Describe a person who has inspired you

Band 6

I would like to talk about my old manager, Aziza, who I work withTense slip: should be “worked with” for about two years at my first job after university. I know her because she was training the new staff in my team, so I seeTense slip: should be “saw” her almost every day, especially in first months when, erNatural hesitation marker, minor filler, I don’t really know what I am doing. She was a very goodBasic adjective repeated; limits Lexical Resource manager and also a very kind person. She never made me feel stupid when I ask a question, even if I ask same question two times. She was very down-to-earth too — for someone quite senior, she sitSubject-verb agreement error: should be “sat” with junior staff at lunch instead of eating alone, which is a small thing but it say a lot about her, you know. One day I made a mistake in a client report and I think she will beShould be “she would be” in reported past very angry with me. But she just sat down calm, helped me fix it, and said mistakes are normal, this is how people learn the job. What inspireSubject-verb agreement error: should be “inspires” me most is she haveSubject-verb agreement error: should be “has” patience but also high standard for our work — she never lowered it for anyone. Now, when I train a new colleague myself, I notice I do exactly same thing she used to do, and I think this show how much she really changed my outlook.

Band 7

I’d like to talk about my former manager, Aziza, who I worked under for around two years at my first job after university. I got to know her well because she was responsible for training new staff, so I saw her almost daily, especially during the first few months when I genuinely had no idea what I was doing. What stood out about her wasn’t one dramatic thing, but a pattern — she never made me feel stupid for asking a question, even the same one twice, and despite being fairly senior, she was remarkably down-to-earth, often sitting with junior staffsUncountable noun given a plural ending at lunch rather than eating separately. There was one moment I still remember clearlyNatural discourse marker introducing the narrative: I made an error on a client report, expecting to be reprimanded — or, well, at least told off firmlyNatural self-correction mid-sentence — but instead she sat with me calmly, helped me correct it, and simply said mistakes are how people actually learn the job. What inspired me most was that combination of patience and high standards; she never lowered her expectations, but she didn’t punish effort eitherBalanced parallel clause structure. Looking back, she shaped my whole outlook on leadershipPrecise, natural collocation more than any course could have, and now that I occasionally train newer colleagues myself, I often catch myself repeating almost exactly what she used to do.

Band 8

I’d like to talk about my former manager, Aziza, under whom I workedFronted relative clause, sophisticated structure for roughly two years in my first job after university. I came to know her well because she was responsible for training new staff, so I saw her almost daily, particularly during those early months when I genuinely hadn’t a clueIdiomatic, natural phrasing what I was doing. What struck me about her wasn’t any single dramatic gesture but a consistent pattern of behaviourNatural discourse marker organising the narrative — she never once made me feel foolish for asking a question, even the same one twice, and despite her seniority, she remained strikingly unpretentious, often sitting with junior staff at lunch instead of eating separately. Having made an error on a client report and bracing myself for a reprimand, I instead found her sitting calmly beside meParticiple clause opening a complex sentence, helping me put it right, and simply remarking that mistakes are how people genuinely learn a job. What inspired me most was that rare combination of patience and consistently high standards — she never let expectations slip, yet she never penalised honest effort eitherBalanced parallel structure with precise contrast. In hindsight, she shaped my outlook on leadership far more than any course could, and these days, when training newer colleagues, I often catch myself echoing, almost word for wordIdiomatic paraphrase, the very approach she once took with me.