Notes

• N = a new topic or question. "New topic" or "new question" means it wasn't used (or was never reported)  in the previous 4-month period. (Some of these "new" topics seem to be repeats of previous topics that were used months or years ago.) If a topic is new then all the questions are considered to be "new", even if some of those questions have been used in previous tests months or years ago. But if a topic is "new", the questions listed for that topic will not be labeled with N .

• Topics without N are topics that are continuing from the set of Part 1 topics in the previous 4-month period.. About two thirds of the topics are in this group. Usually the questions will be the same in the previous period but I might find some new questions. If that happens, I will label the question as N.

• I don't label the topic of Work/Studies as new because it is always in the test. Some of the questions continue from the previous 4-month testing period but you can assume that there will also be some new questions at each test change time (January, May & September) When I find such new questions, I label them as N.

• Similar to the Work/Studies topic, either one of the topics Hometown and Home is always in the test. Usually both are in the test at the same time but there have been rare times when only one of them is used for a 4-month testing period. Some of the questions continue from the previous 4-month testing period but you can assume that there will also be some new questions at each test change time (January, May & September) When I find such new questions, I label them as N.

• Many of the questions have the words, "(Why?/Why not?)" written in the examiner's question book after the question. I have not always shown that here but you should include this information when you answer any questions about your preferences, opinions, likes and dislikes or any other answer that obviously needs you to state a reason for a complete, coherent answer. If you do not, the examiner will ask you (must ask you) "Why?" or, "Why not?". If the examiner is forced to ask that several times, you will be losing valuable time and you will not give a good impression.

• * = A question that I have guessed is in the test OR a question that seems to exist but which has not been reported clearly so I have guessed the wording.

• "Similar to above" means the wording of the question is not clear or different people have reported slightly different questions. You might get one of those questions from any group that includes "Similar to above" but not more than one of them.

• Where the question says, "in your country", the examiner usually uses the name of the country, for example, "China".

• Make sure you read HOW_TO_SPEAK_IN_PART_1.htm

• See also Some General Notes for the Part 1 Questions Page.

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0. The four I.D. checking questions.   (Not really part of Part 1)

1.  Your Work or Your Studies  

2.  Your Hometown

3.  Your Home (Your Accommodation) 

One of the three topics above is a compulsory topic and you will be asked 3 to 5 questions on this topic. You will then be asked questions on two of the topics from below. (Again, 3 to 5 questions per topic).

4.  Mathematics 

5.  Memory 

8.  Sport & Exercise 

1.  Your Work or Your Studies  

• Do you work or are you a student?

1a) Your Work

See also ALL_PART_1_QUESTIONS 1b. Your Work

2.  Your Hometown (Or, Where You Are Living Now)

See also ALL_PART_1_QUESTIONS 3. Your Hometown

(Note: Sometimes the topic is about the city or place that you are living in now, regardless of whether it is your hometown or not. In this September-December 2015 period, it seems that "Hometown" is the topic.)

3.  Your Home (Your Accommodation) 

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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 living in the same house.  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 12

So far, this question has been reported only once, with the word, "memorize" in the question. Possibly the question is, "How do you remember things?" It is important to understand the meaning of that word. See HERE. It means "to put something into the memory", like putting data into a file or putting money into a bank account. If the word, "remember" is used instead, it means almost the same as "memorize", but is not 100% the same.

To "memorize" is a mechanical and conscious process that you apply, for example, to memorize a new password.

The word. "remember" has two uses. First, it just means that you haven't forgotten something, and you only know that have remembered something when you either consciously try to extract it out of your memory bank, or when it simply comes out of your memory bank without your even trying to extract it. You can remember what someone said last week, for example. However, some people use "remember" instead of "memorize" to mean more or less the same thing as "memorize". That is the second usage of "remember". For example, "I have a system for remembering new passwords" = "I have a system for memorizing new passwords.". Using the word, "remembering" that way is emphasizing that not only do you put something into your memory bank (memorizing), you probably also test that system to see if it is successful by checking if you can successfully (or accurately) extract that item from your memory bank. Since the word, "system" is likely to be in the next question, this is the meaning that is used here and either "memorize" or "remember" is possible as the verb. So the question is referring to discrete items such as passwords, or even new English vocabulary, not everything that people remember, such as how they felt when they heard a certain piece of news.

Note 13

"For how long did you study mathematics?" would be the suitable question if you are not studying it now. That wording is grammatically correct but it has a slightly formal tone. Most people, in everyday life, would say, "How long did you study mathematics for?" That wording is so commonly used that it is not really considered to be "wrong grammar". I think this would be the more likely wording in the IELTS test.

Note 14

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 15

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

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) 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. It should not be a question of "liking" or not to change your job or your occupation - the more logical question would be, "Would you like to live in a different country?" or "Would you like to work in a different country?" This point is too complex to continue writing about it here. Just remember these fine points of meaning when you speak.

3) 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 different to the question shown above, i.e., when "in the future" is added. It is possible that this is really what is asked but I doubt it. That is, I doubt that "in the future" is included. Many 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. Although a few native English speakers might say, "Would you like to change your job in the future?", I think the majority of native English speakers would say, "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?" Now, it is possible that one of those questions is being asked in the test!

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 ..." 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, at the same time, be referring to the future! "I would like to be younger" means the same as, "I wish I were younger ".

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 being used.)

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, in the future?" has a similar to 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 24

Are you willing to improve the level of the camera you use?

Possibly the words, "Would you like to" are used instead of "are you willing to".

Possibly "the level of the camera you use" is incorrect and the real words are, "your photography knowledge".

The wording here is unclear.

Note 25

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

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 as 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 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 but it might not be in the examiners' question book.

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. 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 most of my free time with her". It's a general expression, 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 35

Whenever you read the word, "ever" in a question on this page, that word is not always confirmed as being used in that question, but is very possibly included in the question. This word is used to emphasize the idea of "even once" or "even one time". The word with the opposite meaning is, of course, "never", which means "not even once". For example, "Have you ever visited the capital city of your country?" means, "Have you been to the capital city of your country, even once?"

If you answer "No" for the question, "Have ever you forgotten anything important to do?" then you are saying that you are close to a perfect human being who has never, not even once, forgotten to do something important! The question, "Do you ever forget to do important things?" is similar. More realistic things to say might be, "rarely" or, "occasionally".

Some Chinese speakers (and possibly others) make the mistake of including the word "ever" in sentences such as, "I have ever been to Beijing" or, in answer to a question, "Yes, I have ever been to Beijing." That should be, "I have been to Beijing". If you want to emphasize that you have only been there once, then you should use the word, "once" or "one time". In other words, if "ever" is used in a question, don't include that word in the answer.

The only time when "ever" is used in an affirmative statement is when you say something like, "That's the best meal I have ever eaten", "He's the tallest person I have ever seen", etc.

Note 36

"Has the taste of your snacks changed since you were a child?" really means, "Has your taste in snacks changed since you were a child?"

Note 37

This is an important question and you have a 50% chance of getting this question. See some 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., "For your studies, which is more important for you, the teachers or the other students?" The first question could be answered in terms of your social life.

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.

Note 42

Most people have reported that question in words like that, so that is probably how the question is written in the examiner's question book. In other words, the question is asking you to compare or state your preference for watching a sports event on TV or watching it at the actual stadium or competition venue. However, it is possible to watch an event being "broadcast live" on TV, that is, watch it at the same time as it is happening. The meaning of "a live broadcast" (noun) or "to broadcast live" (verb) refers to the time that something is broadcast, not the place.