Welcome back to IELTS TIME, the podcast designed to help you ace your Speaking test! I’m your host, and today we’re diving into a Part 2 cue card: Describe a person you know who loves to grow plants.
Have you ever met someone who seems happiest when surrounded by plants? Maybe it’s a family member, a neighbor, or even you! In the IELTS Speaking test, this kind of topic comes up quite often. Your goal is to describe the person, talk about what they grow, explain how they care for their plants, and finally, why they enjoy it.
Today, we’ll listen to two model responses from our contributors, Joseph and Ivanna. They’ll show you different approaches to content, vocabulary, and delivery. After each, I’ll provide commentary, highlighting key phrases, vocabulary, and techniques you can use in your own answer.
Let’s start with Joseph’s story about his grandfather.
I’d like to talk about my grandfather, who lives in the countryside. He’s incredibly hardworking and really enjoys spending time in his vegetable garden — it’s kind of his happy place.
He grows a variety of vegetables, mostly staples like tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and spinach. His garden is pretty big, and he likes to plan carefully what to plant each season. Sometimes he tries out new or unusual vegetables just to see if they’ll grow, which shows how curious he is and how much he cares about getting it right.
He takes really good care of his plants. He waters them regularly, checks the soil, pulls out weeds, and uses his own homemade compost. Rain or shine, he’s usually out there tending to the garden because he believes every small effort adds up to a good harvest.
Every time I visit, he takes me around the garden and picks out a bunch of fresh vegetables for me to take home. It’s a little tradition, but it means a lot to me, and I always look forward to it.
I think he enjoys gardening not just because it’s satisfying to watch the plants grow, but also because he knows his family will get to eat the vegetables he’s grown. It keeps him active, gives him a sense of accomplishment, and also brings him a lot of joy knowing that everyone benefits from his hard work.
That was Joseph’s story about his grandfather, and there’s a lot we can learn from the way he structures that response. Let’s take a closer look at what makes it so effective.
First, he introduces the person: his grandfather, describing him as incredibly hardworking and calling the garden his “happy place.” Right away, we get a sense of the grandfather’s personality.
Next, Joseph talks about what kinds of plants he grows — tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, spinach — and even mentions unusual vegetables. That detail isn’t just a list; it tells us the grandfather is curious and willing to experiment.
When it comes to how he takes care of the plants, Joseph uses specific, vivid actions: watering, checking the soil, pulling weeds, and making compost. These details make the story visual and believable. And the phrase “he believes every small effort adds up to a good harvest” is a natural, slightly advanced way to summarize the grandfather’s attitude.
Then there’s the personal touch: every visit, the grandfather picks fresh vegetables for Joseph to take home. This small tradition adds warmth and shows relationship and character, which is exactly what examiners like to hear.
Finally, Joseph explains why his grandfather enjoys gardening. He links the hobby to personal satisfaction, physical activity, and family benefit. This “why it matters” element is key to elevating your answer beyond a simple description.
You can use little phrases like “it’s kind of his happy place” or “every small effort adds up” to make your response sound natural and conversational.
Now let’s move on to Ivanna’s story, which gives us a slightly different scenario.
I’d like to talk about my mother, who has a real passion for growing plants, even though we live in an apartment. She’s incredibly patient and creative, and her little balcony garden has become her personal sanctuary.
She mainly grows herbs and small vegetables, like basil, mint, cherry tomatoes, and chili peppers. She’s also fond of a few flowering plants for decoration, like geraniums and petunias. Despite the limited space, she manages to arrange everything beautifully, making the balcony look vibrant and full of life.
She takes great care of her plants. She waters them carefully, ensures they get enough sunlight, prunes them regularly, and sometimes makes her own compost using kitchen scraps. She even experiments with vertical gardening to make the most of the space, which shows how much she enjoys learning and improving her little garden.
I think she enjoys gardening because it gives her a sense of satisfaction and calm. Seeing the plants thrive and knowing that we can use the herbs and vegetables in our cooking makes her really happy. It’s her way of bringing a touch of nature into our home, and it also inspires me to appreciate the effort and love that goes into nurturing living things.
Another fantastic story from Ivanna — and this time we’re shifting to a completely different setting: a small apartment balcony. Notice how she adapts vocabulary and detail to suit a smaller, urban environment.
Her mother lives in an apartment but has created a “personal sanctuary.” That phrase is slightly more advanced and immediately paints a picture for the listener. She grows herbs and vegetables suitable for small spaces, like basil, mint, and cherry tomatoes. She also adds flowers for decoration, showing variety and creativity.
In describing how she cares for her plants, Ivanna uses actions like watering carefully, pruning, and making compost — similar to Joseph — but also adds vertical gardening. That little detail demonstrates problem-solving and creativity, which makes her mother’s story richer.
Finally, Ivanna explains why her mother enjoys gardening: it brings satisfaction, calm, and a way to bring nature indoors. Notice how she connects it to family use — the herbs and vegetables are not just beautiful, they are useful in cooking. That extra dimension shows the hobby’s emotional and practical value.
And as Ivanna’s example shows, you don’t need a big garden to give a strong answer. You can focus on smaller spaces and creative solutions, like Ivanna did with a balcony or window box.
Now that we’ve heard both Joseph and Ivanna, let’s shift our attention to how you can shape your own response. Whether you choose to talk about someone with a large outdoor garden or someone who grows a few plants on a small balcony, the approach remains the same: follow the cue card naturally and build your story around it.
Start by introducing the person with a brief but personal description, the way you might say, “my grandfather, who is hardworking and patient,” or “my mother, who is creative and loves spending time on her balcony garden.”
Move smoothly into the kinds of plants they grow, keeping your descriptions specific so the listener can visualise them—maybe staples like tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots in a large garden like Joseph’s, or herbs and small vegetables like basil, mint, and cherry tomatoes in a limited space like Ivanna’s
Then talk about how they care for their plants, highlighting concrete actions like watering, pruning, checking the soil, rearranging pots for sunlight, or even making their own compost. These small, practical details make your answer feel vivid and authentic.
Finally, explain why they enjoy growing plants, connecting it to emotions or personal satisfaction—perhaps they find it calming, feel proud watching their plants thrive, or enjoy sharing the harvest with their family. Regardless of the size of the garden, keeping your answer personal, specific, and natural will help you produce a clear, engaging, and well-structured response, without needing complicated vocabulary or overly formal language.
So there you have it: two distinct, high-quality model responses and a step-by-step guide for drafting your own. Joseph’s story is perfect for describing a large garden, and Ivanna’s shows how to handle a small urban space. Both are clear, detailed, and personal.
Just remember: start by introducing the person, mention a few plants they grow, describe how they look after them, and finish by explaining why they enjoy gardening. With a bit of preparation and attention to detail, you can confidently tackle this cue card topic.
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