Describe an advertisement with a famous person in it
Describe an advertisement with a famous person in it
You should say:
- who the person is
- what the advertisement is for
- where you saw it
and explain how you feel about it
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- who the person is
- what the advertisement is for
- where you saw it
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How to approach this cue card
This card asks you to describe something you saw and then give an opinion about it. Examiners listen for a clear description of a short scene, for the vocabulary of advertising and fame, and for balanced language in the last part, where “I like it” needs a reason and, ideally, a small reservation.
The easiest angle is an advertisement you can replay in your head: a short story, a funny moment, a song. Describe it as a scene, who is in it, what happens and what the last line says, and then say why it stayed with you. A modest advert you remember in detail beats a famous campaign you only half recall.
Keep the first two bullets short and use the third to set the scene, such as the evening, the screen or the road where you saw it. Save most of your time for the final line, because a candidate who can say both what is appealing about an advert and how far it persuades them shows range in opinion language.
Vocabulary that lifts this answer
These phrases describe advertising and fame more precisely than “a famous man” or “a good advert”.
| Word or phrase | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| a celebrity endorsement | a famous person publicly supporting a product | The advert is a typical celebrity endorsement. |
| a household name | someone or something known to almost everyone | He is a household name in my country. |
| a catchy slogan | a short phrase that is easy to remember | The catchy slogan stayed in my head for days. |
| a jingle | a short, simple song used in an advertisement | I still hum the jingle when I make tea. |
| eye-catching | attracting attention at once | The billboard was bright and eye-catching. |
| to stick in your mind | to be remembered easily | The final scene really stuck in my mind. |
| the target audience | the group of people an advert is made for | Families are the target audience for this brand. |
| tongue-in-cheek | humorous and not completely serious | The tone is tongue-in-cheek, which I enjoy. |
| to be taken in by something | to be misled or persuaded too easily | I don’t want to be taken in by a famous face. |
| to take something with a pinch of salt | to not believe something completely | I take every advert with a pinch of salt. |
A one-minute plan
- who: famous TV actor, detective in a series
- what: a mint tea brand, grandmother scene in a kitchen
- where: television in the evenings last Ramadan, billboard near the Corniche, Casablanca
- feeling: warm and funny, but only a story, not real proof
The same answer at Band 6, 7 and 8
The three sample answers below tell exactly the same story, and only the language changes between them. Hover or tap a highlighted phrase to see what an examiner would notice about it, and treat these as illustrations of what each band typically sounds like, not scripts to memorise.
Band 6
I would like to describe an advertisement for a mint tea brand with a famous actor in it. The actor is well known in Morocco because he playSubject-verb agreement error: should be “plays” a detective in a TV series that many families watch together. I live in Casablanca, and I seeTense slip: should be “saw” the advert first on television in the evenings last Ramadan, and after that on a big billboard near the Corniche when I was going to the beach with my friends. It was a hot day and the billboard was very big. In the advert the actor comes into a small kitchen, and his grandmother gives him a glass of tea. He don’t sayAgreement error: should be “He doesn’t say” anything, he only smiles, and then a short song starts. The song is very niceBasic adjective; limits Lexical Resource and easy to remember, and my little brother sings it at home. The advert is only thirty seconds long, but I can remember every part of it. I like this advert because it is funny and warm, and it makes me think about my own grandmother, you knowFiller phrase used as a hesitation marker. The actor is also a person I really like, so I watch the advert every time. But I do not believe the tea is really his favourite, because he is an actor and, erNatural hesitation marker, minor filler, it is his job. I buyedIrregular verb error: should be “bought” the tea once because of the advert, but it was just a normal teaVague noun phrase; limits Lexical Resource. So for me it is more a nice little story than real information.
