Part 2 cue cardPeople and relationships

Describe a polite person you know

"How they show good manners" needs specific behaviour, not adjectives like respectful or kind. The last bullet asks why the politeness stands out, which means a comparison: with the people around them, or with what you would expect.

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

Describe a polite person you know.

You should say:

who this person is
how you know them
how they show good manners
and explain why their politeness stands out

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 isMang Ramon, security guard, our building
how you know themevery morning; found my lost wallet
how they show good mannersnames, po, holds lift, thanks riders
and explain why their politeness stands outsame with cleaners and directors

Sample answers

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

I want to talk about a polite person, his name is Mang Ramon. He is a security guard in the building in Makati where I am working. He is around fifty-eight years old and he is working there more than fifteen years, so everybody know him.

I know him because I see him every morning when I go to the office. One year ago I forgot my wallet in a taxi, and he called the taxi company in his lunch time until they found it. After that we became friendly and we talk a little bit every day.

He has very good manners. He remembers the name of everyone and he always says po, it is a Filipino word for respect, even when he speaks to the young interns. When he sees people coming, he keeps the lift open for them. If he needs to check your bag, he says sorry first. And he says thank you to the delivery riders also, but other people don't even look at them.

His politeness is special because he is same with everybody. Some managers never say good morning to him, but he is friendly with them, like he is with the cleaners. I think in Manila people are always hurry and they forget to be polite, so he is very different. Because of him, I try to be more polite with people too.

The mistakes that keep it at Band 6

he is working there more than fifteen years should be he's been working there for more than fifteen years
everybody know him should be everybody knows him
I forgot my wallet in a taxi should be I left my wallet in a taxi
in his lunch time should be during his lunch break
the name of everyone should be everyone's name
he is same with everybody should be he is the same with everybody
people are always hurry should be people are always in a hurry

Why this is Band 6, not Band 7

Fluency and coherence: Willing to extend and covers every bullet in order, with specific examples of his manners. Not Band 7 because the examples are listed in short, similar sentences ("He remembers", "he keeps the lift open", "he says sorry first") and the explanation of why it stands out is quick and general.
Vocabulary: Enough everyday vocabulary to make the point ("security guard", "delivery riders", "interns"), but some choices are wrong: "forgot my wallet in a taxi" uses forget with a place, and "in his lunch time" is not the natural phrase. Band 7 needs more precise words and collocations.
Grammar: A mix of simple and complex sentences, with frequent errors: the tense in "he is working there more than fifteen years", agreement in "everybody know him", articles in "he is same with everybody", and "people are always hurry". Two or three errors every eighty words is Band 6.

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

261 words · about 2:00 spoken at a Band 7 pace

I'd like to talk about Mang Ramon, who works as a security guard in the office building in Makati where I work. He's in his late fifties, and he's been working there for over fifteen years, so he knows almost everyone in the building.

I got to know him properly about a year ago, when I left my wallet in a taxi. He spent his whole lunch break to call the taxi company until they found it, which I was incredibly grateful for. Since then we've chatted almost every morning.

He shows good manners in lots of small ways. First of all, he remembers everybody's name, and he always uses po when he speaks to people, which is the word we use in Filipino to be respectful, even with young interns. He holds the lift door open for people, he stands up when someone comes to his desk, and if he needs to check your bag, he always says sorry first. He also says thank you to the delivery riders, which hardly anyone else bothers to do.

The reason his politeness stands out is that he treats everybody in exactly the same way. Some of the managers in the building walk past him without even saying good morning, but he's just as friendly to them as he is to the cleaners. It never seems fake, either. Manila is such a busy, stressful city that people often forget their manners, so someone like him really makes a difference. To be honest, he's made me more aware of how I treat people myself.

The slips

spent his whole lunch break to call should be spent his whole lunch break calling

Why this is Band 7, not Band 8

Fluency and coherence: Speaks at length without effort and gives the politeness concrete examples ("First of all", "He also says", "The reason his politeness stands out"). Not Band 8 because the examples are presented as a list rather than as scenes, so the contrast at the end lands less strongly.
Vocabulary: Some less common and natural items ("got to know him properly", "hardly anyone else bothers", "forget their manners", "makes a difference"). Band 8 would use more precise and idiomatic vocabulary, especially for the kind of politeness he shows.
Grammar: Frequent error-free complex sentences: present perfect continuous ("he's been working there"), a comparison ("just as friendly to them as he is to the cleaners"), "such a busy, stressful city that". One slip, "spent his whole lunch break to call", where spend takes an -ing form.

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

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

The most courteous person I know is probably Mang Ramon, who's the security guard at the office building in Makati where I've been working for the past two years. He's in his late fifties, always immaculately turned out, and he's been at that front desk longer than most of the companies in the building have existed.

At first he was just a friendly face I nodded at every morning, but about a year ago I left my wallet in a taxi, and he spent his lunch break phoning the taxi company until it turned up. Since then we've chatted most days.

His manners show in dozens of small ways. He learns everyone's name, and he greets you with po, the little word we use in Filipino to show respect, even if you're an intern half his age. He holds the lift for people who are still twenty metres away, he stands up whenever anyone approaches the desk, and if he has to check someone's bag, he apologises for the inconvenience before he does it. He even thanks the delivery riders, whom most people treat as if they were invisible.

What makes it stand out, though, is that he's exactly the same with everyone. I've seen directors in expensive suits sweep past him without so much as glancing up, and he greets them as warmly as he greets the cleaners. There's nothing servile about it, either; it comes across as a kind of quiet dignity. In a city where everyone's in a rush, being treated like a person rather than an obstacle is surprisingly rare, and I've noticed I've started greeting people by name myself, which I'm fairly sure I picked up from him.

Why this is Band 8, not Band 9

Fluency and coherence: Fluent and fully coherent, with each manner shown in action and a conclusion that turns back to the speaker ("I picked up from him"). Short of Band 9 only because the middle section is a list of behaviours, however well chosen.
Vocabulary: Wide, precise and idiomatic: "immaculately turned out", "without so much as glancing up", "nothing servile about it", "a kind of quiet dignity". Band 9 would show that precision even in the plainer story of the wallet.
Grammar: A wide range used accurately: present perfect for duration ("he's been at that front desk"), an unreal comparison ("as if they were invisible"), a parallel comparison ("as warmly as he greets the cleaners"), a gerund subject ("being treated like a person"). No errors; the gap to Band 9 is the occasional familiar structure.

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

Rounding-off questions

Are good manners as important as they used to be?: I'd say they matter more, not less. When so much contact is quick and online, the person who says please, waits for you or remembers your name stands out far more than they would have thirty years ago.
How do children learn to be polite?: Mostly by copying. Parents can tell children to say thank you a hundred times, but if the children see them being rude to waiters or drivers, that's the lesson that actually sticks.