IELTS Energy 1608: Who Inspires You? How to Nail This Common IELTS Question

This is the IELTS Energy Podcast, Episode 1608. Who inspires you? How to nail this common IELTS question. Welcome to the IELTS Energy Podcast from All Ears English. Downloaded more than 35 million times with examiner-trained IELTS whiz Aubrey Carter and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl.

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Who do you look up to? Today, get four phrases to describe someone you're impressed by that are perfect for IELTS speaking part two. We'll share strategies for this topic and you'll learn why Aubrey admires her younger brother.

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Hello, Michelle. How are you? Hi, Aubrey. I am doing well. How are you? Excellent. I have something fun to share with you listeners out there if you are watching on YouTube.

If not, if you're listening to the podcast somewhere while you're driving or doing chores, come watch this video later on YouTube so that you can see my new tattoo. Yes. I've got a full sleeve of tattoos. What do you think, Michelle?

Yes. So cool. I love it. I really love it, Aubrey. It's so much fun to do something like that. Yes. And it isn't real, guys. I'm sure you can tell it's just henna.

I love it. I love henna. I love henna tattoos. I'm obsessed. And maybe I need a full sleeve of real tattoos. You guys know Jessica has a million tattoos.

They're so cool. And I've never, I don't have any real tattoos, but I think I'm going to get one now and see what I need. Maybe you will. I would love to see that, Aubrey.

I think you should do it for sure. Yeah. I don't want to feel like a Jessica copycat, but you know what? I think she would love it if I started getting tattoos.

Well, you know, a lot of people have tattoos. It's not just Jessica. Jessica doesn't. She didn't make up all things tattoos. I think she would laugh at you.

She probably will. She'll be like, no matter what you do, you're never going to have as many tattoos as I have. And I'll be like, you're right. That is absolutely true.

That's really funny. So this is going to be interesting. I have a question for you, Michelle, to start us out today. What is something someone you know has done recently that impressed you?

Oh, I'm going to go with my son. It's something he did. So yeah, he's my little smush. So we started him in Little League. And yeah, and so we really wanted it to help with confidence and build, you know, just like build a skill and just build, you know, make friends.

And so he started and the first few games, like he was, I mean, he was good. He got a couple hits, but last game, he actually got three hits. Hits for three at-bats. Amazing.

He got three singles. And then each time, like, the team was doing really well. So he made it all around. So he got three runs. Amazing. Yeah. So it just made me...

I was just so proud of him. And also just... to watch him like he he's so cute he was like doing a little dance every time he got to the next base and he was also very fast so he kind of slid in at one point and he and then he got dirt all over his shirt because he was trying so hard and i was just i i my son he when he wants to do something he will do it like i've seen him with climbing rock walls, doing art, like all sorts of things.

He will do it. And so I was just very proud of him. And he's such a, such a sweetie. Oh, I love that. I submit that there is nothing cuter than a little kid playing baseball.

yeah i had gg my little like all of my kids have played baseball at one time or another and i love watching their games it's so cute watching that and often they're like swinging swinging swinging it's so it's difficult to get a hit so that's amazing that he got three hits in a game and ran the little bases and my favorite is like what you were saying how he did a little dance at the base or if they're in the outfield either doing a little dance or like chasing a butterfly it's so fun to watch oh my gosh it's so funny because they get so like kind of distracted yeah and and he was like throwing imagine an imaginary ball with this kid the other day and he's like pretending it's so entertaining watching them so cute it's way better than major league baseball

They're not doing anything that fun unless it's the banana. What are they called? The Savannah banana. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're doing fun stuff. They're doing backflips and stuff.

I don't know if you guys out there have heard of the Savannah bananas. If not, look up a video because they are very entertaining. But second place is really little kids playing baseball is also super fun. He's such a good

boy. So I was very, very proud of him. Yeah. Today we are getting into a very common IELTS speaking part two topic of describing a person that inspires you or someone who impresses you.

So that this is perfect. You could talk for two minutes, Michelle, about your son and how well he did at that baseball game. Absolutely. Telling a story is vital here.

It would be really difficult to describe a person for a full two minutes. You should tell a story to fill those two minutes. So that was great. And I'm excited to dive into vocabulary and also give you a sample IELTS speaking part two question here.

Yeah. Yeah. And I think this topic is so powerful because it lets you show emotion, tell a story, and really use that more advanced vocabulary naturally. And yeah, just talking about my son, of course, I'm going to have emotion, right?

And sharing, you know, this special moment. That's such a good point. You would really want to avoid a monotone with these answers because you should sound excited or impressed, right? We should hear your emotion.

You need to give words the space to punch them, punch those adjectives, hit them harder so that your tone varies as you speak. That's how to get a higher pronunciation score. A lot of students don't realize it's not just about word stress and phonemes. It's also about your intonation.

