Part 2 · Band 5

Describe a person who encouraged you to achieve a goal.

Illustrative target band for this model answer · 243 words

AI-completed learning example

I believe that motivation plays an integral role in our lives. Without motivation and drive, it is difficult to accomplish our goals. I also believe that everyone has someone who encouraged them to become better. For me, that person is my mom. I was successful in school, but that success didn't necessarily translate to the real world. I found it difficult to speak confidently in front of other people, and this made me avoid sharing my ideas. I wanted to change that, so I set myself a goal of becoming more confident at speaking in public. My mom encouraged me by reminding me that doing well at school showed I could work hard, but that confidence also came from practice. She suggested that I start small: I could explain my opinions during conversations with family and prepare carefully whenever I had to speak in a group. Whenever I felt nervous, she listened patiently and told me not to expect immediate progress. Her support helped me keep trying instead of giving up. Gradually, I became more comfortable expressing my thoughts, and I no longer saw every mistake as a failure. I am still working on this goal, but I have made progress. What I appreciate most is that my mom did not simply tell me I could succeed; she helped me see practical ways to improve. Her encouragement taught me that motivation matters, but consistent effort is what turns a goal into something achievable.

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

The ideas develop in a clear sequence: you introduce motivation, identify your mom, explain the difficulty you faced, and show how her support helped. The ending also reflects on what you learned. To make the spoken answer feel more fully developed, practise adding one brief example of a conversation or speaking situation. Try a two-minute timed retelling, using this same sequence and speaking from keywords rather than reading the full text.

Lexical Resource

Phrases such as “speak confidently,” “expressing my thoughts,” and “consistent effort” communicate the goal and its impact clearly. The vocabulary is relevant and includes some useful variety, although “goal,” “encouraged,” and “support” recur across the answer. As a refinement, keep the clear wording but vary a repeated term where natural—for example, use “aim” once instead of “goal”—and include one precise example of what speaking confidently meant for you.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

The answer uses a good range of straightforward sentence forms, including past-tense narration and the contrast in “I was successful in school, but…”. The colon before “I could explain my opinions” also introduces an example effectively. Most sentences are easy to follow. For further control, practise varying short and longer sentences while keeping each idea clear, and check tense consistency when moving between past events and your current progress.

Pronunciation

This is a practice guide, not an assessment of a recording; pronunciation cannot be judged from text. Practise the word stress in “motivation” and “confident,” then group the sentence “Her support helped me keep trying / instead of giving up” into two thought groups. Record yourself saying the answer, listen back, and check that the stressed words stand out and each phrase is 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.

  • Add one short, specific example of a time you needed to speak in front of other people, so listeners can picture the challenge.
  • Practise the answer in a two-minute recording using five keywords: school, difficulty, goal, mom’s advice, progress. Check that you explain each point rather than rushing through the list.
  • Listen back and note repeated words such as “goal,” “support,” and “encouraged”; replace one or two only when a natural alternative fits.

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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