IELTS Speaking Part 1, 2, & 3 Questions and Answers

Overview of IELTS Speaking Questions

Students must familiarise themselves with IELTS Speaking questions with answers while planning to take the test. They must have ideas on how to prepare for this area. However, we dissuade from rote learning the topics as it would be of little help. Continuous practice and diversification of ideas will be best while preparing for this section. 

Here we have provided a range of topics on the speaking section of the exam that one must note down before attempting the test. The answers that need to be given must appear natural during the IELTS speaking test. Read further to know more and clear your doubts!

IELTS Speaking Section

It is essential to know about the IELTS speaking test format, before we move further with IELTS Speaking test questions:

The IELTS speaking section is an important part of the exam that lasts for 11-14 minutes. Its main purpose is to assess the candidate's ability to speak English fluently. During this section, candidates will be required to discuss various IELTS Speaking questions with answers, including generic ones.

This section is conducted in a quiet room by a human examiner who will evaluate different aspects of the candidate's speaking skills. Moreover, the human component of the test helps overcome any accent-related challenges, allowing candidates to take the exam with greater confidence.

Part 1: Self Introduction and Questions on Familiar Topics

The IELTS speaking section is divided into three parts, which include a self-introduction and questions on familiar topics. In this part, the examiner will ask broad questions about the candidate, their home, family, career, and studies. You will also be asked to answer some general questions about yourself such as about your residence and what are you engaged in.

You will also be questioned about a variety of familiar IELTS speaking questions part 1 such as your favourite music, food, movies and weather. In most cases, students will get only one or two topics. The section will last for 4 to 5 questions.

Precisely, this section will assess your ability to transmit ideas and information about several popular themes by answering several questions in a question-answer format.

Part 2: Individual Long Turn

You will be handed a task card and asked to speak on a certain topic by the examiner. You will be given one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The examiner will set a timer and notify you when it is up. To complete this section of the test, the examiner will ask one or two questions on the same topic. This section lasts 3 to 4 minutes.

In short, this section of the exam assesses your ability to speak for an extended period about a specified topic while using good language and organising your thoughts rationally. You can use your understanding of the subject to help you complete the long turn.

Part 3: Two-way Discussion

The questions in Part 3 will be related to the general theme/topics that you discussed in Part 2. You will debate the topic in a more general and abstract manner, demonstrating to the examiner that you can express and justify your thoughts, as well as analyse, discuss, and hypothesise on the topic in greater depth.

In this phase, the examiner will speak with you more and may ask you to justify your beliefs to determine how well you communicate abstract ideas compared to the personal themes you discussed in Parts 1 and 2. This section also lasts 4 to 5 minutes.

In brief, you will be evaluated on your ability to express and justify your thoughts, as well as analyse, discuss, and hypothesise on a variety of issues related to the overall theme you discussed in Part 2.

The three parts of the speaking section, i.e. the introduction, the discussion essay topics and the follow-up questions, are all designed to evaluate different parameters of the speaking capabilities of a candidate. A crucial element to acing the section is to remain confident throughout the section as nervousness and hesitance can lead to improper responses, which will affect the overall score.

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IELTS Speaking Questions

After learning about the IELTS Speaking section and its various parts, it is time to discuss the IELTS Speaking questions so that applicants may gain a good understanding of this section.

Part 1

Given below is the table that shows the IELTS Speaking Questions Part 1 that the examiner can ask you about and the frequency with which each topic is used:

Parts 2 and 3

The table highlighted below shows different categories and IELTS Speaking questions for Parts 2 & 3:

Most Common IELTS Speaking Questions and Topics

Now that we are familiar with the major IELTS Speaking questions and topics for different parts of the IELTS Speaking exam, let us also examine some of the most anticipated questions that the examiner can ask you during your IELTS Speaking test.

Hometown

• Tell me about where you grew up.

• Where is your hometown?

• What do you find appealing about your hometown?

• What is the significance of your hometown to you?

• Do you wish to move out of your hometown?

Accommodation

• Tell me about your accommodation. Where are you staying?

• Do you live in an apartment, bungalow or a house?

• Who do you live with?

• Do you have a separate room or do you share it with someone else?

• What can you see from the windows of your house?

Weather

• What is/was the weather like today/yesterday?

• What kind of weather do you enjoy and why?

• How is the weather in your country?

• How is the weather in the country where you are planning to study?

• How frequently does the weather change in your city?

Work

• Are you working currently? If yes, then what is the nature of your work?

• What are your job responsibilities?

• How many days a week do you work?

• Are you satisfied with the kind of work you do?

• What are your long-term goals in work life?

Studies

• What have you studied in the past?

• What have you learnt from this course?

• What are you planning to pursue in the future?

• Why have you chosen this course?

• What is your favourite subject to study?

High School

• Where did you pursue your high school?

• What stream did you choose?

• Why did you choose the above-mentioned stream?

• Are you still in touch with any of your high school friends?

• Who was your favourite teacher?

Lifestyle/Family

• Tell me about your family. How many members do you have in your family?

• Where do your family members live?

• Do you support joint family culture or a nuclear family? 

• What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

• What are your hobbies?

• Whom do you get along best in your family?

• What do you and your family do together?

Food

• What is your favourite cuisine?

• What kinds of food do you like having?

• What kinds of food do you dislike?

• Tell me about the food/cuisine of your state/city/country.

• Are you excited to explore the food/cuisine of a foreign country?

Daily Routine

• Brief me about your daily routine.

• How often do your daily routines change?

• Do you like to make a to-do list of things that you would be doing in a day?

• Do you think it's important to have a daily routine?

• If given a chance, what would you like to change about your daily routine?

IELTS Speaking Questions and Answers: Topic Samples

Here are some more samples of IELTS Speaking test questions and topic samples that will surely help you to practice and score high in the IELTS Speaking section:

Sample 1

Sample 2

How to Score a Band 9 in IELTS Speaking?

Now that you are very well familiar with the IELTS Speaking questions and topics that can be asked by the examiner, here are some important tips for our aspirants to score high in the IELTS Speaking test:

• Get a Partner: It is always a good idea to find a practice buddy with whom you can practise your speaking skills. Find an IELTS instructor or a friend or any member of your family who has a good command of English and with whom you can practice your IELTS Speaking topics.

• Always Record Yourself: Another useful tip to excel in IELTS Speaking questions and answers is to record your presentation on your smartphone, either audio or video. Then you should listen to it and think about how you can improve your speech delivery, pronunciation, expression, tonality, accent and more.

• Practice Note Making: You must make notes of your conversation in Task 2 of the exam, so practice this before the exam. At first, do not pace yourself and simply practice taking notes. Allow yourself two minutes, and then, practice taking notes in one minute.

• Surf Videos Online: Another pro tip to score high in your IELTS Speaking section is by watching online videos. There is a plethora of free content that is available on the internet on different platforms like YouTube which you can make use of to practice the IELTS Speaking topics. Using these videos, you can pay close attention to the speech delivery technique(s) of high band score applicants. 

• Do Not be in a Rush!: It's probable that you won't be able to answer the IELTS speaking question. Allow yourself extra time by incorporating statements like, 'That's a very interesting subject,' 'I've never actually talked about it...' and more, to keep it going.

• Maintain Consistency: IELTS Speaking terminology and phrases like 'nevertheless', 'having said that’, 'however,' and 'furthermore' help applicants improve their speaking skills. Candidates for IELTS speaking must study more vocabulary terms.

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