# Describe a person who inspired you: IELTS Speaking sample answers

Speaking Part 2 - People

Describe a person who inspired you to do something interesting.

You should say:
- who this person is
- how you know this person
- what this person inspired you to do
- and explain how you felt about doing it

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

## Band 7 sample

The person I want to talk about is Lena, who's the older sister of one of my best friends. I've known her for about ten years, because I used to spend a lot of time at my friend's house when we were teenagers, and Lena was always the cool older sister who had interesting stories.

A few years ago, she travelled on her own across Europe by train for a whole month, through about eight countries. She wrote a blog about it with lots of photos, and I remember reading it every evening and thinking, wow, I could never do something like that. But when she came back, she gave a little talk at my friend's birthday party, and she said she was very shy before and really scared of travelling alone, she just planned everything very carefully. That really stayed with me.

So last summer, I decided to try a shorter version. I asked two friends to join me, and we did a ten-days trip by train through three countries. Lena helped us to plan the route, she lent me her backpack, and she gave us a lot of useful informations about cheap places to stay.

How did I feel about doing it? Honestly, the first two days were really tough. We missed a connection because our first train was late, and nobody at the station spoke English, so I was close to giving up and going home. But after that it became easier, and the cities were incredible. When we arrived to the last city, I felt so proud of myself. It made me realise that I'm capable of more than I think, and now I'm planning a longer trip for next year.

**Examiner notes.** This Band 7 answer tells a clear, motivating story and links the inspiration directly to the speaker's own trip, covering all four points. Expressions like "stayed with me", "close to giving up" and "capable of more than I think" are used naturally. Some vocabulary is general ("really tough", "incredible"), and typical errors persist: "a ten-days trip" (rather than "a ten-day trip"), "useful informations" ("information" is uncountable) and "arrived to the last city" (rather than "arrived in"). For Band 8, the speaker would use more precise, idiomatic language and reflect more deeply on why the example was so powerful.

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

## 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.