Candidate task cards in the IELTS speaking test often revolve around personal experiences or interests, allowing you to demonstrate your ability to discuss a variety of topics in English.
For example, you may receive a task card asking you to Describe a time when you played a sport, such as table tennis, with family members. This type of question provides an opportunity to showcase your speaking skills, including your fluency, pronunciation, and vocabulary usage.
Begin by introducing the sport you've chosen, such as indoor sports like table tennis, or perhaps team sports like when you learn football.
Explain when and where you played, who you played with, and why you enjoyed it.
Use descriptive language to paint a vivid picture of your experiences. For example, you could talk about the fast-paced nature of table tennis, the thrill when two teams try to score points in a football game, or how playing sports became an essential part of your daily exercise routine.
If you have a role model in the sport, feel free to mention that person and explain why they inspire you.
The candidate task card question (long turn) typically focuses on one key topic (in this case, sports). But it's essential to show that you can discuss other related topics as well. So, you might compare the sport you played most often with other sports you've tried.
Describe a sport you would like to learn.
You should say:
- what sport it is
- when you plan to learn it
- how you will learn it
and explain why you want to learn this particular sport.
Sample Answer
I’d love to try motor racing because it looks so exciting. It’s something I’ve always wanted to try but have never gotten around to doing anything about it. But just recently my friend and I were talking about this – and we came up with a plan to try it later this year.
There’s a motor racing circuit (track) about 2 hours away from where we live, so we did some research on their website and also called them to make some enquiries about the different options they offer.
They organize special days for people like us, who have never done it before, to go along and try it. They offer a basic safety course and a kind of racing school seminar to teach the basic techniques and the technicalities of motor racing, for example, how to approach the corners, how to control understeer and oversteer and other essential tips and things you need to know so that you can drive well and safely.
Then you go out on the circuit for some time in a fully-equipped race car so that you can get used to how it handles and the speed and spend around an hour getting used to the circuit and driving the car. In the afternoon they organize a competition where you can race against other people who have also never done it before. So you get a chance to be on the race circuit in a competitive environment just like in a real race. I think there are several heats and then a final race to decide who the best driver in the group is.
So, we now have a plan to go in the summer. We need to save some money first because it’s not a cheap sport to do – but I think it will be really fun to try so I’m really looking forward to it.
Like I said, I’ve always wanted to try motor racing just because it’s so exciting and different from many other sports. I like the speed and the element of danger involved, although it sounds like they teach you a lot about safety before you even get into the car for the first time.
I think if we like it, and are good at it, we might plan to do a longer course and maybe do it on a more regular basis in the future.
Rounding-off question: Is it something you would recommend other people to try?
Well, yes, I suppose, because I've already told my friends about it so we can go together. Maybe after I try it and see what it's really like, I'll recommend it to others too. Let's see how it goes first though.
NOTE: Often a task card prompt for the topic of "learning a new sport" might be worded differently, for example:
- Talk about a new sport or hobby you would like to take up
- Describe a sport you would like to try for the first time
- Describe a sport you want to learn
- Describe a sport that you would like to learn
IELTS Speaking Part 3
Sample Answers
Which sport is the most popular in your country?
I suppose it would be soccer – it’s probably the number one sport in terms of the amount of coverage it receives, the money spent on it, and its popularity with the population. There are plenty of other popular sports - but not to the same degree as soccer. I mean, not every city has a professional basketball team or a swimming team, for example, but every city has a professional soccer team, so I guess that makes it the most popular sport nationally.
Do you think the media plays an important role in the popularity of sports?
Yes, the media is extremely important when it comes to sport. They pretty much decide which sports are shown on TV and covered on radio – and that’s what people see or hear about, so it influences their ideas about sport.
For example, sports like soccer are popular all over the world because all you need is a ball and some space – and kids everywhere love kicking a ball around, even just for fun. But the media is important for events like the World Cup and other big tournaments.
But when it comes to other sports, such as maybe cycling, skating, and extreme sports like snowboarding, which maybe aren’t so popular in some countries, the media can play an important role in promoting them and making people more aware of less well known sports. This can encourage some people to try them – and they may become popular if there is enough support.
