# Describe a famous person you'd like to meet: IELTS Speaking sample answers

Speaking Part 2 - People

Describe a famous person you would like to meet.

You should say:
- who this person is
- how you know about this person
- what you would like to do or talk about with this person
- and explain why you would like to meet this person

Source: Sample answers and examiner notes are written by Testmigo.

## Band 7 sample

The famous person I would like to meet is Jacinda Ardern, who was the prime minister of New Zealand from 2017 to 2023.

I first heard about her when she became prime minister, because she was only thirty-seven, which is very young for a leader. Then in 2018 she had a baby while she was in office, and I remember seeing photos of her at the United Nations with her baby daughter. But I really started to follow her after the attack on two mosques in Christchurch in 2019. I watched a lot of news about it, and the way she responded was very different from other politicians. She visited the families, she listened more than she talked, and within a few weeks her government has changed the gun laws.

If I could meet her, I wouldn't want just a quick photo. I'd like to sit down with her somewhere quiet, maybe over a coffee, and ask her how she managed to stay calm in such terrible moments. I'd also ask her about her decision to resign in 2023. She said honestly that she didn't have enough energy to continue, and I think very few leaders would admit something like that.

The main reason I want to meet her is that she showed that a leader can be kind and strong at the same time. Also, a lot of people criticised her, especially at the end, and I'd like to know how did she deal with it. I'm interested in studying politics, so I think talking with her would be really inspired for me. For me she is one of the most impressive leaders of the last ten years.

**Examiner notes.** This Band 7 answer is relevant and well developed, moving from how the speaker first heard of Ardern to what they would ask her and why. Vocabulary is appropriate, with some less common phrasing ("listened more than she talked", "very few leaders would admit"), and hypothetical forms are used correctly ("If I could meet her, I wouldn't want"). There are a few typical errors: the present perfect in a finished past story, "within a few weeks her government has changed the gun laws" (rather than "changed"), question word order in an embedded question, "how did she deal with it" (rather than "how she dealt with it"), and the word form "would be really inspired for me" (rather than "inspiring"). Linking relies on "Then" and "Also". For Band 8, the speaker would need more idiomatic, precise vocabulary and a more reflective explanation of why the meeting would matter.

The Band 8 sample is free with an account on the [topic page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/speaking/topics/describe-a-famous-person-you-would-like-to-meet).

## Common questions

### How long should an IELTS Speaking Part 2 answer be?

You get one minute to prepare and then speak for up to two minutes; the examiner stops you at two. Aim to keep talking for the full time, which is usually 220 to 300 words.

### Can I use these sample answers in my test?

No. Examiners are trained to spot memorised answers, and a learned script is marked down. Use the samples to see what each band does, then answer in your own words.