IELTS Speaking Questions

IELTS SPEAKING QUESTIONS Part 1 (Introduction & interview) Introduction Introduce yourself. What's your name? Could you show me your identification card please? Could you tell me your full name please? What shall I call you? Does your name have any special meaning? Why do so many people change their names? Is your name important to you? www.speaking1.com Hometown Describe your hometown. Where do you come from? What country do you come from? Where do you live? Can you tell me something about your hometown? Can you tell me some famous landscapes or scenic spots in your hometown? Can you tell me some history about your hometown? Compare your hometown with another town. How long have you lived in your town? Do you love your town? Why? Why not? Talk about the most populated area in your country. Where is it? What are the main places of interest in your hometown? Can you tell me an interesting building in your hometown? What is the climate like in your hometown? www.speaking1.com Family Tell me about your family members. Who do you live with? What is special about it? Write down about your family (parents, brothers and sisters, etc). What images come to your mind when you are asked about your childhood? Who’s the one member in your family who knows everything about you and why? Should parents help their children with their homework? What is the most loving thing your parents ever did for you? www.speaking1.com Education & job Are you a student or do you have a job? What are you studying? What do you like most about your studies? What do you dislike most about your studies? What kind of job would you prefer after graduation? What is your major? What do you do for a living? Could you tell me a typical day of yours? How did you get your job? Are you satisfied with your job? What do you like most about your job? What kind of job would you prefer in the future? Describe your country's educational system. What is your attitude toward this system? Do you think it's effective? Describe the organization you work for. Where is it? What does it do? What is your job function? Describe the process of taking a job in your country. What kind of job do you want to have when you finish school? Why do you want to have it? Name the three dream jobs you’d like to have. Where do you see yourself in ten years? www.speaking1.com Leisure & hobby What do you usually do in your spare time? Where would you like to go on holidays? Why? Tell me who you would like most to go on vacation with. Do you prefer to stay alone or with your friends? What do you usually do on weekends and weekdays? What do you usually do when you go out? What do you usually do with your friends? What do you do to relax during the week? What do you do in your time off? Do you enjoy shopping? What is your favorite food? What kind of music do you like best? Who is your favorite film star? Do you often watch TV? What is your favorite program? Do you like reading? What kind of books do you like best? Do you like English? Why or why not? What do you think of the importance of English? What are good hobbies and bad hobbies? Why? www.speaking1.com Culture, festival & traveling Tell me something about the customs in your country. What places in Korea should a foreigner visit? Why? What is the most famous traditional festival in Korea? What are your plans for Chuseok? What place in Seoul do you like best? Why? Do you like traveling? Do you like to travel alone or with your friends? Have you traveled to other places? Where are they? What are the benefits of traveling? What do you usually do when you first arrive in a new place? Why do so many people like traveling nowadays? www.speaking1.com Friends Do you have many friends? Are they casual acquaintances or close friends? Do you prefer to stay with your family or with your friends? Do you prefer one or two close friends or many friends? Can you talk about your best friend? What do you usually do with your friends? Is the time you spend with your friends as much as that of the time with your family? www.speaking1.com Transportation Can you say something about the transportation in your hometown? What is the common means of transport in your country? Do traffic jams often occur in your hometown or in the city where you live? What changes in transportation have taken place in the past several years in your country? What type of transport do you use most? Why? What is your favorite means of transportation? Why? Which is better: taking a taxi, a bus or the train? Why is it better? Imagine yourself as a car, what model and make would you be and what color? Why? www.speaking1.com Future plan What are you planning to do in the next five years? What are you planning to do in the next ten years? Why do you take the IELTS test? What plans have you got for the future? Why do you think are there more and more people emigrating to other countries? www.speaking1.com IELTS SPEAKING QUESTIONS Part 2 & 3 (Individual long turn & two-way discussion) UNIT 1 1. Describe your best friend. You should say, Who he/she is When you became friends Why you like him/her or why you think that he/she is important to you How he/she influences you Who is your closest friend? Discussion What is the most important thing in friendship? What do you think are the most important factors when making friends? What are the possible factors that cause the break up of friendship? What are the differences between adults and children in terms of making friends? Do you think it is easy to make friends in Korea? Why is it difficult for adults to make friends? What will the friendship become like when getting old? What are the qualities of a good friend? What do you expect from your friends? Do you remember a particular friend from your early childhood? There is a saying that “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” Do you agree or disagree with this opinion? www.speaking1.com 2. Describe the best party you have been to. You should say, When it was held Who attended the party What you did for that party And explain why it was a special party