I’d like to talk about my maternal aunt, Sarah, who is an absolute fanatic when it comes to gardening. She lives in a quaint, semi-detached house on the outskirts of Oxford, and I’ve known her my entire life. We visit her every summer, and the moment you step into her back garden, the atmosphere shifts completely from the suburban noise to a tranquil, fragrant oasis. Sarah has cultivated a sprawling collection of plants, ranging from delicate English roses to more resilient Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and sage. She also has a dedicated section for a vegetable patch where she grows seasonal produce such as heirloom tomatoes, courgettes, and runner beans. It’s quite impressive to see how she manages to keep everything thriving despite our often unpredictable British weather. When I asked her why she’s so dedicated to it, she explained that gardening is her primary form of mindfulness. She finds the tactile nature of digging in the soil incredibly grounding, especially after a taxing week working as a primary school teacher. For her, it isn’t just about the aesthetics of a blooming flower bed or the yield of the vegetables, but rather the rhythmic, slow-paced process of nurturing something living. She often says that watching a seedling push through the earth gives her a profound sense of accomplishment and perspective. It acts as a necessary escape from our fast-paced, digital world, allowing her to reconnect with the natural cycle of life in a very tangible way.
The cue card
Describe a person who likes to grow plants or gardening
You should say:
- →Who this person is
- →How you know them
- →What plants they grow
- →And explain why they enjoy gardening
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
A person
How to answer this cue card: a one-minute plan
- 1
Choose a real person to make your description feel more authentic and natural.
- 2
Jot down three distinct plant types to ensure you have enough detail to describe.
- 3
Focus your prep on linking the activity to the person's personality or emotional state.
Model answer
Band 8 sample answer
Say it out loud and get a band
Record this card with the AI examiner: one minute of prep, two minutes to speak, then a band for fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation with the words that cost you.
Say it and get a band free →8 words
Useful vocabulary for this cue card
quaint
attractively unusual or old-fashioned in a charming way
sprawling
spreading out over a large area in untidy
heirloom
traditional varieties of plants passed down through generations
mindfulness
a mental state achieved by focusing on present
tactile
connected with the sense of touch and feeling
grounding
giving a feeling of stability and mental balance
taxing
physically or mentally demanding and very tiring
tangible
clear enough to be easily seen or felt
5 questions
Part 3 follow-up questions
- 1What role does society play in shaping our attitudes towards this?
- 2Has the way people view this changed over the years?
- 3How do you think it will develop in the future?
- 4What are the benefits and drawbacks?
- 5Do you think the government should be involved in regulating this area?
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 a person who likes to grow plants or gardening"?+
Choose a real person to make your description feel more authentic and natural.
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
More cue cards: a person
- Describe a child who loves drawing/painting
- Describe a confident public speaker you know
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- Describe a famous business person that you know about
- Describe a film/movie actor from your country who is very popular
- Describe a friend from your childhood
- All 705 IELTS cue cards 2026
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- IELTS pronunciation practice
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