If you speak with a monotone, you cannot even score six. on the pronunciation score. Yeah. Yeah. It's really, really important. So, all right, let's work on that band seven.

Let's do some vocabulary here, right? So we have five high scoring words here that you could use to describe a person that you find impressive. It depends on what you think about them, what you're impressed about them. And then we have some like phrasal verbs and things that would be useful for this type of answer.

So first we have the What does this mean, Michelle? Yeah, well, if you're resilient, you are able to recover quickly from difficulties. Yeah. So if your son, for example, got hit by a baseball and it knocked him over, what would he do if you were resilient?

Knock on wood. Let's hope that doesn't happen in the game tonight. Exactly. jump right up that's true he would jump right up and do a dance which is rare for kids often they're not quite as resilient and they might cry they might be really upset which is understanding too no shame in that game but yeah someone who's resilient may have experienced that a few times and then it no longer phases them they get hit with the ball and be like meh

Just par for the course. I'm used to that. Exactly. Exactly. So let's do some examples here. For example, she is incredibly resilient and never gives up.

So this would be if you're talking about someone who's impressive as far as their job skills, maybe they are interviewing for lots of different jobs, whatever it is you're impressed by. If they don't give up easily, you could describe them as resilient. And that's a band nine word. Students don't use it that often.

Yeah. Or after many failures, he remained resilient. So it's just another way of saying he didn't give up. Right. And this could be about a small child who fails a lot at something or an adult at work, right?

Everyone experiences failures and anyone can be resilient if instead of giving up, they stick to it and they keep trying. Exactly. Exactly. All right.

Our next word, it's a phrasal verb, look up to. So this means to admire and respect someone. So this is perfect for this topic. If you're talking about someone you find impressive, you will likely say, I look up to them because, and then share what you think is impressive about them.

So I've always looked up to my older sister. Yeah, that means they are an impressive person. You admire them to say I've always looked up to them. And we'll say this about a role model.

It could be a celebrity, someone you look up to, but we do use this more often for someone we know in our real life. I look up to them, meaning I know things about them that are impressive. I admire them. Maybe I would like to emulate them.

I'd like to be like them. That's a bonus right there. Emulate is a band nine verb. That means I would like to follow their example. And that is a verb that if you can use that in these answers and say, I want to emulate this person, that is going to boost your vocabulary as well.

Perfect. Yeah. Or many students look up to their teachers. So yeah, if you have a great teacher, you definitely look up to them. Yes. You want to emulate them.

Absolutely. And use both. Say, I look up to her and I want to emulate her, right? We can stack this high scoring vocabulary as well. Native speakers do that all the time.

Don't hesitate to do that. All right. Third word, determination. This is a noun and it means the quality of continuing to try despite difficulty. So yeah, guys, you may have heard this word before.

I mean, yeah, if you're resilient, right? You have a lot of determination, right? So for example, his determination helped him succeed. Yes. Or she showed great determination during tough times.

And this is a great adjective, but I'm going to share something that's even more high scoring, which is stick-to-itiveness, which is this fun adjective we kind of create to describe someone who has determination. If they stick to something, they don't give up when it gets tough, we'll say, she has great stick-to-itiveness. Okay.

It is so fun. It's a little more common in my regional dialect. Maybe we say it a lot out here in the West. Interesting. I like that. I appreciate her stick-to-itiveness because we'll also say like she sticks to it.

She is a person that sticks to it. We kind of use it that way as well. And then we turn it into this adjective. She has stick-to-itiveness. I like that.

Or let's do one more, Aubrey. Yeah, perfect. Influential is another good adjective. This sort of means having the power to affect people or decisions.

And you might want to talk about someone who is influential and uses that as a force for good when you are talking about someone you admire. So for example, she is an influential figure in my life. That means She has made a difference in she has set an example.

She has led by example and has made a difference in how I react or how I act. Yeah, I love that. Or teachers can be very influential, we might say, because of course, the children are looking up to them. They're following their example.

They trust what they're doing. So they do have an influence on their children. So we'll say they are influential. Yes, that's a great one, too. All right, let's do a sample answer here.

Michelle, give me a part two answer and I will answer it. Remember, this is the one that takes two minutes. You have to speak for a full two minutes. Michelle, we're going to give you a little IELTS quiz.

What do you remember about these part two answers? What is important for students to do in order to fill that two minutes? Well, you know, you don't just kind of answer just a yes or no question or just cut something off. You know, you take it, you take the basic part and then you elaborate with stories and share examples.

And if you've already shared your example and it's not that long, then you can go into something else. You can just just try and keep on going just all the way up until the examiner says thank you. Right. So don't stop.

Exactly, Michelle, right? Part two is difficult. You have to speak for two minutes. You can't just answer yes or no. You have to provide a lot of details.

You have to share a story. So this, you definitely need to practice these. Practice describing someone you admire, someone you're impressed with. So Michelle, go ahead and ask me a part two answer.