Describe your best holiday, party, event in your life. When was it, where and why? What is the interesting party you attended recently? Discussion What would you do if the guests feel bored? Will there be more and more people to attend parties? Have you ever been to a friend’s birthday party? Did you enjoy it? How? What’s the difference between serious party and friendly party? Why are some people intentionally late for parties? Why do some people like parties while others hate it? www.speaking1.com 3. Describe the happiest/ the most memorable event in your life. You should say, When it happened Where it took place What it was And talk about why this event was so happy/ memorable Describe an anniversary that you remember. Discussion What do you think is important in achieving happiness? How do Koreans celebrate some happy events? What do you think prompts most people to bring camera and video in celebrating? www.speaking1.com 4. Describe the best present/gift you have received. You should say, Who sent it to you When you received it What the gift is What it is for Talk about the best present you have ever had in your life. When, why and who gave it to you? Discussion In Korea, when do people give presents? What kinds of presents do people give? In what occasions do people give presents in your country? How do you choose a gift for your friends? Do you think that present giving will play an important role in Korean daily life? Why? In terms of the media, which do you think will play a main role in present giving: television, newspaper or Internet? Compare the gifts you received in your teenage years with the gifts children receive now. Just imagine the gift that children will receive. www.speaking1.com 5. Describe something you own which is very important to you. You should say, What the thing is Who gave it to you How long you have had it And explain why it is important to you www.speaking1.com 6. Describe one of your favorite books. You should say, What kind of books you like What your favorite book is What it is about When you got it Why you like it What kind of books do you like most? What are they about? Why do you like them? Discussion What effect have books brought on you? What kind of books do Korean people like? What kind of books do Korean women like? What kind of books do you recommend to others? What is the difference between men and women when choosing what to read? What kind books do children like? Why do they like reading? What is the difference between reading and watching TV? What is the relationship between reading and computer? What are the advantages of reading books? Why do children like pictorials? What books are popular in Korea? "Not everything that is learned is contained in books." Do you agree with this opinion? What kind of literary works do you like? Why do you like them? Do you like novels? What kind of novels do you like? www.speaking1.com 7. Describe a kind of music. You should say, Whether you like music Why or why not What kind of music you like best What role music plays in people’s life What kind of music do you like best? Why do you like it? What is your favorite music? Discuss why you like a special kind of book, music, sports, or film. Discussion Do you like music? What are the benefits of listening to music? How long do you listen to music everyday? Who are your favorite musicians? And why? Do you play any musical instruments? What? What are the benefits of learning how to play musical instruments? Why is it easier for children to learn playing a musical instrument? Discuss the impact of western music to the music world. Describe a traditional musical instrument in your country. www.speaking1.com 8. Describe a traditional festival in Korea. You should say, What it is When it is celebrated What you usually do on that day What you like and what you don’t like about it Describe an important festival in Korea. When is it? What do people do then? Describe a festival that is celebrated in your country. What do people do during this festival? Discussion What is the concept of holiday in Korea? Why is holiday so important to modern people? Do you think it is necessary to observe the traditional customs? What changes in terms of spending festivals and holidays have taken place in the past decade? What differences, with regards to celebration, are apparent in the different parts of your country? www.speaking1.com 9. Describe one of your neighbours You should say, When you became his/ her neighbour How you know him or her What kind of person he/ she is Discussion What is the difference between neighbours and friends? What do you think is a good way to break the ice with new neighbors? www.speaking1.com 10. Describe one of the shopping centers you often go to. You should say, Where the shopping center is How often you go there Why you often go to the center and its characteristics Discussion Who does the shopping in your home? Do you go shopping? Do you think that the brand name is very important for sales? What have you found difficult in shopping? Talk about Internet shopping. What do you think do teenagers like to buy online? Some people prefer not to buy goods and services online. Why? What is the trend of future shopping centers? Compare shopping malls with smaller shops. Will smaller shops survive in the current business system? www.speaking1.com 11. Describe your favorite animal. You should say, What kind of animal it is Brief description of it Why you like the animal Discussion What do you need to take care of it? What’s the future trend of the animal? What do you think about poaching of some precious animals such as pandas? www.speaking1.com 12. Describe an interesting trip you have taken. You should say, Where you went When you went there Whom you went with What you did there Why you like it Describe a perfect trip/ holiday. If you were given a vacation where would you go? Why? Describe a foreign country you have never been to. Discuss why you would like to visit a particular country. What city would you like most to visit? What do you expect to see or do there? Describe a city you