IELTS Speaking Part 2

Describe a person who loves to grow plants (e.g. vegetables, flowers) at home or in the garden: IELTS cue card with sample answer

An IELTS cue card for Speaking Part 2 with a Band 8 sample answer, the one-minute plan behind it, the vocabulary that lifts it and the Part 3 follow-up questions the examiner can ask next.
  • 251 words
  • A person
  • 1 minute to prepare
  • 2 minutes to speak

The cue card

Describe a person who loves to grow plants (e.g. vegetables, flowers) at home or in the garden

You should say:

  • →Who this person is
  • →What plants he/she grows
  • →How he/she grows the plants
  • →And explain why he/she loves growing plants

One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.

A person

How to answer this cue card: a one-minute plan

  1. 1

    Identify the person clearly and describe their specific garden setting to create a visual image.

  2. 2

    Detail the specific plants and methods to demonstrate your range of descriptive vocabulary.

  3. 3

    Focus your final minute on the personal emotional benefits to provide a thoughtful conclusion.

Model answer

Band 8 sample answer

Band 8251 words, about two minutes at a natural pace. Details are invented; use your own.

I’d like to tell you about my uncle, Arthur, who is a dedicated horticultural enthusiast living in the countryside. He has transformed his rather modest backyard into a vibrant, sprawling sanctuary that looks more like a botanical garden than a simple vegetable patch. He grows a diverse array of flora, ranging from heirloom tomatoes and crisp kale to fragrant English roses that climb the trellis near his back porch. His technique is quite meticulous; he practises organic gardening, meaning he shuns synthetic pesticides entirely. Instead, he spends his mornings brewing his own compost tea and carefully monitoring the pH levels of the soil. He is also a master of seasonal rotation, ensuring the earth remains nutrient-rich throughout the year. It’s fascinating to watch him work because he has this uncanny ability to diagnose a plant’s health just by the colour of its leaves. He genuinely loves gardening because it provides him with a profound sense of tranquillity that he struggles to find elsewhere. For him, sinking his hands into the damp earth is a form of meditation; it helps him disconnect from the frantic pace of modern life and reconnect with the natural rhythm of the seasons. He often tells me that there is nothing more rewarding than nurturing a tiny seed into a flourishing plant that eventually ends up on the dinner table. It is this tangible connection to the cycle of growth and the quiet satisfaction of self-sufficiency that keeps him so passionate about his garden every single day.

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8 words

Useful vocabulary for this cue card

  • horticultural

    Relating to the art or practice of gardening.

  • heirloom

    An old variety of plant not used commercially.

  • trellis

    A wooden framework used to support climbing plants.

  • meticulous

    Showing great attention to detail and precision.

  • shuns

    Persistently avoids, ignores, or rejects something.

  • uncanny

    Strange or mysterious in an unsettling way.

  • tranquillity

    The quality or state of being calm.

  • self-sufficiency

    The ability to maintain oneself without outside help.

5 questions

Part 3 follow-up questions

  1. 1Why do some people start their own business?
  2. 2Should governments provide financial support to start-ups?
  3. 3Do most people prefer shopping at big stores or small stores?
  4. 4What makes a business successful?
  5. 5What makes a business fail?

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 loves to grow plants (e.g. vegetables, flowers) at home or in the garden"?+

Identify the person clearly and describe their specific garden setting to create a visual image.

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

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