# Describe a person who likes to read a lot: IELTS Speaking sample answers Speaking Part 2 - People Describe a person who likes to read a lot. You should say: - who this person is - how you know them - what kind of things they like to read - and explain why you think they read so much Source: Sample answers and examiner notes are written by Testmigo. ## Band 6 sample I would like to talk about my uncle. His name is Ramesh and he is my father's older brother. He is around sixty years old and he worked in a bank for almost thirty years, but now he is retired. I know him since I was born, of course, because he lives very near to our house, just two streets away. When I was a child I used to go to his house almost every weekend, and I always saw him sitting on his chair in the balcony with a book or a newspaper. He reads many different kinds of things, but his favourite is history. He has a big shelf in his living room full of history books, especially about the world wars and about the old kings of our country. Every morning he reads two newspapers, one in English and one in our language, and if there is an interesting article he cuts it and keeps it in a file. Recently my cousin bought him an e-reader, but he still prefer the paper books because he says he likes the smell of them. I think he reads so much because he is very curious person. He always wants to know the reason behind everything, and when we have family dinner he likes to tell us some facts he learned that day. Also, now he is retired, so he has a lot of free time and reading keeps his mind active. Honestly, when I was younger I thought it was a little bit boring, but now I really respect him. Because of him I also started to read some books, and he always lend me his books and later asks me what I think about them. So he is like a good example for me. **Examiner notes.** This Band 6 answer covers all the bullets with relevant, specific details, like the uncle cutting out articles and keeping them "in a file". The speaker develops the reasons reasonably well, but the vocabulary is mostly basic ("very curious", "a little bit boring") and errors are frequent: "I know him since I was born" needs the present perfect, "he still prefer" and "he always lend" miss the -s, and "very curious person" drops an article. For Band 7, the speaker would need more natural expressions, such as "an avid reader", and accurate tense choice. ## Band 7 sample The person I'm going to talk about is Leila, who was my housemate during my second year at university. We were studying completely different subjects, she was doing chemistry and I was doing economics, but we ended up becoming really good friends, and we still meet up whenever she's in town. I don't think I've ever met anyone who gets through books as quickly as she does. She'd easily finish two or three novels a week, even during exam periods, and she always had one in her bag in case she got stuck in a queue or on a delayed train. Her room was basically a library, with piles of paperbacks stacked on the floor because the shelves had run out of space. Mostly she reads fantasy and science fiction, especially long series with complicated worlds and dozens of characters. I tried a couple of the ones she recommended, and to be honest I gave up halfway through because I couldn't keep track of who was who. But she also reads quite a lot of popular science, which makes sense given her degree. As for why she reads so much, I think it's partly how she switches off. Chemistry is a very demanding course, and she once told me that after a long day in the lab, getting lost in a story is the only thing that stops her thinking about work. It's also a habit she picked up from her parents, who apparently used to read aloud to her every night when she was small. I really admire it, actually. I spend far too much of my free time scrolling on my phone, and living with her made me realise how much more rewarding reading can be. **Examiner notes.** This Band 7 answer is fluent and well organized, with lively details like the paperbacks "stacked on the floor". Phrasal verbs and collocations, such as "gets through books", "keep track of" and "switches off", are used naturally, and the speaker handles tense shifts between past and present habits accurately. Two clear reasons are given for her reading. To reach Band 8, the speaker would need more precise and less common vocabulary used with full flexibility, and would explore the reasons with more nuance instead of moving quickly to a general closing comment about phones. The Band 8 sample is free with an account on the [topic page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/speaking/topics/describe-a-person-who-reads-a-lot). ## Part 3 follow-up questions 1. Why do some people enjoy reading more than others? 2. Do you think children read less today than in the past? 3. Are e-books likely to replace printed books completely? 4. What can parents do to encourage their children to read? 5. Is reading fiction as useful as reading non-fiction? ## 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.