Part 1 Topics and Questions
For The IELTS Speaking Tests, May - August, 2012
Notes
1.
Your
Work
or Your Studies
3.
Your
Home (Your Accommodation)
4. Flowers
5. Relatives
6. Colours
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
26.
27.
28.
What work do you do?
Why did you choose to do that kind of work (or, that job)?
Do many people in your country choose to do that type of work?
(Similar to above)
Would you like to continue doing that work (or, that job) in the future?
What are your responsibilities at work? (See Note)
Some of the the questions below might still be in use. These are from January-May, 2012. You should also prepare for these questions.
Did you always want to do this type of work?
Do you like your job? (See Note)
What do you like most about your job?
(Similar to above) What benefits do
you get from working (or, from your job)?
What's the most interesting part of your work?
Is there anything you don't like about your job?
What qualifications are needed for your job?
Is it easy to find employment in that job (or, that kind of work)?
(Similar to above but more general) Is it difficult to find a job (= any job) in your country/hometown?
Would you like to continue doing this job (or, this type of work) in the future?
See also ALL_PART_1_QUESTIONS 1a. Your Studies
Note: For high school students or recent high school graduates who have not yet started university, the word "school" or the words, "high school" or "secondary school" will be used instead of "university". If you are no longer a student now and have not yet started to work, the questions will be about the last time you were a student, either high school or university, and the questions will be asked in the past tense. For high school students (or recent high school graduates), the word "subjects" (plural) will be used.
What subject(s) are you studying?
Why did you choose to study that? /
Do many students in your country study that subject?
(Similar to above) Is that a popular subject to study in your country?
How long have you been studying that?
What school/university do you go to? (See Note)
Why did you choose that school/university?
What do you plan to do after you finish your studies? See Note
(Similar to above) What work do you plan to do after you have finished your studies?
The following questions from January to May 2012 might still be in use. You should also prepare for these questions.
Do you like your subject? (or: Do you
like your course?)
What's the most interesting part of your course?
What school/university are you studying at (now)? *
Why did you choose to study at (or, choose to go to) that school/university? *
Do you like your school/university?
(Why?/Why not?)
Notes:
– Your 'hometown' is the place where you grew up, not necessarily the place where you were born or your ancestral family location. It's probably where your parents are living now.
– Don’t say your hometown is “Henan” or some other province. That is your "home province", not your "home town".
– Sometimes the questions below are used not for your hometown but for the place where you are living now, even if the word, "hometown" is used in a question below.
– Several questions here are similar because there is more than one set of questions for the topic, "Your Hometown".
Where did you grow up?
Do any members of your family still live there?
Has it changed much? (How?/Why?)
How do you think it might change in the future?
(Similar to above but a little different)
Would you say your hometown is a good
place for tourists to relax in?
(Possibly the question above is this)
Do you live in a house or a flat?
Please describe it a little.
Do you like your home?
(Similar to above) Do you feel comfortable in your home?
How is that room decorated? *
What furniture is in that room?
Which do you think are more beautiful,
flowers indoors or flowers outdoors?
(Similar to above)
Have you ever bought
plastic flowers?
Have you (ever) given flowers to anyone?
(Possibly) When was the last time you gave flowers to somebody?
See also the topic, "Family and Friends" from May-Aug 2011
See Note
Do you have many relatives? * (See Note)
When you were a child, which of your relatives did you see most often?
(Similar to above)
Who do you feel is now the most important member of your family (or, most important relative)?
When you were a child, did you play more with your friends or with your relatives? (See Note)
In the future, do you think you will have
more opportunities to see your relatives (than you do now)?
What was your favourite colour when you were a child?
Is that still your favourite colour now?
What colour is most popular among your
friends?
If you were to change the colour of your bedroom walls, what colour would you choose?
Below are the Questions used in May-Aug, 2011
What's your favourite colour?
(Similar to above) Are there any colours that you especially like?
Are colours important to you?
(Similar to above) Do you think colours are important?
Were colours important to you when you were a child? (See Note)
(Similar to above) Was colour important to you when you were a child?
