Part 2 · Band 8

Describe a person who encouraged you to achieve a goal.

Illustrative target band for this model answer · 233 words

AI-completed learning example

Everyone needs someone in their life to encourage them during challenging times. We all need that support, whether it comes from parents, friends, relatives, or even siblings. The person I want to talk about today is my mother, who played a crucial role in helping me achieve my goal. My mother is a teacher by profession. One goal I struggled with was becoming more confident speaking in front of other people. I used to feel nervous whenever I had to share an idea in class, so I decided to practise instead of avoiding it. My mother encouraged me by helping me set small, manageable targets. We would choose a topic, and I would speak about it for a few minutes while she listened. Afterwards, she told me what I had explained clearly and gently suggested one thing to improve. She never made me feel embarrassed about making mistakes; instead, she reminded me that confidence comes with practice. Her support mattered because she was patient and understood that I needed encouragement, not pressure. After a while, I volunteered to speak more often in class and found that I could express my ideas without worrying so much. I eventually achieved my goal of feeling comfortable speaking in front of others. I’m grateful to my mother because she helped me see that a difficult goal becomes manageable when you break it into steps and keep going.

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

The written sequence develops clearly: you introduce encouragement, identify your mother, explain the goal, describe her practical support, and finish with the result and reflection. That progression should give a spoken response a coherent shape. The opening generalisation takes up some time before the personal story begins. Practise this answer in two minutes, aiming to reach the specific goal within the first 30 seconds and leave time for the outcome.

Lexical Resource

Phrases such as “small, manageable targets” and “encouragement, not pressure” express the support in a precise and natural way. Vocabulary also fits the topic, especially “share an idea” and “volunteered to speak.” Some wording repeats the idea of the goal and speaking confidently, but this reinforces the central story rather than obscuring it. As a refinement, vary one later reference—for example, use “that confidence” after first naming the goal.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

The answer uses accurate sentence forms and combines ideas effectively, as in “Afterwards, she told me what I had explained clearly and gently suggested one thing to improve.” The contrast in “She never made me feel embarrassed …; instead, she reminded me…” adds variety and clarity. The grammar is controlled, though many sentences follow a straightforward subject–verb pattern. For a little more range, add one concise conditional or relative clause without making the story harder to follow.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation cannot be assessed from this text, so this is a practice guide rather than an assessment of a recording. Practise the word stress in “manageable targets” (MAN-ageable TAR-gets) and “volunteered to speak” (volun-TEERED to SPEAK). Group the ending as: “I eventually achieved my goal / of feeling comfortable speaking in front of others.” Record yourself saying the answer, then check that each thought group is clear and the key words are easy to identify.

A transcript shows language and organisation. Fluency, delivery and pronunciation require an audio recording; the synthetic voice demonstrates the text, not the original speaker.

  • Move from the general opening to your mother and the goal promptly so that the personal example remains the focus.
  • When practising aloud, keep the support sequence specific: explain the small targets, the practice talks, and the feedback she gave.
  • Finish with the result and what you learned, then record a two-minute version and check that you include all four stages without rushing the ending.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

  • Name one specific goal and explain why it mattered to you.
  • Describe two concrete ways the person supported you, such as setting small targets and giving feedback.
  • Explain what changed after the encouragement and what you learned from the experience.

Suggested structure

  1. Briefly introduce the person and your relationship.
  2. State the goal and why you found it challenging.
  3. Give specific examples of how the person encouraged you.
  4. Describe the result and reflect on why the support mattered.
Useful vocabulary & examples
set manageable targets
choose small, realistic steps towards a larger goal

My mother helped me set manageable targets for practising my speaking.

offer gentle feedback
give suggestions in a supportive, non-critical way

After each practice, she offered gentle feedback on one thing I could improve.

grow in confidence
become more self-assured over time

I began to grow in confidence as I spoke more often in class.

break a goal into steps
divide a larger aim into smaller actions

It became easier to make progress once I broke my goal into steps.

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