arrow back icon Top Answers

Describe a popular/well known person in your country: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • Who is this person?
  • What has this person done?
  • Why is this person well-known?
  • Explain why you admire this person.
Show all 104 answers

Cue 1:Who is this person?

  • Introduce the person by name and their profession or role in society.
  • Provide a brief background about their origins or early life.

Example

The person I want to talk about is Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who was a renowned scientist and the 11th President of India. He was born in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, and came from a humble background, which makes his achievements even more inspiring.


Cue 2:What has this person done?

  • Highlight key achievements or contributions of the person.
  • Mention any significant projects or initiatives they were involved in.

Example

Dr. Kalam played a pivotal role in India's space and missile programs, particularly in the development of the Agni and Prithvi missiles. He also contributed to the Indian satellite launch vehicle program, which helped India become a significant player in space technology.


Cue 3:Why is this person well-known?

  • Explain the impact of their work on society or the country.
  • Discuss any awards or recognitions they have received.

Example

He is well-known not just for his scientific contributions but also for his inspirational speeches and writings. He received several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor, which solidified his status as a national icon.


Cue 4:Explain why you admire this person.

  • Share personal feelings about the person's character or values.
  • Connect their achievements to your own aspirations or values.

Example

I admire Dr. Kalam for his humility and dedication to education. He believed in empowering the youth and often encouraged students to dream big. His life story motivates me to work hard and contribute positively to society, just as he did.


Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is not only a celebrated scientist but also a beacon of hope for many in India. His legacy continues to inspire countless individuals to pursue their dreams and serve their country with integrity and passion.


    Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.


    Tips to answer this Cue Card

    1: Avoid Vague Descriptions

    Using vague language can make your answer unclear and unengaging. It's important to provide specific details about the person to make your response more interesting.

    bulb icon

    Tip

    Use specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate who the person is and what they have done.


    2: Don't Overlook Personal Connection

    Failing to explain why you admire the person can make your answer feel incomplete. Personal connections add depth to your response.

    bulb icon

    Tip

    Share a personal story or reason that highlights your admiration for the person to make your answer more relatable.


    Avoid Repetition of Information

    Repeating the same information can make your answer sound monotonous and unstructured. It's important to keep your response varied and engaging.

    bulb icon

    Tip

    Organize your thoughts and ensure each part of your answer addresses a different cue without redundancy.


    calendar icon

    IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

    Reported by Leap students who gave IELTS

    Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    Pitampura Test Centre, New Delhi

    Answer

    I like to taste different types of cuisine. Here I would like to talk about my favorite dish at my traditional festival of Onam which is Sadya. Sadya is popular in my city. We are experimenting these cuisines on Onam festival day. Onam is a famous festival in my city. All family members get together in my home and we make a delicious Sadya. There are many ingredients includes that Sadya. Moreover, we make a big feast that day as well as we create a lot of memories together and we wear that day the traditional dress called Sari and men wear the Dhotis. That festival is really important to us because the whole day we are conducting different kinds of games at our homes and all the family members came together. It's a memorable day in my life. This is the festival. We are making the Sambar and Aviyal. These all the kinds of foods are making with the vegetables.

    Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 8

    location icon

    Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

    Answer

    The toy which I liked in my childhood was a panda doll, which makes me pleasant and makes me more blush. The pandas are the most beautiful creatures of the world, which looks gigantic and has pooshy cheeks and they are like stars in the clouds and they dream in me. Furthermore, these have been given by my father. My father is a very very beautiful artistic person, who makes me think of that. Every day you will face every difficulties and make you suffer and move forward. Pandas are always seen in Japanese countries. It is my lifelong dream to visit a Japanese country and click a photo with the original pandas, which makes sounds better.

    Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 6.5

    location icon

    Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru

    Answer

    As India is a very large country full of diversity, so there are many places which have their own language and speak their native language. The place which I visited and I didn't know about their language was Leladakh, which is about 300 km away from my hometown and it is a very good place as it consists of different kind of trees, animals and have many scenic views and I visited over there last year in summers as it was the best time to visit because it has many, it was cold over there and we had summers in our area so it was the best time to visit over there and I went over there with my whole family.

    Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7

    location icon

    Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

    Answer

    When I was a kid, I had a little pencil box which had these four buttons which gave the pencil box an operative use. When you press the button, the box would open up. When you press the second button, a little part of it would slide out. Basically it was just a little electronical and a fun thing to have and I owned it when I was in 6th. One day after break, I was standing and talking there with one of my friends and another friend of mine was running through the hallway and accidentally she pushed my shoulder and my pencil box hit the ground and it broke into multiple pieces to the point that it was not functional anymore.

