Sample Speaking Part 2, 3: Describe a famous athlete you know

“Describe a famous athlete you know” is an IELTS Speaking Part 2 task under the topic of Describing a person. While this is a relatively familiar topic, this task can pose difficulties for many female candidates and will be an advantage for male candidates. Therefore, below is an outline, sample ideas, how to take notes in 1 minute, a complete sample response, and related vocabulary that PREP has compiled in detail, with the hope of helping candidates achieve a high Speaking band score!

I. Sample IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a famous athlete you know

1. Cue card

Describe a famous athlete you know:

2. Outline: Part 2

2.1. Idea

• The task "Describe a famous athlete you know" requires the candidate to describe an athlete that you admire, including the following information: 

  • Who the athlete is

  • How you know this person

  • What achievements the athlete has accomplished in their career

  • Why you admire this athlete

• The "Describe a famous athlete you know" task falls under the broader topic of People. The topic related to sports can be a challenge for female candidates as many may not actively play or watch any sports. Male candidates may not face as much difficulty. To tackle the "Describe a famous athlete you know" task, the easiest and most effective approach is to closely follow the prompts provided in the task and provide the clearest information, avoiding vague generalizations.

• For the first question, who the person is. The first question in the "Describe a famous athlete you know" task is generally quite easy to answer, as we all know at least one athlete (in soccer, tennis, or any sport that you enjoy). All you need to do is choose an athlete that you feel confident discussing or can easily find information about online/on social media.

• Next, let's go into more detail on the second question, how you know this person. In the next question, you will explain the circumstances in which you encountered or learned about this athlete. For example: where you met them, how you came to know about them, and in what context.

• Building on the second point, you can incorporate answering the 3rd and 4th questions from the "Describe a famous athlete you know" task - what achievements the athlete has accomplished, and why you admire them. You should explain the details and compare them to other individuals to highlight what makes this person unique.

2.2. One-minute note taking

3. Sample Speaking: Describe a famous athlete you know

Below is a sample IELTS Speaking Part 2 response on the topic "Describe a famous athlete you know", written by teacher Nhat Pham. Please review it to get some ideas for your IELTS English exam.

Let's listen to the podcast of the IELTS Speaking Part 2 sample response - "Describe a famous athlete you know": 

I actually look up to so many athletes, and if I’m to pick one to tell you about, I’d choose Zidane, the French football player. I first knew him in 1998, watching on TV my first World Cup ever.

Aside from the French national team, Zidane played for many top-flight clubs in European football. He claimed multiple prestigious titles throughout his illustrious career, and also individual accolades such as Player of the Year. Zidane made his name as a playmaker who exhibited exquisite skills on the pitch, so much that he was vital to the success of all teams that he was a part of. He’s always been a feature in debates about the greatest footballer, even while he was still active. 

But I think it was a match Zidane lost that made me adore him. In 2006, Zidane played his last international tournament in the World Cup. Everyone knew this was his swan song, and while Zidane made the final, he was sent off near the end of the match. France eventually lost to Italy, but I think most people would remember Zidane’s red card more, because it showed that the man was not infallible after all. That he showed both his highs and lows to millions of people was a very human quality, and it did little to dent his image, but instead made him even more endearing in the eyes of football fans, myself included. 

• Look up to sb (v.): to admire and respect someone

• Top-flight (adj.): of the highest quality or standard

• Prestigious (adj.): respected and admired, having high status

• Title & accolade (n.): an honor or award given in recognition of achievement

• Illustrious (adj.): famous and respected

• Make one's name (v.): to become famous or well-known

• Playmaker (n.): a player, especially in team sports, who creates opportunities for other players to score

• Exquisite (adj.): extremely beautiful and delicate

• Pitch (n.): a field for playing certain sports, such as soccer/football

• Vital (adj.): absolutely necessary and important

• Tournament (n.): a series of games or matches

• Swan song (n.): a final performance or activity before death or retirement

• Sent off (adj.): dismissed from a game, usually due to a red card

• Infallible (adj.): incapable of making mistakes or being wrong

• Highs and lows (n.): periods of success and failure

• Do little to + V (v.): fail to

• Dent one's image (v.): to damage or diminish someone's reputation

• Endearing (adj.): inspiring affection, charming

Please refer to the following article:

50+ bài mẫu IELTS Speaking Part 2 phù hợp với band điểm 6.5+!

