These IELTS speaking tests include questions about: where you live, flowers, parks, outdoor games, a time when you had to get up early, deadlines, skills and time management, children's books, children's gifts, something you enjoyed doing at work, job opportunities, medical jobs, work-life balance.
IELTS Speaking Part 1
What is your full name?
My name is…
What do you do?
I work. I’m a Doctor.
Where do you live?
At the moment I’m staying with my parents. I moved back home recently because I wanted to save some extra money for my future plans.
Do you want to live there in the future?
No, I’m in the process of applying for work in the USA, so if I’m successful I’ll be moving there next year.
FlowersDo you like flowers?
Yes, I guess so. I like receiving them as a gift.
Have you ever given flowers to anyone?
Yes, of course, many times, especially to my mother and grandmother, but also to my friends.
Have you ever grown flowers?
No, now that’s something I’ve never tried. My father is quite keen on gardening and growing things, but it’s not something I’ve ever been really interested in.
I think I grew a small plant when I was a child; it was some form of science experiment at school – but I’ve never tried growing flowers on my own.
Do you think it is necessary to have parks in towns? Why? Why not?
Yes, parks are a great idea, they not only break up the monotony of the concrete buildings but they help keep the air healthier in built up areas too. The trees that are normally found in parks are a valuable source of oxygen, so the more trees within a city or town the better.
Outdoor ActivitiesDid you play outdoor games in your childhood? Why? Why not?
Sometimes, we used to play hopscotch when we were kids, and other games, or go to the park to play baseball or maybe soccer with some of the boys from the neighborhood. It was fun, especially when the weather was nice, and it was always better to be outside than stuck indoors. It’s healthier after all – breathing fresh air outside.
Would you let your children play outdoor games? Why? Why not?
Absolutely – it’s good for children to play outside. It’s essential for their physical development and good for their overall health.
Of course, they need to play in a safe environment – but whenever possible they should be encouraged to spend time outdoors in the fresh air.
IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe an event for which you had to get up early
You should say:- when it was
- what the event was
- where it was
Follow up question: Why do you think some people prefer getting up early?
IELTS Speaking Part 3
Do you think the time that people get up affects their mood for the day? How might it affect some people?
In some cases, yes. Take my mother for example, whenever she gets up later than normal she always seems to be a bit flustered because she feels like she’s missed some of the day and she won’t have time to get everything done that she needs to do.
Personally, it doesn’t bother me. I’m used to waking up at different times because of my shift work, so waking up early is relative for me. I’m used to waking up at different times, sometimes early in the morning and sometimes late in the evening, so in my case it’s different because of the varying schedule I have.
Do you think deadlines are necessary in relation to work? Why? Why not?
That would depend on the type of work you do. But in general, yes deadlines are necessary in order to get things done on time. If everybody took longer to do things there would soon be chaos.
For example, creative people like artists maybe don’t have to worry about meeting deadlines as much, and it’s difficult to rush creative inspiration, it’s not a mechanical or automatic process.
On the other hand, if you work in production or similar areas, it’s essential to get certain tasks completed within a set timeframe otherwise the whole operation gets messed up, so deadlines are essential for a business to operate successfully.
How necessary do you think skills development and time management are for work?
Again, it depends on the type of work. Time management is probably important for most types of work as being able to manage your time well allows you to get more tasks done each day. It makes you more efficient and can help you avoid stressful situations.
As for skills development, it’s a good idea but not all jobs require continuous skills development. In the professions it’s probably more important, to stay abreast of new developments and upgrade your skills for career opportunities.
But if you work on a production line in a factory then skills development probably isn’t as important, unless you need to be trained on a specific new technique or how to use a new piece of equipment, something like that.
What are some things that people can do to improve their time management?
Well, it could be different for each individual, but making a simple list of all the things you need to get done is a good start, and then prioritize those tasks in order of importance.
You need to be realistic about how long each task might take, but if you organize what you’re going to do it’s surprising just how much more productive you can be, even on a daily basis.
It’s important to visualize how much time you need and how much time you have, and then you can plan. If you need to, you might have to get up early or work later just to get through all the things you have pending.
But at least if you list them all down you can see at a glance everything you have to do and take the necessary action to get through all of the tasks. There are lots of apps for time management too.
IELTS Speaking Part 1
Can you describe your home where you grew up?
Well, my parent’s had a family house in the suburbs. I guess it was quite an old house, maybe built about 50 years ago or so. It had the usual rooms, and a large garden which my sister and I used to play in. It was a quiet neighborhood and we knew all the neigbors by name. It was a really nice house.
Would you like to live in a flat if you get chance, Why? Why not?
I don’t think I would mind. I mean, I have some friends that live in flats at the moment because they are away from home because of their work so they no longer live with their parents. It’s quite common, so I don’t think it would bother me if I did the same at some point in the future.
After all, an apartment or flat is much cheaper and easier to get than a house, especially if you live in the city.
Where do you want to live in the future?
I hope that in the future I’ll be able to live in Australia. That’s my plan, it’s what I’m working towards at the moment, so hopefully if everything goes well I’ll be living there within a couple of years.
Did you read children’s books when you were a child?
Yes, I did, and my parents used to read to me as well when I was very small. When I was bit older, I used to like mystery and adventure novels, when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I used to find them very interesting and could spend hours reading them once I had finished all my school work.
Do you think books are a good gift for children?
