IELTS Speaking: Part 1

Speaking Home |Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
In Part 1, you have to talk about THREE topics: (A) your home town OR your work/study AND (B and C) two more topics. The topics are familiar. You are expected to talk fluently and easily for a total of 4 or 5 minutes.

A

Choose ONE of the two boxes below. (These are very common topics – practice them with your friends!)

Let?s talk about your home/home town or village.

What kind of place is it?
What?s the most interesting part of your home area?
What kind of jobs do the people in your town/village do?
Is your home town changing?
Would you say it is a good place to live? Why?
What changes would you like to make to your home town?
What’s your favourite part of your house?
What would you like to change in your house?

Let’s talk about what you do. Do you work or are you a student? Work

What’s your job?
Why did you choose that kind of work?
How long have you been doing it?
What is a typical day like at your work?
Are there things you don?t like about it? What are they?

Study

What subjects are you studying?
Why did you choose those subjects? How long have you been studying them?
Do you enjoy them? Why?
Are there many job opportunities for you?
What is the best thing about studying?

Now talk about BOTH of these green boxes, B and C.

B

Now, let’s talk about the media.

Do most people listen to the radio where you live?
Which newspaper do you most like reading? Why?
Do you think television provides good news coverage compared to newspapers? Why/why not?

AND

C

Let’s move on to talk about engineering.

Do you study engineering at school in your country? Do you think engineers are important for your country? Why?
Do you think engineering will still be important a hundred years from now?

IELTS Speaking: Part 2

Speaking Home |Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
In Part 2, you have to speak for 1-2 minutes by yourself, without stopping, on a topic the examiner will give you, like the one in the green box below. You have one minute to get ready and make some notes.
Write some notes on the paper the examiner will give you. When the preparation time is up, or if you are ready earlier, start talking.
You should talk for between 1 and 2 minutes. Use the timers and clocks in the sidebar on the right to time yourself.

Describe a film that influenced you:

You should say:

what it was about
when you saw it
who you saw it with

and say why it had a strong effect on you

IELTS Speaking: Part 3

Speaking Home |Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
In Part 3, you and the examiner discuss some topics related to the topic you spoke about in Part 2. The time limit for Part 3 is about 3-4 minutes. The examiner will help you and move the conversation along.
Examples
So if your Part 2 (Long Turn) topic was "Describe something you bought recently," Part 3 might be about buying habits in the UAE, consumers, materialism, shopping, consumer protection, or differences between shops now and in the past, or a prediction about shopping in the future.
If your Part 2 (Long Turn) topic was "Describe a teacher you had in school," Part 3 might be about education, training, the internet and education, changes in education in the last twenty years, the importance of training, etc.

Examples of Part 3

Topic in Part 2	Possible Related Topic in Part 3
Describe a place you visited recently	How does tourism affect a country? Does it have some advantages? Can cultures learn from each other?
Describe a friend	Is friendship important in your culture? How many close friends can you have? Are friends more important than family?
Describe a child you know	What is the role of parents in raising children? Has the role changed in recent years? Who is responsible for discipline?
Describe an object you like	Do possessions make people happy? Why do people buy things? Are people in your country wise consumers?
Describe a photograph	Are images important in your culture? What is the role of advertising? Do films and television influence our decisions?
Describe an historical figure	Who are the most influential people in your society? Are there many heroes or role models today? What are the qualities of a good leader?
Describe an important event in your culture	How do different cultures celebrate events? What is the importance of festivals? How have special occasions such as weddings changed in your culture?

Speaking Practice: Answering Questions

In these videos, short pauses have been added to these great ‘Kids/Teens/Elders React to’ videos by the Fine Brothers to let you practice answering questions.
The questions and topics might sometimes be a little different, but answering questions quickly is good practice for Parts 1 and 3 of the IELTS Speaking Test. Most of the topics are current topics based on viral Youtube videos, pop culture, or current events. I’ve just added pauses and the text of the questions.

The videos are in a playlist below – more are being added.

Speaking Practice: Answering Questions: Where’s Matt?

Watch the videos and answer the questions! Short pauses have been added at the questions, but if you need more time, just hit pause in the video player.
Don’t think too hard – just answer. The questions are different, but answering questions quickly is good practice for Part 3 in the IELTS Speaking test.
The videos are from the excellent ‘Kids React To…’ and ‘Teens React To…” and ‘Elders React To…” series by the Fine Brothers. You can see their Youtube channel here.

Video 1: Alzam Question Time: Kids React To… Where the Hell is Matt?