Is colour very important to you when you are buying clothes?
(Similar to above) Do you prefer to wear light or dark (or, bright) coloured clothes?
If you were to paint the walls of your room, what colour would you choose?
Is there any colour you would not want your walls to be? (Why?)
What toys did you like to play with when you were a child?
Do you think you learned anything from playing with toys?
Did you (prefer to) play with those toys alone or with other children?
If you had children, what toys would you give them?
What form of transport do you usually use (to get around your city)?
How often do you use public transportation?
What form of public transport do you prefer to (or, most often) use? (Why?)
What do you like to (or usually) do while you are traveling?
What do you usually take (or carry) with you when you are traveling?
Is the transportation (the trains, buses, trams, etc.) very crowded in your city?
Do you ever have problems with noise when you are traveling?
Are you ever disturbed by the noise from other passengers?
Do you think government could do anything to
improve the public transport system in your area?
"Drawing" is dry, such as with a pencil; "painting" is wet (until it dries), such as using a paintbrush and oil or water paint. There is also the traditional Chinese "ink painting".
I am guessing that most of these questions are about drawing.
Do you like to draw (or, to paint)? (Why?/Why not?)
Why do (some) people draw?
Why do children like to draw (or paint)?
Do you think it's hard to learn to draw (or paint)?
Do you like painting? (Why / Why not?) (See Note)
(Similar to above) Do you ever paint pictures? *
(Similar to above) Do you like art?
Did you do any painting when you were a child?
(Similar to above) Did you like painting when you were a child?
How about now? Do you still paint pictures? (See Note)
Do you think it's important for children to do some painting or drawing?
What benefits do you think children can get from painting or drawing?
Do you think you will paint any pictures in the future?
What do you think are the benefits of
painting (or art) for children?
(Similar to above) Do you think painting is good for (or useful for) children?
What benefits do you think people (or, adults) can get from painting or drawing?
Do you like watching television?
(Similar to above) Do you watch much television?
How much television do you watch?
(Similar to above) How often do you watch TV?
What kinds of programs do you like to watch?
(Possibly) What's your favourite TV program? (Why?)
Do you prefer to watch TV alone or with others (or with friends/family)? (Why?)
Do you feel you watch too much TV?
Did you like to watch TV when you were a child? (If yes, include what kinds of programs you liked to watch.)
Do you think you watched too much TV when you were a child?
Do you think parents should control
how much TV their children watch?
See also
All Part 1 Questions 41, Weather and
Make sure you know the difference in meaning between "season" and "weather". "Climate" can be considered to be "long-term weather".
Previously, this topic was labeled as "Weather and Seasons" but I now believe the word "climate" is used in most questions.
See some notes on language to use to describe climate.
What's the climate usually like in your country (or, your hometown)?
(If you are doing the test away from your home country) How is the weather here different to the weather in your home country?
(Possibly) Would you say the climate in your hometown is suitable for working (or studying)?
Would you like to move to a place with different climate?
What season do you like best?
What do you do
in that season?
What season (or
climate) do
you think is most suitable for work and/or study?
Has the climate in your country (or, hometown) changed much in the past few years?
Do you prefer a hot or a cold climate?
Have you ever been to a country with a climate that is very different to your hometown?
Do you (usually) pay attention to the weather forecasts?
(Similar to above) Do you think it's important to pay attention to the weather forecasts?
See also All Part One Questions 47. Names
Who gave you your name?
Does your name have any particular (or, special) meaning? See Note
Do you like your name?
In your country, do people feel that
their name is very important?
Would you like to change your name?
(Similar to above) Have you ever considered changing your name?
Is it easy to change your name in your country?
(Similar to above) In your country, are there any problems that could occur if someone changed their name?
Who usually names babies in your country?
Do you have any special traditions about naming children?
(Similar to above) What do people consider when they are giving a baby a name in your country?
(Possible
question) What names are most common in your hometown?
See also All Part One Questions 30. Photography
Do you like taking photos?
How do you take photographs?
What do you like to photograph?
(Unconfirmed question) Do you like cameras?
