Part 2 · Band 6

Describe a person who encouraged you to achieve a goal.

Illustrative target band for this model answer · 231 words

AI-completed learning example

Hello. When I was just a high school student, I took up basketball as a way to stay active and have some fun. After 2 years of play, I hit a wall where I felt like I couldn't get any better. It was frustrating, and I was thinking maybe basketball just wasn't for me. That's when my coach stepped in. He could tell I was losing confidence, so he reminded me that improvement takes time and that struggling did not mean I lacked ability. Rather than simply telling me to keep going, he offered to practise with me after school twice a week. He showed me how to control the ball more carefully and encouraged me to focus on one small improvement at a time. At first, I still made plenty of mistakes, but he pointed out the progress I was making, which helped me stay motivated. My goal became to make the school team, and eventually I managed to do that. Even more importantly, I started enjoying basketball again and became more confident about trying difficult things. I admire my coach because he was patient and supportive, but he also gave me practical advice instead of empty praise. His encouragement taught me not to give up as soon as progress feels slow. I still remember that lesson whenever I face a challenge, so he had a lasting influence on me.

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

The ideas develop in a clear sequence: you introduce basketball, explain your loss of confidence, describe your coach’s practical support, and finish with the goal you achieved and the lesson you retained. The account is complete and stays focused on the prompt. Since this is text only, spoken fluency cannot be scored. For practice, give this answer in two minutes, then repeat it in 90 seconds while keeping the key stages.

Lexical Resource

Phrases such as “hit a wall,” “one small improvement at a time,” and “empty praise” make the account vivid and relevant. The vocabulary also distinguishes emotional support from practical coaching. Some wording is familiar and conversational, which suits Part 2, though the description could be more specific in places. Next, add one precise example of a basketball skill the coach helped you improve, if that reflects your experience.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

The answer combines direct sentences with longer structures, including “Rather than simply telling me to keep going, he offered to practise with me” and a relative clause in “the progress I was making.” This helps the story sound connected rather than list-like. The opening phrase “I was thinking maybe” is understandable but less controlled than the rest. For a slightly more polished version, practise using “I began to wonder whether…” for that thought.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation cannot be assessed from text, so this is a practice guide, not an assessment of a recording. Try stressing the key words in “losing confidence” and “school team,” and group the final thought as: “I still remember that lesson / whenever I face a challenge.” Record yourself saying those phrases, mark the stressed words, then listen back and check that each thought group is easy to follow.

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

  • When practising, make the turning point explicit: explain how your coach noticed that you were losing confidence before describing his advice.
  • Add one concrete example of a basketball skill he helped you practise, but only if it is accurate to your experience.
  • Finish with the personal lesson, as you do here, and practise delivering the full story once in two minutes and once in 90 seconds.

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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