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IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.

Describe a friend who you think is a good leader.

You should say:

• who is he/she
• what he/she does
• how you met him/her

and explain why you think he/she is a good leader.

Model Answer 1:
Thank you for this interesting cue card topic. I have been lucky to know some persons in my personal and professional life who I also consider 'good leaders'. Today, I would like to talk about such a good leader who has done something amazing to help the people of my little town.

This good leader, I am talking about, is a distant cousin, and also a friend, of mine. But, even though, he is a distant cousin to me by blood relation, all my family members, including me, have a very warm relation with him because of his graceful manner.

By the way, I have known him for more than 20 years from my early childhood since he always used to visit my family on all kinds of social gatherings and occasions. And, the person has always been into helping other people whether he or she is from our own town or from outside of it. And that’s probably why he couldn’t carry onto finishing his academic studies beyond junior college.

But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he is any less smart than any highly educated and qualified person. In fact, he is one of the richest and most successful businessmen of our town, thanks to his great entrepreneurial skills and abilities. And it is because of his great entrepreneurial abilities that he once got elected as the president of the chamber of commerce of our town and also a leader of our business community.

Anyway, among many things, that this good leader has done for his community, was to arrange private funds and scholarships for the talented and athletic young students of our town in order to help them become even more successful.

Well, I think that this "cousin plus friend" of mine is a good leader, mainly because he is always ready to help other people. I consider him to be a good leader also because he is never afraid to take tough decisions even if they harm him personally in the long run.

Model Answer 2:
A ‘good leader’- That’s quite a philosophical concept! I can think of a friend who I think is a brilliant leader. I’m going to tell you all about her. Who she is, what she does, how I come to know her, but most importantly what it is about her approach that I think makes her a great leader.

So this is a friend of mine I was at school with. After finishing our education with both went in different directions, and I didn’t see her again for thirty years when we met up again completely by chance in a different city where we were both now living. It’s actually quite hard to describe ‘what she does’ because that is part of her style, she does lots of different things, and it seems wrong somehow to pigeon hole her with just one activity.  She makes a living through running her own business making specially decorated biscuits which she supplies by mail order. But she is the sort of person who always has a multitude of things on the go at any one time. She is involved in many sports clubs, on the organising committee for the local scouts (a national youth organisation) - including arranging an annual Guy Fawkes’ Night bonfire and firework display for many years which is their main fundraising event; and on top of that, she is always initiating new – to me ambitious – projects like holding a huge birthday party or suggesting an outing further afield.

What makes this friend a good leader is hard to pinpoint. I don’t think it is a single thing, it is rather a combination of positive characteristics. She is very energetic, so prepared to work hard to get things done. She is optimistic, inclined to see opportunities and possibilities where other people might be put off by potential problems. This energy and optimism engage other people. You can be confident if you invest time and energy in supporting her ideas they will happen, it won’t be a waste of time. She is also incredibly well organised, with attention to detail. This is important for morale! It means that if you turn up in the pouring rain to I don’t know, build a bonfire or erect a tent, she will have thought of things that make it fun. You will find a gas bottle fuelled urn of bubbling hot water to make tea to keep you going, or maybe at a certain time, a mass order of scalding hot chips, wrapped in paper from the local chip shop will appear as if by magic to keep everyone going for a couple more hours. She has an ability to network, which means if one of her projects require some particular expertise she’ll almost inevitably know someone who knows someone that will get it done for free. It is inspiring to be involved in her projects, you get a great sense of satisfaction working together as part of a team, confident that the person driving it all forwards knows what needs to be done, and that it will be enjoyable along the way. When whatever project it is has finished, she always remembers to thank you and let you know for example how much money was raised, or how many people attended. It is quite a skill.

Leadership is not easy. A good leader in my view inspires and motivates others to do their best, rather than tells people what to do. By believing in you, they can help you believe in yourself, and then everyone together achieves far more than they ever could on their own, and probably a great deal more than they thought possible at the outset…. If only my managers and bosses in the workplace had such good leadership skills I think I’d get a lot more done!

[ Written by - Lucy Marris:  Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam) ]

Sample Answer 3:
My first encounter with Edda Derica took place at the University of Hamburg. Both of us were students of political science there. Now she is a promising leader for one of the local political parties. I am happy having the chance to recall about her.

Edda Derica is a lady filled with great vigour. She is from a noble German family. Derica wanted to join politics and she did so with the support of her family. At present, she is the second in command of a political party and playing important roles. She is smart and intelligent. She was the same in her university days when I had met her. I have been familiar with her such characteristics from a long ago and also inspired her to reach her goals. In her private life, Derica is not so much reserved. She loves meeting new people and makes a good inter-personal relation which is a must for a political leader.

Derica is an influential leader of Free Voters, one of the leading political parties in Germany. She is the second in command for the party and undertakes a large number of responsibilities. But in her career, she is a teacher. She is a teacher of social science at a local university but she does not take full-time classes there. She is a part-time faculty because she needs to remain busy with her political activities. But she is bright in both cases. She has a great demand in her university as a teacher and at the same time, she is gaining popularity among the people and her political party authority for her contribution to the growth of the party. She is now responsible for raising awareness among the population about her party, take some important decisions, add or remove members and more other tasks.       

I was a student at the University of Hamburg. Before getting admission in Political Science, I took admission in Economics as an undergraduate. But later, I moved to Political Science as I lost interest in Economics and the course also appeared complex to me. In the first day of the class, I took a seat beside a girl. I did not know that she would be the best friend of mine in the university days and will remain forever. She was Derica. The initial introduction started from her part as I was a bit shy and introvert in communication with others. Later, I found that this young girl was enriched with robustness and had a great vision in mind.   

Derica is a good leader. She owns some exceptional qualities with her. She is a good leader and will move ahead, I believe, for some reasons. First of all, she knows how to deal with people. This is her inborn quality. She knows how to handle situations, how to take control of agitating people or how to keep them under control. Besides, she is able to deliver speeches smartly and thus wins the hearts of her audiences. She comes forward whenever she finds someone in distress and she does it from her heart. Derica has no expectations in return for the favour she did to others. As a result, she is moving forwards and secured her position as an influential figure in her party within a couple of years after joining. She owns the potentials to grow more. Based on such analysis, I think she has the leadership skills and someday she will reach in a top position.

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