Describe a person you admire — IELTS Speaking Part 2 Model Answer

The person I'd like to talk about is Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who served as the eleventh President of India and was one of the country's most celebrated scientists and aerospace engineers.

I first learned about him during my school years, when he was a constant presence in textbooks and motivational talks. He was the principal architect of India's civilian space programme and its ballistic missile development, which earned him the nickname the Missile Man of India. Despite working on some of the most complex technical projects in the country's history, he remained famously accessible and humble — known for responding personally to letters from students and visiting schools even during his presidency.

What I admire most about him is his extraordinary combination of scientific brilliance and genuine human warmth. He grew up in modest circumstances in a small fishing village in Tamil Nadu, yet became one of the most decorated scientists in the nation's history. He never seemed to consider success a destination — he consistently spoke about using one's abilities in service to others, and he genuinely lived by that principle throughout his career.

I also admire the fact that he chose to remain deeply connected to young people. He famously said that dreams are not what you see in sleep, but something that does not let you sleep. That idea has stayed with me for years.

He represents a kind of leadership I rarely encounter — driven entirely by purpose rather than personal ambition. For all these reasons, he remains the person I most genuinely admire.