Part 2 · Band 4

Describe a person who encouraged you to achieve a goal.

Illustrative target band for this model answer · 215 words

AI-completed learning example

Well, I would like to talk about my dad, who has had a significant impact on my life with his inspiration. His name is Farhat, and he's also one of the best businessmen in my country. Besides that, I can say he's my support and mentor. He's a really short guy with a smile that always makes people feel comfortable. I remember when I wanted to improve my English and pass an important exam. I was not very confident, and sometimes I thought it was too difficult for me. My dad encouraged me to keep trying. He told me to study a little every day and not worry too much about making mistakes. He also listened when I practised speaking and gave me useful advice. His support helped me feel more confident, so I continued studying instead of giving up. In the end, I reached my goal and passed the exam. I felt proud, but I was also grateful to him because he had supported me from the beginning. I chose him because he doesn't only give advice; he also shows me that hard work is important. I admire him as a businessman, but I appreciate him even more as my father. I hope I can support other people in the same way one day.

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

The answer follows a clear sequence: you introduce your father, describe his support, give the English-exam example, and explain why you admire him. The shift from his personal qualities to a specific goal gives the response a useful development. To practise extending it aloud, give yourself two minutes to speak from this answer, using the exam story as the centre and adding one brief detail about how you studied.

Lexical Resource

The response uses relevant phrases such as “not very confident,” “making mistakes,” and “continued studying instead of giving up” to explain the challenge and encouragement. Vocabulary is clear, though several ideas rely on common words such as “support,” “helped,” and “important.” Next, practise varying those repeated ideas with precise expressions such as “encouraged me to persevere” or “built my confidence,” while keeping the wording natural for speech.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

You use both simple sentences and longer clauses, for example, “I remember when I wanted to improve my English” and “because he had supported me from the beginning.” This makes the story easy to follow. The preserved opening, “with his inspiration,” is an awkward collocation, and the answer mostly uses straightforward sentence patterns. Practise joining events with time and reason clauses, then check that each phrase sounds natural when spoken.

Pronunciation

This is text-only, so pronunciation cannot be assessed and this guide is not an assessment of a recording. Practise word stress in “significant impact” and “important exam,” and group the final explanation as: “I admire him as a businessman / but I appreciate him even more as my father.” Record yourself reading the answer, mark the stressed syllables, then listen back to check whether the thought groups are easy to understand.

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

  • Make the goal and its outcome specific in the story: name the English exam if you know it and briefly explain what you did to prepare.
  • Add one concrete example of your father's encouragement, such as a particular piece of advice or a moment when he listened to you practise.
  • Practise delivering the answer in two minutes, pausing briefly between the introduction, the exam story, and the explanation of why you admire him.

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.

Practise your answer →

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