have visited that impressed you so much. Why was it so impressive? Where do you want to go for your holidays? If you were to tour the world, where would you go? Why? Discussion Do you enjoy traveling? Where have you traveled to? Which place interested you the most? Why do people want to travel? What purpose does it serve? Do you use a map when traveling abroad or do you have a tour guide? Why? Do you like backpacking or preparing a travel in advance? What do you usually do in your holidays? What kind of vacation do you like? Why? What kinds of transportation have you already taken? What means of transportation would you take to get to your destination? Why? What do Koreans do mostly in their leisure time? Where do Koreans go for their vacation? What is the difference between trips taken by Koreans now and those in the past? What do you think about tourism? How does it influence the economy? What's the difference between traveling in the past and traveling in the present? How would the tourism industry develop in the future? What should the government or people do to attract tourists? Describe the present situation of tourism in Korea. What is the future of tourism like in Korea? Do you think people will spend more time on leisure in the future? www.speaking1.com 13. Describe a hobby that you enjoy. You should say, What it is When you began to do it How long you spend on it How often you do it Why you like it What are your hobbies? Why do you like doing them? Discussion Do you think that surfing the Internet, watching TV, listening to music or keeping a pet are interesting hobbies? Do you think it will cost too much time to do them? Do you like hobbies requiring teamwork? What do Koreans usually do in their spare time? Why do people collect things? Do you collect anything? What is that and why? Do you like outdoor activities? Why or why not? What do you think are the benefits of having hobbies? www.speaking1.com 14. Describe your favorite movie You should say, What the name and theme of this movie is When you first saw the movie Why you like it What kind of movies do you like? Why? Describe the movie you especially remember. Describe a type of movie you like. Name a book, film, or a piece of music that you like most and say why. Discussion Do you like movies? What can you gain by watching films? Who is your favorite movie star? Why? What’s the difference between Korean and American movies? What do you think of the violent films? Why do movies need computer techniques? Do you know any example of movie that used computer graphics? Have you ever acted in a play? What was your part? Tell me something about it. Which aspects of movie-making are the most important? www.speaking1.com 15. Describe a restaurant or a café you like most. You should say, Where it is What it looks like What kinds of service are provided What kind of food is famous Why you like it Discussion Do you like cooking? Will you cook for your friends when they visit you? Who cooks in a Korean family? Why do women always cook and men do not in your country? Who is the better cook, men or women? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of fast food? Why is fast food so popular? Where do Koreans go when they eat out? What changes would take place in terms of Korean eating habits? What food is popular? What is the difference between fresh food and canned food? What can we do to solve the problem of food shortage? What are the advantages and disadvantages of home-cooked food? Do you like cooking better than eating out or the other way around? Why? Describe a traditional dish in your country. What are the ingredients? Do you eat out? Where do you usually eat out? What kinds of food do you eat when you eat out? What is your favorite Korean food? What kinds of Korean food do you think are popular among foreigners? What are the advantages and disadvantages of eating in a restaurant? Where do people usually go to eat these days? Any changes compared to the past? Compare fast food restaurants with traditional restaurants. Do you think Koreans have to eat kimchi as part of their national identity? www.speaking1.com 16. Describe an interesting building in your city. You should say, Where it is located What it looks like What it is used for And explain why you think it is interesting Discussion Do you think it is necessary to protect old buildings? What roles do you think do the old and modern buildings play in the society? What changes in architecture have taken place in the past two decades? Describe the traditional architecture of your country. Is there something special about it? Compare traditional houses with modern houses in your country. Are there some old buildings in your hometown? Describe them. What are people's attitudes to old buildings today? Should we protect them? Why? www.speaking1.com 17. Describe an important historic place in your country. You should say, What the place is Where it is located Why you think it is important What the historical meaning of the place is What places in Korea should a foreigner visit? What is the most famous historic place in your city? Discussion What do you think of the future trend of historic places? Will government strengthen its protection toward historic places? What are the changes brought about by historic places to local economy, people, etc? Tell me something about the history of your country. What do you think is the biggest difference between Korean and Western cultures? How has the role of women in your country changed? Who is the most famous person in Korean history? www.speaking1.com 18. Describe a museum you have been to. You should say, What it is Where it is When you went there And explain why you like/ dislike it What is the most interesting/ famous museum in your city? Discussion What is a museum? How often do you visit a museum? Why do you want to visit a museum? Which type of museum is popular in your country? What do you think about the importance of museums? What is your thought about the heritage of a country? Compare the museums nowadays with those in the past. www.speaking1.com 21