Speaking Part 2 · PeopleIn the May–Aug 2026 forecast
Describe a Person Who Taught You Something
In short
“Describe a Person Who Taught You Something” 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 Person Who Taught You Something. You should say:
- •Who this person is
- •What they taught you
- •How they taught you
- •And explain how you felt about learning it
Band 9 model answer
The person I want to describe is a swimming instructor named Elena, who taught me to swim when I was already well into my twenties. It might sound a bit embarrassing to admit I couldn't swim as an adult, but I'd had a scare in the water as a kid and had avoided pools ever since. She worked at my local leisure centre, running these small adult beginner classes on weekday evenings, and she was the one who finally changed all that.
What she taught me, on the face of it, was a fairly basic skill — how to float, how to breathe, how to do a proper front crawl. But looking back, what she really taught me was how to manage fear. The strokes were almost secondary; the real lesson was that panic is something you can talk yourself down from, one breath at a time.
As for how she taught me, she was remarkably patient — the sort of teacher who never once made me feel silly. She broke everything down into tiny, manageable steps, so on the very first day we literally just practised putting my face in the water and blowing bubbles. She'd always explain the why behind each drill, and she never rushed me onto the next stage until I was genuinely ready, which I think is exactly why it finally worked.
The moment I'll never forget was the day I swam my first full length without stopping. I remember pushing off from the wall absolutely convinced I'd sink halfway, with Elena walking along the poolside beside me saying, 'You've got this, just keep breathing.' When my hand finally touched the far wall, I actually laughed out loud with relief — it felt completely ridiculous and completely wonderful at the same time. She was clapping like I'd won an Olympic medal, which, for me, it sort of felt like.
In terms of how I felt about learning it, it was genuinely life-changing, and I don't say that lightly. Beyond just being safer in the water, it gave me this enormous sense of achievement, because I'd conquered something that had frightened me for the best part of twenty years. It also shifted how I think about learning in general — it made me realise that most of my limits are in my head, and that with the right person guiding you, you can pick up almost anything at any age.
So whenever I'm asked about someone who taught me something, Elena is always the first person who comes to mind — not just for the skill itself, but for what she showed me about myself.
Make it your own: three angles
A teacher or coach who taught a practical skill
Gives you a clear structure — the skill, the method, the payoff — that maps neatly onto the four bullets.
A family member who taught a life lesson
Lets you get personal and emotional, which examiners reward, provided you keep it to one specific story.
Someone who taught you something intangible like confidence or patience
High-level and impressive, as long as you anchor it in a concrete moment rather than drifting into the abstract.
What the examiner is listening for
This card rewards emotion, so linger on the final bullet — how you felt — with genuine evaluative language rather than a flat 'I felt happy'. Use the anecdote to naturally shift into past tenses, then return to the present to reflect on what the experience means to you now.
Part 1 warm-up questions
- Do you enjoy learning new things?
- Who taught you the most when you were a child?
- Do you prefer learning on your own or with a teacher?
- Do you think it can ever be too late to learn something new?
Part 3 follow-up questions & answers
What qualities make someone a good teacher?
Patience is right at the top for me — a good teacher can explain the same thing five different ways without losing their temper. Beyond that, they need genuine enthusiasm for their subject and the ability to read a learner, so they know when to push and when to ease off. My swimming teacher had all three.
Do you think some things are better learned from experience than from a teacher?
Absolutely. Certain lessons, like how to handle failure or manage money, only really sink in once you've made the mistake yourself. A teacher can warn you, but the lasting understanding tends to come from living through it, because emotion cements the memory in a way a lecture never can.
Should teachers focus more on academic knowledge or on life skills?
Ideally both, but I'd argue life skills are underrated in most school systems. You can always look up facts, whereas knowing how to communicate, cooperate and cope with stress serves you every single day. A curriculum that ignores that is preparing students for exams rather than for life.
Why do some adults find it harder to learn new things than children?
Partly it's biological — young brains are more flexible — but I think fear plays an even bigger role. Children aren't self-conscious about getting things wrong, whereas adults worry about looking foolish, and that anxiety alone can block learning. In my own case, overcoming the fear was harder than the actual skill.
How has technology changed the way people learn?
It's made knowledge incredibly accessible — you can learn almost anything from a free video these days, which is remarkable. The downside is that it can be quite passive and easy to abandon; there's no substitute for a real teacher who holds you accountable and adapts to you personally.
Is it important to have a good relationship with the person teaching you?
I'd say it's crucial, especially for anything you find intimidating. If you trust your teacher and feel they're on your side, you're far more willing to take risks and admit what you don't understand. A tense or judgmental relationship, on the other hand, just makes you clam up.
Do you think the most important lessons are taught at school or at home?
Honestly, I think the deepest ones come from home. School teaches you subjects, but your family shapes your values, your work ethic and how you treat other people. Those foundations are usually laid long before you ever set foot in a classroom.
Useful vocabulary
| Word / phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| on the face of it | judging only by appearances or the surface details |
| to talk yourself down from | to calm yourself out of fear or panic by reasoning with yourself |
| to break something down into steps | to divide a task into small, manageable parts |
| reassuring | having the effect of making someone feel less worried or afraid |
| a sense of achievement | the satisfying feeling of having succeeded at something difficult |
| life-changing | having a very significant and lasting effect on your life |
| to conquer a fear | to overcome something that frightens you |
| the payoff | the reward or benefit that results from your effort |
| to pick something up | to learn a skill informally or without much conscious effort |
| my limits are in my head | the idea that what holds you back is your own mindset, not a real barrier |
More cue cards
Describe a Person Who Helped You
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