IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a woman you admire the most (OREO sample for 20/10)

On Vietnamese Women's Day (20 October), MEA sends our warmest wishes to every grandmother, mother and sister: good health, peace and love always. And the best way to practise English today is to talk about a woman you truly cherish.

The task

Describe a woman that you admire the most.

You should say:

• who she is
• how you know her
• what she has done or what she is like

and explain why you admire her the most.

Part 3 Questions:

• Why do people admire certain women in their community?
• How has the role of women in Vietnamese families changed over the last few decades?
• Should there be special days to celebrate women, such as 20/10 or 8/3?
• Do women and men have equal opportunities at work nowadays?
• What qualities make someone a good role model for young people?

Band 8.0 sample answer (O-R-E-O formula)

INTRO
Today, I'd like to talk about the woman I admire the most, who is none other than my mother.

Q1 (Firstly – who she is & how I know her)
Firstly, my mum is a primary school teacher in her late forties, and of course I've known her my whole life. She has been my first teacher, my biggest cheerleader and, at times, my strictest critic.

Q2 (Next – if my memory serves me well… what she has done)
Next, if my memory serves me well, when I was about ten, my dad's business went under and money was really tight. My mum took on extra tutoring in the evenings and juggled her full-time job with the housework. Somehow, she still found time to check my homework every single night. She made countless sacrifices but never once complained in front of us.

Q3 (Then – what she is like)
Then, what really stands out about her is her resilience and her warm-heartedness. She is a pillar of strength for our family, and she always stays calm under pressure. She also goes out of her way to help her neighbours and her students, even when she is exhausted.

Q4 (Well, you know what… – why I admire her)
Well, you know what, I admire her most because she taught me that kindness and hard work go hand in hand. She is living proof that you don't need to be famous to make a real difference in other people's lives.

EXTRA
Cleft sentence: What I respect most about my mum is that she never lets difficulties steal her smile. Past tense: I still remember the night she stayed up until 2 a.m. sewing my costume for a school play. Future tense (with a saying): There's an old proverb that goes "God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers." So in the future, once I'm financially independent, I will take her on the trip to Japan she has always dreamt of.

CONCLUDE
That's all about the woman I admire the most: my wonderful mum. Happy Vietnamese Women's Day, Mum!

Useful vocabulary (band 7–8)

The bold, underlined phrases in the sample are band 7–8 topic vocabulary and collocations. Pick a few and use them when you talk about a woman in your own life.

Who she is

• none other than — không ai khác chính là
• my biggest cheerleader — người cổ vũ mình nhiều nhất
• my strictest critic — người góp ý nghiêm khắc nhất

Telling a hard time

• go under (business) — (việc kinh doanh) phá sản, thất bại
• money is tight — tiền bạc eo hẹp
• take on extra work / tutoring — nhận thêm việc, dạy thêm
• juggle A with B — xoay xở cùng lúc A và B
• make sacrifices — hy sinh

Describing her character

• resilience — sự kiên cường, sức bật
• warm-heartedness — tấm lòng ấm áp
• a pillar of strength — chỗ dựa vững chắc
• stay calm under pressure — bình tĩnh khi gặp áp lực
• go out of one's way to do sth — cất công, chủ động làm gì cho người khác

Explaining why you admire her

• go hand in hand — luôn đi đôi với nhau
• living proof — minh chứng sống
• make a real difference — tạo ra khác biệt thật sự
• financially independent — tự lập về tài chính

Practise on your own

Replace "my mother" with your grandmother, your sister, a teacher or any woman you admire, and keep the O-R-E-O frame: Intro → Q1 Firstly → Q2 Next → Q3 Then → Q4 Well, you know what… → Extra → Conclude. Time yourself for 2 minutes and record your answer to listen back.