IELTS Speaking Topics
- Where You Live
- Mobile Phones
- Favorite App
- Historical Event
- Historical Films & Documentaries
- Historical Places
- History & Present
Note: the introductory questions about name and ID are not included because these questions are not graded by the examiner, and are the same for every IELTS speaking test.
IELTS Speaking Part 1
How did you come here today?
I came by taxi. It’s not a long journey but I wanted to arrive relaxed, so I thought a taxi would be better than taking the bus.
Where are you living?
At the moment, I’m sharing an apartment with some friends that I met when I first arrived here. It’s centrally located so it’s convenient for everything, and the best thing is that it’s not far from my work, so my commuting time is minimal.
How long have you been living there?
I've been here for about six months.
How often do you use your phone?
Every day! I use it all the time, some people tell me I use it too much. But I don’t think that’s true. I just use it for texting, calling, listening to music, and browsing ion the internet … just like most people do.
What is your favorite app on your phone?
I have a few, but I suppose the one I use the most is WhatsApp for messaging because I have a lot of friends who use it too.
Do you think you could create a new app?
Maybe if I had a good idea, but I’ve never really thought about it. I suppose if it was a simple app I could probably manage it or maybe I would get some help from a professional app developer, someone who really knows what they are doing when it comes to coding, and so on.
What app would you like to have?
I’ve no idea! An app that would do my work for me so that I didn’t have to do it.
But seriously, it would be great to have an app that could sense or record your dreams at night and then play them back to you when you’re awake. Like seeing a video of your dreams so you could analyze them in the morning.
Or maybe an app that automatically senses if you die, and then erases all the browser history and data on your phone so that nobody can snoop through your stuff. I guess it would have to be linked to your pulse or something like that.
IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe a historical event in your country
You should say:
- what it was
- why it is important
- when and where it happened
and explain how you feel about what happened.
Describe a historical event
Okay, so there have been many historical events, but one of the most recent ones was Brexit. Some people might say that it’s still a current event, but the referendum back in 2016 was a historic moment in the history of the UK.
The population voted to leave the European Union and that’s a big de decision, something that will have repercussions for many years to come.
Historians in the future will probably look back on it and analyze how it changed the country. It’s one of those events that changes everything – it literally touches all aspects of life.
It will change our relationship with other countries, it will impact the economy, jobs, study opportunities, the cost of living, and many other things which we probably haven’t even considered yet.
Personally, I think it will be a good thing for the UK because Europe as an economic region seems to be struggling at the moment and there seem to be a lot more opportunities for trading with developing countries and others outside the EU.
Many people are panicking but the UK existed for centuries successfully before it joined the EU so I’m sure it will be okay in the future, it won’t be as catastrophic as people think.
Sure, there may be some big changes and problems which need to be overcome, but in the end, it’s a good move and will allow the country to trade with the rest of the world in an unrestricted way, which will be good for the economy in the long-term.
Describe a historical event from your country
Describe a historical event in your country
Describe an event in history in your country
Describe an important historical event
What historical event do you find interesting?
Talk about a historical event
Describe an important historical event you know about
Do you like to learn about history?
Do you know the history of your country well?
IELTS Speaking Part 3
Many people think that young people don't pay much attention to history, what is your opinion? Why do you think that?
It’s probably true for most young people. I mean, unless you’re really into history, as in studying it as a career, or you’re politically active, there’s little motivation to know a lot about the past other than the most important events that helped shape your country.
Obviously, history is important, because it has shaped the present. But most people, not just young people are too busy just getting on with their day-to-day life to worry too much about what happened in the past.
Most young people aren’t really interested in history and don’t learn anything more than what they do while they are in school.
Why do you think some people enjoy watching historical films or documentaries rather than traveling to historical places? Is this a good thing?
Well, the first advantage is that watching such programs doesn’t cost anything. Travel is great if you have enough money and time for it, but you can learn a lot about places and see some of the most amazing sights on the planet on Tv or on the internet without leaving home or even spending a cent.
It’s a lot less effort, and I know that I’ve watched some documentaries about places that were interesting, but I would never have spent the money or time to actually go and visit them.
There’s nothing wrong with being interested in other places but not traveling to see them in person. Not everyone has the resources to travel around the world to see lots of different places.
But learning about places through watching TV programs is better than watching quiz shows or maybe reality TV shows. At least you’re learning something interesting, so yes, it’s a good thing that people watch this type of program.
Is it important for people to learn about history? How does history impact the present?
I’d agree that it’s important to a certain point. I mean it’s important to understand the important historical events that have happened in your own country and around the world.
But apart from that, you have to ask whether there is a real necessity to learn more. As I said earlier unless history is your profession, what would be the point? For example, some academics study just one area or time of history all their lives.
Most normal people don’t or can’t dedicate all their time to studying history. So, apart from the basics, most people never have a need to learn more.
As for the impact that history has on the present, well, it’s clear that whatever happened in the post helped shape the present. Maybe it was a war of independence or some other historical event that changed the direction or culture of a country.
As I said earlier, Brexit will be looked back on as a critical moment in UK history and the decision taken will impact almost everything going forward and shape the country in the future, so such events are very important.
Another example would be the industrial revolution and how it changed the country and the world. So there is a clear connection between the past and the present.
What things might motivate people to travel long distances to visit certain historical places?
I can think of a couple of reasons; one might be religious, like the people who make a pilgrimage to certain special religious sites.
They are motivated by a deep and meaningful desire to experience something extremely important to them spiritually.
Another reason would be simply because they are passionate about a certain thing, whether it’s a historical place, an event, traveling, or seeing the most amazing sights on the planet.
some people plan for many years to see the seven wonders of the world as part of their ‘bucket list’. It’s like a lifetime achievement for them; something they are passionate about.