IELTS Speaking Topics and Questions

Fresh Reads

·

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is an internationally accepted English language test which assesses whether or not your English language skills are strong enough to start studying at a university or at a vocational college in an English speaking country.

IELTS Speaking is a one-to-one interaction between the candidate and an examiner. The three parts give the candidate the opportunity to use a range of different speaking skills.

Table of Contents

Part 1 – Introduction and Interview

The examiner introduces him/herself and verifies your identity (you must have a valid ID or passport). The examiner asks you questions from up to three familiar topics. This task lasts roughly 4-5 minutes.

Introduction

  • What is your name?
  • What should I call you?
  • Can I see your ID?
  • Where do you live?
  • Do you work or study?
  • How can you describe yourself?

Name

  • Do you like your name?
  • Are there any special meanings of your name?
  • In your country, do people feel that their name is very important?
  • Is it easy to change your name in your country?
  • What names are most common in your hometown?

Home, Apartment, Accommodation

  • Describe your home/apartment?
  • Do you like your home?
  • Describe a home that you would like to have in future?
  • How does your present home look like?
  • Tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in?
  • How long have you lived there?
  • What do you like about living there?
  • What sort of accommodation would you most like to live in?
  • Do you remember the house you lived in as child?

Neighborhood

  • Describe your neighborhood?
  • When do you usually meet your neighbors?
  • Are your neighbors helpful?
  • Do you think sometime neighbors are irritating?
  • How well do you know your neighbors?
  • How do you think neighbors can help each other?

Hometown / Village / City

  • What kind of place is it?
  • Describe the city you live in?
  • Is it a safe place for kids to grow up?
  • What are the visiting places in your hometown?
  • What’s the most interesting part of your town/village?
  • What kind of jobs do the people in your town/village do?
  • Would you say it’s a good place to live? (Why?)
  • Do you want to live in your hometown in the future?
  • Do you have any entertainment places in your city? What are they?
  • What would you change in your city? Why?
  • What are the advantages of living in the city?

Friend / Friendship

  • Are your friends mostly your age or different ages?
  • Do you usually see your friends during the week or at weekends?
  • The last time you saw your friends, what did you do together?
  • In what ways are your friends important to you?
  • How do you contact your friends?
  • Do you think friendship changes as you get older?

Internet

  • What do you use internet for?
  • Does everyone have access to internet in your country?
  • Do you think older people are scared of new technology?

Flower

  • Do you like flowers?
  • How often you buy flowers?
  • When was the last time you gave flowers to someone?
  • Do people value flowers in your country?
  • Why do people plant flowers?
  • Do you have flowers in your house?
  • Why do people give flowers?
  • Are flowers important in your culture?

Gardening

  • Do you like gardening? Why?
  • Is gardening popular in your country?
  • When do people prefer to do gardening in your country?

Festival

  • Tell me about the most important festival in your country.
  • What special food and activities are connected with this festival?
  • What do you most enjoy about it?
  • Do you think festivals are important for a country?

Animals

  • Which animal do you like most and why?
  • Is there any animal which is rare to see in your hometown?
  • Do you have a pet?
  • How do you take care of your pet?
  • Which animals are people afraid of in your country?
  • Are there many animals or birds where you live?
  • How often do you watch programmes or read articles about wild animals?
  • Have you ever been to a zoo or a wildlife park?
  • Would you like to have a job working with animals?

Travel

  • Do you like to travel?
  • Do you like to travel by bus or taxi?
  • Have you ever had a long bus journey?
  • Do you carry a lot of luggage when traveling?
  • With whom do you often travel?
  • What do you like to do while traveling?
  • What are the important travel places in your country?
  • What means of transport are popular in your country?

Holidays

  • Do you like holidays?
  • Why are holidays important?
  • How often do you go on holidays?
  • How do most of people in your country spend their holidays.
  • What do you think about public holidays?
  • Tell about a memorable holiday you had?

Daily Routine

  • Tell me about a typical day in your life?
  • What would you like to change in your daily routine?
  • Are all your days the same?
  • Tell me about your typical weekday and your typical weekend.
  • What is the balance of work/study and free time in your normal day?

