Describe a Person Who Has Done a Lot of Work to Help People IELTS Cue Card

The IELTS Speaking Part 2, also known as the cue card round, tests your ability to speak fluently for 1–2 minutes on a given topic. Many candidates find this section tricky due to the limited prep time and the need to organize thoughts quickly. To improve this skill, it’s essential to practice with real cue card questions, expand your vocabulary, and learn how to structure your responses effectively.

In this blog, we cover the topic “Describe a person who has done a lot of work to help people” – a commonly asked cue card question in IELTS Speaking Part 2. The blog includes a band 8+ sample answer, a list of useful IELTS Vocabulary (vocab), and tips to help you answer confidently and naturally in the actual test to help you boost your overall IELTS band score

Describe a Person Who Has Done a Lot of Work to Help People Sample Answer 1

“Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.” is one of the famous quotes by Mother Teresa. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Macedonia, she is one of the very few people who is globally known for the spread of compassion for fellow humans. 

At the age of eighteen, Saint Mother Teresa, or Agnes, as she was known, left her parental home and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. Then, after a few months’ training in Dublin, she was sent to India, where she spent the rest of her life taking care of the poorest of the poor in the slums of Kolkata. 

While teaching at St. Mary’s High School in Kolkata, Mother Teresa is known to have been affected by the suffering and poverty outside the convent’s walls. It left an impact on her and she eventually left the school and began helping the needy with help from the higher church authorities. She began an open-air school for slum children and later, with the help of voluntary helpers and financial support, started her own order, “The Missionaries of Charity”, on October 7, 1950. The primary task was to love and care for those people who had no one to take care of. The work of this order is now not only limited to India but has also helped many in Asia, Africa, North America, Europe, Australia, and Latin America and offered relief work during natural disasters. 

In 1997, I was old enough to understand the depressing atmosphere that spread worldwide at the passing of this angelic soul. On further inquiry, my parents told me how she, along with many members of the order, had helped the desolate and guided and took care of shut-ins, alcoholics, the homeless, and people with AIDS in different countries. Her contribution to society was so immense that she received the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize in 1971, the Nehru Prize in 1972, the Templeton and Magsaysay awards, the Balzan Prize, and the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979. I pray to God to send more of His angels on earth like Mother Teresa, who can remind us of the ways of compassion and love. 

Describe a Person Who Has Done a Lot of Work to Help People Sample Answer 2

We have always heard, “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” “Helping” is one of the greatest virtues possessed by mankind. But in today’s corrupted world, there are very few who would help you without any ulterior motive. I remember a man living on the sidewalks of our school lane.

He had no house to live in and was mentally retarded. He had a small kid who stayed with him. He had no fixed place to live. He would settle on any lane he found empty for the day. He wore torn clothes, and so did his son.

One day I was standing for my bus at the bus stop. I was in class 5 then. It was 2:10 pm, and I saw the man in torn, unwashed clothes. It was the type of appearance where you would take a step back from them so that they couldn’t reach or touch you. But for some reason, he grabbed my special attention. He had 2 small bowls of rice and curry that he got from somewhere and was heading toward his son. Some hungry street dogs were roaming around barking for food. He handed over one bowl to his son, took the other bowl, and gave it to the dogs. I was very young to understand what was happening or look deep into it. I observed him doing the same thing quite many times. Years passed, but in class 7, I told my friends about this incident and decided to collect 10 rupees and buy him something to eat.

I wanted to help him as I grew up and started to understand what was happening, but sadly, we could never find the man. Some said he died of sickness; others said he got under some truck. We never really know what happened to him, but I know something that he made me know. That man had nothing but was selfless enough to give away his everything for the street dogs. I still remember that incident and the lesson that man taught me.

Describe a Person Who Has Done a Lot of Work to Help People Sample Answer 3

One person who truly stands out for their dedication to helping others is Dr. Prakash Amte, a renowned social worker and medical doctor from India. He lives in a remote tribal area in Maharashtra, where he and his wife, Dr. Mandakini Amte, have devoted their lives to improving the lives of indigenous communities.

Dr. Amte has done remarkable work through the Lok Biradari Prakalp, an initiative he started decades ago. It provides free medical care, education, and social support to tribal people who previously had no access to basic facilities. He not only set up a hospital but also established a residential school and an animal orphanage, helping both people and wildlife in need.

What’s most inspiring is how he left behind a comfortable urban life to live in the forest and serve those who were marginalized and ignored by mainstream society. His selfless contribution earned him several prestigious awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often regarded as Asia’s Nobel Prize.

I first learned about Dr. Amte through a documentary I watched during a community development seminar. I was deeply moved by his humility, resilience, and unwavering commitment to humanitarian work. Since then, I’ve read more about him and even followed his organization's updates online.

To me, Dr. Amte is a symbol of compassion and courage. His story reminds me that one person’s efforts can genuinely transform thousands of lives.

Describe a Person Who Has Done a Lot of Work to Help People - IELTS Vocabulary 

1. Compassion

• Meaning: Sympathy and concern for the sufferings of others.
• Example: Mother Teresa’s life was driven by deep compassion for the poor and suffering.

2. Fellow humans

• Meaning: Other people or mankind in general.
• Example: She dedicated her life to serving her fellow humans without expecting anything in return.

3. Slums

• Meaning: Overcrowded, impoverished urban areas.
• Example: She worked tirelessly in the slums of Kolkata to care for the sick and homeless.

4. Convent

• Meaning: A community or building where nuns live and work.
• Example: Her life changed when she stepped outside the convent and saw the poverty around her.

5. Voluntary helpers

• Meaning: People who offer help without being paid.
• Example: She started an organization with the support of voluntary helpers from different walks of life.

6. Order (religious)

• Meaning: A group in a religious community with specific missions and goals.
• Example: She founded her own order called “The Missionaries of Charity” to serve the destitute.

7. Natural disasters

• Meaning: Catastrophic events like earthquakes or floods caused by nature.
• Example: Her organization also provided relief work during natural disasters across continents.

8. Desolate

• Meaning: Feeling or showing misery, unhappiness, or loneliness.
• Example: She extended her love to desolate individuals who had no family or support.

9. Shut-ins

• Meaning: People confined to their homes due to illness or disability.
• Example: The Missionaries of Charity made efforts to care for shut-ins across cities.

10. Angelic soul

• Meaning: A person with an extremely kind and pure spirit.
• Example: The world mourned the loss of this angelic soul when Mother Teresa passed away.

Useful Links:

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