# Describe a pet you know: IELTS Speaking sample answers

Speaking Part 2 - Nature

Describe a pet you know.

You should say:
- what kind of animal it is
- who it belongs to
- what it looks like and how it behaves
- and explain how you feel about this pet

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

## Band 7 sample

I'd like to talk about Bruno, who is my neighbours' dog. He's a mixed breed, but I think he's mostly a Labrador, and he's about five years old.

He belongs to the family who live next door to my parents. They have adopted him from an animal shelter when he was a puppy, because their children kept asking for a dog. I've known him since he was tiny, and since I work from home a few days a week, I often take him for a walk at lunchtime when his owners are busy.

He's quite big, with short golden-brown fur and floppy ears, and he has a white patch on his chest that looks a bit like a heart. His tail never stops moving, so you always have to be careful with cups of tea on low tables. In terms of personality, he's extremely friendly, maybe too friendly, because he jumps on everybody who come to the house. He's also very greedy. Once he stole a whole birthday cake from the kitchen table, and the family still talk about it. But he's quite clever too. He knows exactly what time I usually come, and he waits by the gate.

I feel very attached to him, to be honest. I've never had a dog of my own, because my parents always said our flat was too small, so Bruno is a bit like a pet I share. Walking him is great for me as well, because otherwise I would sit at my laptop all day. And whenever I'm stressed, spending ten minutes with him calms me down immediately.

**Examiner notes.** This Band 7 answer is lively and well organised, covering appearance, personality and feelings with personal detail like the stolen birthday cake. Vocabulary is good ("mixed breed", "animal shelter", "floppy ears", "attached to him"), though some words repeat ("very", "quite") and linking is often "and" or "because". There are typical errors: "They have adopted him" with a finished past time (rather than "They adopted him") and "everybody who come" (rather than "everybody who comes"). Band 8 would add more precise and idiomatic description and more varied sentence structures to show greater flexibility.

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

## 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.