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.
The cue card
Describe someone or something that made a lot of noise.
You should say:
- →Who made the noise?
- →What the noise was like?
- →What do you do when you hear the noise?
- →And how do you feel about it?
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
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One minute to prepare, then up to two minutes to speak. Cover every point on the card, then compare with the Band 8 answer below.
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A person
How to answer this cue card: a one-minute plan
- 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.
Model answer
Band 8 sample answer
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Useful vocabulary for this cue card
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
6 questions
Part 3 follow-up questions
- 1What are the biggest causes of noise pollution?
- 2Why is noise pollution harmful to us?
- 3Do you think people pay more attention to water pollution than noise pollution?
- 4What should society do to reduce noise pollution?
- 5Do you believe that the world will be noisier in the future?
- 6Why do some people hang out in crowded and noisy places?
Answer each in three to five sentences: position, reason, example, limit. See how to answer IELTS Speaking Part 3.
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 I speak on an IELTS cue card?+
You get one minute to prepare, then 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.
How is the cue card scored?+
Part 2 is not scored on its own. Your whole Speaking test gets one band from four criteria: fluency and coherence, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. The cue card is where the examiner hears whether you can keep going for two minutes.
Can I use this sample 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.
Keep practising
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