Newspaper

  • Do you read newspaper?
  • What type of news are you interested in?
  • Why do you read newspapers?
  • Do you prefer to read a real newspaper or digital ones?
  • Do you use internet to read newspaper?
  • What are the benefits of reading a newspaper?

Art

  • Did you enjoy doing art lessons at school when you were a child?
  • Do you ever draw or paint pictures nowadays?
  • When was the last time you went to an art gallery or exhibition?
  • What type of art or paintings do you like to have in your home?

Visitors

  • What would you suggest a visitor should see and do in your country?
  • Are there any traditional arts or music you would recommend?
  • Tell me about the kind of foreign visitors or tourists who go to your country.
  • In what ways has tourism changed your country?

Books / Reading

  • Do you like reading?
  • What are the benefits of reading?
  • What kind of books do you like to read?
  • Tell me about a book that you recently read?
  • What is your favorite book? What is the book about?
  • Do you think children should read books? Why?
  • When do you think is the best time to read?

School

  • What school did you go to?
  • Do you like it? Why?
  • Is school time important? Why?
  • What are some things you disliked about school?
  • How often have you changed your school?

Work

  • Do you work or are you a student?
  • Why did you choose that job?
  • What are your responsibilities at work?
  • What is the most difficult thing about your job?
  • How many hours do you work each day?

Hobbies

  • What are your hobbies?
  • What type of hobbies are popular among people in your country?
  • How much time do you spend on your hobby?

Free Time / Leisure

  • What do you like to do in your free time?
  • Do you like spending time alone?

Songs

  • Do you like songs?
  • What kind of singers do you like? Why?
  • Is music taught in your school?
  • Did you enjoy singing when you were younger?
  • How often do you sing now?
  • Do you have a favorite song you like listening to?
  • How important is singing in your culture?

Family

  • Tell me something about your family?
  • What do you like doing most with your family?
  • Who are you close to in your family?
  • In what way is your family important to you?
  • Do you live in a nuclear family or an extended family?
  • Do you have any siblings?
  • What do you like best about your family?
  • How much time do you usually spend with the members of your family?

Gifts

  • What is your favourite gift?
  • Have you ever received a gift that you didn’t like?
  • When was the last time you received a gift?
  • Do you prefer receiving a gift or giving a gift?
  • Do you think it’s difficult to choose what gift to give to people?
  • What were the gifts you sent to others recently?
  • Do you like giving gifts to your friends?

TV

  • Do you like watching TV?
  • How often do you watch TV?
  • What kind of programs you’d like to watch?
  • Do you like watching TV with your family or friends or by yourself?
  • Where do you usually watch TV programs/shows?
  • What’s your favorite TV program/show?
  • Are there any programs/shows you don’t like watching?
  • Do you think you will watch more TV or fewer TV programs/shows in the future?

Health

  • Is it important to you to eat healthy food?
  • If you catch a cold, what do you do to feel better?
  • Do you pay attention to public information about health?
  • What could you do to have a healthier lifestyle?
  • Do you think people in your country are less healthy than they used to be?

Sport

  • What sports do you play?
  • Are you good at sports?
  • What is the most popular sport in your country?

Fitness

  • What are the best ways to keep fit?
  • What do you do to keep fit?
  • Do most people find exercise a chore or do they find it fun?
  • What is the most popular form of exercise in your country?

Clothes

  • Where do you buy most of your clothes?
  • How often do you buy new clothes for yourself?
  • How do you decide which clothes to buy?
  • Have the kinds of clothes you like changed in recent years?

Part 2 – Individual Long Turn

You are given a task card with a topic and list of items that you must discuss during this task. There will be one minute allotted for preparation and making notes; you then talk for about two minutes. If you do not finish within two minutes, the examiner will stop you. The examiner will ask one or two questions to round off the long turn. This section takes roughly 3-4 minutes, including the one-minute preparation time

Historic Place

Describe an interesting historic place. You should say:

  • what it is
  • where it is located
  • what you can see there now
  • and explain why this place is interesting.

Teacher Who Influenced You

Describe a teacher who has influenced you in your education. You should say:

  • where you met them
  • what subject they taught what was special about them
  • and explain why this person influenced you so much.

