People: IELTS Speaking Part 1 questions

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It's quite a small family, really, just my parents, my younger sister and me. That said, my mum is one of six children, so once you count all the aunts, uncles and cousins, there are well over thirty of us. Family weddings are wonderfully chaotic as a result.

That said

however, in spite of what I just said

well over thirty

a lot more than thirty

wonderfully chaotic

disorganised in a fun, happy way

48 words · about 21 seconds spoken

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I'd have to say my sister, even though she's four years younger than me. We shared a bedroom until I was fourteen, so we got to know each other inside out. These days she's the first person I message when something goes wrong, or right, for that matter.

know each other inside out

know everything about each other

for that matter

and equally, this is also true

48 words · about 21 seconds spoken

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Not as much as I'd like, since I moved out for work a couple of years ago. I'm about an hour away by train now, so I mostly see them at weekends. We do try to get everyone round the table for Sunday dinner at least twice a month, and it's become a bit of a ritual.

Not as much as I'd like

less often than I would want

get everyone round the table

bring the whole family together for a meal

a bit of a ritual

a regular habit that feels almost fixed

57 words · about 25 seconds spoken

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Mostly quite ordinary things, like cooking a big meal together and arguing over a board game afterwards. My dad takes Monopoly far too seriously, which is half the fun. We also still drive down to my grandparents' village every summer, and that's where most of my fondest memories come from.

half the fun

a big part of what makes it enjoyable

my fondest memories

the memories I love most

50 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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I definitely take after my dad, more in personality than in looks. We've both got quite a dry sense of humour, and we're equally stubborn once we've made up our minds. My mum often jokes that arguing with the two of us is like talking to a brick wall.

take after my dad

be like a parent in character or looks

a dry sense of humour

a quiet way of being funny while seeming serious

like talking to a brick wall

trying to persuade someone who will not listen

49 words · about 21 seconds spoken

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Just a few close ones, and I'm perfectly happy with that. There are three of us who've been inseparable since secondary school, plus a wider circle of people I know through work. I've always preferred a handful of people I can really rely on to a crowd of acquaintances.

a wider circle of people

a larger group you know less well

a handful of people

a small number of people

I can really rely on

I can trust to help me

49 words · about 21 seconds spoken

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3. Feeling

We try to meet up once a week, usually on a Friday evening when everyone's finished work. It doesn't always happen, because one of them has just had a baby and life gets in the way. We're in touch every day on our group chat, though, so it never feels as if we've drifted apart.

life gets in the way

daily responsibilities stop you doing what you planned

we've drifted apart

we have slowly become less close

55 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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Nothing very exciting, to be honest. We mostly take turns cooking dinner at each other's flats. Whoever hosts picks the menu, and the other two bring dessert and something to drink. Now and then we'll go hiking for the day, which makes a nice change from sitting around a table chatting until midnight.

take turns cooking dinner

each person cooks, one after another

Now and then

occasionally, not often

makes a nice change from

is a pleasant difference from the usual

53 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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3. Feeling

We were put next to each other in a chemistry class when we were about twelve. Neither of us had a clue what the teacher was talking about, so we ended up helping each other through the whole year. It's funny to think a seating plan led to a friendship that's lasted nearly twenty years.

Neither of us had a clue

both of us understood nothing

ended up helping each other

finally helped each other, without planning to

It's funny to think

it seems surprising when I consider it

55 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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It's easy enough to meet people, but turning them into real friends is another matter. I live in a big, fast-paced city where everyone's rushing from one commitment to the next. I've joined a running club, for instance, and while people are friendly, we rarely see each other outside Saturday mornings.

is another matter

is quite different and much harder

from one commitment to the next

always busy, going straight to the next obligation

fast-paced city

a city where life moves quickly

51 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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Yes, a few of them, though not as well as I probably should. I live in a block of about twenty flats, and I'd recognise most of the faces in the lift. The ones I actually know by name are the couple next door and a retired teacher downstairs who always stops me for a chat.

know by name

know someone well enough to know their name

stops me for a chat

starts a friendly conversation when we meet

56 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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In small ways, yes, and I think that matters more than people realise. If someone's away, a neighbour will usually take in their parcels or water their plants, and I've borrowed a drill more than once. Last winter, when the retired teacher downstairs had flu, a few of us did her shopping for a week.

matters more than people realise

is more important than most people think

take in their parcels

accept deliveries for someone who is out

more than once

several times

55 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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Only briefly, and mostly by chance, perhaps three or four times a week. It's usually small talk in the stairwell about the weather or the lift being out of order again. Proper conversations are rarer, roughly once a month, when I bump into the couple next door and we lose track of time on the landing.

small talk

light, polite conversation about unimportant things

out of order

not working

bump into

meet someone by chance

56 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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For me, it's mainly about being considerate, so keeping the noise down late at night and not blocking anyone's parking space. When you share a building, you become very aware of other people's habits. Beyond that, a good neighbour is friendly without being nosy, someone who'll help if you ask but otherwise respects your privacy.

keeping the noise down

being quiet so you don't disturb others

friendly without being nosy

warm but not too interested in your business

respects your privacy

leaves your personal life alone

55 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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I suspect they were, judging by the stories my grandmother tells. In her day, front doors were left unlocked and children just wandered in and out of each other's houses. People stayed put for decades back then, whereas nowadays lots of us rent and move on every couple of years.

judging by the stories

based on what the stories suggest

In her day

when she was young

stayed put

stayed in the same place, did not move

50 words · about 22 seconds spoken