Someone who is good at cooking
IELTS Speaking Part 2 · cue card
Describe a person you know who is good at cooking.
You should say:
- who the person is
- how you know them
- what kind of food they cook
- and explain why you think they are good at cooking
You have one minute to prepare and should speak for one to two minutes.
Free account required for the live AI partner.
Band 7+ sample answer
About 225 words, roughly two minutes spoken. Use it for ideas and language, not to memorise: examiners notice rehearsed answers.
The person who comes to mind straight away is my uncle Kamal, my mother's younger brother. He works as an accountant, so cooking isn't his job at all, but in our family he's known as the unofficial chef for every gathering.
I've known him my whole life, obviously, but I really started to appreciate his cooking about five years ago, when he hosted Eid lunch for around thirty relatives in his small flat. He mainly cooks traditional Bangladeshi dishes, things like beef rezala, morog polao and a very rich mutton curry, but he also likes experimenting. Last winter he made a fusion dish, a kind of pasta with shorshe, mustard sauce, which sounds strange but was surprisingly delicious.
Why is he so good? I think there are three reasons. First, he's incredibly patient. He'll spend hours letting onions caramelise slowly rather than rushing them. Second, he cooks by taste, not by recipe, so he constantly adjusts the spices as he goes. And third, he genuinely enjoys feeding people. You can tell, because he watches everyone's face when they take the first bite.
He's also generous with his knowledge. He taught me how to make a basic khichuri, which has become my go-to dish when I'm busy. So for me he's not just a good cook; he's the reason I became interested in cooking at all.
Useful vocabulary
- comes to mind
- is the first thing you think of
- unofficial chef
- the person everyone treats as the cook, without a title
- experimenting
- trying new methods or combinations
- fusion dish
- food that mixes two cooking traditions
- cooks by taste
- adjusts food by tasting rather than measuring
- go-to dish
- the dish you make most often because it is easy or reliable
Part 3 follow-up questions
- Do you think cooking should be taught at school?
- Why do many young people prefer fast food to home cooking?
- How has the way people cook changed in the last twenty years?
- Are cooking programmes on TV and social media useful?
- Should men and women share cooking at home equally?
Tip: in Part 3, give an opinion, a reason and an example, and consider another point of view. Aim for 3–5 sentences per answer.
How to practise this card
- Set a one-minute timer and write keywords for each bullet, not full sentences.
- Speak for two minutes and record yourself on your phone.
- Listen back: did you cover every bullet and the "explain" part? Note one phrase from the vocabulary list to use next time.
- Answer two Part 3 questions out loud, then try the card again with the AI Speaking Partner.