Part 2 · Band 7

Describe a person who encouraged you to achieve a goal.

Illustrative target band for this model answer · 220 words

AI-completed learning example

So I would like to talk about a situation where my brother played a pivotal role in my journey towards achieving a particular goal. Actually, a few years back, I suffered from a chronic digestive disease, which is called hyperacidity, where stomach acid or bile flows back into the food pipe lining, irritating it. So, at that time, my goal was to get the symptoms under control and feel confident about eating normally again. It was difficult because I sometimes worried that eating might make me feel unwell, and that anxiety affected my daily routine. My brother encouraged me to take the problem seriously rather than simply putting up with it. He suggested that I speak with a doctor and helped me think of questions to ask. He also checked in on me and reminded me to follow professional advice patiently, even when progress felt slow. With his support, I became more consistent about looking after my health and less anxious about meals. Gradually, I felt that I was making progress towards my goal. What meant most to me was not that he solved the problem for me, but that he gave me the confidence to take sensible steps myself. Looking back, his encouragement made a stressful period feel more manageable, and I am grateful that he stood by me.

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

The answer develops in a clear spoken sequence: it introduces your brother, explains the health challenge, identifies your goal, then describes his support and its effect. The repeated “So” at the transition from the opening to the goal could be smoother, but the story remains easy to follow. Practise this answer in a two-minute recording, using brief notes for the challenge, support, outcome and reflection rather than reading it word for word.

Lexical Resource

Phrases such as “get the symptoms under control,” “follow professional advice,” and “take sensible steps myself” express the situation and your brother’s support precisely. “Pivotal role” is suitably emphatic, though “journey towards achieving a particular goal” is abstract and wordy for a personal story. To make the account sound more natural, replace that opening phrase with a direct description of the goal, such as feeling confident about eating normally again.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

The continuation uses a good range of connected clauses, including “even when progress felt slow” and “not that he solved the problem for me, but that he gave me the confidence.” In the preserved opening, “which is called hyperacidity, where…” combines two relative-clause patterns awkwardly, and “food pipe lining” is not a natural phrase. Practise recasting the explanation with “known as” and “in which,” while keeping the later sentence structures varied.

Pronunciation

This is a text-only response, so pronunciation cannot be assessed; the following is a practice guide, not an assessment of a recording. Practise the word stress in “pivotal” (PIV-uh-tl) and “digestive” (di-JES-tiv). Group “At that time / my goal was to get the symptoms under control” into two thought groups. Record yourself reading it, then check whether the key words are clear and the pauses separate ideas without breaking phrases unnaturally.

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

  • Replace the abstract opening with a direct statement of the goal, then explain why it mattered to you.
  • Practise the medical explanation as one clear sentence using “known as” and “in which” rather than joining clauses with “which” and “where.”
  • Rehearse the story from four cue words—condition, goal, brother, outcome—so you can develop the details naturally without relying on a memorised script.

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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