    Describe a book you recently read
    anonymous person icon

    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    CBD Belapur Test Centre, Navi Mumbai

    Answer

    It Ends With Us is a book I read recently. It's by the author Colleen Hoare. It's mainly a story about two teenagers, Atlas and Lily, and how they just handle their life going through high school, adolescence, and just domestic violence at home. Both of them come from very, very different families. However, they have one common determining factor between them, which is domestic violence. The abuse that they've seen their moms go through is just insane, and they connect through that on a different level. They're actually in the same high school, but they never speak to each other until Atlas actually crashes into an empty house next to Lily's villa. When Atlas is homeless and he doesn't have anywhere to go, he just comes and breaks into the house next to Lily's, and Lily helps him with all the daily necessities like clothes and food, medicines and stuff. Furthermore, their friendship blossoms into love, but it doesn't really fructify as Atlas has to leave. This book really gave me a lot of knowledge about domestic abuse and how to deal with it.

    All Answers

    Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

    Band 7

    So, I am very excited to talk about a person who is very popular in my country and he is Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam who is known as the rocket man of India, he is a very motivational and influential person for many of the youngsters in my nation and he also have guided many of the students for succeeding in their path. He was born at Tamil Nadu into a normal family, he was very fond of mathematics and physics in which he excelled very much and he had completed his education from the most prominent universities in the nation and acted as a crucial milestone in many of the ISRO's projects including the space mission and the designing and manufacturing of the missiles known as Agni. He has also led the nation by acting as the President of India and many of the children were influenced by him that many of his speeches were the deciding factors, proved as the deciding factors for many children that it was so influential and he also

    Band 7

    I would like to say Sachin Tendulkar, who is known for his most well-known performance in cricket. Sachin Tendulkar is a former Indian cricketer and widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. He made his debut for the Indian national team at a young age. From then on, he started an incredible career that lasted more than a decade, and it holds numerous records. He was the first player to score 200 runs in one international, only cricketer to score 200 runs in one international. He won the 2011 World Cup, which is one of the most emotional moments in history. When he retired, what I admire most about Sachin is not just his talent, but his discipline and humility, dedication to his game. Despite being such a celebrity, he has always remained down to earth person, people of his age.

    Band 7

    A popular person in my country is Ratan Tata. He is actually well known for his philanthropic activities. He was a CEO of Tata Group Industries. He served for a very long duration. During his tenure as CEO, he has improved the business to peaks. He is well known specifically for his kindness. The way he serves people, the way he treats people and specifically his down to earth behavior was very attractive. Especially helping the poor even during the pandemic situation was his sheer kindness. He is considered to be the epitome of kindness. To me personally, the one thing that I extremely adore about Ratan Tata was his kindness. A human being with such a level of kindness, purity and selfless behavior is extremely difficult to find nowadays. So I truly admire and try to learn and innate that kindness into my life so that I can also serve people selflessly. I really love that person.

    Band 7

    So, I'd like to talk about a famous person in India, that is Mr. Mukesh Ambani. You might know him as the very famous Ambani family. He is a Gujarati who has excelled in the area of business. He is the industry leader and a very, very influential personality in the industry. The tactics he utilizes and the knowledge that he has in marketing and capturing citizens of his target population are immaculate. He is also involved in social work and giving back to the community with charity. The power he holds is unimaginable while also being very humble, rooted in his traditions, the familial values and keeping the culture very, very strong and leading with poise. He has not only conquered business in one field, but in a variety of fields. He has spread and taken over the market of India in any and every field that you can think about, be it television, be it network, be it fashion, be it food industry, be it sport. Mukesh Ambani is present in India in all and everything that you can think of.

    Band 7

    One of the most well-known people in my country is Diljit Dosan. He is a very popular Punjabi singer, actor and also television personality. I first hear about him when I listen to his super hit song Lak Athai Kudida many years ago. Since then he has become a huge star not only in Punjabi but also in Bollywood and even internationally. Diljit is famous for his powerful singing style. Apart from being a singer, he has acted in Punjabi movies like Jatt & Juliet, Punjab 1984 and also in Bollywood such as Udta Punjab and Good News. He has recently even performed at Hollywood Singers which made him first artist to do so that made him all Indian feel proud. I really admire Diljit Dosan. He is extremely talented and hardworking. He started from a very simple background and faced many struggles in his early days but he never gave up on his dreams. Another thing I love about him is he is down to earth nature and great sense of humor. He always stay humble and connected with his fam through social media and positive energy really inspire people. Moreover, he always promote Punjabi culture and language through his work which is very important nowadays. I believe he is a true role model for young people because he show that with passion and dedication you can achieve anything in life. Overall, Diljit Dosan is not an entertainer.

