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IELTS Personality Vocabulary

During the IELTS Speaking exam you may be asked to talk about someone’s personality or character.

Part 1-style questions

1) How would you describe yourself?

Everyone tells me I take after my mum as I’m quite laid-back … I think I’m good company but you should ask my friends if they agree …

2) In which ways are you similar to your friends?

I seem to be attracted to introverts … not people who are painfully shy but most of my friends are a little reserved … and I think that’s what I’m like …

3) Are you similar or different to your brother(s)/sister(s)?

I think my brother and I are very similar … I’d say we’re fun-loving and tend to be a bit extroverted … my brother is certainly the life and soul of the party … I’m not sure that applies to me …

Part 2-style task

Describe a teacher you once had who you enjoyed being taught by. You should say:
• who this person was
• when they were your teacher
• which subject they taught you
and describe what it was about their character that you liked.

I’d like to describe my English teacher from school … Miss Thomas … this was a few years ago now and she was my teacher at a time when I was getting a little bored with being at school … unlike some of the other teachers Miss Thomas never lost her temper … she was very calm and easy-going … she was also very broad-minded … we were able to ask her questions about lots of subjects that some other teachers would refuse to discuss which made us respect her even more … she had a great sense of humour too … she’d laugh at our jokes as well as making us laugh … and she would also bend over backwards to help us with our work … she always put us first and often stayed around at the end of class to talk with anyone who needed help … apparently she was highly respected within her field but you would never know as she was the type that hid her light under a bushel … she was very modest and self-effacing … so yes … Miss Thomas was a teacher I have fond memories of …

Part 3-style questions

1) Which personal qualities do you think we most want to pass on to our children?

I certainly would want my children to be self-confident and self-assured … I really believe that people who feel good about themselves are in a good position to face what life has to offer them … and I’d hope they wouldn’t be self-centred … but remembered to think about others …

2) Which characteristics do you think are the least appealing in a person?

Well … people who are very narrow-minded are difficult to get on with … it’s nice when someone is open to other people’s opinion and willing to think about their own views … and people who are two-faced can be a little irritating … relationships are built on trust and without honesty there’s not much left …

3) Which personality types do you think are less likely to suffer from stress or anxiety?

Probably people who are thick-skinned … who don’t let people or problems affect them too much … and if you are fair-minded you’ ll be less likely to overreact to situations or bequick-tempered …