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Describe a successful sportsperson you admire: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • Who he/she is
  • What you know about him/her
  • What he/she is like in real life
  • What achievements he/she has made
  • And explain why you admire him/her
Show all 62 answers

Cue 1:Who he/she is

  • Begin by introducing the sportsperson, including their name and the sport they play.
  • Mention any notable characteristics or background information that makes them stand out.

Example

The sportsperson I admire is Sachin Tendulkar, a legendary cricketer from India. He is often referred to as the 'God of Cricket' due to his incredible skills and contributions to the game.


Cue 2:What you know about him/her

  • Share some interesting facts about their career and personal life.
  • Include any challenges they faced and how they overcame them.

Example

Sachin started playing cricket at a very young age and made his international debut at just 16. Despite facing immense pressure and criticism throughout his career, he remained focused and dedicated to his game.


Cue 3:What he/she is like in real life

  • Describe his personality traits and how he interacts with fans and teammates.
  • Mention any philanthropic activities or contributions to society.

Example

In real life, Sachin is known for his humility and down-to-earth nature. He often engages with his fans and supports various charitable causes, including education for underprivileged children.


Cue 4:What achievements he/she has made

  • List some of his major achievements and records in his sport.
  • Highlight any awards or honors he has received.

Example

Sachin holds numerous records, including being the highest run-scorer in both Test and One Day International cricket. He has received several awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.


Cue 5:And explain why you admire him/her

  • Share your personal feelings about his impact on you and others.
  • Explain how his dedication and achievements inspire you.

Example

I admire Sachin not just for his cricketing skills but also for his perseverance and sportsmanship. His journey inspires me to work hard and stay committed to my goals, no matter the obstacles.


Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, Sachin Tendulkar is more than just a successful sportsperson; he is a role model for many. His achievements and character continue to inspire millions, including myself, to strive for excellence in our own lives.


    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: Lack of Specific Details

    Avoid vague descriptions of the sportsperson. Providing specific details about their achievements and personality makes your answer more engaging and credible.

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    Tip

    Include specific examples of their achievements and personal traits to create a vivid picture of the sportsperson.


    2: Overly General Statements

    Using general statements can make your answer sound unoriginal. It's important to personalize your response to show your genuine admiration.

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    Tip

    Share personal anecdotes or specific reasons why you admire them to add depth to your answer.


    Ignoring the Cue Card Structure

    Neglecting the structure of the cue card can lead to a disorganized response. Each part of the cue should be addressed clearly.

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    Tip

    Follow the cue card prompts systematically to ensure you cover all aspects of the topic in a coherent manner.


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    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
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    Anonymous student Band 8

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    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
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    Anonymous student Band 6.5

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    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.

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    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
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    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

    The successful sports person that I particularly admire is Virat Kohli. He was born in a middle class family of Punjab. Later on he decided to pursue his career in cricket. That's why he participated in many under-19 matches. Because of his continuous hard work, dedication as well as sportsmanship, it had made a strong impression on everyone's heart. He was known for the cricket he plays as well as the humanity that he serves. He used to feed a lot of poor people and always decided to give his money to the ones who really want that money. Additionally, Virat Kohli was not too successful in his career until he was married. When he married with his love Anushka Sharma, his life became too much continuous and very comfortable. As he started succeeding in his career, as well as he met his inspiration, a guru,

    Band 7

    There are so many sportspersons which I admire but among them P T Usha is the one whom I like the most. She is one of the greatest Indian athlete and she is known as the Paiyuli Express because she comes from the place Paiyuli in the Kozhikode district of Kerala and her speed is like an express train so she is called the Paiyuli Express. She discovered her talent and passion towards sports when she was very young. Her parents encouraged her. Since she was from a middle class family, they could not afford to send her to a sports academy so her father created a track for her to practice and she practiced in beaches, fields and talking about her, my heart fills with admiration, inspiration because of her perseverance, hard work, dedication and willpower. She was confident in herself. Even the lack of facilities did not affect her determination and passion towards sports. So she was just a fraction of seconds away from getting a bronze medal in the Olympics. She was the first Indian athlete to reach the finale in the Olympics and also in Asian Games she grabbed so many golden medals. She is truly an inspiration and motivation to the young people who dream of sports.

    Band 7

    The sportsperson I truly admire is Mahendra Singh Dhoni or M. S. Dhoni. He is one of the most accomplished and influential captain in Indian history cricket team. Dhoni was born in Ranchi, Jharkhand and before stepping into a time light, he worked as a ticket collector for an Indian railway. His journey from a small town boy to a global icon is nothing short of extraordinary. The Bollywood film M. S. Dhoni, the untold story beautifully depicts his perseverance, greed and never-say-die attitude, showing that success never comes overnight. In real life, Dhoni is admired for his unshakable composure and humility. Even in nail-biting matches, he never lost his cool. That's why he earned the title Captain Cool. He believes that action speaks louder than words. Of the field he is down to earth and approachable. Despite his worldwide fame, he continues to live a simple and grounded life, a true example that greatness and honesty can go hand in hand. When it comes to achievement, Dhoni's record is unparalleled. He is the only captain who lifted three major ICC trophies in the T20 World Cup in 2007, the ODI World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013. Under his leadership, the Chennai Super Kings have also won several IPL titles, reflecting his strategic brilliance and visionary leadership. What inspired me the most is his mental fortitude, restless determination and his story reminds me that dreams don't work unless you do.

