Practise this cue card out loudPrepare for 1 minute, speak for up to 2 minutes, then compare with the Band 8 sample and try the Part 3 questions.
Humour is hard to describe in a second language, which is exactly why this card separates Band 6 from Band 8. You need specific examples of what the person does, not just “he is very funny”, plus some vocabulary for types of humour. Here is a plan, a Band 8 sample answer and the Part 3 questions about humour and laughter.
How to plan your answer in one minute#
You get one minute and a pencil. Don’t write sentences: note one or two key words per point, plus a detail or two that will make your story vivid. For example:
- who this person is: cousin Amir, a year older, now a primary school teacher
- how you know them: grew up together, summers at grandparents’ village
- what they do that makes you laugh: impressions of relatives, dry humour, stories that go wrong, laughs at himself
- explain why their sense of humor appeals to you: never mean, cheers people up, defuses tension
Practise, then compare: Band 8 sample answers
Record your own answer first, listen back, then compare. Don’t memorise these: examiners spot memorised answers. Borrow the structure and the highlighted vocabulary instead.
Part 2 sample answer (cue card)
Cue card
Describe a person who always makes you laugh.
You should say:
- who this person is
- how you know them
- what they do that makes you laugh
- and explain why their sense of humor appeals to you.
Sample answerShowHide
The person who always makes me laugh is my cousin Amir. He’s a year older than me and works as a primary school teacher, which, now that I think about it, is the perfect job for him.
We’ve known each other all our lives. Our mothers are sisters, and as children we spent every summer together at our grandparents’ house in the countryside, so he’s more like a brother than a cousin.
What makes him so funny is a mixture of things. First of all, he does brilliant impressions. He can copy the way any of our relatives talks, especially our uncle, who tells the same three stories at every family dinner, and he does it so accurately that even our uncle laughs. He also has a very dry sense of humour. He’ll say something completely ridiculous with a totally straight face, and it takes you a second to realise he’s joking. But I think what I enjoy most are his stories about things going wrong. Recently, he told us how he spent twenty minutes trying to calm down a crying child on a school trip, only to discover the child was crying because Amir was standing on his lunch.
The reason his humour appeals to me is that it’s never mean. He rarely makes fun of other people in a hurtful way; most of the time, the joke is on himself. That makes everyone around him relax. I’ve also noticed that he knows when to use it. When our grandfather was in hospital, Amir was the one who managed to make everyone smile without it feeling inappropriate. I think that’s a real skill, and probably why everyone wants him at every family event.
Useful language:more like a brother than a cousindoes brilliant impressionsa dry sense of humourwith a totally straight facethe joke is on himselfin a hurtful waywithout it feeling inappropriate
Part 3 sample answers
Why is humour important in daily life?
Sample answerShowHide
Humour helps people cope with stress and difficult situations, and it brings people together. Sharing a joke creates a sense of connection very quickly, which is why it’s so useful when you meet new people. There’s also some evidence that laughing has physical benefits, such as reducing stress hormones.
Useful language:cope with stressa sense of connection
Do people in different cultures find different things funny?
Sample answerShowHide
Definitely. Some cultures enjoy irony and understatement, while others prefer more obvious, physical humour. A lot of humour depends on language, like wordplay, which is very hard to translate. That’s why jokes are one of the last things you understand when learning a foreign language.
Useful language:irony and understatementwordplay
Is it appropriate to use humour at work?
Sample answerShowHide
In moderation, yes. A light-hearted atmosphere can make teams more relaxed and creative. However, people need to be careful, because jokes that are fine among friends can offend colleagues from different backgrounds. Humour that makes fun of a person’s appearance or beliefs is never appropriate at work.
Useful language:in moderationlight-heartedoffend
Why do people enjoy comedy films and shows?
Sample answerShowHide
Mainly because they offer an escape. After a long day, people want something that doesn’t require much effort and makes them feel good. Comedy is also social: it’s more fun to laugh with others, which is why people enjoy watching comedies with family or friends.
Useful language:offer an escapesocial
Want your own answer scored? With Worddemy Pro, the AI examiner asks you real Part 1–3 questions and gives a band score for fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
Why this answer would score well#
- Specific, vivid examples (impressions of relatives, the lunch story) show the humour instead of just saying “he is funny”.
- Precise vocabulary for humour: dry sense of humour, with a straight face, the joke is on himself, in a hurtful way.
- A natural mini-anecdote with a punchline, which is good for fluency and coherence.
- A thoughtful reason (humour that is never mean, and knowing when to use it) that leads naturally into Part 3.
Other ideas you could talk about#
You don’t have to use a true story, and you can adapt one you know well. Other good choices:
- A friend from school or work who is always joking
- A teacher who used humour in lessons
- A grandparent with funny stories
- A comedian or YouTuber (if you can describe specific sketches)
Mistakes to avoid#
- Only saying “she is very funny and tells jokes”. Describe one specific thing she did.
- Trying to retell a long joke word by word, which often goes wrong in a second language. Summarise the situation instead.
- Confusing funny (makes you laugh) and fun (enjoyable): “He is funny”, “The party was fun”.
Want more? Practise a random card with the 2-minute timer in the cue card generator, or see every Speaking topic with sample answers.