anything else. I remember one afternoon last month — I'd had an absolutely rotten week at work and, if I'm honest, I was dreading having to entertain a five-year-old. But we ended up building a 'boat' out of old cardboard boxes in the living room, and she got so completely absorbed in this imaginary voyage across the ocean that I just forgot all my own worries. That's the thing about being around a young child: they pull you right back into the present. They're not fretting about deadlines or bills — they're utterly wrapped up in whatever they're doing, and that mindset is honestly contagious.
So that's Amara. Watching her slowly figure out how the world works — the questions, the little theories she comes up with — is honestly one of the real joys in my life at the moment, and I feel incredibly lucky that I get to be such a big part of her growing up. I just hope we stay this close as she gets older.
Make it your own: three angles
A young relative like a niece or nephew
Easy to speak about warmly with real anecdotes, and it lets you use lots of natural present-tense description.
A neighbour's or a friend's child
Gives you a bit of distance so you can describe their behaviour objectively without sounding boastful.
A child you teach, coach or mentor
Lets you talk about growth and learning, which opens naturally into the Part 3 questions on education.
What the examiner is listening for
Resist the urge to just list what the child looks like — examiners want personality and your relationship with them, so anchor the answer in one vivid shared activity. Use present tenses for habits ('she loves…') and past tenses for your anecdote, and save your genuine feelings for the final bullet, where the best marks are.
Part 1 warm-up questions
- Did you enjoy your childhood?
- Do you spend much time with children?
- What games did you like to play as a child?
- Do you think children today are different from in the past?
Part 3 follow-up questions & answers
What qualities do you think make a good parent?
I think patience is probably the most important, because children test your limits constantly and losing your temper rarely helps. Beyond that, good parents lead by example rather than just telling kids what to do — children copy what they see far more than what they're told. My sister's brilliant at that; she models the behaviour she wants instead of lecturing.
Do you think it's better for children to grow up in a city or in the countryside?
There are real trade-offs both ways. The countryside offers space, fresh air and freedom to roam, which is wonderful for young children, but cities tend to have better schools, libraries and cultural opportunities. On balance I'd lean towards a city for the education and the exposure to different kinds of people, as long as there's a decent park nearby.
In what ways has childhood changed compared to a generation ago?
The biggest change is undoubtedly screens. When I was little we were pushed outside to play until dark, whereas kids now grow up with tablets from a very early age. It's not all negative — children today are far more tech-literate — but I do think they get less unstructured, imaginative play than we did, and that worries me a little.
Do you think young children should be allowed to use smartphones?
In moderation, perhaps, but I'm quite cautious about it. A little educational content is fine, but handing a five-year-old a phone as a babysitter can't be good for their attention span or their social skills. I'd far rather see children that age playing, drawing or reading, and I suspect most child-development experts would agree.
Why do many people believe childhood is the happiest time of life?
Mainly because children have so few responsibilities — no bills, no deadlines, no real consequences to worry about. They live entirely in the present, which is something adults find genuinely hard to do. That said, I think we romanticise it a bit; childhood can be stressful too, especially at school, we just tend to forget the difficult parts.
What's the best way to discipline a child, in your opinion?
I'm a big believer in explaining rather than punishing. If a child understands why something is wrong, the lesson tends to stick, whereas shouting just teaches them to fear getting caught. Being consistent matters enormously too — if the rules change depending on your mood, children get confused and push back even harder.
Is it important for children to have brothers and sisters?
It's helpful but certainly not essential. Growing up with siblings teaches you to share, negotiate and resolve conflicts, which are valuable life skills. But plenty of only children turn out perfectly sociable because they get those experiences from friends and cousins instead, so I wouldn't say it's make-or-break.
Useful vocabulary
| Word / phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a chatterbox | someone, especially a child, who talks a great deal |
| at that age where... | at a stage of life typical of a certain kind of behaviour |
| to reel off | to say a long list of things quickly and easily from memory |
| to be absorbed in something | to be so interested in it that you pay no attention to anything else |
| to recharge your batteries | to rest and get your energy back |
| a bundle of energy | a very lively, active person |
| off-limits | not allowed to be discussed or done |
| to have a warmth about you | to give people a friendly, caring impression |
| there's no reasoning with someone | it is impossible to persuade them to be sensible |
| curious by nature | naturally eager to learn about and question things |
More cue cards
Describe a Person Who Taught You Something
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