IELTS Speaking 2025 Part 2&3: Describe a person who other people often ask for advice

Describe a person who other people often ask for advice

Suggested ideas for each part

• Who this person is: 👴 A wise grandfather / 👩‍🏫 An experienced teacher / 👨‍💼 A successful manager / 🤝 A supportive best friend
• Why you asked for advice: 📚 Choosing a career / 💔 Dealing with a relationship problem / 💰 Managing finances
• What the advice was: 💡 Be patient and work hard / 🏆 Follow your passion / 🤝 Value relationships over money
• How you felt about the advice: 💪 Motivated / 😊 Grateful / 🤯 Surprised but impressed

Useful grammar structures

1. Past simple: Last year, I asked my teacher for advice about my career.
2. Past perfect: I had been struggling with my decision before I talked to him.
3. Reported speech: He told me that I should follow my passion instead of chasing money.
4. Conditional sentence (Type 2): If I hadn’t followed his advice, I would have regretted it.
5. Present perfect: I have always looked up to him because of his wisdom.

Collocations

1. A reliable source of advice 🤝 (một nguồn tư vấn đáng tin cậy)
2. Seek guidance from someone 🔍 (tìm kiếm lời khuyên từ ai đó)
3. Life-changing advice 💡 (lời khuyên thay đổi cuộc đời)
4. Words of wisdom 📜 (lời khuyên khôn ngoan)
5. Have a wealth of experience 🎓 (có nhiều kinh nghiệm sống)
6. Put the advice into practice ⚡ (áp dụng lời khuyên vào thực tế)
7. A trusted confidant 🗣️ (một người tâm sự đáng tin cậy)

Full spoken sample (about 2 minutes)

One person that people, including myself, often turn to for advice is my uncle 🧓. He is an incredibly wise and understanding person who has a wealth of experience 🎓 in both life and business. Since he has worked in different industries and traveled to many countries, he always has valuable insights to share.

I remember one time when I was really confused about choosing a career path 📚. I had just finished high school and didn’t know whether I should follow my passion for art or choose a more stable profession like business. I was feeling lost, so I decided to seek guidance from 🔍 my uncle, who had always given me good advice before.

When I shared my concerns, he listened carefully and asked me a few questions about my interests and long-term goals. Then, he gave me some words of wisdom 📜 that I will never forget. He told me that passion and financial stability don’t have to be separate things. He said, “If you love something, find a way to make it work, but always have a backup plan.” This really opened my eyes because I had never thought about combining my passion with practicality before.

After receiving his life-changing advice 💡, I felt much more confident and motivated 💪. I eventually decided to study marketing, which allows me to be creative while also having good career prospects. Looking back, I feel so grateful that I had a reliable source of advice 🤝 like my uncle. If I hadn’t followed his advice, I might have ended up regretting my decision!

Part 3: Discussion Questions

1. Who should people ask for advice on big issues, family members or friends?

Ideas

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family: More experienced, always care about your well-being
• 👯‍♂️ Friends: More relatable, can offer a fresh perspective
• 🔄 It depends on the type of issue (career, relationships, finances, etc.)

Collocations

1. A trusted confidant 🗣️ (một người tâm sự đáng tin cậy)
2. Offer an objective perspective 🎯 (đưa ra quan điểm khách quan)
3. Make well-informed decisions 🤔 (đưa ra quyết định sáng suốt)

Sample answer

It depends on the type of issue. For personal matters, family members are usually a trusted confidant 🗣️ because they have more experience and truly care about your well-being. However, friends can sometimes offer an objective perspective 🎯, especially when dealing with modern-day challenges. I think the best approach is to listen to different opinions and then use your own judgment to make a well-informed decision 🤔.

2. What kind of advice do people need the most?

Ideas

• 📚 Career advice: Choosing a job, getting a promotion
• 💰 Financial advice: How to save and invest wisely
• ❤️ Relationship advice: Dealing with conflicts, breakups
• 💆‍♂️ Mental health advice: How to handle stress

Collocations

1. Navigate career choices 📈 (định hướng lựa chọn nghề nghiệp)
2. Achieve financial stability 💰 (đạt được sự ổn định tài chính)
3. Maintain healthy relationships 💞 (duy trì các mối quan hệ lành mạnh)

Sample answer

I think career and financial advice are the most important. Many young people struggle to navigate career choices 📈, especially with so many options available today. Also, in today’s economy, knowing how to achieve financial stability 💰 is essential for a secure future. However, relationship advice is also important because learning how to maintain healthy relationships 💞 can lead to a happier life.

3. What kind of person is better at giving advice?

Ideas

• 🎓 Experienced and knowledgeable people
• 🧐 Someone who listens carefully before giving advice
• 🤝 Someone who understands your situation and can relate to it

Collocations

1. Have a wealth of experience 🎓 (có nhiều kinh nghiệm sống)
2. Provide thoughtful guidance 🤔 (đưa ra lời khuyên chu đáo)
3. Offer constructive feedback 🏗️ (đưa ra phản hồi mang tính xây dựng)

Sample answer

A person who has a wealth of experience 🎓 and can provide thoughtful guidance 🤔 is the best at giving advice. This could be a mentor, a family member, or even a teacher. Additionally, someone who listens carefully and understands the situation before speaking is better at offering advice. It’s also important that they offer constructive feedback 🏗️ rather than just telling people what they want to hear.

4. Is it better to get advice from older people or from people your own age?

Ideas

• 👴 Older people: More life experience, wisdom, and a broader perspective
• 🧑 Peers: More relatable, understand modern problems better
• 🔄 It depends on the type of advice (career vs. social life, personal growth vs. trends)

Collocations

1. Learn from past experiences 📜 (học hỏi từ kinh nghiệm quá khứ)
2. Relate to someone’s situation 🤝 (đồng cảm với hoàn cảnh của ai đó)
3. Provide a fresh perspective 🌱 (đưa ra góc nhìn mới mẻ)

Sample answer

I think both older people and peers have their advantages when it comes to giving advice. Older people can share wisdom and life lessons 📜 because they have been through many experiences. On the other hand, people my own age can relate to my situation 🤝 and understand modern-day problems, like career struggles or social challenges. In many cases, young people can also provide a fresh perspective 🌱 that older generations might not consider. So, I believe the best approach is to get advice from both and then decide what works best for me.