IELTS Speaking Part 1: Common Questions and How to Answer Them

How does IELTS Speaking Part 1 work?

Part 1 is the first four to five minutes of the Speaking test. The examiner introduces themselves, checks your identity, and then asks general questions about familiar topics: IELTS names home, family, work, studies and interests. The questions are short, everyday and personal, and they move from one topic to another.

Three things about Part 1 shape how you should answer:

• The questions follow a set format. The examiner is running a test, not having a chat, so a short answer is simply followed by the next question. Do not read anything into the examiner's reactions, or the lack of them.
• The whole test is recorded. That is normal and has no effect on how you are marked.
• It counts the same as everything else. The descriptors say you are rated on your average performance across all parts, so Part 1 is not a warm-up that does not count. It is also your chance to settle into speaking before the longer parts begin.

What kinds of questions are asked in Part 1?

Most Part 1 questions are one of six shapes. Recognising the shape tells you which tense to use and what the answer needs. These are all real questions from our bank:

The two that catch people out are past and change, where answers slip into the present tense, and preference, where candidates describe both options for so long that they never actually choose.

How do you answer each kind of question?

Each shape has a few phrases that fit it naturally, and a common way to go wrong. The example answers here were written for this guide; they show the shape, not words to memorise.

Likes

Name something specific, then say what you like about it. “I'm really into street food, especially the noodle stalls near my office, because they're quick and the flavours are much stronger than anything I make at home.” Useful frames: I'm really into, I'm a big fan of, I'm not keen on, what I like about it is. Avoid answering with a category (“I like many kinds of food”), which leaves you nothing to say next.

Habits

Use the present simple with a word that says how often. “Most weekends I catch up on sleep on Saturday and then meet friends on Sunday afternoon, usually somewhere cheap like the park.” Useful frames: I tend to, most weeks, every so often, hardly ever. The common slip is the present continuous (“I am going to the gym every Saturday”), which describes now, not a habit.

Description

Give two or three features, and let one of them be a drawback, because a balanced picture sounds more natural than a list of praise. “It's a fairly quiet town, which is lovely for families, although there isn't much to do in the evenings if you're young.” Useful frames: it's fairly, the best thing about it is, the only downside is, although.

Past and change

Put the past and the present side by side. “I used to hate vegetables as a child, but these days I eat far more of them than meat, mostly because I started cooking for myself.” Useful frames: I used to, back then, these days, I've become, since. Check your verbs: this is where Band 6 answers most often lose the past tense.

Future

Say what you would like or plan, and add a condition or a reason. “I'd like to stay in teaching, but ideally at a university rather than a school, as long as I can finish my master's first.” Useful frames: I'd like to, I'm hoping to, ideally, as long as, if things go to plan. After if and as long as, use the present tense, not will.

Preference

Choose first, then explain, and only then mention when the other option wins. “I'd much rather spend it with other people, mainly because I spend most of the week alone at a desk, though I do like the odd quiet evening with a book.” Useful frames: I'd much rather, on the whole, it depends on, mainly because. “It depends” is fine as a start, as long as you then say what it depends on.

How do you structure a Part 1 answer?

The simplest reliable shape is three moves: answer, reason, detail. It is the shape the Band 8 samples on this site are built from, and it is long enough to show your English without turning a short question into a speech.

1. Answer the question you were asked

   Start with the answer itself, in your own words. “Spicy food, mostly” is a better first sentence than “Well, that's an interesting question”.

2. Give a reason

   Say why. This is where a little range shows naturally: because, since, the main reason is, partly because.

3. Add one concrete detail or example

   A place, a time, a person, a feeling. One is enough. Then stop, and let the examiner ask the next question.

The site's samples sometimes add a fourth move, a feeling or a short example, when the question invites it. Each sample below is drawn as its moves, so you can see the shape. Play the examiner's question, record your own answer, then open the sample:

Notice how short the samples are. A Band 8 Part 1 answer is not long; it is complete, precise and natural.

How long should a Part 1 answer be?

About 15 to 30 seconds, or two to six sentences. Two to six sentences is the range IDP gives for answers in the Speaking test, depending on the question, and the lower end of it suits Part 1. That is enough to answer, explain and add one detail.

Shorter than that, and there is too little for the examiner to rate: a fluent “Yes, I do” shows nothing about your vocabulary, grammar or ability to keep going. Much longer, and you are spending time Part 1 does not reward. Save the long answers for Part 2, where you have two minutes, and Part 3, where the questions ask for development.

What are the most common Part 1 mistakes?

Most Part 1 mistakes are not grammar mistakes. They are answers that are too short, rehearsed, or slightly off the question. Each of these costs you without any error in a single word:

Memorised answers deserve a special warning, because they are tempting in Part 1, where the topics are predictable. IDP's advice is that memorised responses do not flow conversationally. They also tend to answer the topic rather than the question: a rehearsed paragraph about your hometown will not fit “Is it a good place for young people?”.

More Part 1 questions to practise

Here are three more shapes from the table above. For each one, decide the tense before you start, answer in three moves, and listen back.

If you are not working or studying, say so and answer anyway. When the examiner asks about your job and you do not have one, “I'm actually between jobs at the moment, but I'd like to work in…” is a perfectly good answer. You are marked on how you say it.

What if you do not understand a question?

Ask. IDP's advice to candidates is that if you are unsure you have understood the question, you can ask the examiner to repeat it or confirm what it means. A natural request such as “Sorry, could you say that again?” is far better than a fluent answer to a question you were not asked, which costs coherence.

What you cannot do is ask for help with the content. If you have never thought about a topic, say so briefly and then answer: “I've never really thought about it, but I suppose I'd say…”. That sentence alone shows the kind of language the examiner is listening for.

Try it on a full paper

Speaking · 11 to 14 minutes

A band for each criterion, corrections and sample answers.

See the Speaking Simulator Sit one free

Every Part 1 question in our bank has its own page in the Part 1 question library, with the examiner's voice, a way to record your answer and a Band 8 sample built from the same moves. The Part 1 checker scores a recorded answer on the four criteria, and the Speaking Simulator runs Part 1 the way the examiner does, before the long turn and the discussion.