IELTS Speaking cue cards › Workplace Relationships
Describe a colleague or classmate who inspired or motivated you in some way
Describe a colleague or classmate who inspired or motivated you in some way. You should say: - who this person is and in what context you know them - what qualities or achievements made them inspiring - how your relationship with them developed and explain how this person's example influenced your own behaviour or attitude.
How to approach it
Open by identifying the person and context clearly, then spend the bulk of your time on their qualities and how they affected you personally — this is where examiners listen for depth and coherence. Weave the relationship's development naturally into the story rather than treating it as a separate section. Close with a genuine reflection on how their example changed your behaviour, which directly addresses the final prompt and signals a strong, rounded response.
1-minute preparation notes
- Who: university lab partner, final year
- Qualities: calm under pressure, generous with knowledge
- Story arc: rivals → friends → collaborators
- Influence: changed my work habits, less competitive
- Idiom: raised the bar, hit the ground running
Band 8+ sample answer (Part 2)
Show the sample answer (try speaking first)
I'd like to talk about a classmate of mine called Priya, who I got to know during the final year of my engineering degree. We were paired together for a major research project, and honestly, at first I saw her more as competition than as a colleague — we were both going for the same scholarship.
What struck me almost immediately was how calm she was under pressure. While the rest of us were second-guessing ourselves before presentations, Priya would just focus on the work itself. But what really set her apart wasn't her academic results — it was how generous she was with her knowledge. She'd stay late to walk people through problems she'd already solved, never once worrying that helping others might cost her an advantage. That kind of attitude is pretty rare, and it genuinely raised the bar for everyone around her.
As for our relationship, it shifted quite quickly from a quiet rivalry into a genuine friendship. Once I stopped viewing her as a competitor, I realised how much I could learn from her — not just technically, but in terms of mindset.
The influence she had on me was lasting, I'd say. I used to hoard ideas, worried someone would take credit for them. Watching Priya's open, collaborative approach made me realise that sharing knowledge actually builds your reputation rather than undermining it. I hit the ground running in my first job partly because I'd already learned to work that way. She didn't set out to inspire me — she just lived her values consistently, and that was enough.
Written for StudyChat as an example of a band 8+ answer. 260 words, about 2 minutes spoken.
Part 3 discussion questions
What qualities do you think make someone genuinely inspiring to the people around them at work?
I think consistency is probably the most important quality. Anyone can be impressive occasionally, but someone who shows up with the same professionalism and generosity every single day earns real respect. Beyond that, I'd say a willingness to share credit and knowledge matters enormously. People in workplaces tend to be inspired by colleagues who make them feel capable rather than those who simply demonstrate their own brilliance.
Is it more common to find inspiration from peers or from authority figures such as managers and leaders? Why?
I'd argue peers are actually more inspiring in day-to-day terms, even though leaders get more attention. When a manager succeeds, it can feel remote — their resources and position are different from yours. But when a colleague at the same level handles a tough situation brilliantly, you think, 'I could do that too.' That proximity makes the inspiration feel actionable rather than abstract, which is ultimately what motivates behavioural change.
How can workplaces create an environment where employees motivate and support each other more effectively?
The most effective lever is probably how performance is measured. If organisations reward only individual output, people naturally protect their own interests. But if collaboration and mentoring are recognised — through peer feedback in appraisals, for instance — the culture shifts gradually. One well-known workplace study found that psychological safety was the strongest predictor of team performance, which suggests that creating space for people to support each other without fear is fundamental.
Do you think competitive working environments help or hinder the kind of inspiration and collaboration that drives innovation?
I think moderate competition can sharpen performance, but beyond a certain point it clearly hinders collaboration. Innovation rarely comes from individuals working in isolation — it usually emerges from people combining ideas freely. In highly competitive environments, people tend to withhold information as a strategic advantage, which kills that process. Some creative studios have shown that deliberately reducing internal competition and encouraging open critique produces far more creative breakthroughs than ranking-based systems do.
Useful language
- raise the bar – Describe someone whose standards push others to perform better: 'Her work ethic raised the bar for the whole team.'
- lead by example – For someone who inspires through actions rather than words: 'He never asked anyone to do what he wasn't willing to do himself.'
- generous with their knowledge – Collocation for someone who shares expertise freely without feeling threatened.
- a lasting influence – Signals that the impact went beyond a single moment: 'She had a lasting influence on how I approach deadlines.'
- shift my mindset – Natural phrase for describing a change in attitude or perspective caused by another person.
- quiet rivalry – Nuanced way to describe low-level competition without hostility, useful for the relationship development section.
- live your values – Idiomatic way to say someone consistently acts according to their principles: 'He simply lived his values, and people noticed.'
- actionable inspiration – Useful in Part 3 to distinguish inspiration you can actually apply from admiration that stays abstract.
Common mistakes on this card
- Describing a famous public figure instead of an actual colleague or classmate — the card says 'colleague or classmate', so the answer must be personal and specific, not a celebrity story reframed.
- Listing qualities without explaining the personal impact — candidates often say 'she was hardworking and dedicated' but never connect those traits to how they themselves changed, which directly loses marks on the final prompt.
- Using the word 'inspire' or 'motivated' repetitively as a filler without developing the idea — examiners reward lexical range, so vary with phrases like 'set an example', 'shifted my perspective', or 'changed the way I approached my work'.
Record your answer and get a band score
Answer this card out loud, then the Part 3 questions. You get a band estimate on all four criteria, with pace, pauses and fillers measured from your recording.
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