Here are the questions from the video: (first question is at 1:55)

So what did you see in this video?
Was there some person that was in all the dances? There was a guy that was in every single one…
How did the video make you feel when you were watching it?
So the guy in the video’s name is Matt. And he’s made a few of these where he dances around the world. Why do you think he does that?
Where is the place that you saw him dance that you couldn’t believe he went there?
How do you think he is able to actually travel to all of these places?
Well we know from the first time he did this is he had a full time job and he saved up all his money, then he quit his job, spent all the money travelling the world to make a video of him dancing with all the cultures of the world. What do you think about that?
Do you think this is something you might want to do when you get older?
Do you think people in other countries other than America are different than you?
A lot of people have said that they get emotional and sometimes even cry when they watch the videos that Matt makes. Why do you think that so many people cry and get emotional watching these?
Well, do you think that there is a message that Matt is trying to make by showing him dancing with people from all around the world?
If Matt was watching what would you want to say to him for making these videos?
And finally, do you want to dance with Matt around the world?

Here’s the original video by Matt: http://www.youtube.com/mattharding2718 - watch him dance all around the world (and at home!)
Here’s the original ‘Kids React To… Matt’ video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNrsHhVTstU

Video 2: Alzam Question Time: Kids React To… Mishka The Talking Husky

Here are the questions from the video: (first question is at 0:56)

So what was happening in the video?
So had you seen this before?
Can dogs talk?
But Mishka was talking!
Mishka was saying ‘I love you!’
But how was it possible that Mishka can say ‘I love you,’ then?
So can any animals talk?
What do you think of the name Mishka for a dog?
Lucifer? Why Lucifer?
Is Mishka a boy or a girl?
Why?
The video gives it away, because the owners are going ‘Good girl, good girl!’
Do you know what kind of dog Mishka is?
Can people have wolves as pets?
So how do they have Mishka as a pet if Mishka is a wolf?
Would you want Mishka as a pet?
Why?
How many people do you think have watched this video?
Why do so many people watch Mishka the talking husky?
Animals that do funny things are some of the most popular videos on Youtube
Why do people love to watch animals do funny things?
Some people say that Youtube is mostly just a place for funny animal videos. Do you agree?
What would you say to people who would say that Youtube is just animal videos?
And Mishka the dog has her own Youtube channel?
Would you want to watch the Youtube Mishka channel?
What other things would you like to have Mishka say?
And if Mishka the dog was watching this video, what would you say to Mishka?

The videos are from the excellent ‘Kids React To…’ and ‘Teens React To…” and ‘Elders React To…” series by the Fine Brothers. You can see their Youtube channel here.

Video 3: Alzam Question Time: Kids React To… Bullying

bullying video - kids react to on youtube

Here are the questions from the video:

Can you talk about what’s happening in the video?
What about the kid that was filming it?
Why is it good?
Why do you think that he shouldn’t fight back?
What is bullying?
Why do you think that people become bullies?
Have you ever been bullied?
If this was happening in your school in the video and you came across it what do you think you would you have done?
What do other kids do usually when they see other kids being bullied?
Why is that a brave thing?
You’ve heard of cyber-bullying. What is that?
How can you help stop cyber-bullying?
And it that the same as regular bullying? Is it worse? Is it better?
What does your school do to educate you guys about bullying?
So what ended up happening here was
the school suspended the bully for 21 days and suspended the kid being bullied for four days. Do you think that’s fair?
And do you think bullying will ever completely go away?
What would you say to the kid that was getting picked on if you could talk to him?
What do you want to say to all the bullies of the world?

Video 4: Alzam Question Time: Elders React To… Mars Curiosity Landing

Here are the questions from the video: (first question is at 1:21)

So what was that news report about?
What is the point of sending a machine to Mars?
If you were one of those scientists, and this worked, how would you react to that landing?
One of the flight directors has become a little bit of a mini-celebrity. I don’t know if you have seen him, but here’s a picture of him.
You think it’s OK for someone who works in the space program to look like that?
Do you remember where you were when man landed on the Moon for the first time?
Do you remember how you felt in that moment when man landed on the Moon?
The feeling that you had when man landed on the Moon, was there anything else that you experienced in your life that made you feel that way?
Would you have wanted to live on another planet or the Moon if it was safe and possible?
Can you talk about how it makes you feel that humans beings are capable of sending something to Mars like this?
What about aliens or intelligent life? Do you think that’s going to be coming at some point?
Well, if the aliens are watching us what would you say to them, right now?
If we did need to abandon the planet and go to a new planet, do you think we will have learned from our mistakes or do you think humans will miss up the new planet?
Do you think that the human race does enough in terms of space travel and exploration today?
What do you think the future of planet Earth is?

