ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Updated  Aug 18, 2017

Part 1 Topics and Questions

For The IELTS Speaking Tests, January - April, 2016

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• When do you usually go shopping?

• Where do you usually go shopping?

• When did you last go shopping? 

• What time of day do you prefer to go shopping? 

• Do you prefer to buy things in big shops, or in small shops?  

• Is there any kind of shopping that you don’t like? 

• Do you prefer to go shopping alone, or with friends?

See Note 43

See also ALL_PART_1_QUESTIONS-PAGE_2.htm#75. Hand-made Things

• Which do you prefer to use (or most often use) when you travel in a city or town, a bus or a taxi?

• (Similar to above) Which is more convenient to use where you live, a bus or a taxi?

• How often do you take a bus?

• Are buses convenient to use where you live?

• What form of transport do you prefer for long-distance trips?

• Have you ever taken a long bus trip?

• Do you think it's important to have public transport available?

25.  Evenings  N

See also ALL_PART_1_QUESTIONS.htm#53. Evenings

• What do you usually do in the evenings?

• Do you often go out with your friends in the evening?

• Is there anything you don't like to do in the evenings?  See Note 62

• What do you usually do before you go to bed?

• Do you usually do the same things on week nights and on weekend evenings?

• What do you usually do on Saturday night?

• What did you generally do in the evenings when you were a child?

See also the questions for Sep-Dec, 2015.

• Do you like reading?

• What sorts of things do you usually read?

• Do you prefer to read books, or magazines?

• Are you reading a book at the moment?

• What's the most recent book you have read?

• (Similar to above) What was the last book you read?

• Do you like to read newspapers?

• What's the most recent magazine you have read?

• What kinds of things (or, books) did you read when you were a child?

• Would you like to write a book?

27.  Your Country  N 

This topic is being used as a normal topic, not as the first Part 1 topic. In other words, it is possible to get either the Work/Studies topic, the Hometown topic or the Home topic as the first topic, as well as this topic.

• Do you like your country?

• Please describe your country a little.

• Which part(s) of your country do most people live in?

• What part of your country are you from?

• What do you like the most about your part of the country?

• Have you visited other parts of your country? (Why did you go there?)

• What's your favourite part of your country?

• How much do you feel that these places have (or, your country has) changed over the past few decades?  See Note 48

• How much do you think your country will change in the future?

28. Music 

See also the questions for Sep-Dec, 2015. But possibly a new set of questions is being used now.

• What types of music do you like to listen to?

• Do you prefer to listen to CD's (or recorded music) or to listen to music at the actual performance (listen to live music)?  See Note 53

• What method (or what equipment) do you use to listen to music?  N

• (Similar to above) How do you usually listen to music?  N

• Is there any music that you don't like listening to?  N

• Has your taste (or preference) in music changed since you were a child?  N

• What kinds of songs did you like listening to when you were a child?

• Do you think you will go to concerts in the future?  N

• Have you ever taken part in a musical performance?

• (Similar to above) If you get the chance, do you think you will go to concerts in the future?  N

• (Possible question) Would you participate in a musical performance or concert, if you had the chance?

• (Another possible question, similar to above) Would you like to perform in a concert?

Questions from Sep-Dec, 2015

29.  Sport   (In use in some countries. See Note 58)

Possibly in use in China - only rarely reported for Part 1 in China.

See this topic on the September - December, 2015 Part 1 page.

• Do you like sport?

• What sports do you like?

• Did you learn any sports when you were a child?

• Would you say sport is important?

30.  Films   (In use in some countries. See Note 58)

The American word, "movies" might be used instead of "films" for one or two questions

See this topic on the September - December, 2015 Part 1 page.

• Do you like watching films?

• What kind of films do you like the most?

• How often do you go to the cinema?

• Do you think children nowadays watch different films compared to the past?

31.  Weekends  Unconfirmed topic

• Are weekends important to you?

• What do you usually do on (the) weekends?

32.  Food   (Unconfirmed as in use in Australia)

• What food do you like the most?

• Who does most of the cooking in your family?

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Note 1

The wording is unclear but I think the question is something like that. It might be, "Has your family lived in many other apartments/houses?" or, "Has your family moved often to different living places?" In that question, "family" means your parents & siblings but it could possibly include earlier generations of your family living in the same house, for example, 150 years ago. 

Note that the examiner is most likely to use the British form, "have your family", not the American form, "has your family". The British consider family as "them" or plural while Americans consider it as one group, "it". When you speak or write, both are correct.

