Part 2 cue cardChildhood and memories

Describe a child you know

"How old they are" is a one-line bullet, so use it as a bridge: say what that age is like. "What they are like" then needs habits and anecdotes, because adjectives like "cute" and "naughty" run out in ten seconds.

1 minute to prepare
Up to 2 minutes
Samples at Band 6, 7 and 8
Updated 20 October 2026

Describe a child you know.

You should say:

who the child is
how old they are
what they are like
and explain why you enjoy spending time with them

Rehearse the long turn

1 minute to prepare · 2 minutes to speak

Sit this card with the AI examinerThen the Part 3 discussion, and a full report

A 60-second plan

who the child isKofi, sister's son, Kumasi
how old they areseven, Class 2, the 'why' stage
what they are likebottle tops, blunt honesty, kind
and explain why you enjoy spending time with themmakes me notice; phone goes away

Sample answers

232 words · about 2:01 spoken at a Band 6 pace

I'd like to talk about my nephew Kofi. He is the son of my older sister and they live two streets from us in Kumasi, in Ghana, so I see him almost every day. On Wednesdays I pick him from school because my sister finishes work late.

He is seven years old. He just started Class 2 this year, and he is in the age when children ask 'why' about everything. Why the sky is blue, why the dog can't talk, why I have to go to work. Sometimes I don't know the answers, so we look it on my phone together.

He is a very curious and funny boy. He collects bottle caps and he has more than three hundreds of them, he arranges them by colour on the floor of his bedroom. He is also very honest, sometimes too much. One time he told my friend that her new hairstyle look like a broom, and I was so embarrassing. But he is kind too. When we buy biscuits, he always keeps half for the security man at his school.

I enjoy spending time with him because he makes me see the world in a different way. With adults I am always checking my phone, but with Kofi I can't, because he needs all my attention. After one afternoon with him I'm tired, but I feel very happy and more relax.

The mistakes that keep it at Band 6

I pick him from school should be I pick him up from school
he is in the age when should be he's at the age when
we look it on my phone should be we look it up on my phone
more than three hundreds of them should be more than three hundred of them
her new hairstyle look like a broom should be her new hairstyle looked like a broom
I was so embarrassing should be I was so embarrassed
the security man should be the security guard
more relax should be more relaxed

Why this is Band 6, not Band 7

Fluency and coherence: Speaks at length and handles the short second bullet well by describing the age ("he is in the age when children ask"). It stays at Band 6 because the qualities are added one by one ("He is also very honest", "But he is kind too") rather than linked into a fuller picture.
Vocabulary: Enough to describe a child clearly ("curious", "collects bottle caps", "arranges them by colour"), but some forms are wrong: "I was so embarrassing" uses the -ing adjective for the feeling, and "the security man" misses the usual collocation. Band 7 would add more precise, idiomatic words.
Grammar: Mixes simple and complex sentences, with time and reason clauses, but errors are frequent: "three hundreds of them" pluralises a number, "her new hairstyle look like" misses the past tense, and "we look it on my phone" drops the particle of a phrasal verb.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

267 words · about 2:03 spoken at a Band 7 pace

The child I want to talk about is my nephew Kofi, my older sister's son. They live just a couple of streets away from us in Kumasi, so he's in and out of our house most days, and every Wednesday I collect him from school because my sister works late.

He's seven, and he's just gone into Class 2. It's that stage where everything has to be explained: why the sky's blue, why dogs can't talk, why I have to go to work when I could stay and play with him. Half the time I haven't got a clue, so we end up looking things up together, and I've probably learned as much as he has.

As for his personality, he's endlessly curious and quite a character. He collects bottle tops, he's got over three hundred of them, and he spends hours sorting them by colour across his bedroom floor. He's also honest to the point of being embarrassing; he once informed my friend that her new braids made her look like a broom, and I wanted the ground to swallow me up. But there's a really kind streak in him too. Whenever we buy biscuits, he saves half of them for the security guard at his school gate.

I think I enjoy his company because he makes me slow down. When I'm with adults I'm forever glancing on my phone, but with Kofi that's impossible, because he demands your full attention. I come home exhausted after an afternoon with him, but in a strangely good way, as if somebody's switched my brain off and on again.

The slips

glancing on my phone should be glancing at my phone

Why this is Band 7, not Band 8

Fluency and coherence: Speaks at length without effort, and the age bullet becomes a bridge into the description ("It's that stage where everything has to be explained"). Not Band 8 because the paragraphs still open with predictable signposts such as "As for his personality".
Vocabulary: Some less common and idiomatic language: "quite a character", "honest to the point of being embarrassing", "wanted the ground to swallow me up", "a really kind streak". Band 8 would sustain this, whereas "haven't got a clue" and "strangely good way" are everyday.
Grammar: A good range with frequent error-free complex sentences: present perfect for a recent change ("he's just gone into Class 2"), a comparative clause ("as much as he has"), "as if somebody's switched". One slip, "glancing on my phone", where the preposition should be at.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

282 words · about 1:57 spoken at a Band 8 pace

I'm going to talk about my nephew Kofi, my older sister's little boy. They live a few streets away from us in Kumasi, so he treats our house as a second home, and on Wednesdays I'm the one who collects him from school, since my sister doesn't finish work until six.

He's seven, which in his case means he's just moved up to Class 2 and has entered what my sister calls the interrogation phase. Nothing can simply be; it has to be justified. Why is the sky blue? Why can't dogs talk? Why do I have to go to work if I'd rather stay with him? I'm stumped at least once an afternoon, so we've got into the habit of looking things up together, and I suspect I'm learning more than he is.

Temperamentally, he's a bundle of curiosity with a fierce streak of honesty. He's amassed well over three hundred bottle tops, which he lays out across his bedroom floor in elaborate rainbows that nobody is allowed to step on. His candour is legendary in the family: he once told a friend of mine, quite matter-of-factly, that her new braids made her look like a broom. Mortifying. And yet he's got a remarkably tender side; whenever we buy biscuits, he'll set aside half for the security guard at his school, without anyone suggesting it.

What I value most about time with him is that it forces me to be present. With adults I'm constantly half-distracted by my phone, but Kofi simply won't tolerate divided attention. I walk him home worn out, yet oddly refreshed, as though I've spent a couple of hours seeing my own neighbourhood through somebody else's eyes.

Why this is Band 8, not Band 9

Fluency and coherence: Effortless and coherent: a playful label ("the interrogation phase") ties the age to the description, and the ending answers the last bullet with a clear reflection. Band 9 would make a couple of transitions, such as "And yet", feel less familiar.
Vocabulary: Wide and precise: "stumped", "a bundle of curiosity", "His candour is legendary", "won't tolerate divided attention". Band 9 would show the same exactness in the plainer moments, such as "treats our house as a second home".
Grammar: Flexible and accurate: a one-word sentence used for effect ("Mortifying."), a relative clause with a passive ("that nobody is allowed to step on"), "as though I've spent", present perfect for a habit formed. No errors.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

Rounding-off questions

How is childhood today different from your own?: The biggest difference is screens. When I was Kofi's age, we stayed outside until it got dark, playing football in the street. He has more toys and information than I had, but far less free time outdoors.
Do children grow up too quickly nowadays?: In some ways, yes. Kids see adult content online far earlier than we did. But Kofi still spends hours sorting bottle tops into rainbows, so I'm not convinced childhood has disappeared just yet.