How do you organize (or, keep, or save) your
photos?
Are there any photos on your wall at
home?
(Unclear
question) Would you say photographs are a good way to preserve memories?
Do you like taking photographs?
How often do you take photographs?
When (or, in what situations) do you take photographs? (Why?)
(Similar to above) What do you like to photograph?
Do you prefer to take pictures of scenery or of people?
Is taking photographs very popular in your country? (Why?/Why not?)
What kinds of photographs do you most like to look at?
Which do you think is better to send to someone, a postcard that has a photograph on it, or a photograph you took yourself?
(Similar to above) When traveling, do you prefer to buy postcards or take your own photographs?
Notes:
For the question about 'your first school', it would be acceptable to talk about kindergarten (if you can remember much about it) and if you did learn things there. However, some Westerners don't think of kindergarten as an example of a "school". Instead, they think of it as more like a "day care centre" or a "pre-school centre".
Originally I labeled this topic as, "Your Primary School" but I now think it really is more generally about the school(s) you previously attended, although it is mostly about your primary school.
What was the first school you attended?
(Similar to above) Do you remember the first school you attended?
Where was it?
Was it far from your home?
How did you go to (or, travel to) school?
Did you like it?
What were the good things about that school?
(Similar to above) What did you like most about it?
Would you say it was a good school?
Would you send your child to that school today?
Have you been
back to that school for a visit?
What different types of schools have you been to?
Which school did you like the most? (Why?)
Did your parents choose your secondary school (= high school) for you?
See also All Part One Questions 8. Computers
See also All Part One Questions 51. The Internet
What do you use
it for?
Is there
anything you don't like about computers?
(Similar to
above but less likely) Are there any
people who don't like using computers?
Do you often use computers?
When did you start using computers?
What do you use computers for?
Would you say computers are important?
(Similar to above) Would you say computers are important in your life?
(Similar to above) How important are computers to you?
(Possible) Do computers have much impact on your life?
What effect do computers have on children?
How do you think parents could minimize (or avoid) the negative effects of computers on their children?
What computer skill(s) would you like to learn? (See note)
See also the questions about eating places at All Part One Questions 15. Food/Cooking and All Part One Questions 23. Meals
All the questions below are "
Which do you prefer to eat, lunch or dinner? (Why?)
Do you think there are any benefits from eating breakfast?
Are you willing to try some new food?
Which do you prefer – to eat one big meal or to eat several small snacks?
What do you
consider to be a healthy diet?
Do you think you need to change your diet (to make it healthier)?
In the past few years, have there been any changes to what people in your country eat?
(Similar to
above)
See some vocabulary about time
How do you organize your time?
Do you think young people and old
people organize their time in the same way?
Are you ever late for anything?
Do you like it
when others are late?
In your
country, do people (easily) forgive others when they are late?
If you had more time, what would you do with the extra time?
How do you manage (or, organize, or plan) your time?
Would you say you manage (or, organize) your time well?
(Similar to above) Do you find it hard to manage your time?
Where did you learn how to organize your time?
How do you think you could better manage your time? *
Do you think it's useful to plan your time?
(Similar to above) What do you think you would gain if you were better at managing your time?
Are you ever late for anything?
If you had more time, what would you do with the extra time?
Have you ever been to a wedding?
What happens at a wedding in your country?
When there is a wedding in your country, who usually is present? (who usually attends a wedding)
Are weddings today the same as those in the past?
Would you recommend an old-fashioned wedding or a modern one? *
Which do you think is better, a small wedding or a luxurious wedding?
Do you think weddings are important?
Notes:
The meaning of holiday here could be either (or, both) 'public holiday' (节日, similar to 'festival') and 'vacation' from school or work, (假期). But, of course, very few people travel away from home during a one-day public holiday.
Almost all of these questions are about traveling during a holiday period (or during several holiday periods). Possibly one or more of these questions is in the form using "would", such as, "If you had a holiday, how would you choose to travel?" or, "Who would you travel with?"
When you have a holiday, what do you usually do?
How do you plan your holidays?