Note 6

If you are living in a dormitory at the moment, it is perfectly suitable to say that.

Note 7

Almost certainly, questions such as this use the word "prefer", not "like". You can "like" both choices but "prefer" means "like more than the other choice". For example, you can like both rice and noodles but which one do you prefer (= which one do you like more)?

Note 9

"Reading" and "studying" are not always the same. "Reading for pleasure", "reading for enjoyment" or "reading for entertainment" is not "studying".

Note 10

This is probably mostly referring to a place where you can't concentrate. But, depending on the exact wording of the question, it could include a place that was dark, a place in which you can't see the written material.

Note 11

This is probably mostly for high school students but it is possible university students will also be asked about other subjects.

Note 16

"Would you like to change your job?"

There are several things to understand about this question.

1) If you had just said that you enjoy your job (or, your work) then this question is unlikely to be asked, but it is still possible.

2) The most important point is this – someone has reported the question as, "Would you like to change your job in the future". This meaning is slightly different to the question, "Would you like to change your job?" That is, when "in the future" is added, the questions is similar to, "Do you want to change your job in the future?" or, "Do you plan to / hope to change your job in the future?" But when the words, "in the future" are not included, it means something like, "Would you be happier if you had a different job (now)?" or, "Do you wish you had a different job (now)?"

To repeat: The question, "Would you like to change your job?" most commonly means, change it NOW. It means the same as, "Would you be happier if you had a different job (now)?", "Would you prefer to have a different job (now)?", "Would you change your job (now), if you could?", "Do you wish you had a different job (now)?" etc.

The vast majority of times when a native English speaker says, "I would like to ...", without adding "in the future",  he or she means that he or she would be happier if the present situation (now) were different. For example, "I would like to be younger". It would be nonsensical to talk about being younger and add the words, "in the future"! "I would like to be younger" means the same as, "I wish I were younger ".

Some learners of English (in China, at least) mistakenly assume that, "Would you like ...?" is always (and only) referring to the future, when this is not true.

3) On the other hand, it is possible that the question, "Would you like to change your job in the future?" is really being used. That question is similar to, "Do you want to change your job in the future?", and also similar to, "Do you plan to change your job in the future?", "Do you intend to change your job in the future?" or, "Do you hope to change your job in the future?"

Overall, I am not sure what the real wording is for this question. It's quite possible that two different questions are being used, one referring to now and one referring to the future. (I think two or three different sets of "Your Work" questions are being used.)

3) If you are doing the IELTS test with the intention or hope of migrating, for example to Australia, then almost certainly you will "change your job", meaning you will change your employer but you might not necessarily change your occupation, such as computer programmer. In this situation, it is somewhat unsuitable to talk about "liking to" or "wanting to" to change your job or your occupation in the future because you will have little choice.

Note 17

Although I wrote in Note 16 that the majority of the time, native English speakers don't say, "Would like to" when referring to the future, sometimes they do. The question, "In the future, what type of home would you like to live in?" (= "What type of home would you like to live in, in the future?)  has a similar  meaning to, "What type of home do you want to live in, in the future?" So why would, "Would like to" be used instead of, "want to"? Firstly, "want to" is more emphatic and similar to "plan to" but most people simply have "hopes" about where they will live. Secondly, "would like to" is used because it sounds gentler i.e., it is less emphatic or less aggressive sounding – it is more "genteel" or more "polite" sounding.

Note 18

The short form is "maths" in British English and "math" in American English. Although, strictly speaking, both are correct, if you are not sure where your examiner comes from you should use the British English form. However, if you do the test in the U.S. or if you know for sure that your examiner is American, then using "math" is not only OK, it is probably the better choice.

Note 19

Would you like to teach children how to swim?

Possibly that question is worded as, "Would you be willing to teach children how to swim? This has a slightly different meaning to the first question.

Note 20

Do you think it's important to learn how to swim? = Do you think it's important to know how to swim? = Do you think it's important to be able to swim?

Note 21

the sea = the ocean

Note 22

Do you (like to) take photos? = Do you often take photos? = (possibly) Do you ever take photos?

Take photos = take photographs = take pictures

Note 23

Do you use a self-timer?

A "self-timer" is a delay switch that automatically causes the camera to take a photo, for example, when the camera owner wants to be in the photo. The wording here is unclear.

Note 25

If you say "snake" instead of "snack", your sub-score for pronunciation will probably be reduced.