And then if you can get your stopwatch ready, if you have it, time me for two minutes. And then remember guys out there, do not worry about the time. Just speak until the examiner says, thank you. When the time hits two minutes, they will say thank you.

And then you stop speaking. Don't even think about the time. Just tell a story. Don't summarize because you might feel like you're close to the end, but you're really not.

Just keep speaking, add more details, anything related until they say thank you. So that's what I'm going to do here. And I'll try to use some of today's high scoring vocabulary and All right, Michelle, go ahead and give me my question.

All right, here we go. Okay, Aubrey, your question is, describe a person you admire. Oh, I definitely want to tell you about my brother. He's two years younger than me.

We have been fairly close throughout our lives, but we haven't often lived in the same place. But I am able to see him in the winter. He is here for an art show. He's an oil painter.

He's here for an art show all winter. And then he's in Idaho where we grew up the rest of the year. So when I go there for the summer, I see him there as well. But

He has had some huge life changes within the last few years. He divorced. He has tried to be in the dating world, which is difficult. He has four children, so they're figuring out co-parenting.

And I've been... trying to help him as he navigates this new life. And I have been impressed with his resilience and his ex-wives as well. I still love my sister-in-law dearly, but I have seen how difficult it is.

And he also, it's difficult, this career he has. He's an oil painter. He's Getting his work in galleries and doing art shows. And for anyone out there who's an artist, they know that's not the easiest career path.

But he has been able, for the most part, to keep a really positive attitude, to have determination to be a happy, positive person and successful in his career. And I've really been proud of him for that. And I look up to him. I always have.

He's a very fun guy. He's so fun to play games with. He's funny. Whenever, if we're at family events, I'm always really happy if he's there. No offense to my other brothers and sisters, but it's really fun when he's there.

I know they all feel the same. They feel the same about me too, to be honest. They're like, is Aubrey coming? Cause it's going to be more fun. I'm like, I know you're welcome.

I'm here. But also this brother is such a fun time. He is hilarious. He's always making funny jokes. He's so fun to play games with. He gets really competitive, but in the same way I do where we want it to be close.

We want it to be fun, but we don't really care if we win or not. Oh, I could have talked so much longer. Are you sure that was two minutes that flew by? That was two minutes.

two minutes you don't want to hear about my brother for 15 minutes michelle i know well that was very sweet i also am close with my brother so i it's nice for me to hear about um yeah that in common yeah exactly i mean really really great job aubrey i i loved how you you jumped all around you know you gave you know a kind of a background of your brother you talked about

um what like you talked a little bit about him just like who he is an oil painter you talked about his personal life um and some of the things that he's been dealing with uh and you also just talked about him being fun you know you just you gave like a really full idea of who he is and i kind of like you know him now right right i was like oh i would like to hang out with him Yeah. And you would. He's so fun.

He sounds it. And yeah, so I did notice also some of the vocabulary words, like I believe you said resilient, look up to. I think you used determination as well. I did.

I was like, I'm impressed by his determination. And I, I noticed that I used resilience, the noun as well. I was like, he's always been, or he is resilient through all of this. I use it as an adjective.

And then I noticed, I kind of clocked myself saying he has a lot of resilience around. So I want to point that as well out as well, that that's the noun form. We say someone is resilient and they have a lot of resilience and you can use either. And just like you saw, you can use both in the same answer.

That wouldn't really, that wouldn't be considered vocabulary repetition. As long as you don't say them again and again and again, like this is a different form and you're showing the examiner that you know both the adjective and the noun form and you can use them correctly. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

Yeah. So there was so much there that you painted this picture of your brother. And I also loved when you said, oh, I think people would say that about me too. If Aubrey's going to be there, that would be...

And if you're watching on YouTube, I did this thing Jessica used to make fun of me for doing this. I would put my hands on my chin like, look how cute I am. And she would tease me about that. And I don't know if I do it that often anymore.

I've been trying to be like, okay, maybe enough with that. But every now and then it's just perfect for what I'm saying. I'm like, meh. I love it. That's so funny.

Yeah, but thank you for that, Aubrey. That was great. So guys, yeah, we also want to remind you, check out IELTS Energy episode 1601. That was Do You Need an IELTS Detox?

Aubrey, that was a fun one that we did together. Yes, and you might. You might need an IELTS Detox. Take a little break for a couple days, but this really was sharing how we use detox in English.

Yeah. And as a verb and also as a noun. So check that out if you missed it. Scroll up for that great IELTS vocabulary. And thanks for joining me today, Michelle.

And thanks, guys, for listening about my brother, whom I love. It was very fun. All right, Aubrey. Well, thanks again. And guys, we'll see you in the next episode.

Awesome. Bye. Thanks for listening to IELTS Energy. Hit subscribe now and don't forget to find your estimated band score at allearsenglish.com slash myscore.