    Band 7

    My favorite successful sports person is Virat Kohli. He is a cricketer. He is an Indian cricketer. He was born in 1988 in Delhi, India. And he comes from a very poor background and he grew up with very less facilities to support his dreams. But despite all of that, he arose from his disadvantages and he joined the Indian cricket team under 19 World Cup. And he won the World Cup in 2008. He also became captain of the Indian under 19 cricket team leading them to victory. He broke Sachin Tendulkar's world record with 50 ODI centuries. It's a world record as of 2023. And he received major national honors including the Arjuna Award in 2013, Padma Shri Award in 2017 and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2018. He is the highest run scorer in the Indian Premier League history and he also led Royal Challengers Bangalore to their first IPL title in 2025 despite 18-19 years of having no victory whatsoever. He is raised in a middle class Punjabi family and he is a very humble person in real life. He is down to earth and he respects his fans a lot. He admires all that his fans do for him. He is a loving husband and a father to two children. He is my favorite sports person because of his deep gratitude towards the sport he plays. And despite reaching 40, he is very dedicated and still committed to the sports he loves.

    Band 7

    Mr. Virat Kohli, who happens to be the ex-captain of our Indian cricket team, is one of my favorite cricketers. He, his ability to meet any adverse situation, even when the scoreboard looks difficult and the odds are against India, he can keep his mind calm and play well. He can always stay focused and seldom does he lose his cool. He now lives in London and he has retired from Test cricket, though he continues playing for the ODI 50-50 cricket team. He has a very balanced personality and he also manages to find time for his family. He is married with two children. He takes interest in playing other sports like pickleball and golf.

    Band 7

    Alongside MS-20. I admire Rohit Sharma. He is my favourite Indian sportsperson. He is very down to earth and humble. He made his debut back in 2007 when I was 7 years old and he was the captain till 2025. He is really a gem of a person. He has led Mumbai Indians and also the Indian cricket team. He is the only successful captain alongside MS-20 to have won 5 IPL titles and a Champions League for his franchise Mumbai Indians. He has won 2 ICC trophies for India and is the highest run-getter in a World Cup scoring 500s. He has a record of scoring 264 in ODIs. He is very humble and down to earth. He always makes sure every player gets good opportunities. Rohit Sharma has been my favourite since 2007 and continues to be my favourite. I idolise him and try to play cricket like him. His timings and pure class is just undefinable. He has got to be the most successful captain and successful opener for India. I admire Rohit Sharma very much and hope he will continue to play till 2027 ODI World Cup.

    Band 7

    The sportsperson who I admire a lot is Mr. Dhoni. He is a cricketer. He plays for the Indian cricket team. He is from Jharkhand. Actually, he used to work as a ticket collector in the railway department. I came to know about his childhood and everything from a film called Mr. Dhoni. His father is a root-level employee and his mother always believed that his son will become a great sportsperson in his life. After that, in real life, I feel that he is a good son and an admirable person. He is so motivated and he is a well-balanced person. He is mentally very balanced person. He is often called the captain fool of India. Coming to his achievements, it is in his captaincy that India won the World Cup 2011 and even the 2020 World Cup. The way he really brings the whole team to succeed in a match is very impressive. I didn't see this sort of mentality in any player nowadays. He is very famous for his helicopter shots and he got complimented for that.

    Band 7

    The favorite sportsperson, I admire him very much, is Roy Sharma. He is a cricket player and former Indian captain. Unfortunately, he has been taken out of the team. The Indian team has allotted a new captain for India. I admire him because the way he leads the team, the way he tackles the opponents is incredible. I would like to share an experience. I was watching television back in 2013. He made a record-breaking ending by scoring 264 runs in a match against Sri Lanka. In real life, I learn everything from him because the kind of motivation, the kind of dedication that he puts into the game is unmatchable. However, he made incredible achievements, biting most sixes in international cricket. Highest runs scorer in 2019 World Cup that any cricketer has made till today. Making five centuries in a single World Cup edition was incredible. Why I admire him is because he never gets back in tough situations. He always stands strong and leads the team. Whatever the things are going to happen, there will be some politics in cricket. But he never thinks about the politics. He only tackles the game and wins.

    Band 7

    My favorite sports person is a cricketer. His name is Virat Kohli. He is a brilliant, brilliant, incredibly outstanding performer. He is such an inspiring person. I have been watching him play since I was, I think, 10 years old and watching him play and see him improving his game and becoming this incredible cricketer he is has been so great. I admire the mindset and the strength he has in the game the most about him. I think he is a very inspiring person. He is very strong-minded. He is very disciplined. He is extremely kind and humble in real life and he has a great work ethic. I think he has a certain passion for his game and he just has this consistency in his performance. He has achieved the top ranks in all the formats of cricket. He has been the number one playing cricketer in many, many series and formats. He has been a winner of the World Cup and he is just so brilliant. I've watched him just become this epitome of a great cricketer.

    Band 7

    A successful sports person that I admire is Sena Nehwal. I had the good fortune of actually meeting Sena Nehwal. She used to live in the same complex that I did back in 2012. This was the same year where she represented India in the Olympics that was held in London and won a bronze medal in badminton. What I really admire about her is that she is super humble and extremely disciplined. Every time anyone in my complex would want to go and get an autograph from her, she would be super welcoming and kind. I've also seen her practice badminton very early in the morning and that's something that truly motivates me. Even during certain sports events that we would have in our complex, she would be invited as a guest of honour to distribute certificates and I would always eagerly wait for her speech because she would always have something very exciting to share.
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