# Describe a person who talks a lot: IELTS Speaking sample answers

Speaking Part 2 - People

Describe a person you know who likes to talk a lot.

You should say:
- who this person is
- how you know this person
- what this person usually talks about
- and explain how you feel about this person

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

## Band 7 sample

The person I'm going to describe is a colleague of mine called Ravi, who sits at the desk next to me in our office. He's in his late thirties, and he's probably the most talkative person I've ever met.

I've known him for about two years, since I joined the company. On my very first day, he came over, introduced himself and then spent nearly forty minutes telling me about everyone in the department, who is friendly, who is strict, where is the best place for lunch, and so on. At the time I was a bit overwhelmed, but actually it was really useful informations.

He talks about almost everything, but his favourite topics are football and his children. He has two daughters, and every Monday morning we hear a full report about what they did on the weekend. He also loves discussing the news, and he always has a strong opinion about it, even when he doesn't know very much about the subject, to be honest.

How do I feel about him? Well, it's a bit mixed. Most of the time I really like him, because he makes the office to feel more lively and friendly. When someone new joins, he's always the first one to make them feel welcome. On the other hand, when I have a deadline and I need to concentrate, it can be quite distracting. Sometimes I have to put my headphones on as a polite signal that I'm busy. But overall I think our team would be much more boring without him, and I'd definitely miss his stories if he left.

**Examiner notes.** This Band 7 answer gives a lively, relevant portrait and answers the final bullet with a balanced view. There is good range ("overwhelmed", "lively", "a polite signal"), and the speaker keeps going without hesitation. There are a few typical errors: word order in an embedded question, "where is the best place" instead of "where the best place is", the uncountable noun made plural in "useful informations" (rather than "useful information"), and "makes the office to feel" (rather than "makes the office feel"). The language for describing personality is fairly general. For Band 8, the speaker would need more idiomatic, precise expressions for talkativeness and smoother transitions than the rhetorical "How do I feel about him?"

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

## 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.