IELTS speaking topics for Parts 1, 2 and 3

Practice questions:

• Do you live in a house or an apartment?
• What do you like most about your neighbourhood?
• Is there anything you would like to change about the area?
• Do you think you will live there for a long time?

Practice tip: Use concrete details such as a place, sound, journey, or person nearby.

Practice questions:

• Do you work, study, or do both?
• Why did you choose that subject or type of work?
• What part do you find most interesting?
• What would you like to learn next?

Practice tip: Give a direct answer first, then support it with one personal reason.

Practice questions:

• What do you usually do when you have a free evening?
• Did you have the same hobbies when you were younger?
• Do you prefer hobbies you can do alone or with other people?
• Is there a new hobby you would like to try?

Practice tip: Vary your time language: usually, recently, when I was younger, and in future.

Practice questions:

• Which device do you use most often?
• Is there an app that makes your daily life easier?
• Do you ever choose to spend time without your phone?
• What kind of technology would you like to learn to use?

Practice tip: Name the device or app, explain its purpose, and give one real example.

Practice questions:

• What kind of food do you enjoy eating?
• How often do you cook for yourself or other people?
• Is there a dish that is popular where you live?
• Have your eating habits changed in recent years?

Practice tip: Use sensory vocabulary for taste, smell, texture, and how food is prepared.

Practice questions:

• How do you usually travel around your town or city?
• What is your favourite way to travel on a long journey?
• Is public transport good where you live?
• Would you like to travel more in the future?

Practice tip: Compare two options and explain which is more convenient, affordable, or enjoyable.

You should say:

• what the skill is
• when and how you learned it
• why you decided to learn it
• and explain how it has helped you

Practice tip: Build a simple timeline: before learning, the learning process, and the result.

You should say:

• where you went
• who you travelled with
• what happened during the journey
• and explain why you still remember it

Practice tip: Use sequence markers such as at first, later, eventually, and looking back.

You should say:

• who the person is
• what they encouraged you to do
• how they supported you
• and explain how their encouragement affected you

Practice tip: Tell one short moment or conversation instead of listing personality adjectives.

You should say:

• what the object is
• when you got it
• how often you use it
• and explain why it is useful to you

Practice tip: Describe its appearance briefly, then spend more time explaining its value.

You should say:

• where the place is
• what people can see or do there
• when you last visited it
• and explain why you would recommend it

Practice tip: Help the listener picture the place with location, atmosphere, and one small detail.

You should say:

• what the problem was
• why it was difficult
• what steps you took
• and explain what you learned from the experience

Practice tip: Make the action and result specific so the story has a clear turning point.

Practice questions:

• Which practical skills should schools teach more often?
• Do people learn skills better from a teacher or by themselves?
• How has online learning changed the skills people can access?
• Why do some adults stop trying to learn new things?

Practice tip: Compare groups or methods, then support your view with a real-world example.

Practice questions:

• What makes a public place pleasant to spend time in?
• Should cities invest more in parks or in transport?
• Why do some neighbourhoods develop a stronger community than others?
• How might city centres change in the next twenty years?

Practice tip: Use cause-and-effect language and acknowledge a trade-off before giving your view.

Practice questions:

• Has technology improved the quality of communication?
• Why do some people prefer messages to phone calls?
• Should children have limits on their use of social media?
• Which communication skills will be important in future workplaces?

Practice tip: Avoid an all-good or all-bad answer; explain who benefits and under what conditions.

Practice questions:

• What makes a job satisfying?
• Is a high salary the best measure of career success?
• Why do people change careers more often than in the past?
• How should employers help workers develop new skills?

Practice tip: Define what success means in your answer before comparing different priorities.

Practice questions:

• Why has international travel become so popular?
• What can tourists do to reduce their environmental impact?
• Should governments make air travel more expensive?
• How can tourism benefit smaller communities?

Practice tip: Balance personal freedom, economic benefit, and environmental cost.

Practice questions:

• What qualities make someone a good role model?
• Are famous people more influential than family members?
• Should public figures be expected to behave responsibly?
• How has social media changed the people young adults admire?

Practice tip: Distinguish between influence, popularity, expertise, and responsibility.