Describe a teacher who influenced you

The cue card

Describe a teacher who influenced you. You should say:

• who the teacher was
• what subject they taught
• what they were like
• and explain how they influenced you

You have 1 minute to prepare and should speak for 1 to 2 minutes.

🎙 Practise this card with the examiner

Notes you could make in 1 minute

Write key words only, one line per bullet point:

• Mrs Patel, English teacher
• high school
• strict but kind
• confidence to speak

Band 7+ sample answer

I'd like to talk about my high-school English teacher, Mr Fernandes. He taught me for my last two years of school, when I was sixteen and seventeen.

He was quite different from the other teachers. He was very relaxed and funny, but he also had high expectations. Instead of making us memorise grammar rules, he made us debate topics in English, write letters to newspapers and even record a short radio programme. At first I hated speaking in front of the class, because I was really shy and worried about making mistakes.

He influenced me in two main ways. First, he made me much more confident: he used to say that a mistake is just proof that you're trying, and gradually I stopped being afraid of speaking. Second, he's the reason I became interested in languages at all. Without his classes, I don't think I'd be living and studying in an English-speaking country now. So I'd say he changed the direction of my life, even though he probably doesn't realise it.

🔊 Listen to the sample answer

About 171 words, or roughly 2 minutes at a natural speaking pace.

Useful vocabulary for this topic

• to bring out the best in someone
• to believe in someone
• a lasting impact
• strict but fair
• to encourage someone to
• she made learning fun

Why this answer works: it covers every bullet point, tells a short story with specific details (names, places, numbers), uses a range of tenses, and finishes with the "explain" point, which is where you show your best vocabulary.

Follow-up and Part 3 questions

Examiner's follow-up (Part 2): Are you still in touch with this teacher?

Part 3 discussion questions:

• What makes a good teacher?
• Will online learning replace teachers?
• Should teachers be paid more?
• Is it better to study in small classes or large ones?

Answer Part 3 questions in 3–4 sentences: your view, a reason, an example, and the other side.

More cue cards

• Describe a restaurant or café you like
• Describe a goal you would like to achieve
• All 30 IELTS cue cards