IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card

Describe someone you know who is a good cook

: You should say

Who this person is
How you know him or her
What kinds of food he/she cooks
and explain why this person is good at cooking

: Sample Answer

Unfortunately, I am a terrible cook, but that does mean I can appreciate those who can! I’m going to tell you about a friend of mine who is a wonderful chef, how I know her, what she can cook and why I think she is so great it

This person is a friend of mine, I know her through a running club I belong too, and as I’ve got to know her better over the years we now socialise together, I also sometimes help her with her allotment and I’ve been lucky enough to eat at her house many times. She runs her own business, making bespoke biscuits, carefully decorated with original designs, so it’s just as well she can cook. But she also runs a busy household and regularly cooks delicious wholesome meals for her family

This friend can seemingly cook anything, anywhere! She makes her own bread and can conjure a meal at a moment’s notice using eggs from her hens and herbs from her garden. She cooks really healthy food and, fortunately for me, seems to enjoy catering for unexpected guests too. She makes a very fine chocolate and orange cake, and her biscuits are famous amongst her friends as well as her clients. However, for me, a favourite meal was one she made for me recently. We went up to work on her allotment – that’s an area of land you can rent for a small fee from the local council as long as you use it for growing fruit and vegetables. It was a lovely summer’s day, and we planned to work into the evening preparing the ground. She had planned ahead. She brought up a small gas burner, a saucepan and some chopped red peppers, onions and other vegetables which she cooked up for us with some delicious fried halloumi cheese. She had even thought to bring fresh salad leaves, a light dressing and a sort of wrap to hold it all together. After our hard work on the land, we enjoyed the late evening sun and ate with relish. Nothing tastes as good as food eaten outside after physical work

Why is she so good at cooking? I think it’s partly because she enjoys it, she has had a lot of practice, and it is her passion as well as her profession. I think she is good because she uses fresh and quality ingredients, quite simple recipes often, but tasty nutritious and beautifully – though not over-fussily – presented. I also think a really great cook is calm, relaxed and enjoys the sharing of their labours, she is all these things too. I feel very lucky to know her, and feel a little guilty that I don’t ever cook in return! It seems it is my contribution to always be a particularly appreciative consumer… it is a hard job, but someone has to do it