Yes, absolutely. I think learning to read and developing good reading habits is something extremely important for all children. If children love reading they can find out almost anything they want – it’s also really good for developing other skills such as your imagination and analytical thinking.
Being able to read and enjoying reading can help you in so many different ways as you go through life, so giving books as gifts to children is a great way of encouraging them to read.
Do you have any books at your home that you read as a child?
No, I don’t think so. My parents might still have some stored away in the attic or someplace, but I don’t have any with me. I used to get a lot of the books that I read from the library, so they weren’t mine and I didn’t keep them.
IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe something you enjoyed doing at work recently
You should say:- what it was
- why you did it
- what kind of satisfaction you got from doing it
Well, last month I was part of a team which was delegated to improve our company’s performance in digital marketing. I’ve been with the company for a while now, but this was the first time I had been invited to join this team and work on this type of project.
We started by carrying out an analysis of the digital marketing channels used by the company over the last year and compiled a report showing all the data and statistics for each channel so that we could study the results and draw some conclusions about what had worked well and what had not worked so well for the company in the past.
Based on that we then divided into smaller groups to come up with some ideas for improving performance in the next six months. I was assigned to the social media team with three other marketing staff. We met and looked over the data related to social media activity for the company and some of the campaigns which had been used in the past.
Then we formulated a six month plan and stipulated the objectives and goals which we wanted to achieve by the end of the six month period. After that we broke the plan down into workable segments so that we could concentrate on how it would be implemented.
I worked with another person to come up with a strategy for each of the social media platforms managed by the company and together we drew up a plan of action for content, activities and ideas for promotions which could be implemented through the various channels. We then decided on a schedule of frequency and the type of content that would be posted, where and when, and the results we expected to get from doing this.
Each week we monitor how things are progressing and so far in the first month it’s looking very encouraging. Hopefully we will achieve our goals by the end of the six months.
I have to admit that at first I wasn’t too sure about working on this project because I hadn’t really done anything like it before – but it has turned out to be very interesting and now that we’re seeing positive results I feel really good about it.
So this was a new task, and a new project, but I believe that now it will become a regular part of my work and I’m very happy about it because I think that I can learn a lot of useful skills and broaden my professional experience while working in this team.
Follow-up question: If you had the chance would you change your job?
No. I actually love my job. It's challenging and ever-changing, which keeps me on my toes. I'm constantly learning new things, and I have the opportunity to help people every day. I couldn't ask for more than that.
IELTS Speaking Part3
work related questionsWhich types of job opportunities are popular in your country?
There are a few I suppose, such as being a doctor or lawyer; they’re popular but not many people succeed at getting into medical school or law school. There are lots of people who would like to pursue a career in medicine or law though.
Other popular careers include engineering, accountancy, and business administration – I think they’re probably the most popular overall.
What kind of jobs do young people not want to do in your country?
In my country, young people do not want to do manual labor jobs.
Nobody wants to work in a factory or a mine anymore. Those jobs have been automated or outsourced to other countries.
The only remaining manual jobs are the ones that are considered "unskilled" - and they don't pay very well. So young people avoid them if they can.
The other jobs that young people don't seem to want are jobs in the public sector.
Working for the government is seen as a drag, especially since most government jobs don't pay very well.
So young people tend to go into the private sector instead, where they think they'll have more opportunities for career advancement.
Are jobs in the medical field popular?
Apart from being a doctor, |I think that other medical or health related jobs are quite popular, not because they pay a lot of money but because there is a steady demand for qualified health workers such as nurses and therapists and so on.
So although they might not receive the highest salaries, their work is normally stable and constant unlike some other positions which can be a little more unsecure.
Why do you think some people choose jobs in the medical field?
I believe that some people have a vocation for caring for others. My grandmother was a nurse all her working life. She didn’t do it for the money; she simply wanted to help people, it was her nature. She worked in various hospitals in the city all her life.
So I think that some people get a lot of satisfaction from being able to help others in their time of need, when they are sick or infirm.
Is money one of the factors involved in choosing to work in medical jobs?
That’s possibly true in the case of doctors, who are generally quite well paid once they have finished all their training and become established; especially if they then go on to specialize in a particular field.
But money doesn’t really play a big role in attracting people to enter into other health and medical related positions. As I said, I believe that some people have a natural disposition for caring for others and I think that’s probably a much bigger factor for them when choosing what type of career to pursue and having a good work-life balance.
Why so some people love their job, and others hate theirs?
I suppose it could be because some people do their job just to pay the bills and earn enough money to live, while others do their jobs because they love the work or they have a passion for what they do. There’s a big difference between the two.
If you love what you do for work, then the chances are that you’ll enjoy going to work every day and have a well-balanced life, you’ll me motivated and stimulated to do better and continuously improve.
If you don’t really like what you do, but have to do it to survive, then you’ll probably resent having to go to work and might even end up hating your job.
Does your job disturb your home life?
No, not at all, I have regular office hours and only sometimes have to work late or maybe do some work at home over the weekend, but that’s rare. So overall, no, my work doesn’t impact on my home or personal life - I have an ideal work-life balance.
How can people find their perfect job?
It can be difficult, but I think one of the most important things is that you have to be really honest about what you want to do, what you are good at doing and why you want to do it.
You can then assess your skills and abilities and match them with something you can do well and are interested in or passionate about. It might not be enough to find the perfect job immediately – but it should be enough to find a good job and work that is interesting and stimulating.
Then, possibly with some more experience, you can refine your future options and work towards what you believe to be your perfect job.