Sample IELTS Speaking Part 2, 3: Describe a businessman you admire

"Describe a businessman you admire" is a familiar topic in the IELTS Speaking Part 2 + 3. How can you quickly and efficiently handle this type of question? Understanding your concerns, below is a sample Speaking Part 2 + 3 written by instructors at PREP. Refer to this sample to achieve a high band score and confidently face the examiner in the real exam room!

I. Sample IELTS Speaking Part 2 “Describe a businessman you admire”

1. Sample Speaking Part 2 on the topic "Describe a businessman you admire"

Cue card: Describe a businessman you admire. You should say:

• Who this person is
• How you knew this person
• What kinds of business this person does
• And explain why you admire this person

2. Sample IELTS Speaking Part 2:

Let's listen to the sample Podcast for IELTS Speaking Part 2 - Describe a businessman you admire:

I'm not much of a business nerd, but there is a businessman that I have a lot of respect for, which is Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple.

I know the symbolic human of this brand should be Steve Jobs as he has always been acknowledged as a genius by the public in general. Actually, I had never heard of Cook's name until 2014, when he replaced Steve Jobs to become the company's CEO. So, I started to browse all the information about him.

In fact, this man is called a logistics figure in business. He began his career at IBM, a multinational technology corporation. After a few changes of jobs in different companies, his final destination was Apple. It was an illogical decision because; firstly, Tim was working for Compaq, the most successful technological company at the time; and secondly, Apple was a sinking ship. The brand didn't make much profit that year and its whole fate depended on the upcoming product a lot.

When he entered Apple, he turned the situation around. He enforced a termination of factories and warehouses; and contract manufacturers were substituted for them, which was an economic measure to cut the company's budget. As a result, this strategy also reduced the inventory that Apple had to maintain.

Tim Cook is also a visionary player, for he decided to invest in flash memory cards in 2005, which is one of the key elements when customers buy phones these days. Products like iPad or iPhone were produced with various memory capacities. When they were launched, they had made Apple's name in the market.

Tim Cook was never in the limelight like Steve Jobs, so the controversies around the question why he was nominated as the CEO were understandable. Needless to say, the revenue that Apple has been earning under his leadership has proved them all.

Please refer to the following article:

• Sample IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a program on a computer/a mobile app on the phone that you use

3. Useful vocabulary in the sample

Here are some useful vocabulary used in the sample for the IELTS speaking topic "Describe a businessman you admire":

• Logistics: the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient flow and storage of goods, services, and information.
• Turn something around: to change something in a positive direction.
• Termination: the act of ending or stopping something.
• Substitute: to replace or use in place of something else.
• Inventory: a complete list of items or goods in stock.
• Flash memory card: a small electronic device used for storing digital data.
• Limelight: the focus of public attention or media coverage.

II. Sample Speaking Part 3 on the topic "Describe a businessman you admire"

Let's listen to the sample Podcast for IELTS Speaking Part 3 - Businessman.

1. Do you think children are born smart or they learn to become smart?

I think innate intelligence is true. I can give you an example of a child prodigy which is Mozart. He composed his first piece of published music at age 5, and by his teen years, he had already written several concertos, sonatas, operas and symphonies. However, countless child geniuses do not grow into adult geniuses. In fact the number of child geniuses are far less than those who become successful due to diligent, determination and luck.

2. How do children become smart at school?

It can be through academic endeavour or how often they associate with peers with diverse backgrounds. I suppose one is IQ and the other is EQ.

3. Why are some people well-rounded and others only good at one thing?

The only thing I can say about this is that it depends a lot on the inherent abilities of a person. For example, Michael Jackson can dance and sing appealingly while Dua Lipa, a singer having a great voice, doesn't have that stage presence.

4. Why does modern society need talents of all kinds?

Simply because without them, we would have an unbalanced workforce. Let me elaborate it more. You know, at school, we are taught different skills and different subjects and one of the quests of education is for each and every one to discover themselves and find out what one is good at. Imagine if everyone in society is trained to be doctors or lawyers, who would teach young children, who drive buses, and cook and clean? We can not underestimate the importance of any career and say that one is more valuable than another.

5. Vocabulary in the sample

Here are some useful vocabulary used in the sample for IELTS Speaking Part 3 on the topic "Describe a businessman you admire":

• Innate = inherent: existing naturally or as a basic part of something.
• Child prodigy: a young person who has exceptional talent or ability in a particular area.
• Composed: to create or produce something, such as a piece of music.
• Academic endeavor: the effort or attempt made in the pursuit of academic success.
• IQ: Intelligence Quotient, a measure of a person's intelligence.
• EQ: Emotional Quotient, a measure of a person's emotional intelligence.
• Inherent = innate: existing naturally or as a basic part of something.
• Elaborate: to provide more details or information about something.
• Quest: a mission or task that one sets out to accomplish.

This article has provided a sample IELTS Speaking Part 2 + 3 on the topic "Describe a businessman you admire" written by instructors at PREP. Referring to this article will help you effectively practice Speaking at home and confidently achieve a high band score on the Speaking test!