IELTS Speaking Questions and Topics

Do you want to know the IELTS speaking questions and topics that are likely to come up in the test?

They do change regularly but there are certain types of topics that arise in various forms and we'll show you here what those are. 

On the following pages you will find examples of IELTS speaking questions and topics from part 1, part 2, and part 3 of the speaking test

• part 1 (see below)
• part 2
• part 3

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You can also watch a video with examples of
questions for the three parts of the test:

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Try practising the questions with a friend, and remember to extend your answers. You can usually do this by giving reasons why. For example, if you say it was fun growing up in your home town, say why it was fun. Don't give one word answers. 

You can get further tips for answering IELTS speaking questions in part 1 of the speaking test here.

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IELTS Speaking Questions & Topics
for Part One

Common Topics

These are common IELTS Speaking Questions so you should make sure you practice them regularly. Remember the test changes regularly so the types of questions around these topics will vary. 

Hometown

I’d just like to ask you some questions about your hometown.

1. Where is your hometown?
2. What was it like growing up there?
3. Has it changed much since you were a child?
4. What do you like most about living there?
5. What kinds of things can visitors to your hometown go and see?
6. Do you think you will live there when you are older?

Home

I’d like to ask you some questions about your home.

1. Do you live in an apartment or a house?
2. Is it a large apartment/house?
3. Who do you live there with?
4. What is your favourite room in your apartment/house?
5. Is it a quiet or noisy place to live?
6. What can you see from the windows in your apartment/house? 
7. If you could change anything about your apartment/house, what would you change?

Studies

I’d just like to ask you some questions about your studies.

1. What are you studying?
2. Why did you choose that particular course?
3. What is your favourite subject?
4. Are you friends with many other students on your course?
5. What job would you like when you have completed all your studies?
6. Will you have to do further studies in the future?

Work

I’d just like to ask you some questions about your work.

1. What work do you do?
2. What do you enjoy most about your work?
3. What are your main duties?
4. Is there any other work you would like to do in the future?
5. What do you normally do when you finish work everyday?
6. Will you have to do more training for your work in the future?

Other Common Part 1 IELTS Speaking Questions

These are some other IELTS speaking questions and topics that you may see in the test that will follow your questions about home, work or study. 

Remember again that this list is not exhaustive. IELTS are always coming up with new topics or changing current ones, so the IELTS speaking questions you get in the test are likely to vary. 

Free Time

I’d like to move on and ask you some questions about your free time

1. What type of activities do you like to do in your free time?
2. How long have you been interested in these activities?
3. Do you like to do theses activities alone or with other people? (Why)?
4. Do you think people have enough free time? 

Family

I’d like to move on and ask you some questions about your family.

1. How many people are there in your family?
2. Do you all live in the same house? 
3. What things do you like doing together?
4. Who is your favourite family member?

Timing

Let’s move on and talk about being on time for appointments.

1. Is being late acceptable in your culture? 
2. Are you ever late for appointments? 
3. What type of excuses do you think are alright for lateness?
4. How do you feel when someone is late for an appointment with you?

Neighbours

Let’s change the topic and talk about your neighbours

1. Do you know the people who live next door to you?
2. How often do you see each other?
3. What kind of relationship do you have?
4. How can neighbours be helpful?
5. What kind of problems can people have with their neighbours in a big city?

Food

Moving to a new topic, I’d like to discuss cooking and meals with you.

1. Do you enjoy cooking? 
2. What type of things can you cook?
3. What kinds of food are popular in your country?
4. Is it an important part of your culture to have dinner parties? 
5. Do you prefer to eat with other people or on your own? 

Dreams

I’d now like to discuss your night time dreams with you.

1. Do you dream much at night?
2. Do you often remember your dreams?
3. Do you think we can learn anything from dreams? 
4. Do people in your country talk about their dreams? 
5. Do you think that dreams can come true?

Magazines and Newspapers

Okay, let’s move to a different topic and discuss magazines and newspapers.

1. Which do you prefer reading, newspapers or magazines? 
2. What type of stories do you like to read about? 
3. Do you think reading a magazine or a newspaper can help you learn a language?
4. Why do you think some people prefer magazines to newspapers?

Humour

Let’s change the topic and talk about comedy and humour.

1. What type of programmes do you find funny on TV?
2. Which types of programmes are most popular in your country?
3. What kind of things make you laugh? 
4. Do you like to make people laugh? 
5. Do you think it is important to have a sense of humour? (Why)?

Museums

Let’s move on and talk about museums.

1. Are museums popular in your country?
2. Did you visit museums when you were a child?
3. Do you like to visit museums nowadays?
4. Do you think you should pay to visit museums?

Mobile Phones

Now lets talk about mobile phones.

1. Do you have a mobile phone?
2. At what age did you first get a mobile?
3. What do you most use it for?
4. Is it a nuisance if people use mobiles in public places such as trains and buses?

Television

We'll now talk about television.

1. How many hours a day do you spend watching television?
2. What type of television programs do you like to watch? 
3. Do you think children in your country watch too much television?
4. Do you think television is useful for education in schools?

The Sea

Now we'll talk about the sea. 

1. Do you like to go on holiday by the sea?
2. Are there many hotels by the sea in your country?
3. What kind of activities can people do by the sea?
4. How long do people normal visit the sea for when they go on holiday?

Flowers

Now we'll talk about flowers. 

