IELTS Speaking Practice Test Questions & Sample Answers

IELTS Speaking Practice Test
IELTS Speaking Practice Test

IELTS Speaking Practice

Doing the IELTS speaking test in the near future? Authentic IELTS speaking test samples (like the one below) will help in your IELTS speaking practice for test day.

The IELTS speaking test includes familiar topics. Consistent IELTS speaking practice helps you become familiar with typical IELTS speakig topics. It also helps improve your speaking skills to answer them.

Use these IELTS speaking topics and model answers to become familiar with Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 type speaking questions. Doing so will help you get a high score in the IELTS speaking test.

On test day, the IELTS examiner will evaluate your speaking skills based on four marking criteria:
  • Grammatical Range & Accuracy
  • Lexical Resource
  • Fluency & Coherence
  • Pronunciation

Here are some questions from a recent IELTS speaking test in Ausralia.

How would you answer the questions in this IELTS speaking sample test?

IELTS Speaking Part 1

What is your full name?

My full name is ...

Can I see your ID?

Yes, here's my passport.

Where are you from?

I'm from Vietnam originally, and I've been in Australia for 3 months.

Do you work or study?

I'm studying and working part-time.

What subject are you studying?

I've been studying English to improve my IELTS score.

Why do you think people choose such a subject in your country?

In my country, English is very popular, especially among young people because they think that it is a way to improve their opportunities for the future. If you can speak English well, there are better job prospects and you can maybe study at a university in a foreign country.

Do you like reading books?

Yes, I love reading.

What type of books do you like reading?

I like reading fiction, mainly thrillers.

Are you reading a book presently?

Yes, at the moment I'm reading a book by Daniel Silva, in English, it's called The English Assassin.

In the future, Would you like to write a book?

Maybe, I really love reading, but I'm not sure if I would be any good at writing, but I like the idea of maybe writing a book when I'm older.


IELTS Speaking Part 2

Describe a city that you have visited. You should say:
  • where the city is (and its name)
  • when you went there
  • what you liked most about the city
and explain why this city left an impression on you.

Sample Answer

I'll talk about Sydney, which I visited last month. I went with some friends I met here and we spent the weekend there. It's the capital, but not of Australia, of New South Wales but it is the most populated city in the country.

It's located on the south-east coast of the country next to the Tasman Sea. I think the population is something like four and a half million people. It's such a famous city and everyone recommended that we go and visit it.

We arived early on Saturday morning and started by taking a stroll around the harbor area. It's very interesting and there are lots of ships to see and along the side of the harbor there are lots of restaurants and cafes you can go to.

Then we went on an open-top bus tour that took us around the city. We saw all the maiin Sydney attractions such as Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, The Rocks, the Opera House, Hyde Park, Kings Cross and the Royal Botanic Gardens, and there was another place but I can't remember it's name. We did another bus tour on Sunday, but that one took us more out of the city to Bondi Beach and some other places.

I particularly like the variety of things to see and do in and around the city, and the days we were there the weather was just perfect, so we could rally enjoy everthing.

I think what impressed me ost was how clean and well kept all the different areas were, and like I said, the variety of activities and attractions.

You can find sport, adventure, culture and lots more, and oh yes, the people we met that weekend were very friendly to us.


IELTS Speaking Part 3

Why do you think many people prefer to live in the city instead of in a rural area?

Well, in my country it's because there is more work. In the countryside it is mainly agriculture and many younger people prefer to work in other types of job and there are better opportunities in the cities.

In general, there are more facilities and more things to do in a city. I think they are more interesting as a place to live. There are many more things to do and people to meet.

Would you agree that people living in rural areas have fewer problems than people living in cities?

There is certainly less crime and living in a rural area is more peaceful and safe, but it depends on the types of problems you are talking about. People can get sick in a city or in the country, it's the same.

People can become depressed or unhappy in both places. Life in the country is maybe simpler than city life and less stressful, but it doesn't mean you won't have problems if you live in a small village in the country - maybe just a different kind of problem.

I know of some farmers, friends of one of my uncles, that have some serious problems with their farms.

Do you think it's just as good to live in the suburbs of a city as it is to live in the middle of the city?

I think both places have some advantages and disadvantages. Living in the city center is very convenient, everything is very close and you can find anything you want within walking distance.

Living in the suburbs is maybe better for families because it's a little quieter and safer for children but still close to all the facilities of the city.

How do you think a town changes and grows to eventually become a city?

Historically most places grew because of trade and business. Maybe because the town was near the sea or had a railway or something important to make people want to go there.

Many of the industrial towns offered jobs for many people so that's why their populations grew and they eventually developed into cities.

Now, it's a little different, as more people are working through technology and are able to work from anywhere and still communicate with people for work and business.

Maybe in the future there won't be such massive growth of towns like in the past.


Contact your local British Council or IDP Education Australia IELTS test center for official IELTS preparation materials.