Sample Band 9 for IELTS Speaking Part 2 & Part 3: An Interesting Foreign Person You Have Heard

IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a foreign person who you have heard or known that you think is interesting

You should say:
Who the person is
How you know him/her
What kind of person he/she is
And explain why you think he/she is interesting

Sample Answer Band 9 for IELTS cue card:

Describe a foreign person who you have heard or known that you think is interesting

Well, I always try to keep myself posted (to make sure somebody knows what is happening) about the global economic news and foreign political figures (an important or well-known person). There is one well-known person who left a profound impression on me in the political field, who is Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister – Justin Trudeau.

I accidentally (=by chance) saw him in CNN’s breaking news (newly received info about an event currently occurring) and It seemed to me that he was a charismatic and persuasive leader and an excellent speaker. So I wanted to searching high and low (to search everywhere for something) on Google to find out (to obtain knowledge of something) more about him. I found some pieces of news quite surprising and interesting that his father was 15th Prime Minister of Canada, and he used to teach French and Maths at a secondary school. He started his glorious (deserving great honor, admiration, and praise) political career after winning the 2015 federal election.

There are a range of things which made me find him interesting. I like his vision for Canada which is a country where all citizens (a person born in a particular country has certain rights because of having lived there) has a fair opportunity to succeed. All he wanted is to make change which would better serve all Canadians.  Up to now, as Prime Minister, he manages (to succeed) to lead a government to keep moving Canada forward. His team & he are successful in creating good middle class jobs, keeping Canada’s communities safe, and fighting climate change.

So that’s why I admire him and find him such a great inspiration and prime example (=good example) for young leaders all around the world.

IELTS Speaking Part 3 : Follow up Questions

Here are some IELTS Speaking Part 3 follow up questions asked in IELTS speaking part 3 by IELTS examiner related to IELTS cue card “describe a foreign person who you have heard or known that you think is interesting”.

1. Do you have any foreign friends and do you think having foreign friends is a good way to know other countries?
No, I do not have lots of foreign friends . But I do believe that having friends who comes from different countries with different social backgrounds (someone’s family, previous work, education, etc) is a good way to learn more about other countries’ cultures.

2. Do you think it’s important to know the culture and language before going to another country? 
Yes, absolutely. It is vital (=very important) to learn the basic language and culture of other countries before you go there. Your traveling experience will be much more worthwhile (worth the time, effort, or money) when you can speak some basic sentences to communicate with the locals in the countries you visit. On top of that (besides), each country has different cultures, so learning their cultures means you respect them and their cultures, which will make you enjoy your travel better. Therefore, it is important to not only be well aware of the new places you are visiting, but also learn about their language and cultural awareness. 

3. What do you think of people who work in international companies? / Why do many people like to work in international companies?

In this fast-paced world, most people are attracted to the multinational corporations because of some reasons. Firstly, working in a international environment can provide the right foundation for them, thereby opening up more career opportunities in the future. The salary, compensation package (total payment /benefits which an employee receives for doing their job) and other corporate perks (bonuses companies offer to make their offer better than the competition) is much better. Therefore, they can bring long-term financial stability, and an atmosphere that fosters (to encourage the development/growth) good employee relations.

4. What abilities do people need to have when working in an international company?

To thrive (to grow, or be successful) in the world of international business demands a different set of skills than expected such as cross-cultural (involving two or more different cultures) communication skills, adaptive thinking (the ability to recognize unexpected situations, consider possible responses quickly, and decide on the best one), emotional intelligence (the ability to perceive, control, evaluate emotions), collaboration, and resilience (ability to be happy, successful after something bad or difficult happened). These skills definitely help the workers navigate ( to deal effectively with a difficult situation) this new, globalized business landscape.