A "snack" is a small amount of food, not enough to be called, a "meal". If you eat an apple at 10 in the morning or while you are watching TV, that is also a snack – a snack doesn't always have to be something like potato chips or candy (= "lollies" in Australia, "sweets" in England).

Note 26

Many IELTS examiners are teachers or retired teachers. So be careful about saying negative things about teachers!

Note 28

Some people have reported a question such as, "How can parents teach their children to read?" I doubt that this question is being used. It is possible that the word, "teach"  is being used in the question but that the meaning of the whole question is really "encourage to read", for example, "teach their children the habit of reading" or, "teach their children to love reading".

Note 29

Possibly the question asks you if you prefer "bright colours" or dark colours.

Note 30

I think white is a colour. So if the walls of your home are white, don't say, "no colour".

Note 31

If the question is worded that way, without specifying "help with your studies", then it is possible to say that your classmates give you more help concerning your personal life, lending you money etc. but your teachers give you more help concerning your studies.

Note 32

This question was reported by one candidate so it might not be in the examiners' question book. (Examiners only use questions from the question book in Part 1.)

Note 33

In English, there is an expression, "to sleep late". This really means "to get up late" (later than usual). For example, if you usually get up at 8 am but you got up at 10 am last Sunday, then you slept late on Sunday, something that many people like to do.

A similar expression to "sleep late" is to "sleep in". Sometimes that is used with the same meaning as "sleep late" but it is also used for when someone accidentally gets up later than they intended. For example, "I was late for work because I slept in. I forgot to set my alarm clock."

In contrast to that, if you usually go to bed (= go to sleep) at 11 pm but you went to bed at 2 am last Saturday night then you "went to bed late" on Saturday. To "stay up late" means the same as to "go to bed late" (or, later than usual)

Note 34

To "hang out" with your friends is not the same as 'to go out with your friends" because you can hang out at your friend's home, which is not going out, even though you left your home to go to your friend's home. All the questions for this topic are about going out with friends.

The colloquial expression, "to hang out" with someone might be suitable to use at times in the Speaking test, since most of you doing the IELTS test are around 20 years of age. That is, this term is usually used by people such as teenagers and used to describe the behaviour of people such as teenagers. "I usually hang out with her" means, "I usually spend my free time with her". It's a general statement, without specifying what the two (or more) people do together, or where they spend time together. When used in this way, it would be suitable.

However, for most older native English speakers (like me and many examiners), in addition to the idea of spending time with someone, this expression also carries the idea of aimlessness. That is, when we say teenagers or young people are "hanging out together", it often means they are not doing anything in particular but are simply keeping each other company – they have no particular activities planned and possibly jump from doing one trivial activity to another, just for something to do. For example, we often describe someone, or a group, as "hanging out" in a particular place like a shopping mall or on a street corner, and when we use that description, it means that this person or this group seems to be just waiting around, with nothing much to do. Mature adults do not usually describe themselves or other mature adults as "hanging out" together because, as mature adults, they usually have a specific idea for what they want to do.

Note 36

This question might be worded as, "Would you like to improve your photographic skills?"

Note 37

This is an important question and you have a 50% chance of getting this question. See some important notes here, on the website. Those notes are about the question, "Why did you choose to study that?" The question, "Why did you choose that type of work (or, that job)?" is grammatically the same.

Note 38

Of the three questions shown below, I would say that, "What colour are the walls of your room?" is probably the one question that is asked.

• What colours are the (walls of) the rooms in your home? 

• What colour are the walls of your room?

• (Similar to above) What colours do you mainly have in your home?

Note 39

Which is more important for you at school, the teachers or the other students?

Possibly the question is asked in general terms like that. Alternatively, the question might emphasize your study, i.e., "In your studies, which is more important for you, the teachers or the other students?" The first question could possibly be answered in terms of your social life, your friends at school.

Note 40

Not all reading is "reading books". You can also read magazines, journals, comic books (comics), newspapers and internet web sites.

Note 41

Unlike the previous question, this question is general, not asking what snacks you ate. It is asking what snacks were popular with kids when you were a kid. (This is assuming that this question wording is accurate.)

Note 42

Possibly the word, "hoped" is used instead of "imagined".