If you were on
holiday (now), what would you do?
What would you like to do in your next holiday?
Make sure you know the differences between "sport" and "exercise".
It is possible that in some of the questions below, the word "sport" should be the word, "exercise".
Do you like sport?
Did you play any sport when you were a child?
(Similar to above)
(Similar to above) What sports do you think are suitable for children to play?
(Possible question) Do old people and young people like to do (or, play) the same sports?
What sports are most popular in your country?
Do you do any exercise to keep fit or healthy?
(Possibly if you say "No" to the question above) Do you plan to do any exercise in the future?
(Possibly the above question is this) Is there any form of exercise that you would like to try in the future?
Do you think everybody
should do some exercise? (Why?)
Do you think exercise is beneficial for older people?
What do you think are the benefits of exercise?
(Mostly copied from Sep-Dec 2011)
Do you have any (or, many) close friends?
What qualities make them good friends?
Do you live with your family?
Do your family and friends still live in your hometown?
Do you think family members should live together? (Why?/Why not?)
When do you spend time with your family?
What do you do together?
Do you often go out with your friends?
(Similar to above) How often do you see your friends?
(Possible
question) What friends do you most often see?
Where do you meet with your friends?
Do you prefer to spend time with your family or with your friends? (Why?)
Which do you think is more important, your family or your friends? (Why?)
Are there any times when you prefer to be alone?
Do you often come into contact with children? (Where? When?)
What do you do when you are with these children?
Do you get along well with children?
How often do you play with children?
What kind of child were you (when you were little)?
What did you like to do when you were a child?
How do you think children in the future will play?
Do you think children today benefit from modern technology?
What do you do in your spare time?
How do you usually spend your evenings?
Do you prefer to stay at home in the evenings or do you prefer to go out?
(Similar to above) Do you go out much at night?
Do you like birthdays?
Do people in China celebrate birthdays?
(Similar to above) Are people's birthdays very important in China?
Are any birthdays ( = reaching a certain age) especially important in your country?
How do Chinese people celebrate birthdays?
(Similar to above) Do people in China do anything special to celebrate birthdays?
(Similar to above) Nowadays, how do young people in China celebrate their birthday?
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
(Similar to above) Do you usually do anything special on your birthdays?
Who do you like to
celebrate your birthday with?
Do all your friends know when your
birthday is?
Do people in China have birthday parties? (Why?/Why not?)
Do you prefer birthday parties with your friends or with your family?
What did you do on your last birthday? See note
Do you think it's important for people to celebrate birthdays?
(Possibly the above question is this:) Do you think it's important to remember people's birthdays?
Do you think it's important to give a (special) gift to someone on their birthday?
Are birthdays more important for children or for adults?
(Similar to above) Do you think it's more important for children to celebrate birthdays than adults?
Do children and adults celebrate birthdays the same way?
What do children do when they have a birthday party?
Make sure you know the differences between "fashion"
and "fashionable".
Don't say, "I like to wear fashion clothes." That should be,
Are you very
interested in
What kind(s) of clothes do you usually wear?
Do you like to wear fashionable clothes?
Is there anything that you used to wear in the past that you don't wear now?
How often do you go shopping for clothes?
Do you like shopping for clothes?
How often do you buy
clothes online?
Do you plan to buy any
Do you think people pay too much attention to fashion?
(Somewhat different questions to what was used previously)
Do you like cars?
Do you have a driver's licence?
Do you (or your family) have a car?
Do you often drive it?
(If you don't have a car) Do you plan to buy a car in the future?
What kind of car would you like to buy?
(Possibly the question above is this) What model (= what brand) of car would you like to buy?
What kinds of cars are popular in your country?
Do you like traveling by car?
Who do you prefer to travel with?
See Notes
Do you play any indoor games?
What indoor games did you play when you were a child?
Is there any particular indoor game that you liked (when you were a child)?
What sorts of (indoor) games do you think children will be playing in the future?
Is there any indoor game you'd like to learn (how) to play?
See also ALL_PART_1_QUESTIONS 20. Languages
See Notes