Describe a person you only met once recently and want to know more about
The cue card
Describe a person you only met once recently and want to know more about.
You should say
- who this person is
- when you met him or her
- why you want to know more about him or her
- and explain how you feel about him or her
How to answer it
This question has come back: candidates reported it on 1 September 2026, 3 September 2026, 4 September 2026. Questions that repeat across sittings are the ones worth rehearsing properly.
The most-reported cue card of the month so far, and the one worth rehearsing. Its trap is hiding in plain sight: you met this person ONCE, so you cannot tell a story about them. Candidates who pick a friend end up describing a friendship and drift off the card. Pick someone you genuinely spoke to for ten minutes and no longer — a stranger on a train, someone's cousin at a wedding, a new colleague you were introduced to on your first day. Then spend most of your two minutes on the third bullet, because that is the one that cannot be padded: what specifically did they say or do that made you want more? A half-finished remark, a job you had never heard of, a strong opinion they did not explain.
What moves the band
- Build the answer around what you DON'T know about them. Speculation language is the whole topic: I got the impression that, she seemed to be, I never found out whether.
- The follow-ups all move to friendship in general, so leave yourself one opinion in reserve — don't spend your best idea about first impressions inside the cue card.
Part 3 questions reported with it
Part 3 follows the topic of the cue card, so these are the discussion questions the same candidates were asked next.
- What can we do to leave a good impression on people we meet for the first time?
- What should we not talk about when meeting someone for the first time?
- How do people make friends in your country?
- On what occasions do people like to make friends?
- Is it important to have the same hobbies and interests when making friends?
- What qualities make true friends?
These are candidate recalls. These are questions reported by test-takers after their exams, not official or leaked IELTS material. Wording varies by test version, location and memory. Use them for timed practice — never as a prediction of what you will be asked.
Practise these next
Know the number. Now move it.
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