Note 43

The word, "handicrafts" might be used, or the words, "hand-made things" might be used, or possibly both are used, in different questions. This is not clear yet.  In fact, a "hand-made thing" and a "handicraft" are very close in meaning. The meaning of a, "hand-made thing" is something like, "made by a person, not made in a factory". The meaning of a, "handicraft" is focusing more on the creative or artistic aspect of making this thing, or the idea that it requires skills to make this thing.

The word, "handicraft" is sometimes used to mean the thing that is made by hand. However, the most common usage of the word is, "a handicraft" = an activity; the activity of making something by hand that requires some skill and/or artistic ability, such as needlework or making pottery by hand.

Note 44

Obviously, you need to talk about what people need and want when they are growing up, (People stop growing at about the age of 18, or earlier.) The question is not the same as, "Would you say it's a good place to live?", which refers to people of any age. Therefore, it is not suitable to talk about the infrastructure in your hometown such as roads and bridges.

Note 45

For high school students, the examiner might choose to ask this question about one of the subjects that you said you are studying (or studied). For example, "Is physics very difficult to study?" [Or, "Do you like physics?" for the question, "Do you like ...?"]

Note 46

It looks like this question is being used. To be "in" a concert or performance is to be one of the performers. If the question is simply, "Have you ever been to a choir or some other musical performance?" then it means, "Have you ever physically been present, as a member of the audience, at a musical performance?" But since it seems that "choir" is used in the question, it almost certainly is the first meaning, i.e.," Have you ever performed?" because we don't normally say, "be to a group" ("choir" is a group).

Note 47

"Need to" is similar to "must" or "have to" in that question. That means it is compulsory.

Note 48

This question and the one following it might be worded as "How has it changed?", not "How much has it changed?"

Note 49

The difference between doing things quickly (or, fast) and doing things in a hurry is the fact that "in a hurry" has the connotation of stress, or urgency, a feeling of urgency that may not always be related to what you do in a hurry. For example, you might be running late for work and feel an urgency about leaving home to get to work but before you leave home, you might need to answer an email. In this case, you will be answering the email in a hurry. But if you write a big report for your university lecturer in a hurry because the report is due tomorrow, then what you are doing in a hurry is directly related to the reason why you are under stress.

On the other hand, we do many things fast simply because we are good at doing these things, as a result of the practice we have had doing them. We would use the word "fast" here because other people, those who have had less practice, do these things (these actions) slower.

So you should answer each question in a way that is suitable, depending on whether "in a hurry" is part of the question.

Note 50

If the words, "to do" are not included, it is possible to talk about what kinds of dancing people like to watch, not do. But you still should not ignore the point about what forms of dancing people like to do.

Some people in China give the example of "square dancing" but this is a mistake. Square dancing is a particular form of a quite old style of dancing that is done in the West, a form that is still popular with country people and in primary school, where they teach the kids how to do it. Those Chinese people are translating 广场跳舞 (town square dancing) when they say, "square dancing". Just call it "town square dancing" and try to give a short description of what it means. There is no English name for it, as far as I know.

Note 51

It is possible that the examiners are not using the words, "primary school" and, instead, are asking, "Can you describe your first school?" or, "Can you describe the first school you attended?" If this is the case, "my primary school" is the correct name for it but the examiners are testing to see if you know that name for it. "Elementary school" is the American style of "primary school" and  is not wrong but in the IELTS test, using the British English style is best. Don't say your first school was a kindergarten because Westerners don't consider kindergartens to be schools.

Note 52

The question, "Do you prefer to write letters, or emails?" is really asking which you prefer in general, not just when communicating with your friends. However, if the examiner announces at the beginning of this topic that the topic is, "Communicating with friends" and not simply, "Communication" then you could assume that the question is specifically asking about writing letters or emails to your friends. Always pay attention to the exact wording when the examiner announces the name of the topic.

Note 53

For the expression, "live music", "live" is pronounced in a similar way to "alive", not the same as the verb, "to live".

Note 54

If the question does not include the words, "besides chatting face-to-face" (or similar words) then most people should include that in the answer. But you also should include other methods such as talking on your phone, texting on your phone (= sending text messages), sending text messages on an app such as Skype or Wechat, sending emails or letters, and using online video chatting services such as Skype and Wechat.

Note 55

If you have already completed your studies (either high school or university), this question will probably be, "What did you learn from studying that subject?" For high school students, the examiner will probably choose one of the several subjects that you say you are studying or studied, if you have finished high school. Basically, the examiner wants a summary of what you learned or the contents of the subject, possibly with a few specific examples of what you learned.

Note 56

Below is a copy of an email I sent to someone about the topic of "computers".

