The cue card
Describe a person you know who speaks a foreign language well.
You should say:
- who this person is
- what language he or she speaks
- how he or she learnt it
and explain how you feel about this person's language ability.
You have one minute to make notes, then speak for one to two minutes.
Band 8–9 sample answer
Written by Abroadway as a model of natural, high-band speaking (not an official IELTS sample).
Someone who speaks a foreign language remarkably well is my cousin Rumana, who's about six years older than me. She grew up in Narayanganj, and these days she works as an interpreter and sourcing coordinator for a company that imports textile machinery from China. The language she speaks is Mandarin Chinese, which still amazes me, because when she was at school nobody in our family had any connection with China at all. She can read and write it too, which, as far as I understand, is the hardest part, since you have to memorise thousands of characters rather than a simple alphabet.
The way she learnt it was a combination of luck and sheer persistence. In her first year at university in Dhaka, a friend persuaded her to join some evening classes in Chinese, mainly because they were cheap. To everyone's surprise, she turned out to have a real ear for the tones, and her teacher encouraged her to apply for a scholarship. She ended up doing her master's degree at a university in Kunming, where she had no choice but to use Mandarin every single day, whether she was buying vegetables or arguing with her landlord.
She told me the first six months were exhausting and she often went to bed with a headache, but after about a year she realised she was even dreaming in Chinese. Honestly, I feel a mixture of admiration and slight envy. I've been studying English for most of my life and I still hesitate sometimes, whereas she managed to become fluent in a language that once seemed completely out of reach. More than anything, though, she's shown me that language learning isn't really about talent.
It's about putting yourself in situations where you're forced to communicate, and being willing to sound foolish for a while.
Useful phrases from this answer
- sheer persistence
- continuing to try with great determination
- a real ear for
- a natural ability to hear and copy sounds
- had no choice but to
- was forced to
- out of reach
- impossible or very hard to achieve
- the earlier the better
- starting young gives the best results
- deeply embedded in
- firmly and permanently part of
- self-reinforcing cycle
- a situation that keeps making itself stronger
- out of necessity
- because they have to, not because they want to
Part 3 follow-up questions and answers
Why do people in your country learn foreign languages?
For most people in Bangladesh, the main motivation is practical. English is essential for higher education, for many well-paid jobs and for studying abroad, which is why so many students take tests like IELTS. Beyond English, people often learn a language because they're planning to work overseas; someone heading to the Middle East may pick up some Arabic, while others learn Korean or Japanese because of particular job opportunities in those countries. There's also a religious dimension, since many children learn to read Arabic in order to read the Quran. And purely cultural reasons, like loving Korean dramas or French films, are becoming more common among young people too.
What is the best age to start learning a second language?
Generally speaking, I'd say the earlier the better, especially for pronunciation. Young children seem to absorb sounds and rhythms very naturally, and they're less afraid of making mistakes, which is a huge advantage. Children who grow up hearing two languages at home often speak both without any noticeable accent. However, I don't think it's ever too late. Adults have certain advantages over children: they can understand grammar rules consciously, use dictionaries and study strategically, and they usually have a clearer reason for learning. So while starting young makes it easier to sound like a native speaker, motivation and regular practice probably matter more than age itself.
Is it necessary to live abroad to learn a language well?
It's certainly not necessary, although it definitely helps. Living in a country where the language is spoken forces you to use it constantly, in real situations, and that kind of immersion can speed up learning enormously. However, plenty of people reach a very high level without ever leaving home, particularly now that the internet gives us access to films, podcasts, online tutors and conversation partners from all over the world. In fact, some people live abroad for years and never become fluent, because they only socialise with people from their own country. So I'd argue that what really matters is the amount of genuine exposure and practice, not where you happen to live.
Will English remain the main international language in the future?
I think it will, at least for the next few decades. English is so deeply embedded in science, international business, aviation and the internet that replacing it would require an enormous shift. People all over the world are learning it precisely because everyone else is, which creates a kind of self-reinforcing cycle. That said, its dominance might gradually weaken. Languages like Mandarin, Spanish and Arabic are spoken by huge populations and are growing in economic importance, and better translation technology might reduce the need for a single shared language. So English will probably stay on top, but it may face more competition than it does today.
What might happen to minority languages as the world becomes more connected?
Sadly, I suspect many of them will continue to decline. When young people see that a dominant language offers better jobs, education and entertainment, they often stop using their community's language, and within a couple of generations it can disappear entirely. In Bangladesh, for example, there are concerns that some indigenous languages in the hill districts are being used less and less by younger speakers. However, connectivity can also help. Digital tools make it much easier to record elderly speakers, create dictionaries and share songs or stories online, so communities that are determined to preserve their language now have better resources than ever. Ultimately, it depends on whether speakers themselves feel proud of it.
Do you think translation apps will make learning languages unnecessary?
I don't think they'll make it unnecessary, though they'll certainly change why people learn. For quick, practical tasks, such as reading a menu, asking for directions or understanding a simple email, translation apps are already extremely useful, and many tourists won't bother learning even basic phrases anymore. But communication is much more than swapping words. Humour, politeness, tone and cultural references are very hard for an app to capture, and conversations through a phone screen tend to feel awkward and impersonal. Besides, learning a language changes the way you think and lets you build genuine relationships. So I'd predict that fewer people will learn languages out of necessity, but many will still learn them for deeper personal reasons.
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