IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card # 184
Describe a person who has influenced you to do better in life.
You should say:
- who this person is
- how you know this person
- what he/she does
and explain how this person has influenced you to do better in life.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Model Answer:
Introduction:
Thank you very much for the time and opportunity to let me talk about a person who has greatly influenced me in my life and inspired me to do better. I am going to give a few details about this person and explain how she has influenced me in my life to do better. So please bear with me!
Who this person is:
This person is none other than a teacher and she has greatly influenced my education. Her name is Mrs Betty Patracia and she used to teach Literature in our high school.
How you know this person:
I met her when she came to our school as a substitute teacher almost 8 years ago when I was a grade ten student. Little did I know back then that she was an outstanding teacher and she cared about her students as if they are their own children! She was my teacher for the next one and a half years or so but she will be one of my true inspirations and motivations for the rest of my life.
What he/she does:
I think you have already guessed that she is a teacher by profession. We never really tried to venture much into her private life but as far as she shared with us, we know that she was an exceptionally talented student, and travelling and reading are her two great passions in life.
And explain how this person has influenced you to do better in life:
Well, now comes the fun yet hardest part to talk about! I will still try. Up until grade ten in school, I was pretty much an average student. And, I was never passionate about reading, learning and achieving enviable results. I was more up to fashion, music and movies than reading books, learning new things and thinking about my career. Thus I was in the wrong direction in my life. Mrs Betty, whom I still consider the greatest teacher in my life because she inspired me and helped me explore my true potential, started to change that slowly but surely. With her mentorship, guidance and motivation, I started to change the way I took my academic life. She lent me a few books from her home library, gave me some essays to write and sat with me and a couple of other students almost twice a week to help us in our studies. She truly motivated us, and always told us that we had the capability so we should believe in ourselves. I started believing in my ability, and within the next 10 months or so, I took studying and learning very seriously. As a result, I did excellent in my O’level exam. I am now an above-average student with great academic results. It has been possible due to Mrs Betty’s inspiration and influence.