Here’s the original ‘Elders React To Mars Landing’ video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsjrAU51IR4

Video 5: Alzam Question Time: Teens React To… A Conversation with my 12 Year Old Self

Here are the questions from the video (first question is at 2:25):

Can you explain what that video was?
How did it make you feel?
You think this is real? That was really him at 12?
Why not?
Why do you think it was real?
It’s really him at 12.
Does the guy seem happy with the way his life turned out?
Does he have regrets?
Is there something when you were, even a younger kid that you really thought you wanted to be?
What kind of thoughts did it give you watching someone talking to themself in the past like this?
Do you think that your future self will be proud of you looking back on who you are as a person right now?
If you could ask yourself in the future a question, what would you ask yourself?
How old will you be in 20 years?
What do you think your job will be in 20 years?
So you talk to your future self, he tells you that your dream failed, what would you say to your older self?
Isn’t it your fault?
But you’re the reason it became that way!
What would you say to yourself
Are you afraid of getting old and not achieving your goals?
What do you think your future self would tell you to stop doing right now?
What do you think of this guy Jeremiah for pulling off something like this?
And finally, look into the camera – this is your chance to say one final thing to yourself in the future.

Here’s the original A Conversation With My 12 Year Old Self: 20th Anniversary Edition video.
The videos are from the excellent ‘Kids/Teens/Elders React To…’ series by the Fine Brothers. You can see their Youtube channel here. Great for keeping up with viral videos!
But don’t just watch – practice answering the questions!

Video 6: Alzam Question Time: Teens React To… Gangnam Style, by Psy

Here are the questions from the video (first question is at 2:20):

One word reaction – how do you feel after watching that music video?
Can you do any of the dance moves?
Can you sing some of the song?
What do you think the name of the song is?
Let’s talk about some of the things that you saw in the video. What was this guy doing?
Did you like the video and the song?
Why did you like it?
Do you know what genre this music would be classified as?
Where have you heard of K-pop before?
Well the artist in this video is called Psy…
Does he look like the way pop stars in the US look?
Does this song remind you of any other song you’ve heard before?
And are you now going to listen to more of Psy?
But you loved it!

The videos are from the excellent ‘Kids/Teens/Elders React To…’ series by the Fine Brothers. You can see their Youtube channel here. Great for keeping up with viral videos!
But don’t just watch – practice answering the questions!

IELTS Speaking Samples - Part 3 Questions & Answer

These are IELTS speaking samples for part 3 of the test.

Included are example speaking questions and answers.

In part 3 of the speaking test you have a two-way discussion with the examiner (though you will still be expected to do most of the talking).

This is the part where the examiner will really be able to test your ability.

If you do very well on this part of the test and give thoughtful extended answers that are directly addressing the question, it will show that you have a high band level (though of course your grammar will need to be good too in order to do very well!).

These IELTS speaking samples are not here to be copied, but they give you an idea of the sorts of questions you may get asked and how they could possibly be answered.

There is no right or wrong opinion of course. These are just IELTS speaking samples - you need to answer the question that is asked and don't go off topic, but the examiner is not grading based on whether they disagree or agree with what you say.

So give your own opinion and don't worry about if the examiner has a different opinion to you.

IELTS Speaking Samples: Values

Let’s consider values and the way they change.

What kinds of possessions give status to people in your country?

That’s a good question. Let me think…I’d say it depends on where you are and who you are with. If you are out in public, it’s things like the car you are driving. If you have the latest Mercedes Benz model, then in my country that is a sign of status, as most people can’t even afford a car at all, whatever the make. Property, or the house you own, and the possessions you have in it are also a sign of status. If you have a nice house in a nice area, then this shows you have money and are someone important.

Has it always been the same or were different possessions thought of as valuable in the past?

I’m too young to remember exactly what it was like a long time ago, but yes, I think it was different. For example, cars as I mentioned before only really came to our country in the last ten years or so. That kind of consumerism is a fairly recent thing so this couldn’t have been used as a representation of something valuable. I think it was things like gold and jewelry that were seen as valuable. Of course these are still seen as valuable today, but previously it was these things over anything else as a lot of the modern day possessions were not available.

Why do you think people need to show their status in society?

I believe that this is because it's important in society to show you have money or are successful – it is nature, or the way we are brought up, that makes us feel like this, but also the pressure that society puts on everyone to be successful. And showing status is basically showing that you have money and you have success, so this is what people want to do. Going back to the example of the car, driving around in a Mercedes is a very conspicuous show of status – it basically says to people, “Look, I am successful and I have money.” Another reason is possibly for respect. In many cultures, if someone has high status, then they will be respected by others and they may receive preferential treatment.
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IELTS Speaking Samples: Advertising

Now we'll discuss the role of advertising.

Do you think advertising influences what people buy?