TV or Film Which Made Strong Impression on You

Describe a film or a TV programme which has made a strong impression on you. You should say:

  • what kind of film or TV programme it was, e.g. comedy
  • when you saw the film or TV programme
  • what the film or TV programme was about
  • and explain why this film or TV programme made such an impression on you.

Memorable Event in Your Life

Describe a memorable event in your life. You should say:

  • when the event took place
  • where the event took place
  • what happened exactly
  • and explain why this event was memorable for you.

Something Important to You

Describe something you own which is very important to you. You should say:

  • where you got it from
  • how long you have had it
  • what you use it for
  • and explain why it is so important to you.

City You Have Visited

Describe a city you have visited which has impressed you. You should say:

  • Where it is situated?
  • Why you visited it?
  • What you liked about it?

Interesting Person You Met

Describe an interesting person you met recently You should say:

  • Who the person was
  • When and where you met the person
  • What you did together
  • And explain why you think the person was interesting

Visit to Friend or Family at their Workplace

Describe a time when you visited a friend or family member at their workplace. You should say:

  • who you visited
  • where this person worked
  • why you visited this person’s workplace
  • and explain how you felt about visiting this person’s workplace.

Waited for Someone or Something to Arrive

Describe an occasion when you had to wait a long time for someone or something to arrive. You should say:

  • who or what you were waiting for
  • how long you had to wait
  • why you had to wait a long time
  • and explain how you felt about waiting a long time.

Popular Film Actor

Describe a film/movie actor from your country who is very popular. You should say:

  • who this actor is
  • what kinds of films/movies he/she acts in
  • what you know about this actor’s life
  • and explain why this actor is so popular.

Interesting Discussion about Money Spending

Describe an interesting discussion you had about how you spend your money. You should say:

  • who you had the discussion with
  • why you discussed this topic
  • what the result of the discussion was
  • and explain why this discussion was interesting for you.

Someone Who Started Business

Describe someone you know who has started a business. You should say:

  • who he/she is
  • what work he/she does
  • why he/she decided to start a business
  • and explain whether you would like to do the same kind of work as this person.

Interesting Discussion As Part of Your Work or Studies

Describe an interesting discussion you had as part of your work or studies. You should say:

  • what the subject of the discussion was
  • who you discussed the subject with
  • what opinions were expressed
  • and explain why you found the discussion interesting.

Website that Helped With Studies

Describe a website you use a lot to help you in your work or studies. You should say:

  • what the website is
  • how often you use the website
  • what information the website gives you
  • and explain how your work or studies would change if this website didn’t exist.

Part 3 – Two-way Discussion

The examiner invites you to participate in discussion based on questions linked to Part 2.

Advertising

  • Do you think advertising influences what people buy?
  • What is the role of advertising?
  • How do you think the Internet will affect buying patterns in the future?
  • Do you think that companies’ main form of advertising will be via social media in the future?

People’s Value

  • What kind of things give status to people in your country?
  • Have things changed since your parents’ time?

Family

  • In what ways have families changed in the last hundred years?
  • Should we rely heavily on our families or is it better to try to be independent.

Animals

  • Do you think people love animals more these days as compared to past?
  • Why are some animals becoming extinct?
  • Which is a better place for animals a zoo or a forest?
  • What can government do for conversations of animals.

History

  • How were you taught history when you were at school?
  • Are there other ways people can learn about history, apart from at school? How?
  • Do you think history will still be a school subject in the future? Why?

Historic Building

  • How do people in your country feel about protecting historic buildings?
  • Do you think an area can benefit from having an interesting historic place locally? In what way?
  • What do you think will happen to historic places or buildings in the future? Why?

Education

  • How has education changed in your country in the last 10 years?
  • What changes do you foresee in the next 50 years?
  • How do the expectations of today’s school leavers compare with those of the previous generation?
  • What role do you think extracurricular activities play in education?
  • What method of learning works best for you?
  • How beneficial do you think it is to group students according to their level of ability?