Band 7
I’d like to describe an advertisement for a mint tea brand with a famous actor in it. He’s well known in Morocco because he plays a detective in a TV series that many families watch together. I live in Casablanca, and I first saw the advert on television in the evenings last Ramadan, and later on a huge billboard near the Corniche while I was going to the beach with my friends, on a hot afternoon when it was impossible to miss. In the advert the actor walks into a small kitchen, and his grandmother hands him a glass of tea. He doesn’t saysVerb form error: should be “doesn’t say” a word, he just smiles, and then a short song begins. The tune is really catchyNatural collocation instead of a basic adjective, and my little brother sings it around the house. The advert lasts only thirty seconds, but I can remember every detail. What I like about it is that it’s funny and warm, and it reminds me of my own grandmother. I’m also a fan of the actor, so I tend to watch it whenever it comes on. That said, I don’t really believeDiscourse marker that introduces a reservation the tea is his favourite, because endorsing it is part of his job. I bought the tea once because of the advert, but it was perfectly ordinaryPrecise wording for a mild disappointment. So to me it’s less a source of information than a nice little storyComparative structure used accurately, although it does stick in my mind.
Band 8
I’d like to describe an advertisement for a mint tea brand featuring a famous actor, who is a household name in Morocco because he plays a detective in a TV series that whole families watch together. I live in Casablanca, and I first saw the advert on television in the evenings last Ramadan, and later on a huge billboard near the Corniche, as I was heading to the beach with friends on a hot afternoon, when it was impossible to miss. In the advert the actor walks into a small kitchen, and his grandmother hands him a glass of tea. He doesn’t say a word; he simply smiles, and then a short jingle begins. The tune is irresistibly catchyPrecise collocation, and my little brother sings it around the house. The advert lasts only thirty seconds, but I can recall every detail. What I like about it is that it’s tongue-in-cheek and warm at the same timePrecise, natural description of tone, and it reminds me of my own grandmother. I’m a fan of the actor, too, so I tend to watch it whenever it comes on. At the same time, I try not to be taken inDiscourse marker with a precise idiom for a reservation: I doubt the tea is really his favourite, since endorsing it is part of his job. I bought it once because of the advert, and it turned out to be nothing more than perfectly ordinary teaAccurate quantifier phrase. So I treat the advert as a nice little story rather than real informationPrecise paraphrase that completes the opinion, even though it clearly sticks in my mind.
What moved the band
- Band 6’s slips (“he play a detective”, “I see the advert”, “I buyed the tea”) become accurate in Band 7 (“he plays”, “I first saw”, “I bought”) and stay clean in Band 8.
- Band 6 relies on “very nice” and “a normal tea”; Band 7 uses “really catchy” and “perfectly ordinary”; Band 8 adds “irresistibly catchy” and “tongue-in-cheek and warm at the same time”.
- Band 6 ends with “more a nice little story than real information”; Band 8 states the opinion more fully, “I try not to be taken in”.
Common mistakes on this card
- Describing the famous person’s whole career instead of the advertisement itself.
- Answering only the first three bullets and never saying “how you feel about it”, with a reason.
- Calling every advert “funny” or “good” without saying which scene or sentence made it so.
- Mixing present and past tense when you retell what happens in the advert and when you saw it.
Part 3 questions that often follow
After your turn of one to two minutes, the examiner usually moves into a related Part 3 discussion — these are the kinds of follow-up questions that commonly come up around this topic.
- Why do companies choose famous people to appear in their advertisements?
- Should celebrities be careful about which products they promote?
- Are children too easily influenced by advertising?
- Which is more effective today, a television advert or an advert on social media?
- Should advertising for some products, such as sweet drinks, be limited by law?
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to name the famous person?
It helps, because a name gives the examiner something concrete. If you cannot recall it, describe the person clearly: what they do, why they are known and how they looked in the advert. Then move on to the product and the place you saw it.
Can the advertisement be a video online, a poster or a radio spot?
Yes. Any form of advertising is allowed, so a television spot, a billboard, a video before a clip online or a poster at a station can all work. Choose the one you remember best and describe what you saw or heard.
What if I do not like the advertisement?
That can make a good answer. The final line asks how you feel about it, so a critical view is welcome if you give reasons. Say what annoyed you, what you would change and whether it made you notice the product.
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