IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe someone who helped you

This cue card is really about a single incident, not a relationship in general, so candidates who ramble about a person's whole personality usually run out of time before describing the actual help.

The cue card

Describe someone who helped you.

You should say:

  • who this person is
  • what kind of help they gave you
  • when this happened
  • and explain how you felt about their help

60 seconds to prepare · speak for 1–2 minutes

Your one-minute prep plan

  1. 1Fix the situation you needed help with first, in one sentence, so the story has a clear starting problem.
  2. 2Note exactly what the person did, in sequence, not just 'they were very supportive'.
  3. 3Note the timeframe precisely — this pins down verb tenses and stops vague drifting.
  4. 4Note your honest reaction, including anything you felt embarrassed or surprised about.

Band 9 model answer

I want to talk about my former neighbour, Mrs. Halim, who helped me during a period about three years ago when I'd just moved to a new city for work and knew almost nobody. About two weeks in, I got quite ill, nothing serious, but bad enough that I couldn't really get out of bed or cook for myself for close to a week. I hadn't even properly introduced myself to her beyond a nod in the corridor. Somehow she noticed I hadn't left the flat and knocked on my door with soup, and after that she just kept doing it, every evening, without ever making it a big deal or asking for anything in return. She also, on the third day, drove me to a clinic herself when I clearly should have gone earlier but was too disoriented to arrange it. What made it stick with me is that she had no obligation whatsoever — we weren't friends yet, we barely knew each other's names — and she never once mentioned it afterwards or treated it as a favour I owed her for. I felt genuinely overwhelmed at the time, actually a bit tearful about it, because I'd moved to that city expecting to be completely on my own, and instead a stranger had decided, entirely on her own initiative, that she wasn't going to let that happen. We're still close now, three years later, and I think that week is the actual reason, more than anything since.

The same answer at band 7

I want to talk about my neighbour, Mrs. Halim. She helped me about three years ago when I moved to a new city and got sick during my second week there. I could not leave my bed or cook food for almost a week, and I did not know anyone yet. She noticed that I had not gone outside, so she brought me soup every evening, and she even drove me to a clinic when I was too sick to arrange it myself. We did not know each other well before this, so I was very surprised she helped me so much. She never asked for anything back or made it seem like a big deal. I felt very grateful and a little emotional because I expected to be alone in the new city, but instead she took care of me. We are still close friends now, and I think this is the reason.

The stories are identical, which shows the band gap is about language, not content. The band 9 answer sequences events with more precise time markers ('about two weeks in', 'on the third day') and names the feeling honestly ('a bit tearful') rather than settling for 'grateful and emotional'.

Phrases worth stealing

“I'd just moved to a new city and knew almost nobody.”
Efficient setup that establishes the need for help in one line.
“She noticed I hadn't left the flat.”
Small, specific action that shows attentiveness without over-explaining.
“…without ever making it a big deal.”
Useful phrase for describing modest, unassuming kindness.
“She had no obligation whatsoever.”
Emphasises why the help felt significant.
“I felt genuinely overwhelmed at the time, actually a bit tearful.”
Precise emotional language beats generic 'grateful'.
“…more than anything since.”
Compact way to rank the importance of an event.

Part 3 questions that usually follow

Why do some people help strangers while others don't?

Suggest a couple of factors — upbringing, personal circumstances — and avoid claiming one is definitely the cause.

Is it easier to help a friend or a stranger?

Consider what's different about the risk and the expectation of return in each case, then give your view.

Do you think people today are less willing to help their neighbours than in the past?

Mention a plausible cause, such as busier lifestyles or less time spent physically at home, and hedge your claim appropriately.

Mistakes to avoid

Now say it out loud

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