Describe an old person that you admire
You should say:
- who this person is
- how you met them
- what characteristics you like most about them
and explain why you admire this person
IELTS 10 Speaking Test 4 Part 2 Answers
I would have to say it’s my grandmother – because she devoted her life to serving others. She was a nurse in the state health service for most of her working life, but she also volunteered on various international projects around the world with the Red Cross.
She is a wonderful woman who has always put other people and their welfare first before thinking of herself. As I said, she worked for many years as a nurse in a variety of hospitals across the country until she settled down and married my grandfather and had children.
Later on she returned to nursing and spent many years looking after terminally ill patients – which is not an easy thing to do. When she retired from working for the state health service she used to volunteer at a local hospice, looking after the elderly patients there, and she worked there for around another 4 years before finally retiring a few months ago.
Obviously I know her because she’s part of my family, and the characteristics I love most about her are her devotion to other people, her selflessness, and her endless patience, even with the most obstinate patients and people.
She’s also an extremely determined and independent individual who always manages to see the positive side of any situation, no matter how bad other people might think it is – and her optimism is infectious. She truly is a saint and I’ve learned a lot from her over the years and I’m extremely proud of everything she’s achieved in her life.
One of the things I admire most about her was the fact that she continued working even though she didn’t need to. She was officially retired and could have simply sat at home and enjoyed her free time, but she chose to go out and help others rather than think about herself first.
It’s only now that she’s older and not quite so capable that she’s beginning to take things a bit easier. That kind of dedication is hard to find nowadays.
I hope I’ve inherited some of her spirit and values – I try to be like her in some ways, but in my own way, if you know what I mean. Times are different now, but a lot of her best qualities and characteristics are in fact timeless, maybe just a little less common nowadays.
How would you answer this question about an old person you admire?