Question:

I've seen a question in the IELTS question pool, which is in the topic of 'computer'. It is like 'In what ways do people use computers in China?' I'm not sure whether this refers to how people use computers (e.g. use computers to watch TV or documents' editing) or it means how to make computers work ( e.g. Connect to wifi) 

My Reply

On the topic of Computers (plural) in Part 1, that sort of question is referring to the various purposes of using computers, not the various technical ways of using computers. Anyway, there are not many different technical ways of using a computer – most computers work the same way.

Your question also seems to indicate that you are confusing the two different words, "computers" and "the internet". These are two distinctly different things, although they are connected in some but not all cases. For example, people today can connect to the internet by using a mobile phone, which is not classified as a "computer".

If the question is, "In what ways do people use the internet?" then, again, the question is USUALLY referring to the purpose of using the internet rather than the variety of technical ways of using it, especially if it is a Part 1 question. If the question is about the different ways of connecting to the internet, then the word "connect" or "go onto" would most likely be used, not just the word, "use".

Different purposes i.e.,  usages of the internet are: 1) Entertainment especially viewing entertainment videos, listening to music audio files, connecting to real-time TV and radio broadcasts, reading entertainment articles such as gossip articles, and playing online games etc. 2) Personal Communication such as using emails, text message exchange services, direct streaming audio-video services such as Wechat, and expressing personal opinions on message boards 3) Getting information such as the news, which includes using non-entertainment audio-visual files & by reading webpages 4) Studying, either private study by researching information on the internet or more formal study such as taking an online university course, which might involve sending assignments by email or face-to-face discussion with a tutor via a service such as Wechat 5) Making financial or business transactions such as internet banking, buying & selling shares on the stock market, online shopping, making online hotel or airline reservations etc. 6) Exchanging computer files and data with others, including photos, audio-visual files, software, e-books, and data (such as my Updates service) etc. The internet is also used by governments & companies for sending and receiving real-time data such as the direct streaming of the data from surveillance cameras.

Of course, computers themselves can be used for various purposes without being connected to the internet. One of the most common uses of computers is to write documents, including letters that are printed out and mailed by regular mail ("snail mail"). Other common usages are the printing-out of documents or previously downloaded webpages, and using a scanner to photocopy a document, a page from a book or a photograph.

Your question was a good one, especially since it illustrates the confusion that some people have between the two words, "computer" and "internet", I will copy it and my reply to my Updates notes.

Note 57

Is there any difference between the snacks you eat at different times (of the day)?  

This question might not be about different times of the day but, instead, about different occasions. For example, when you are studying, when you are on a train, when you are watching TV, when you are at the beach, when you are walking down the street etc.

Note 58

I do not have enough information to make a definite statement on this but it looks like some countries, or some test centres in those countries, are still using (some of, or all of) the Part 1 topics from September - December 2015. Some of those topics have been retired in China and in most of the world, while some have continued to be used in this January - April 2016 period. I think these countries include Iran, India and possibly Bangladesh, Pakistan and some African countries. I have seen this before so it seems to be the usual pattern. That is, these few counties lag behind China and most of the world by one testing period with the Part 1 topics. The September - December 2015 topics are in the folder labeled, "Older Materials".

I don't know to what extent the same situation exists with the Part 2/3 topics but I think it is the same situation as with the Part 1 topics.

Note 59

Not all museums are history museums, for example, science museums. But nearly all museums include exhibits featuring the history of the topic that the museum specializes in.

Note 60

Except on rare occasions, most English speakers do not use the word, "play" to describe what people over the age of about 12 do. That word is mainly used to describe the activities of children. Here I mean using only the word "play" not "play basketball", "play cards", "play + X". That is, for IELTS candidates, it is not very suitable to say, "I go out with my friends to play", although it is not a huge mistake.  It is better to say, "I go out with my friends to have fun" or, something like, "I go out with my friends to enjoy myself".

Those rare occasions mentioned above are when English speakers are in an international environment, with international friends. Or when an English speaker has lived in a non-English speaking environment for a while. This is because "play" is used by many of the world's languages to describe the activities of adults.

Note 61

The wording, "Would you like to change where you live?" can have two different meanings: a) Would you like to make some changes to the place that you are living? or, b) Would you like to change your address? = Would you like to move to a different place?  Meaning a) is the meaning that most people report.

Note 62

Your answer could possibly include what you are afraid of doing in the evenings.