Describe a time someone gave you good advice.
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 time someone gave you good advice.
You should say
- who gave you the advice
- what the advice was
- why you needed it
- and explain what difference it made
60 seconds to prepare, up to 2 minutes to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 189 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.When I was about twenty-four and deciding whether to leave my first job, an uncle gave me advice that I initially thought was unhelpful and have since repeated to at least six people. I had asked him whether I should stay another year, and he refused to answer that. What he said instead was that I should work out whether I was leaving towards something or away from something, and that both are legitimate, but only one of them survives the first bad month in a new place. I needed it because I had been telling everybody a story about opportunity, and about ten minutes of honest thought made it clear that I was mostly running from a manager. The difference it made is that I stayed nine more months, which I would not have predicted, and left for a genuinely better reason. I have also noticed since that people almost never ask themselves that question, and that the ones who do leave much better. He died two years ago and I never told him how often I had repeated it, which I regret in a mild, ordinary way.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- initially
four syllables with the stress on the second
- unhelpful
three syllables with a clear middle stress
- refused
the verb that makes the advice distinctive
- legitimate
four syllables with the stress on the second
- opportunity
five syllables with the stress on the third
- predicted
past participle with an audible ending
- survives
the key verb of the advice itself
How a strong answer is built
- 1Say who and when, and flag your first reaction.
- 2Report the advice precisely, in their words.
- 3Explain why you needed it, honestly.
- 4Give the concrete difference it made.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Describe a time someone gave you good advice.” 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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