Movies / Films

  • Do you think the cinema has increased or decreased in popularity in recent years?
  • In your opinion, will this trend continue into the future?
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of making films of real-life events?
  • How important do you think it is for a film-maker to remain true to the original story?
  • Should films be censored or should we be free to choose what we see?
  • How do you think censorship laws will change in the next 20 years?
  • What are the most popular types of films in your country?
  • What is the difference between watching a film in the cinema and watching a film at home?
  • Do you think cinemas will close in the future?

Theater

  • How important is the theater in your country’s history?
  • How strong a tradition is it today in your country to go to the theater?

Ceremony

  • How important are ceremonies in our lives?
  • Do you see the role of private and public ceremonies changing in the future?

Marriage

  • Have attitudes to marriage changed in recent years?
  • In what ways do men and women feel differently about marriage, in your opinion?

Events

  • What sort of national events make headlines in your country?
  • Does the media in your country pay more attention to global or national events?

Reading

  • How can reading affect the society?
  • How reading habits of children can be improved?

Conversation

  • What is the role of conversation in our life?
  • What do people talk about on daily basis?

Workplaces

  • What things make an office comfortable to work in?
  • Why do some people prefer to work outdoors?
  • Do you agree that the building people work in is more important than the colleagues they work with?

Work / Job

  • What would life be like if people didn’t have to work?
  • Are all jobs of equal importance?
  • Why do you think some people become workaholics?
  • In your country, what kinds of jobs do young people not want to do?
  • Who is best at advising young people about choosing a job: teachers or parents?
  • Is money always the most important thing when choosing a job?
  • Do you agree that many people nowadays are under pressure to work longer hours and take less holiday?
  • What is the impact on society of people having a poor work-life balance?
  • Could you recommend some effective strategies for governments and employers to ensure people have a good work-life balance?

Arriving Early

  • In what kinds of situations should people always arrive early?
  • In your country, how important it is to arrive early?
  • How can modern technology help people to arrive early?

Patience

  • What kinds of jobs require the most patience?
  • Is it always better to be patient in work (or when studying)?
  • Do you agree or disagree that older people are more patient? Why do you think that is the case?

Money

  • Why do some parents give their children money to spend each week?
  • Do you agree that schools should teach children how to manage money?
  • Do you think it is a good idea for students to earn money while studying?
  • Do you think it is true that in today’s society money cannot buy happiness?
  • What disadvantages are there in a society where the gap between rich and poor is very large?
  • Do you think richer countries have a responsibility to help poorer countries?

Technology

  • What is the best age for children to start computer lessons?
  • Do you think that schools should use more technology to help children learn?
  • Do you agree or disagree that computers will replace teachers one day?
  • How much has technology changed how we communicate with each other?
  • Do you agree that there are still many more major technological innovations to be made?
  • Could you suggest some reasons why some people are deciding to reduce their use of technology?

Communication

  • Why is it good to discuss problems with other people?
  • Do you think that it’s better to talk to friends and not family about problems?
  • Is it always a good idea to tell lots of people about a problem?
  • Which communication skills are most important when taking part in meetings with colleagues?
  • What are the possible effects of poor written communication skills at work?
  • What do you think will be the future impact of technology on communication in the workplace?

Internet

  • Why do some people find the internet addictive?
  • What would the world be like without the internet?
  • Do you think that the way that people use the internet may change in the future?
  • What are the ways that social media can be used for positive purposes?
  • Why do some individuals post highly negative comments about other people on social media?

Travel / Tourism

  • Do people travel more nowadays than they used to in the past?
  • What can one learn from traveling to other countries?
  • Do you think people will travel more or less in the future?
  • What positive affects does tourism have on economy?
  • What effects does travel have on the environment?
  • What can countries do to promote tourism?

Skills

  • What skills are valued most in your country?
  • Can you compare the skills that are important nowadays with the skills that were important two decades ago?
  • What kind of skills might be important in future?
  • Why do most companies invest a lot in training?

Related posts:

  1. The Rocking-Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence
  2. An Uncomfortable Bed by Guy de Maupassant
  3. Night Sketches by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  4. A Departmental Case by O. Henry

Try aiPDF, our new AI assistant for students and researchers

Start free trial
X