Guide · Last updated 1 October 2026
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Questions and Answers
60 practice questions on 12 everyday topics, a simple way to turn a short reply into a two or three sentence answer, and six sample answers to model yours on.
What happens in Speaking Part 1?
The examiner introduces themselves and checks your identity, then asks “general questions on some familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies or interests”. Part 1 is four to five minutes long. IELTS says it tests your ability to give opinions and information on everyday topics and common experiences.
Nothing here needs special knowledge. What the examiner hears in Part 1 is how easily you speak. The band descriptors describe a band 5 speaker as someone who is “usually able to keep going, but relies on repetition and self-correction to do so”, and a band 7 speaker as “able to keep going … without noticeable effort”.
How long should a Part 1 answer be?
Two or three sentences. A useful pattern is answer, reason, detail: say yes or no (or name the thing), give one reason, and add one detail or example.
- Answer the question in your first few words. Do not repeat the whole question back.
- Give a reason with because, so or since. The reason is what turns a reply into speech the examiner can assess.
- Add one detail: when, where, who with, or how it used to be. A change of tense here (I used to, I have started) shows range without any effort.
- Then stop. The examiner has more questions, and the next one may be easier.
What does a good Part 1 answer sound like?
Six questions, each with the short reply most people give first and a fuller answer built on the pattern above. The fuller ones take about fifteen seconds to say.
Do you cook at home?
Too short: Yes, sometimes.
Better: Yes, most evenings. I mainly cook rice and curry because that’s what I grew up with, but I’ve started trying pasta dishes at weekends, when I’ve got more time.
Has your hometown changed much since you were a child?
Too short: Yes, it is bigger now.
Better: Quite a lot, actually. When I was small it was a quiet town with one main road, and now there are apartment blocks everywhere and the traffic is terrible. The good side is that there’s much more to do.
What do you like most about your job?
Too short: My colleagues.
Better: Probably the people. I work in a small team, so we all know each other well, and if I’m stuck on something there’s always someone I can ask. The work itself is fine, but it’s my colleagues who make it enjoyable.
Do you prefer paper books or reading on a screen?
Too short: I prefer paper books.
Better: Paper, definitely. I stare at a screen all day for work, so a real book feels like a break. I do use my phone for the news, though, because it’s quicker.
Does the weather affect your mood?
Too short: Yes, I do not like rain.
Better: It does, more than I’d like. If it’s been raining for a week I get quite lazy and don’t want to go out, whereas on a bright morning I’m up early without any effort.
Is there a hobby you would like to start?
Too short: Swimming.
Better: I’d love to learn to swim properly. I never had lessons as a child, so I can only manage a few metres, and there’s a pool near my office that I keep meaning to join.
60 Part 1 questions to practise
Twelve topics, five questions each. Work, studies, hometown and home come first because they are about you and you can prepare for them. Say your answers out loud, and time yourself: if an answer is over before five seconds have passed, add the reason.
Work
- What do you do for work?
- Why did you choose that job?
- What do you like most about your job?
- Is there anything you would like to change about it?
- Do you think you will do the same job in ten years?
Studies
- What are you studying?
- Why did you choose that subject?
- What is the most difficult part of your course?
- Do you prefer to study alone or with other people?
- What do you plan to do when you finish?
Hometown
- Where is your hometown?
- What do you like about it?
- Has it changed much since you were a child?
- Is it a good place for young people?
- Would you like to live there in the future?
Home
- Do you live in a house or a flat?
- Which room do you spend the most time in?
- What can you see from your windows?
- Is there anything you would like to change about your home?
- How long have you lived there?
Family and friends
- Do you spend much time with your family?
- Who are you closest to in your family?
- How often do you see your friends?
- What do you usually do together?
- Do you prefer a few close friends or a lot of friends?
Food
- What kind of food do you like?
- Do you cook at home?
- Is there a food you disliked as a child but like now?
- Do you prefer eating at home or in restaurants?
- What do people usually eat for breakfast in your country?
Free time
- What do you do in your free time?
- Do you have enough free time?
- How did you spend last weekend?
- Do you prefer to relax indoors or outdoors?
- Is there a hobby you would like to start?
Weather
- What is the weather like where you live?
- What is your favourite season?
- Does the weather affect your mood?
- Do you check the weather forecast?
- Has the weather in your country changed in recent years?
Phones and technology
- How often do you use your phone?
- Which app do you use the most?
- Do you think you spend too much time on your phone?
- When did you get your first phone?
- Is there any technology you find difficult to use?
Reading
- Do you like reading?
- What do you usually read?
- Did you read much as a child?
- Do you prefer paper books or reading on a screen?
- Is there a book you would like to read again?
Transport
- How do you usually travel to work or college?
- How long does the journey take?
- Do you like travelling by public transport?
- Do you drive, or would you like to learn?
- How could transport in your city be improved?
Shopping
- Do you enjoy shopping?
- Do you prefer shopping online or in shops?
- What was the last thing you bought?
- Do you ever buy things you do not need?
- Are there many shops near your home?
What comes after Part 1?
Part 2 is the long turn: one card, a minute to prepare and up to two minutes of talking. The 40 cue cards page has practice cards and a full sample answer. Part 3 then discusses the same theme in a more general way, and the Speaking questions guide covers all three parts together.
Frequently asked questions
How long is IELTS Speaking Part 1?
Four to five minutes. The examiner introduces themselves, checks your identity, and then asks general questions on familiar topics such as home, family, work, studies or interests.
How long should my answers be in Part 1?
Two or three sentences: the answer, a reason, and one detail. Part 1 covers several topics in four to five minutes, so a one-word reply shows too little English and a long speech leaves no time for the next question.
Are these the questions I will get in the test?
No one outside IELTS can say. IELTS does not publish its questions, and lists of “current” questions come from what candidates remember. These were written for practice, on the kind of everyday topics Part 1 uses. If you can answer any of them in two or three sentences, the exact question matters much less.
What if I work and study, or do neither?
Say what is true. The examiner is assessing your English, not your life. If you are between jobs, say what you did before or what you are looking for, and add a reason or a detail as you would for any other question.
Is Part 1 scored separately?
No. You get one Speaking band, and the descriptors say a candidate “will be rated on their average performance across all parts of the test”. Part 1 is where you settle in, so clear, relaxed answers here help the rest of the test.
Should I memorise answers?
No. A memorised answer rarely fits the exact question, and recited speech works against the natural, flexible language the higher bands describe. Practise the pattern with many questions instead.
Answer them out loud, to an examiner
A free weekly AI-examiner session can run Part 1 on its own, then score your fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
Practise speaking free