Describe a gift you gave someone.
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 gift you gave someone.
You should say
- what the gift was
- who you gave it to
- why you chose it
- and explain how they reacted
60 seconds to prepare, up to 2 minutes to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 199 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.Two years ago I gave my father a framed photograph for his sixtieth birthday, which does not sound like much until I explain the photograph. He had mentioned once, years earlier, that the only picture of his own father as a young man had been lost when the family moved. I remembered it, and eventually found that an elderly cousin in another city had a copy in an album. It took about four months, three phone calls with people I had never spoken to, and a scan that arrived at a terrible resolution and had to be repaired by somebody who does that professionally. I chose it because he is impossible to buy for. He genuinely does not want objects, and anything practical he has already bought a better version of. How he reacted was not dramatic at all. He looked at it for a long time, said thank you, and put it on the shelf in his study. He has mentioned it four or five times since, which from him is an enormous reaction. I have since realised the whole thing took four months because I was enjoying it, which makes it slightly less selfless than it sounds.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- framed
participle used as an adjective, precisely
- elderly
the right adjective for an older relative
- resolution
four syllables with the stress on the third
- repaired
past participle with an audible ending
- professionally
five syllables with the stress on the second
- practical
three syllables, concrete about the alternative
- reaction
the question's own noun, used in the final line
How a strong answer is built
- 1Name the gift and say why it needs explaining.
- 2Tell the story of finding it, with real obstacles.
- 3Say why you chose it, given the person.
- 4Describe the reaction honestly, and interpret it.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Describe a gift you gave someone.” 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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