    Band 7

    I'd like to talk about Amitabh Bachchan, one of India's most iconic actors. At 81, he is not just a film star, but a cultural legend, revered across generations for his deep voice, towering screen presence and philanthropic work. First, his career is unparalleled, nicknamed the Shahenshah of Bollywood. He ruled Indian cinema in the 1970s to 80s with films like Sholay and Devar, where he played intense, morally complex characters. Even today, he hosts Kaun Banega Crorepati, proving his timeless appeal. Beyond acting, he is admired for his humility and work ethic. Despite near-fatal injuries on set in the 1980s, he made a heroic comeback. He is also open about his failures, like his brief political stint and a bankrupt company which humanizes him. What makes him truly popular is his connections to ordinary Indians. During the pandemic, he used social media to spread hope, sharing recovery updates after contracting COVID-19. His charity work in education and healthcare is also on respect. In short, Amitabh Bachchan isn't just famous, he embodies resilience and reinvention, making him a beloved national figure.

    Band 7

    Usually, I am not very fond of admiring and appreciating various personalities in my country but I believe that Rakesh Sharma is someone who I truly admire and like because I think that I am fond of his tactics and he is a renowned teacher in his field and with the help of social media platform, applications and websites, he teaches students social science and mathematics. During my school days, I always thought that mathematics was not my cup of tea but with the help of Rakesh, I was able to score around 90 marks in my mathematics test. So apart from that, he is also a philanthropist as he always donates some amount of money that he saves from his income. Being a dendrophile, he always plant trees so the younger population is very much interested and intrigued by his work. I believe that he is jewels in the crown in his field. Being a big cheese, he is never ever selfish and being a taciturn and recidivist personality, he is very sanguine and winsome. Because he wants to contribute to the society, that's why he is well known on social media platform. Besides that, he always wanted to help the impoverished and the people that are living below the poverty line. So by helping them, being casual and compassionate, he helps them so that they will be able to live a better and prosperous life. He teaches children with his pedagogical skills. He is a patient personality so I believe that's why he is very popular in his country.

    Band 7

    In every country, there are some people who become very popular because of their talent or achievements. Today I am going to talk about one popular person in my country is Virat Kohli. He is very famous cricketer. He has been the cricketer of the Indian cricket team and has won many matches for our country. He has scored many centuries like broken several records in cricket. His fitness, dedication and playing style are really inspiring. He also supports different social causes and also has a strong fan following. He is popular because of his talent and success in cricket. People especially look up to him as a role model. I feel very proud of him. I admire his hard work and passion. He has made a big name for himself and for India and the world. I think he deserves all the respect.

    Band 7

    Well, there are countless celebrities in the world who have made their names for themselves through talent, fame, and success. However, to kick-start my response, I would like to talk about a person who has earned respect not for popularity but of the selfless service to humanity by Gurpreet Singh Ji, the person behind the NGO Manufta Di Seva. I first came to know about him through social media and local news where I saw videos of him helping poor families organize free medical camps and building homes for the homeless. His work really touched my heart and I started following his updates regularly. If I get a chance, I would love to meet him during one of his events and I would like to join him to distribute foods and blankets to the poor. I believe that such an experience would be not only humbling but also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from someone who lives just to serve others.

    Band 7

    A favorite person of mine, a man who is a legend in my opinion is Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan is an actor from Bollywood who has delivered best films, a blockbuster. The reason I like him the most is because of his charm, because of the way he speaks and the way he delivers his dialogues and his expressions. His eyes says it all. Shahrukh Khan is the person who just influences my personality and motivates me to become better version of myself everyday. I wake up, I watch a few clips about Shahrukh Khan and start my day because it gives me utmost motivation. Shahrukh Khan is a person to be admired because of his lifestyle, his struggles and his way to approach people. His struggles were really the ones who are noteworthy. The struggles which he went through is absolutely strong and very good.
    ielts logo

    Get the IELTS Prep App

    Star rating icon

    4.2

    1M+ Installs

    app download banner image

    Get the app link on your phone

    +91

    Or download app from

    google play storeapp store
    master ielts speaking ad