1. How you ever given anybody flowers?
2. Is it popular to give flowers to people in your country?
3. On what special occasions do people give flowers in your country?
4. What kinds of flowers would you like to receive as a present?

The Weather 

Now we'll move on to talk about the weather. 

1. What kind of weather do you like the most?
2. Does the weather affect the way that you feel?
3. Do people like the weather in your country?
4. Do the kinds of outside activities people do in your country change when the weather changes?

Public Transport

Now we'll move on to talk about public transport 

1. What kinds of public transport do they have in your country?
2. What kinds of public transport do most people use?
3. What is your favourite type of public transport?
4. What do you do when you are travelling on public transport?
5. How could public transport in your country be improved?

Sport 

Now we'll move on to talk about sport. 

1. What is the most popular type of sport in your country?
2. Is there a lot of sport on television in your country?
3. What sports do children normally do at school?
4. Do you think people do enough sport these days?

Writing 

Now we'll talk about writing  

1. Do you enjoy writing?
2. What age do children normally learn to write in your country? 
3. Did you used to write a lot when you were a child?
4. Do you ever write letters?
5. Do you prefer writing letters or sending emails?

Animals 

Now we'll talk about animals.  

1. What is your favourite animal?
2. What types of animals do you have in your country?
3. What types of animals are kept as pets in your country?
4. Do you think animals should be kept in zoos?

Dictionaries

Now let's move on to talk about dictionaries.   

1. Do you ever use a dictionary?
2. Do you prefer paper or electronic dictionaries?
3. Are dictionaries used a lot in schools in your country?
4. Do you think dictionaries are useful for learning a language?

Fashion and clothing

Now let's move on to talk about fashion and clothing.   

1. Were you interested in fashion when you were a child?
2. Is fashion important to you now?
3. What types of clothes are fashionable for young people in your country these days?
4. Does fashion change for people as they get older?

Birthdays

Now let's move on to talk about birthdays.   

1. What did you usually do on your birthday when you were a child?
2. How do you normally celebrate your birthday now?
3. Is your birthday now still as important to you as when you were a child?
4. Do you think it's important to give someone a card when it's their birthday?
5. Do you think the price of a gifts/presents is important?

Books

Now let's move on to talk about books.   

1. Do you like reading books?
2. What kinds of books do you like to read?
3. What is the best book you've ever read?
   
4. Is reading books a popular activity in your country?
5. Do you think that electronic books / eReaders are better than real books?

Exercise

We'll now talk about exercise.

1. Do you do much exercise?
2. Do you do more exercise now than when you were a child?
3. Do people in your country do a lot of exercise?
4. What do you think is the best exercise to keep fit?
5. Have the types of exercise people like to do changed since you were a child?

The internet

We'll now talk about The Internet.

1. Do you use The Internet?
2. Are children allowed to use The Internet at school in your country? 
3. Do you think that The Internet is useful for study?
4. Have you ever used The Internet to buy something?
5. Are there any dangers of buying things online?

Daily Routine

We'll now talk about daily routines.

1. Tell me about your daily routine?
2. Has your daily routine changed since you were a child?
3. Is your daily routine different at the weekend to during the week?
4. What would you like to change about your daily routine?
5. Do you think it's important to have a daily routine?

Musical Instruments

We'll now talk about musical instruments.

1. Do you think it's important for children to learn to play a musical instrument?
2. Do children have to learn to play a musical instrument at school in your country?
3. Have you ever learned to play a musical instrument?
4. What do you think is the best age to start to learn to play a musical instrument?
5. What do you think would be the most difficult musical instrument to learn to play?

Pets

We'll now talk about pets.

1. Do you have a pet? 
2. What types of animals do you think make the best pets?
3. Why do people have pets?
4. Should dogs be left in the house alone while their owners are at work?
5. Is there any types of animals that you think should not be kept as a pet?

Seasons

We'll now talk about seasons.

1. What is your favourite season? 
2. Tell me about the different seasons in your country.
3. How do the clothes people wear in your country change with the seasons?
4. Do any types of jobs people do in your country change with the seasons?
5. Is tourism popular in a particular season in your country?

Photographs

We'll now talk about photographs.

1. Do you enjoy taking photographs?
2. Do you prefer to take photos with a phone or with a camera?
3. Do you take many photographs when you travel?
4. Do you like looking at photographs of yourself?
5. Have you put any photographs you have taken on the walls in your house?

Trees

Now let's talk about trees.

1. Do you like trees?
2. Are there many trees in your hometown?
3. Do you think there are enough trees in most cities?
4. What are the benefits of planting more trees?

Email

Now let's talk about email.

1. Do you email people often?
2. Do you chat with friends or family more with email?
3. Do you think people prefer to receive an email or a letter?
4. Do you think it's easier to write an email or a letter?
5. Do you think email will eventually replace letter writing?

End of IELTS Speaking Questions and Topics for Part 1

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Regularly practice with a variety of IELTS speaking questions and topics and you will start to see your skills improve. 

But remember not to learn fixed answers. This won't help you because the questions will always vary and you will definitely get questions you have not thought about before. 

The examiner is also trained to watch out for scripted answers to IELTS speaking questions so even if you are lucky enough to get a question you've had before, it will sound unnatural if it has been learned. 

They are easy questions in Part One of the test so just relax and you should not have difficultly giving some good answers. 

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