IELTS Speaking Part 1 Questions
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In part 1 of the IELTS speaking test, you will be asked questions about familiar topics. In other words, these are topics that you should be able to talk about quite easily. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to practise for them so that you are not caught off-guard.
Strategy
There are a few things that you want to avoid when answering these questions. Firstly, you need to ensure you don’t just give one word answers. This might be tempting when you get a question like “Do you like shopping?” If you don’t like shopping, don’t just say “no” but give the reasons why you don’t like shopping. Try to say at least 2-3 sentences for each question.
You also want to avoid what I call parrot-phrasing. If the examiner asks you “do you like watching films?”, try to avoid answering “yes, I like watching films.” The problem with this is you are just turning the question into a statement. Answering the question with a different structure shows you have better control of grammar, for example “actually, I haven’t seen a film in a while, but I used to watch two or three films a week.”
Practice Questions
Age
Are you happy to be the age you are now?
When you were a child, did you think a lot about your future?
Do you think you have changed as you have got older?
How do you think your life will change in the future?
Animals
Do you have any pets?
Do you ever watch programmes or read articles about wild animals?
Have you ever been to a zoo or wildlife park?
Would you like a job working with animals?
Art
Did you enjoy doing art lessons at school?
Do you like to draw or paint now?
When was the last time you visited an art gallery or exhibition?
Do you have any pictures in your home? What kind?
Bicycles
How popular are bicycles in your home town?
How often do you ride a bicycle?
What age did you learn to ride a bicycle?
Buildings
Which buildings in your home town/city are the most famous?
What type of buildings do most people in your country live in?
Do you find architecture interesting?
What is the most unusual building you have seen?
Clothes and Fashion
Is fashion important to you?
What kind of clothes do you like/dislike?
Do you prefer to wear smart clothes or casual clothes?
Where do you normally buy your clothes?
How often do you buy new clothes?
How do you decide which clothes to buy?
Have the clothes you like changed in recent years?
Daily Routines
Do you stick to a daily routine?
Tell me about your typical weekday/weekend.
Do you have much free time?
What would you do if you had a few extra hours each day?
Dancing
Do you enjoy dancing?
Are there any traditional dances in your country?
Family
Do you have a large family or a small family?
How much time do you spend with members of your family?
What sort of things do you do with your family?
Do you get on well with your family?
Festivals
Tell me about an important festival in your country?
What kind of festivals do you have in your country?
Do you think festivals are important for a country?
Film
How often do you go to the cinema?
Do you prefer to watch movies at the cinema or at home?
What is your favourite film?
Are there any types of film you don’t enjoy?
What was your favourite film in your childlife?
If someone made a movie about your life, would you watch it?
Flowers
Do you like to have flowers in your home?
Where would you go to buy flowers?
On what occasions would you give someone flowers?
Are flowers important in your culture?
Food
What kind of food do you like to eat?
Is there any food you would like to try?
Is there any food you avoid?
Would you say you eat healthily?
What type of food is popular in your country?
Do you like cooking?
Who normally does the cooking in your home?
Do you ever watch cookery programmes on TV?
Do you prefer to eat at home or in restaurants?
Free Time
Do you have any hobbies or interests?
How do you spend your free time?
How do you usually spend your weekends?
Do you prefer to stay in or go out in the evenings?
Do you think you have enough free time?
Friends
Would you prefer to have one close friend or a large group of friends?
Are your friends mostly your age or different ages?
How did you meet your best friend?
Tell me about your best friend from school.
How often do you meet your friends?
Do you usually see your friends during the week or at weekends?
What did you do last time you saw your friends?
What do you usually do when you see your friends?
How do you keep in contact with friends?
Do you use different ways to contact different people?
Are you still in contact with friends from your childhood?
What type of person do you think makes a good friend?
Which is more important to you, friends or family?
Future
What job would you like to have in ten years’ time?
How useful will English be for your future?
How much travel do you hope to do in the future?
How do you think your life will change in the future?
Games
Do you play any games?
What games are popular in your country?
What games did you use to play as a child?
Gifts
When do you normally give people gifts or presents?
Do you prefer to give gifts or receive them?
Do you ever take gifts if you are visiting someone’s home?
When did you last receive a gift?
Health
Is it important to eat healthily?
When you feel ill, what can you do to feel better?
Do you ever check your symptoms online?