Yes, definitely. If there were no advertising and you went to a shop, then you would just buy what you wanted based on maybe what others have told you, what the product looks like, or, depending on the product, what it says on the label. Advertising builds up a brand and people then trust a certain thing because they have seen it on television or elsewhere. Also, there is so much advertising around it must influence us. You can’t escape it as it is fed to us constantly in our daily lives – not only in magazines, radio and television, but on billboards, on TVs installed on trains and platforms, even in schools and universities. So yes, advertising influences what we buy.

Do advertisements give correct information, or do they encourage people to buy things that they may not need?

I think some do and some don’t, but it’s difficult to know which are giving us the correct information. For example, the skin whitening products – I do not believe that these work but we see them everywhere in Asian countries, and we are encouraged to buy them even though they are not actually necessary. The adverts, though, tell us they are necessary as they will improve our lives and we will become more accepted and successful. This then, is an example of advertising encouraging people to buy something they do not need. I do think there are checks in most countries these days to make sure that adverts are giving the correct information and not lying to people, but I think it is still easy for advertisers to exaggerate or to do this without breaking the regulations.

Is advertising really necessary in modern society?

It could be seen to be necessary in terms of the fact that, as I mentioned before, there is so much choice that we need someone to guide us in what to buy or to give us some extra information about products. Without this, it would be difficult to know where to start. However, that said, I’m not sure that I would regard it as ‘necessary’ as overall I think it may do more harm than good. As we just discussed, advertising encourages people to buy things they possibly do not need. We live in a consumer society and many people are in debt because we are encouraged to buy and buy, and I’m sure advertising plays a major role in this. Without advertising we could just do our own research and decide what we really need. So no, I would not say that advertising in necessary in modern society.
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IELTS Speaking Samples: The Internet

Now we'll move on to the influence of the internet.

Do you think people take notice of advertisements on the internet?

Despite the fact that there are many adverts on the internet these days, I think actually many people tend to ignore them, or at least that is my experience. People usually go onto the internet to find something specific that they are looking for, which may be a product, or to read about something, so they will ignore what is not relevant to that. But of course there is no doubt that some people take notice of them. Advertising on the internet is a practice most companies partake in now, and they have to pay quite substantial sums to advertise on highly ranked sites. Of course they would not do this if it were not attracting customers for them.

How do you think it will change people's buying habits in the future?

Buying from the internet is becoming more and more popular. For example, we’ve seen many book shops close down because people can buy online at cheaper prices from sites such as Amazon. It makes life much easier if products can be delivered direct to our door, especially with our busy modern lifestyles. I think this will only increase in the future as more people feel safe to buy online and online shops make it easier to purchase this way. Also, I think our lives are only going to become busier, so more people will choose to shop this way.

Are there any disadvantages to shopping on the internet?

There certainly are some. Firstly, buying clothes can be a problem. When you go into a shop you can check what you are buying fits you and suits you, but it is obviously not possible to do this online. Shopping does not become less hassle if you have to send something back in the post. Another problem is the security. We have to give out our bank details to people we don’t know. There have been several recent reports in the press about sites that have had their security breached and credit card details have been stolen. So far this is fairly uncommon, but it is a risk none the same. Another disadvantage is to society as it could destroy local shops and businesses if people are not going out to shop in their local town.
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IELTS Speaking Samples: Transport

Let's talk about transport.

How do most people travel long distances in your country?

I’d say that the main ways are cars, buses and trains. If someone has a car, I think this is their preference because to be honest the trains are not that much cheaper where I live. Also there are often delays with the trains which can be a real pain, so you may end up with a really long journey. The buses are a bit cheaper but I don’t think that is such a comfortable way to travel. There is the option to travel by plane as well of course, but most of the bucket airlines go abroad – you can’t really travel that cheaply by plane within the country. So then, cars are really the best option, and of course they give you the most freedom when you are travelling.

Have the types of transport people use changed much over the last few decades?
I don’t think they have really. We’ve had the transport I mentioned before for many decades now in my country, and it is much the same today. Of course cars have become much more popular as people’s incomes have risen which accounts for the problems we see on the roads today such as congestion and more accidents and pollution. This has probably led to some changes within cities. Many have now introduced environmentally friendly forms of transport such as trams and guided buses that don’t run on gas and mean that people can travel without the use of the car. There has also been an increase in air travel, but like I said, this is quite expensive in my country so most cannot afford it.

What kinds of improvement have there been in transport in your country in recent years?

There has been several ways that transport has improved. More major roads have been built which means it is easier to travel long distances, though of course some would argue that more roads are not an improvement. They can be an eyesore in the countryside and they have encouraged more people to drive which may mean these improvements ultimately don’t work because there are more cars using the roads. As I mentioned before, there has been the introduction of mass transit in many cities, such as trams and trains. In our capital city they have also extended the underground system so it now links many more areas of the city. This has helped many people as commuting times are horrendous if you have to travel on the roads. Those are the main improvements.

IELTS Speaking