IELTS SPEAKING PART 2:  DESCRIBE A PERSON YOU ADMIRE
In this lesson, you will review speaking part 2 tips, learn some key vocabulary related to a person you admire and listen to or read a sample answer for an IELTS speaking part 2 question related a person you admire.  

This lesson is divided into 4 steps. 

01 Review part 2 tips. 
02 Study key topic vocabulary. 
03 Take vocabulary quiz.
04 Listen and fill in the blanks. 
05 Sample answer and preparation. 

01 IELTS speaking part 2 tips

 

  1. Use an opener.
  2. Answer the question by paraphrasing.
  3. Use different tenses/structures.
  4. Include fluency markers and linking words. 
  5. Use some less common vocabulary (as seen below) 

 

02 Key topic vocabulary: A person you admire 


  • Inspiring (adj) - to make someone want to do something. (usually positive)

Eg. My father is very inspiring. He always encourages me to follow my dreams.

  • Influential(adj) - having the power to change things. 

Eg. Barack Obama is an influential man.

  • Legacy(n)- something that a person leaves when they die. 

Eg. The writer's legacy was his great books.

  • To follow in the footsteps (p) - to do the same thing as someone else did in the past.

Eg. I  followed in the footsteps of my mom and became a teacher.

  • To revolutionize (v) - to change something a lot.

Eg. Apple revolutionized the computer industry.

  • Epitome of (n)- the best example of.

Eg.  New York is the epitome of a big city.

  • To strive to (v) – to try very hard to do something.

Eg. I strive to be good at my job.


03 Vocabulary Quiz

Now, take the quiz below. More than one answer may be possible. Choose the most appropriate answer.



04 Listen and fill in the blanks

Listen to the model answers by playing the below video. If you prefer to read the answers, keep on scrolling!

05 Sample answer & preparation

Now it's your turn! Prepare your own answer using what you learned. You can see our full sample answer below.

Describe a person you admire. 
You should say. 
  • Who he/she is.
  • What he/she is like.
  • How you know about this person.
  • Why you admire this person.
Complex opener
Although, I am in awe of many people for different reasons, I’m going to talk about Steve Jobs as he has always been an inspiring figure for me. 

Basic information
First of all, Steve Jobs was the founder of Apple computer, a company that revolutionized the computer industry. I suppose, one could call him an influential entrepreneur. 

From watching interviews on Youtube, I know that he was an amazing public speaker. I’ve also heard that Jobs was a particularly creative person and maintained high standards in his company. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with a terminal illness a few years ago and as a result passed away ,but he left a huge legacy. 

I first became aware of Jobs when I saw his speech introducing the original Iphone. I remember being so amazed by both the device and his passionate presentation. It seemed clear to me that Jobs truly loved his job. Since then, I’ve watched all of his product release presentations and read his biography. 

Two reasons
I desire to follow in the footsteps of Jobs for two main reasons. 

Firstly, for me, he was the epitome of resilience. In fact, in 1985 Jobs was let go from the company he created. He returned as CEO over a decade later and saved Apple from bankruptcy. 

Second of all, he taught me that creativity can be rewarded. While many people nowadays believe that ideas are worthless, Job's story taught me that, with the correct skills and enthusiasm, big ideas can have a huge impact on the world.

I strive to be as confident and creative as Jobs.  

If you found this useful , you should check out more of our free lessons here! 

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