Sample Speaking Part 2: Describe a person whose work is useful to society

"Describe a person whose work is useful to society" is a relatively new topic for candidates preparing for the IELTS Speaking Part 2. Therefore, to get started and feel confident in tackling this topic, let's refer to the sample speech below to have an overview of the topic "Describe a person whose work is useful to society", Preppies!

I. Sample Speaking Part 2: Describe a person whose work is useful to society

1. Cue card

The IELTS Speaking Part 2, often referred to as the "Long Turn", is a unique segment of the IELTS Speaking test where candidates are asked to speak uninterrupted for 1-2 minutes on a particular topic. Upon receiving a task card, candidates have one minute to prepare their thoughts and jot down notes on the given subject, which typically relates to personal experiences or opinions. This part assesses an individual's ability to express and develop ideas coherently, demonstrate a range of vocabulary, and utilize appropriate language fluency and pronunciation. It's a critical component that allows examiners to gauge a candidate's spontaneous speaking skills in a more structured manner. Below is an example:

Describe a person you know who does a job which is useful to society. You should say:

• Who this person is
• How you knew him/her
• What type of work he/she does

And explain why you think his/her work is useful to the society

2. Detailed sample speech

Let’s listen to the Podcast of a sample IELTS Speaking Part 2 - Describe a person whose work is useful to society:

Let me tell you about my friend, Jessica,  whose job I believe is critical to the well-being of our society, especially in this day and age. She is a few years older than me and is currently working as a nurse at our local hospital. Jessica is also my neighbor so we get to hang out quite often. 

I think Jessica’s job is incredibly important, especially amid a raging pandemic like COVID-19. She helps care for patients, communicate with doctors, administer medicine, and check vital signs. Not only does she have to care for the patient, she also supports their families by helping them cope with the illness of their loved ones, and if necessary live with it, so that these people can work through the obstacles that may arise with the sickness of a family member. Nurses are always the first to notice when the patient’s conditions change. They must always be ready to spring into action in any emergencies or critical situation. 

Serving as the front line of healthcare, Jessica and other nurses also expose themselves to a lot of risks. For this pandemic, Jessica has been taking up numerous long shifts. There are many days when she could not go home because the hospital was understaffed. There are also days when Jessica had to quarantine at work due to exposure to a COVID-positive patient. Despite all these difficulties, I have never seen Jessica complaining about her jobs. She has a heart of gold and genuinely seems to find joy in helping people. Thanks to her and other medical professionals, we can deal with all the diseases and illnesses in our lifetime and stay healthy. I always have immense respect for them.

Note: This IELTS Speaking Part 2 sample can also be used for other topics such as: Describe a person whose job is important to society; Describe a person who contributes to society; Describe a job you think is useful to society, etc.

Refer to the article for more information:

• Sample IELTS Speaking Part 2, 3: Describe a businessman you admire
• Sample Speaking Part 2: Describe an item of clothing that someone gave you

II. Key vocabulary used in the sample: Describe a person whose work is useful to society

Below are some commonly used vocabulary words that have been used by prepedu.com teachers in the IELTS Speaking Part 2 sample on the topic: Describe a person whose work is useful to society. Specifically:

• critical (adj): important, decisive
• well-being (n): state of happiness, health
• in this day and age (n): nowadays
• Amid (prep): among, in the middle of
• A raging pandemic (phrase): a widespread epidemic
• administer medicine (phrase): prescribe medication
• check vital signs (phrase): examine vital signs
• cope with (phrasal verb): deal with
• arise (v): occur, come up
• spring into action (phrase): quickly take action
• critical situation (phrase): urgent situation
• front line (n): the forefront, the first line
• expose oneself to (phrase): put oneself in a certain situation (often a risky or dangerous one)
• understaffed (adj): lacking sufficient staff
• quarantine (v, n): isolate, period of isolation
• genuinely (adv): sincerely, truly
• find joy in (phrase): derive happiness from
• immense respect (phrase): deep respect

This article has provided the sample and highlighted vocabulary used in the topic: Describe a person whose work is useful to society. Wishing you effective IELTS preparation, and success in achieving your target score!