These IELTS speaking test questions were reported by an IELTS test-taker in the USA this weekend.
IELTS Speaking Test Part 1
Do you work or study?
Well, I work as a Marketing Executive at a great company! I've been there for two years now and it's been an amazing experience. I've learned so much and I feel like I'm really growing in my career.
Why do you study English?
There are a few reasons why I study English. It's a language that's spoken by millions of people all over the world, and if I can communicate in English, it means I'll be able to connect with people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Then, there's the fact that English is the language of business, science, and technology, and being able to speak it fluently can help me in my career.
And, I just really enjoy learning English - its literature and culture are fascinating, and it's a fun language to speak and write.
What are your future aims?
I would say that I am striving to achieve a balance between my career aspirations and personal goals. Specifically, I hope to pursue a career in the field of environmental sustainability while also maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I'm also interested in developing my skills in public speaking and networking to further advance my career prospects.
Did you have a favourite teacher at school?
Oh, absolutely! I had a favourite teacher in high school who was my English teacher. She had a way of making literature come alive and always encouraged me to think critically and creatively. I still remember some of the lessons she taught and the insights she shared with us. She was a great inspiration and helped develop my love for reading and writing.
What was your favourite book as a child?
When I was a child, my favourite book was "The Adventures of Tintin". I loved following Tintin and his dog Snowy on their exciting adventures around the world. The stories were always full of action, mystery, and humour, and I could never put the books down once I started reading them. Even now, as an adult, I still enjoy revisiting those classic adventures from time to time.
Do you read books in English? Why?
Yes, I do read books in English. It's not just because I'm preparing for the IELTS test, but also because I love reading and English is a language that I'm comfortable with. Reading books in English helps me improve my vocabulary, comprehension, and grammar, which are all important skills for the IELTS test. But more than that, it's a great way to learn about different cultures, perspectives, and ideas. I find it challenging and rewarding at the same time, and it's something that I enjoy doing in my free time as well.
Have you ever thought about becoming a teacher? Why?
No, I haven't thought about becoming a teacher. While I have a great respect for teachers and the important work they do, I have other interests and passions that I want to pursue. For example, I love writing and hope to become a published author someday. But who knows, maybe teaching could be something I consider in the future.
IELTS Speaking Test Part 2
Describe a street in your hometown that you know well
You should say:and explain what you like about it.
- What and where is it?
- How often do you go there? Why?
- What does the street look like?
IELTS Sample Speaking Answer | A Street You Know Well
Let me tell you about a street that I know well in my hometown. So there’s this avenue in the town where I live, it’s called the Avenue of Angels, well, that’s what it would be called in English. The street, or avenue, is lined on both sides by large trees, well, it’s an avenue after all, so it would be, wouldn’t it? It’s located near the center of the city, but not quite in it, so it’s a lot less busy in terms of traffic.
Anyway, all the trees have these little lights in them – like fairy lights on a Christmas tree or something like that, you know what I mean – and so at night it looks like there’s a million little stars or angels floating above you in the sky – it looks amazing at night!
It’s one of the most popular places for people to go in the evenings because there are loads of cafes and bars where you can sit outside and enjoy time with your family or friends while enjoying the evening air and the lights – it’s a terrific atmosphere when the street is full of people – you can hear the noise of hundreds of conversations – well, it’s more of a murmur than noise, like the background noise of a river running past you.
I usually end up there most weekends, either during the day at some time or if I go out with my friends we’ll usually drop by for a while either before going someplace else or at the end of the night just to chill out for a while before heading on home.
IELTS Speaking Test Part 3
Discussion QuestionsDo you enjoy being on that street? Why? Why not?
Yes, I love it, especially at night because as I said it’s just so pretty and magical with all the lights. There’s also an incredible scent that the trees give off which all combine to make for a really nice environment.
Do you like big cities? Why? Why not?
I suppose so, I mean I’ve always lived in a big city, or at least a large city with a few million people, so It’s what I grew up with and it’s what I know.
I like the fact that there are lots of things you can do and lots of places to go – and there are always new places and things to try out as well. It’s big enough to offer all the variety and amenities of a city but without being so large that it’s overwhelming, you know what I mean. It’s like when you go to London or Mexico City you can easily get lost, they’re so huge, but where I live is big without being too big, if that makes sense.
I don’t think I’d like to live in a much bigger city, as I mentioned, a city so big that people from one side of the city hardly ever visit or go to the other side – that would be too big for me I think.
How often do you go shopping?
Shopping? Well, probably once or twice a week I suppose, but it’s for different things, for example, maybe I’ll pop into the supermarket on the way home in the evening and buy something, food, groceries or something like that and during the week, but I try to do a big grocery haul at the weekend when I usually have more time.
I might also do a bit of quick shopping if I have time at lunchtime, but that would normally be for non-food stuff, maybe clothes, makeup, a book or magazine or something like that. But, yeah, I suppose it’s almost every other day that I buy something from a shop.
Do you think road safety is important? Why?
Yes, of course, it’s important. If we didn’t take care on the roads there’d be a lot more accidents than there are now probably. When drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists all follow the road safety rules, it just makes everything flow smoother. Like, no one wants to be stuck in traffic because of an avoidable accident, right?
Plus, sticking to the rules keeps everyone safe. I mean, it’s about looking out for each other, making sure we all get to where we’re going without any hassle. So yes, it’s really important to take road safety seriously.
Is air pollution an issue in big cities? Why?
The problem with air pollution is that it still seems to be increasing in many places, although in some places they’re now reporting that pollution levels are being reduced due to measures that have been taken and now the results are becoming clear.
In most big cities, air pollution is a problem because of the amount of slow-moving traffic there usually is, and the problem is stop-go driving which creates even more harmful emissions from cars, buses, trucks and so on and ends up deteriorating the quality of air around cities.
You can see this in many news reports about large cities which have smog clouds hanging above them – literally big black clouds of polluted air right over the central part of the city.