Describe a family member you are close to.
A strong long turn names the subject in the first sentence, spends most of the two minutes on the last bullet — the why — and arrives at a prepared final line rather than trailing off.
The question, as the examiner gives it
Describe a family member you are close to.
You should say
- who the person is
- how much time you spend together
- what you talk about
- and explain why you are close to them
60 seconds to prepare, up to 2 minutes to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 181 words at a natural pace — roughly what 120 seconds holds.
Answer it yourself first
Record your own answer first. A model you have read three times comes out with a flattened rhythm, and examiners are trained to hear exactly that. Read it afterwards for the vocabulary and the shape, not to memorise the sentences.The person I am closest to is my younger sister, Neha, which would have astonished both of us fifteen years ago. As children we fought constantly, mostly about territory, and I remember a period where we drew a line down the middle of a shared room with chalk. What changed everything was leaving home. She moved to Delhi for work and I stayed, and suddenly the only contact we had was the contact we chose. We speak two or three times a week now, usually late, and it is almost never about anything important. She tells me about a colleague I have never met as if I know him well, and I complain about my landlord. The reason we are close, I think, is that she is the only person who has known me through every version of myself, including the ones I would rather forget, and has not held any of them against me. She is also completely unimpressed by me, which is useful. If I start taking myself seriously she says something extremely rude and the whole thing collapses.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- astonished
strong verb, stressed on the second syllable
- territory
four syllables, heavily reduced in speech
- chalk
concrete childhood detail with a silent l
- landlord
compound noun grounding the ordinary talk
- version
used figuratively about a person, which lifts the register
- unimpressed
negative prefix used precisely and warmly
- collapses
vivid verb for a mood breaking
How a strong answer is built
- 1Name the person and flag what is surprising.
- 2Give the history so the closeness has a shape.
- 3Describe the contact concretely, including its triviality.
- 4Answer the why with something specific to them.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Describe a family member you are close to.” be?
You get 60 seconds to make notes and then speak for up to two minutes without interruption. Aim to still be talking at ninety seconds: finishing at forty is the commonest way to lose marks on this part.
Should I memorise the model answer?
No. Record your own version first, then read the model for the shape and the vocabulary. A memorised answer changes rhythm and pace noticeably, and examiners are trained to hear it — it usually costs more than the better wording gains.
Does sayit score this answer?
It scores what a microphone can observe: an estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.
What the band on your result means
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.One question a day until your test
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