Part 2 cue cardPeople and relationships

Describe a person who has a good sense of humour

Bullet three is the hard one: jokes rarely survive retelling, so describe the kind of humour (deadpan, teasing, self-mocking) and give one short example. Then the last bullet can say what the humour does for the people around them.

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

Describe a person who has a good sense of humour.

You should say:

who this person is
how you know them
what kinds of things they say or do
and explain why you enjoy their company

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 this person isTunde, pharmacist, Ibadan
how you know themsupervised my placement; I was terrified
what kinds of things they say or doqueue commentary, machine nicknames, bald jokes
and explain why you enjoy their companynever unkind; calms patients; shifts fly

Sample answers

230 words · about 2:00 spoken at a Band 6 pace

The person I want to talk about is Tunde. He is a pharmacist in Ibadan, and I did my work placement in his pharmacy last year. He is about forty-five, very tall and he has no hair, and he always make jokes about that.

He was my supervisor during the placement. In my first day I was very nervous because I was afraid to give wrong medicine to someone. But he was very friendly and soon I was relax. Now we are still in contact and I visit him sometimes.

He is funny in a quiet way. When there was many customers, he talked like a football commentator with a very serious face, and everybody was laughing. He also gave names for all the machines, for example the old printer was Grandpa, because it was slow and noisy. Also he likes to joke about himself. If someone asked about shampoo for hair, he just pointed to his head.

I enjoy to be with him because his jokes never make anyone feel bad. He uses humour to help patients. One time an old man was very scared of his injection, and Tunde made him laugh so the man didn't notice it. But when there is a serious problem, he is serious too. With him, the long shifts were passing very fast, and I learned that humour is also important at work.

The mistakes that keep it at Band 6

he always make jokes should be he always makes jokes
In my first day should be On my first day
give wrong medicine to someone should be give the wrong medicine to someone
I was relax should be I was relaxed
there was many customers should be there were many customers
gave names for all the machines should be gave names to all the machines
I enjoy to be with him should be I enjoy being with him
the long shifts were passing very fast should be the long shifts flew by

Why this is Band 6, not Band 7

Fluency and coherence: Willing to talk at length and answers every bullet, with examples of the humour. Not Band 7 because the jokes are reported very briefly and linked with simple words ("Also", "But", "One time"), so the description never quite brings the person to life.
Vocabulary: Enough to make the meaning clear ("supervisor", "football commentator", "patients"), with some inaccurate choices: "gave names for all the machines" uses the wrong preposition, and "the long shifts were passing very fast" is not a natural collocation. Band 7 needs more idiomatic language.
Grammar: Mixes simple and complex sentences, with frequent errors: agreement in "he always make jokes" and "there was many customers", a verb pattern in "I enjoy to be with him", and a word form in "I was relax". That density is Band 6.

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

258 words · about 1:59 spoken at a Band 7 pace

I'd like to talk about Tunde, who's a pharmacist at a pharmacy in Ibadan where I did a work placement last year. He's in his forties, very tall, and he's got no hair at all, which he makes a lot of jokes about.

He was my supervisor during the placement. On my first day I was extremely nervous, because I was worried about making a mistake with someone's medicine, but he made me relax almost immediately. We've kept in touch since then, and I visit him whenever I'm nearby.

His sense of humour is quite dry. When the pharmacy got busy, he'd describe what was happening as if he was commentating on a football match, speaking very quietly and seriously, which always made me laugh. He also gave names to all the equipments. For example, the old printer was called Grandpa, because it was slow and made strange noises. And he loves making fun of himself; whenever someone asked him about hair products, he'd just point to his head and say nothing.

The main reason I enjoy being around him is that his jokes never hurt anyone. He uses humour to help people feel comfortable. I remember an old man who was really scared of his first insulin injection, and Tunde made him laugh so much that he didn't even notice it. But he also knows when to be serious, which I respect. Working with him made long shifts go much faster, and it taught me that a good sense of humour can be really useful at work.

The slips

all the equipments should be all the equipment

Why this is Band 7, not Band 8

Fluency and coherence: Speaks at length without effort, gives several examples, and links them well ("For example", "And he loves", "The main reason I enjoy being around him"). Not Band 8 because the examples are told rather than shown, so the humour comes across less vividly.
Vocabulary: Some less common, natural items ("quite dry", "making fun of himself", "kept in touch", "commentating on a football match"). Band 8 would use more precise and idiomatic language, for example to pin down the kind of humour.
Grammar: A good range of complex structures, mostly accurate: would for past habits ("he'd describe"), an "as if" clause, "so much that" for a result. One slip, "all the equipments", where equipment is uncountable.

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

269 words · about 1:51 spoken at a Band 8 pace

Someone who always comes to mind when I think about humour is Tunde, a pharmacist at the community pharmacy in Ibadan where I did my work placement last year. He's in his forties, very tall, and completely bald, which, as you'll see, is relevant.

He was assigned to supervise me, and I was absolutely terrified on my first morning, convinced I'd hand someone the wrong medicine. Within about ten minutes he'd put me at ease, and we've stayed in touch ever since; I still drop in when I'm in that part of town.

His humour is mostly deadpan. On a busy Monday he'd narrate the queue like a football commentator, in a hushed voice: and the queue reaches the door, ladies and gentlemen, can the pharmacy survive? He gave every machine a nickname, so the ancient label printer was Grandpa, because it was slow and groaned before it did anything. And he's merciless about himself; if a customer asked whether a shampoo worked, he'd say he couldn't possibly comment, and point at his head.

What I really enjoy about his company is that his jokes are never at anyone else's expense. He uses humour as a kind of kindness. I once watched him talk an elderly man through his first insulin injection, and he had him laughing so much that the man barely noticed the needle. At the same time, he knows exactly when to stop; when something's serious, he's the most careful person in the room. Shifts with him flew by, and I left that placement thinking that being funny is a professional skill nobody ever teaches you.

Why this is Band 8, not Band 9

Fluency and coherence: Fluent and fully coherent, with a set-up in the first paragraph ("which, as you'll see, is relevant") paid off later, and a reflective conclusion. Short of Band 9 only because one or two transitions are conventional.
Vocabulary: Wide, precise and idiomatic: "put me at ease", "merciless about himself", "at anyone else's expense", "talk an elderly man through". Band 9 would sustain this precision in the plainer opening description.
Grammar: A wide range used accurately: a past perfect ("he'd put me at ease"), reported speech, a result clause ("so much that the man barely noticed"), would for habits ("he'd narrate the queue"). No errors; the gap to Band 9 is the occasional safe structure.

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

Rounding-off questions

Why is a sense of humour important?: Because it makes difficult things bearable. A joke at the right moment can calm a frightened patient or end an argument, and people who can laugh at themselves are usually much easier to work with.
Do people laugh as much as they used to?: Probably just as much, but differently. People send each other funny videos all day, but I suspect we laugh together in the same room less often than our parents did, which isn't quite the same thing.