The teacher cue card is close to "a person you admire". The difference is that you talk about lessons, a way of teaching and a specific effect on you.
The cue card
Describe a teacher who has influenced you.
You should say:
who the teacher was
what subject they taught
what they were like
and explain how they influenced you.
One-minute notes
- who: Mr Rustam, English teacher, grades 9-11
- subject: English, but really speaking
- like: strict but funny, phones in a box, debates every Friday
- influence: stopped being afraid to speak, chose to study languages
Model answer (about 2 minutes)
I'd like to talk about my English teacher at school, Mr Rustam, who taught me from ninth to eleventh grade.
Officially he taught English, but in practice he taught us to speak it, which was unusual at our school. Most of our earlier lessons had been grammar exercises from the textbook, and I could write correct sentences without being able to say a single one out loud.
He was quite strict in some ways. At the start of every lesson we had to put our phones in a box on his desk, and he never let anyone answer in Uzbek. At the same time he was really funny, and he had this habit of turning every topic into a debate. Every Friday the class was split into two teams arguing about something, from "Should school start later?" to "Is social media good for teenagers?".
As for how he influenced me, the biggest change was that I stopped being afraid of making mistakes when I spoke. He used to say that a mistake you say out loud is one you can fix, but a sentence you keep in your head is useless. Before his lessons I hardly ever spoke in class; by the end of eleventh grade I was one of the people who volunteered first.
I'm fairly sure he's the reason I decided to study languages at university.
Useful words and phrases
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| in practice | in practice |
| out loud | out loud |
| strict | strict |
| split into teams | split into teams |
| volunteer | volunteer |
| get the most out of | get the most out of |
| lose motivation | lose motivation |
| feel safe to | feel safe to |
How to answer
- Describe the teacher with contrasting traits: "strict but funny".
- Give a specific habit: "every Friday...", "at the start of every lesson...".
- Show the influence through before and after: how you were, and how you became.
- Quoting the teacher brings the answer to life: "He used to say that...".
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Part 3: follow-up discussion questions
What makes a good teacher?
I'd say the ability to make students want to learn, not just to pass the exam. Knowing the subject well is essential, of course, but a teacher who is patient and makes the class feel safe to make mistakes usually gets much more out of students.
Will online learning replace teachers?
I don't think so, at least not completely. Online courses are great for information, but a teacher notices when you're confused or losing motivation, and that's very hard for a program to do.
Should teachers be paid more?
Is it better to learn in a large class or a small group?
Part 2 strategy: the cue card guide. Next step: the Part 3 guide.
Practise this topic now
The AI examiner asks you these questions, listens to your answers and shows your mistakes.
