IELTS Speaking Part 2

Describe someone or something that made a lot of noise

Describe someone or something that made a lot of noise.

You should say:

One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.

How to plan it in one minute

  1. Identify the source of noise quickly to leave time for your personal reaction.
  2. Use descriptive adjectives to paint a vivid picture of the sound's intensity.
  3. Ensure you link the noise to a specific setting to make the story authentic.

Band 8 model answer

I’d like to talk about my upstairs neighbour, Mr Henderson, who is an amateur percussionist. He is a retired gentleman in his seventies, and while he is generally a polite and quiet man, he has this surprising hobby that turns our building into a concert hall at the most inconvenient times. The noise is absolutely deafening; it is a rhythmic, high-intensity clatter of snare drums and cymbals that seems to vibrate right through the ceiling. It is not a melodic sound by any means, but rather a sharp, piercing cacophony that echoes throughout the entire flat, making it impossible to focus on anything remotely intellectual. Whenever the drumming starts, I usually try to put on my noise-cancelling headphones to drown out the racket, or sometimes I simply leave the house and head to a nearby library to find some peace. Honestly, my feelings about this are quite mixed. On one hand, I find it incredibly frustrating because it disrupts my work-from-home routine and makes me feel quite irritable by the end of the day. However, on the other hand, I have a begrudging respect for his passion. It is rare to see someone at his age so dedicated to mastering a musical instrument, even if his choice of hobby is objectively intrusive. I suppose I feel a sense of resignation towards it; I have learnt that complaining rarely achieves anything in this building, so I have chosen to tolerate it as a quirky, albeit ear-splitting, feature of living in a bustling city apartment.

253 words, about two minutes at a natural pace. Details are invented; use your own.

Vocabulary from the answer

amateur
someone who does an activity for pleasure
deafening
a sound so loud it hurts ears
cacophony
a loud, unpleasant mixture of confused sounds
noise-cancelling
technology designed to reduce unwanted ambient sounds
intrusive
causing disruption or annoyance in a space
resignation
the acceptance of something unpleasant but inevitable
ear-splitting
extremely loud and potentially painful to hear
bustling
full of energetic and noisy activity

Part 3 questions that follow this card

Answer each in three to five sentences: position, reason, example, limit. See the Part 3 guide.

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Frequently asked questions

How should I start the cue card "Describe someone or something that made a lot of noise."?

Identify the source of noise quickly to leave time for your personal reaction.

How long should my answer be?

Speak for the full two minutes, about 220 to 280 words at a natural pace. The examiner will stop you at two minutes, which is a good sign, not a problem.

Can I use this model answer in the exam?

Use its structure and vocabulary, not its sentences. Examiners recognise memorised answers and mark fluency down; a shorter answer from your own memory scores higher than a recited one.

More cue cards: a person