Part 2 · Band 5

Describe a person who encouraged you to achieve a goal.

Illustrative target band for this model answer · 237 words

AI-completed learning example

Well, I think motivation plays an essential role in the success of every person's life. Actually, I know many people who have inspired me a lot throughout my life. Among them, I would like to talk about a person who encouraged me to achieve my goal. To begin with, the name of this person is my older sister, Sara. She is three years older than me and has always been patient when I doubt myself. The goal she helped me with was giving a short presentation in English at college. I understood the subject, but I was worried that I would forget my words or make mistakes in front of my classmates. Sara suggested that I divide the presentation into a few clear points instead of memorising every sentence. She listened while I practised at home and gave me kind, specific feedback. When I became discouraged, she reminded me of how much preparation I had already done and encouraged me to try again. Her support made the task feel manageable. On the day, I was still nervous, but I finished the presentation and answered a question from the audience. I felt proud, not because everything was perfect, but because I had followed through. I chose Sara because she encouraged me in a practical way and helped me believe that steady effort could get me to my goal. I still remember her advice whenever I face something challenging.

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

The completed answer develops in a clear sequence: it introduces Sara, explains the presentation goal, describes her practical support, and ends with the result and its significance. The opening repeats broad ideas about inspiration before giving the example, so moving to Sara and the goal sooner could make the response more direct. Practise speaking this answer in two minutes, using the four stages as checkpoints and keeping the example details.

Lexical Resource

The answer uses relevant, varied expressions such as “kind, specific feedback,” “made the task feel manageable,” and “followed through.” These describe both the support and its effect clearly. The opening relies on broad phrases, including “inspired me a lot,” and “goal” recurs several times. For a more precise spoken response, replace one general phrase with a concrete description of Sara’s encouragement and vary one repetition of “goal” with “aim” or “objective.”

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

Sentence forms are mostly controlled, with useful complex structures such as “When I became discouraged, she reminded me…” and “not because everything was perfect, but because I had followed through.” The answer remains easy to understand, and there is no major grammatical breakdown. Some sentences begin in a repetitive way, and “the name of this person is my older sister” is an awkward construction rather than a clear grammar error. Practise varying sentence openings and use “The person is…” for a more natural introduction.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation cannot be assessed from this text, and this practice guide is not an assessment of a recording. Try stressing the key nouns in “essential role” and “older sister, Sara,” while keeping the unstressed connecting words lighter. Practise thought groups such as “She listened while I practised at home / and gave me kind, specific feedback.” Record the answer, then check whether each phrase is easy to understand and the key words stand out.

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

  • Shorten the general opening and introduce Sara and the specific goal within the first few sentences.
  • Make the example more vivid by adding one brief detail about what you practised or what feedback Sara gave.
  • Practise a two-minute delivery with four checkpoints: who Sara is, the goal, how she helped, and the outcome.

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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