II. Sample IELTS Speaking Part 3: Athletes

Let's listen to the podcast of the IELTS Speaking Part 3 sample response - "Athletes":

PREP FOR IELTS · prepedu.com | Topic Athletes | IELTS Speaking Part 3

1. What kinds of exercises do Vietnamese people like?

I’d say it’s aerobics. Aerobics is a combination of light physical exercises that seek to improve fitness throughout the entire body. However, what makes aerobics the cup of tea for many is the fact that it’s done in groups. Vietnamese people like exercising with others like themselves, so this kind of exercise easily becomes very appealing. You can spot groups of frequent practitioners in parks or around lakes. 

• Cup of tea (n.): something that is liked or enjoyed

• Appealing (adj.): attractive and interesting

• Practitioner (n.): a person who is engaged in an occupation or profession

2. What characteristics do you think an athlete should have?

Physical strength and endurance, for obvious reasons, but more importantly, mental toughness. A lot of people don’t know that performing athletic exercises is also a mental effort. Your pain threshold and your exhaustion threshold are actually two different things, and hence, you have to be able to mentally overcome pain and fatigue before breaking your personal limitations. 

• Endurance (n.): the ability to withstand hardship or stress for a long period of time

• Mental toughness (n.): the ability to cope with and overcome difficulties and challenges

• Threshold (n.): the point at which something starts to happen or change

• Exhaustion (n.): the state of being extremely tired or weak

• Fatigue (n.): a feeling of tiredness and lack of energy

3. Why are there so few top athletes?

There are so few top athletes because the field is cutthroat. To stay ahead of the curve, an athlete needs to be able to perform day in, day out. Simply practicing to do that alone takes an incredible toll on your body and mind, which is why very few people can sustain such a regimen. I wouldn’t be surprised if the most successful athletes in any physical discipline actually turn out to be genetic freaks. 

• Cutthroat (adj.): intensely competitive and ruthless

• Stay ahead of the curve (v.): to be at the forefront of developments or trends

• Day in, day out (adv.): constantly, without interruption

• Take a toll on sth. (v.): to have a damaging or wearing effect on something

• Sustain (v.): to maintain or carry on over a period of time

• Regimen (n.): a systematic plan for a course of exercise, diet, etc.

• Physical discipline (n.): a rigorous training or practice in a particular sport or activity

• Genetic freak (n.): a person with exceptional or abnormal physical abilities due to their genes

4. What’s the best way to become a top athlete?

To tell you the truth, I have no idea what the best way looks like, but I know a couple of good ways. One of them starts with you, the athlete, being extremely passionate about the activity you want to pursue from a very young age. Then, you’d need to be enrolled in a sports academy, and while there, you have to perform well enough so that you can be noticed by a talent scout. Hopefully, they’ll be able to hook you up with world-class coaches, who will teach you how to unlock your potential. Most top athletes that I know took their first baby steps toward success this way. 

• Passionate (adj.): having or showing strong feelings or a strong belief in something

• Enrolled (adj.): registered or admitted as a student

• Sports academy (n.): an institution that specializes in training young athletes

• Talent scout (n.): a person who identifies and recruits talented individuals, especially for sports teams

• Unlock potential (v.): to enable someone or something to achieve their full capabilities

• Baby steps (n.): small, cautious initial steps or actions

This article has provided a sample response for IELTS Speaking Part 2 + 3 on the topic "Describe a famous athlete you know". PREP wishes you an effective IELTS Speaking practice at home and helps you achieve a top-notch Speaking band score!