Describe a time when you helped someone

Welcome to IELTS TIME, the podcast dedicated to helping you master your IELTS Speaking! Today, we’ve got another fantastic sample response from our regular contributor, Joseph. He’s tackling a really common cue card: “Describe a time when you helped someone. You should say who you helped, how you helped them, how this person reacted to your help, and explain how you felt after helping this person.” Let’s dive in and hear Joseph’s response

I guess a really clear memory I have of helping someone was actually quite recently, maybe a few months ago. It was my friend, Sarah, who I’ve known since primary school. She was having a bit of a nightmare with moving out of her old flat.

So, Sarah was moving into a new place, but her old landlord was being super strict about getting everything professionally cleaned before she left, or she’d lose a big chunk of her deposit. She’d been working crazy hours and just didn’t have the time or energy to do it herself, and professional cleaners were quoting her a fortune. I remember her calling me up, totally stressed, almost in tears, saying she felt completely overwhelmed.

I told her not to even worry about it. I had a free Saturday, so I just drove over to her old flat with some cleaning supplies and we spent pretty much the whole day scrubbing that place from top to bottom. I focused on the kitchen and bathroom, which were the main areas the landlord was fussy about, while she tackled the living room and bedrooms. We put on some music, made it a bit of a laugh, and just powered through.

Sarah was incredibly relieved and so grateful. By the end of the day, she was practically hugging me every five minutes! She kept saying I was a lifesaver and that she didn’t know what she would have done without me. She even treated me to a really nice takeaway afterwards, which was sweet. I could just see the weight lifted off her shoulders, which was really nice to see.

Honestly, I felt really good about it. It wasn’t just about helping her avoid losing money, but about seeing my friend go from being completely stressed out to feeling relaxed and happy again. It’s a great feeling to know you can make a tangible difference in someone’s day, especially when they’re struggling. It reinforced to me that small acts of kindness can actually have a huge impact. Plus, it was actually quite fun spending the day with her, even if we were covered in cleaning products by the end of it! It just felt like the right thing to do for a good friend.

Alright, so let’s quickly tie together how Joseph addressed each part of that cue card, truly a cohesive story.

He started off by clearly establishing who he helped, telling us it was his long-time friend, Sarah, who was clearly in a bind. Then, he smoothly transitioned into how he helped her, detailing the specific act of driving over and spending an entire Saturday dedicated to scrubbing her old flat from top to bottom. This was crucial, of course, because she was overwhelmed and needed to ensure she got her deposit back, something she couldn’t manage on her own due to time constraints and the cost of professional cleaners.

Following this, he vividly described how Sarah reacted to his help, painting a picture of immense relief and profound gratitude, even recounting her calling him a “lifesaver” and treating him to a takeaway – a lovely detail that grounds the interaction.

Finally, he eloquently explained how he felt after helping her, expressing a deep sense of satisfaction and happiness at seeing the stress lifted from his friend. He reflected on the “great feeling” of making a tangible difference in someone’s life, and how it reinforced his belief that even seemingly small acts of kindness can indeed have a huge impact. It’s that natural progression through each point, combined with genuine emotion and specific details, that made his response so compelling and effective.

Now, let’s dive into some of the great vocabulary Joseph used that you can definitely borrow for your own response. Remember, it’s not about using big, complicated words, but about using the right words effectively and naturally.

First up, he said his friend was having a “bit of a nightmare” with moving. This is such a natural, idiomatic phrase that many native speakers use. It’s much more engaging than just saying “she was having problems.” Similarly, describing the landlord as “super strict” is simple yet effective.

When talking about his friend being stressed, he used the phrase “totally stressed, almost in tears, saying she felt completely overwhelmed.” “Overwhelmed” is a fantastic adjective to describe feeling like you have too much to handle. This shows a good range of vocabulary related to emotions.

Then, when he got to the cleaning itself, he used the phrase “scrubbing that place from top to bottom.” This paints a clear picture and is a common way to describe a thorough cleaning. And when he said they “powered through” the cleaning, it means they did it with a lot of energy and determination, which is a great phrasal verb to use.

Finally, his reflection on how he felt after helping was really strong. He said it was “a great feeling to know you can make a tangible difference.” “Tangible” is a slightly higher-level adjective meaning something that is real and can be touched or felt – a concrete difference. He also mentioned that it “reinforced to me that small acts of kindness can actually have a huge impact.” This kind of reflective language, using phrases like “reinforced to me,” really shows an ability to discuss abstract ideas, which can push your score higher.

So, what can we take away from Joseph’s response? Focus on telling a clear, cohesive story, use natural language, and don’t be afraid to show a bit of emotion and reflection. It’s not just what you say, but how you say it!

That wraps up today’s episode of IELTS TIME. If you found this helpful, we’d be incredibly grateful if you could take a moment to leave us a review and a five-star rating wherever you’re listening – whether that’s Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or if you’re watching on YouTube, hit that like button and subscribe! It truly helps us reach more learners like you. Until next time, keep practicing, keep speaking, and keep improving!