Why do people spend money on watching sports?
I guess because they enjoy watching it. After all, sport is a kind of entertainment, so it’s like asking why people spend money on going to the cinema to watch a movie, or going to a restaurant to eat a meal.
These are basically social events, they’re fun, and people enjoy doing these things, that’s why they spend money on them. Watching sport is something people can do with their friends, or family, and it’s a way of spending some time together and sharing an experience. Just like anything else you're interested in or enjoy doing, you'll be prepared to spend some money to do things you enjoy.
What do you think, should people play sports with others or alone?
Well, there are some sports you can do by yourself, like swimming, running, rock climbing and so on, but then there are other sports, like soccer, tennis, and basketball when you really need a team, or at least another person to play with. You can maybe practice on your own – but it could be a bit limiting.
Whether a person should do sports alone or with other people is really up to the individual to decided - depending on the sport they like and want to do. If someone prefers swimming alone, then that’s fine - but if they like to go swimming with some friends - then that’s okay too. Obviously if you want to play soccer, you’re probably going to play in a team, or at least with other people, so you’re naturally not going to play the sport alone.
At the end of the day, it’s a personal choice, isn’t it? Some people like doing things alone and others prefer to be part of a team or group of people doing the same activity.
Describe a sport you would like to learn - similar questions
Describe a sport that you have learned
Fencing
A few years ago, I learned to fence. Fencing is a combat sport with two competitors who try to stop each other from delivering a touch.
The rules are quite complicated and differentiate it from other sports such as boxing, judo, or karate.
Fencing has its origins in duels that came about in the Renaissance period when aristocrats would practice duelling with swords as an aspect of courtly culture.
The modern-day sport originated when electric wires were introduced into the sport in 1891. It's very exciting to do!
Talk about a new sport or hobby you would like to take up
So I'm trying to find a new sport or hobby, and it's been challenging because most are competitive, but what I want is a hobby that lets me get away from some of the competitiveness in my life.
It's tough keeping up with the crazy pace of life nowadays!
I've always wanted to try scuba diving. I heard it's great for traveling and relaxing, and it is one of the best water sports out there to explore new things underwater.In the last few years, exploring new countries has become a hobby of mine so it seems fit that I would like this sport too.
From what I can tell, all you need is some time and money, which seems fairly reasonable as well for such an indulgent experience!
As far as hobbies go, scuba diving has piqued my interest more than any other so far!
Describe a sport you would like to play for the first time
There are a ton of sports to choose from out there. I'd love to try water polo or baseball.
I've always wanted to try a more daredevil-type activity such as bull-riding or bungee jumping - I'd love to do that sometime in the future.
There's also kayaking, which I think is a great sport to try if you're looking for something tranquil by comparison, and golf might be good because I love spending time outdoors but don't want all the stress that comes with playing traditional team sports.
Describe a sport that you would like to learn
I've often thought about learning a martial art. However, there are so many to choose from that it's hard to make a decision.
I'm also not THAT in shape, and it seems like most of the arts involve a lot of kicking high or blocking low - stuff I need to work on before I can learn any fancy moves.
I think it would be cool though!
Talk about a sport that you would like to try
I'd like to try volleyball.
I've always been a naturally competitive person and enjoyed sports, so this would be something I could take up and seriously play with other people.
Traveling all over the country playing volleyball sounds like an amazing way to spend my summer! All I would need is some workout clothes, volleyball shoes, and energy drinks!
I think it could be a great sport to try!
Talk about a new sport or hobby you would like to take up
A new hobby I would like to try is hula hooping. It's a really fun hobby that attracts more and more people every year.
In California, there are courses for adults to take which teach them how to hoop like a pro! Just being able to impress other people with skills that I picked up would give me a lot of satisfaction.
Another idea might be parasailing, where you can feel the wind brush against your skin and buzz through your hair while enjoying breath-taking scenery down below you.
And I'm also thinking about taking up woodwork and making furniture out of leftover pieces from construction sites for resell!