Part
1 Topics and Questions [Updated Oct.
23, 2006]
For
The IELTS Speaking Tests in China, September 2 to December 16, 2006
Notes
1. For
more general information on Part 1 of the test and about this page, go HERE.
2. For
the test of September 23 & 24, Guangzhou and
Shenzhen used a different set of Part 1 topics and questions –
the same topics
and questions that were used throughout most of China between January and April
2006. Go HERE,
to see these questions.
3. It
is possible (although not probable) that the Part 1 questions will suddenly
change at any time for any other test center in China. If you have time, it
might be a good idea to have a quick look at those old questions. I do know that Taiwan is currently using the Part 1
questions that were used on the Mainland from January to April this year.
4. *
= a question which might not be in the current test, but which you should
prepare for, anyway.
************************************************************************************
Summ
0. The four standard introductory questions.
One of the two topics above is a
compulsory topic and you will be asked about 4 questions on this topic. You will
then be asked questions on two of the topics from below. (Again, about 4
questions per topic).
4. Leisure time
5.
Rain
6. Restaurants
7. Letters
10.
Travel
************************************************************************************
1.
Your Work/Studies
§
Do you
work or are you a student?
(You must choose one and then you will answer either
1a or 1b, below.)
§ What work do you do?
§ Why did you choose that job (that kind of work)? *
§
What are
your responsibilities at work?
§ What is the most interesting part of your work? *
§
Is your
job (your work) very important to you?
§
Would you
like to change your job?
§
Tell me
about your typical daily routine at work. *
§
How do
you and your work colleagues help each other at work? (Or: Do you and your
colleagues help each other at work? How?)
§
Do you
often get together with your colleagues (workmates) after work? (What do you do?)
§
What
subject are you studying?
§ Why did you choose to study that?
§
Where do
you study?
§
Do you
like your university/school? (Why?/ Why not?)
§
Does your
university specialize in any particular subject/area? *
§ Is there anyone who helps (helped) you (with your studies) at university/school? (Who? In what way?) (Who gives you the most help?)
§
Do you
often get together with ( = go out with = do things in your free time with ) your classmates after classes? (What do you do?)
§
Whereabouts
(=where) did you grow up?
§
Is that a
city or is it in the countryside?
§
Do you
still live there?
§
Does (do)
your family still live there?
§ What kind of place is your hometown? (= Describe your hometown) *
§
How has
your hometown changed in recent years? (e.g., the past 20 years or since you were a child)
§
What part
of your hometown do you like best? (Why?)
§
What's
the most famous (= well-known) place in your hometown?
Note: One of
the two topics above is a compulsory topic.
Note 1: It seems that you could be asked about your secondary school studies even if you are working now or a university student now. However, if you are a university student (and especially if you are a secondary student now) and if you answered 1b, above, you probably will not get these questions. Everyone should prepare for this topic because if you get 'Hometown' as your first topic, 'Secondary School' is possible as one of your other topics.
Note
2: 'Secondary school' means the same as 'high school'. Unlike China and
the U.S.A., most students in Britain and Australia go to one school from the age
of about 12 to 18, called 'secondary school' (= high school). However, there are
also a small number of 'Junior High Schools' and 'Senior High Schools' in
Britain and Australia.
§ What subjects did you study in secondary school (= high school)? *
§ What was your favourite subject ( = class) in secondary school? (= high school)
§
And which
class (= subject) did you like the least? (Why?)
§ Which secondary school subject do you think is most useful for people in adult life?
§ What part of your secondary school education did you enjoy most?
§
When do
you have free time?
§
How do
you like to relax? (What’s your favourite way to relax?)
§ How do Chinese people like to relax?
§ Do you think it's important to have leisure time?
§ How does that (the way Chinese people like to relax) compare with western countries?
§
Do
your friends ever come to your home in their free time?
§ How do you think people will relax in the future? *
§ Compare the way people in China relax today and the way they used to relax years ago.
§
In your
leisure time, what do you usually do with friends or family? (= Do you do things
in your leisure time with friends or family? What?)
§
Do you
have any hobbies or interests? (= What are your hobbies or interests?)
§
W
§ Do you like to travel (in your holidays or free time)? (Why?)
§ Does it rain much in China? (Where? When?)
§ Is there any part of China where it doesn't rain much? (Where?) (or: Is there an even distribution of rain throughout China?)
§
When (in
what month/season) does it rain most in your hometown?
§
What
about the other parts of China?
§
Can you
remember any time when it rained particularly heavily in your hometown? (When?)
§
Does rain
ever affect transportation in your hometown? (How?)
§
How does
rain affect different people’s moods?
§
Do you
like rainy days? (= How do you feel on rainy days? = Do you feel sad on rainy days?)
§
What do
you do on rainy days (or, on a rainy day)?
§
Do you
think rain is good? (Why?)
§
Do
you think the seasons have changed in recent years, compared to the past?
§
Do you
usually go out to eat or do you usually eat at home?
§
How often
do you go to a restaurant (to eat)? (Do you often go to restaurants (to eat)?
How often?)
§ Why do you (or, why do people) go to restaurants?
§
What kind
of restaurants do you like? (prefer) (Why?)
§
What kind
of restaurants do young people in China prefer? (Why?)
§
What do
you usually do there?
§
What kind
of foods do you (or Chinese people) like to eat in restaurants?
§
How (do
you think) restaurants have changed, over the past few years? (=How are
restaurants today different to those of before?)
§
How do
you think
they will (might) change in the future? *
§ What skills do people need to work in a restaurant?
§
Do you
often write letters? (How often do you write letters?)
§
Who do
you usually write to and what do you write about?
§
What (do
you think) is the most difficult kind of letter (or email) to write? (Why?)
§
Do you
prefer to write letters or emails? (Why?)
§ What role do emails (or letters) play in your life? ( = Why do you write these emails or letters?)
§ How often do you write emails?
§ What kinds of emails (or letters) do you most like receiving? (Why?) (= What kinds of emails/letters make you happy?)
§ What are the differences between handwritten letters and emails?
§
Do you
think it is a good thing that some companies send out letters/spam emails for the purpose of
advertising?
§
What kind
of entertainment do you prefer, TV or radio? (Why?)
§ How are radio programs and television programs different?
§
What
programs do you like to watch/listen to?
§
When do
you watch TV/listen to the radio?
§
In China,
has television/radio changed much in recent years?
§
How do
you think TV/radio broadcasts in China could be improved?
§
Do you
prefer TV news or news on the radio? (Why?)
§
Tell me
something about your daily routine.
§ (If you do not work) For you, what's the best time of day for studying?
§ (If you work) For you, what's the best time of day (or, day of the week) for working?
§
What part
of the (= your) day do you like best? (Why?)
§ If you could make one change to your daily routine, what would it be?
§ If you had more free time, what would you do?
§
Do you
get together with your fellow students/work colleagues
(=classmates/workmates) after classes/work? (What do you do?)
§ Do you like to travel (in your holidays or free time)? (Why?)
§ Do you think it's important to travel during your holidays? (Why?/Why not?)
§ Do you think it's necessary to travel in order to enjoy your holidays? (Why?/Why not?)
§
Where do
you like to go?
§ Are holidays important (to people/to you)? (Why?) Or: Do you think holidays are necessary? (Why?) Or: Why do we need to have holidays?