Do you think you live a healthy lifestyle?
Home
Tell me about your flat or house?
Which is your favourite room in your flat or house?
Do you like your neighbourhood?
What can you do in your neighbourhood in your free time?
What changes would you like to see in your neighbourhood?
Would you like to live in another neighbourhood in your town or city?
What do you like about your home town/city?
Is your home town/city a good place to live?
Has your home town/city change much in recent years?
If you could live anywhere, where would you like to live?
Humour and Laughing
What kind of things make you laugh?
What was the last thing that made you laugh?
Do you enjoy watching comedy?
Do you like making people laugh?
Money
When shopping, do you prefer to pay by cash or card?
Are you good at saving money?
Would you take a low-paying job?
Would winning a lot of money make a big difference in your life?
What would you do if you won a million dollars?
Have you ever gambled?
Music
What type of music do you like?
What time of day do you like to listen to music?
Do you prefer to listen to recorded music or live musicians?
Which musical instruments do you like to listen to?
Can you play a musical instrument?
Would you like to learn to play a musical instrument?
Did you enjoy singing when you were younger?
Do you like singing nowadays?
Names
How did your parents choose your name?
Does your name have any special meaning?
Is your name common or unusual in your country?
If you could change your name, would you?
Neighbours
How well do you know your neighbours?
How often do you talk to your neighbours?
What problems do people sometimes have with neighbours?
Do you think you are a good neighbour?
How can neighbours help each other?
Has a neighbour ever helped you?
Newspapers and Magazines
Do you read newspapers or magazines?
What kind of articles are you interested in?
Have you ever read a newspaper or magazine in a foreign language?
Photographs
Do you like taking photographs?
What type of photos do you like taking?
What do you do with the photos you take?
Do you like people taking photos of you?
School
Did you enjoy going to school?
Did you go to school near where you lived?
What did you like about your school?
What didn’t you like about your school?
What was your favourite subject?
What subject did you find most difficult at school?
Did you have a favourite teacher?
How could your school be improved?
Shopping
Do you like shopping?
What kind of things do you like shopping for?
Do you prefer to use small shops or large ones?
Do you prefer to shop alone or with friends?
Do you prefer to shop online or in physical shops?
What would you recommend tourists buy from your country?
Social Media
Which social media websites do you use?
How much time do you spend on social media?
What kind of information about yourself would you put on social media?
Is there anything you don’t like about social media?
Special Days
What are the most important special days in your country?
How do people in your culture celebrate special days?
Which special day was most important to you as a child?
Would you like to experience special days in other countries?
Sport
What sports are popular in your country?
Did you do sports at school?
How often do you watch sport?
Would you rather watch or play sport?
Do you do any sports at the moment?
Study
Why did you choose your course?
Do you prefer to study alone or with other people?
What would you like to do when your course finishes?
What type of people study your course?
What would you change about your studies?
Telephone
How often do you make telephone calls?
Do you prefer to call people or send messages?
Who do you spend most time chatting with on the phone?
What age did you get your first mobile phone?
Travel
Do you enjoy travelling?
Have you done much travelling?
Do you prefer to travel alone or with other people?
What type of places do you like to travel to?
Where would you like to travel to?
Do many people travel to your country?
TV
How often do you watch television?
What type of television programmes do you enjoy?
Are there any types of television programmes you don’t enjoy?
Do you enjoy the advertisements on television?
Do you think you will watch more or less television in future?
Visitors
Do many tourists visit your country?
What are the main reasons why people visit your country?
What should a visitor see and do in your country?
How are visitors treated in your country?
Do you like to see foreign visitors in your country? Why?
Has tourism changed your country? How?
Weather
Have you ever been in very cold weather?
How often is the weather cold where you come from?
Are some parts of your country colder than others?
Would you prefer to live in a hot country or a cold country?
Work
Why did you choose your job?
What are your normal working hours?
What type of people do your job?
What is the best thing about your job?
Did you always want to have this job?
If you could change something about your job, what would it be?
Is your job dangerous?
Would you prefer to work indoors or outdoors?
Would you ever work with children or animals?
Is money the most important factor for you when choosing a job?
What skills are important in your job?
Writing
How often do you write?
What different types of writing do you do?
Do you write more now or less than you did 10 years ago?
Do you like to write stories or poems?
Do you write a diary or blog?
