IELTS Speaking questions with sample answers for Part 1, 2 and 3
Last updated · ETP Editorial Team · 10 min read
IELTS Speaking questions come in 3 parts over 11 to 14 minutes. Part 1 is 4 to 5 minutes of short personal questions, answered in 2 to 3 sentences. Part 2 is a cue card: 1 minute to prepare, then 1 to 2 minutes of talk. Part 3 is a 4 to 5 minute discussion of wider issues.
Key facts
- The examiner interviews you face to face and records the session.
- In Part 2 you get 1 minute to prepare with pencil and paper, then talk for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Examiners mark four criteria on a 9-band scale: Fluency and coherence, Lexical resource, Grammatical range and accuracy, and Pronunciation.
- Speaking can fall on the same day as the other sections or up to 7 days before or after them.
- After IELTS on computer, IELTS One Skill Retake lets you resit Speaking alone, once per original test, within 60 days.
How the three parts fit together
Part 3 picks up whatever topic you got in Part 2, so a weak long turn leaves you with less to say in the discussion. That is why it pays to practise IELTS Speaking questions as complete sets. ETP wrote every question and answer below for practice, and none comes from a past test.
According to ielts.org, the test is a face-to-face interview with an examiner, who records the session.
| Part | Name | Timing | What it checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Introduction and interview | 4 to 5 minutes | Whether you can talk easily about familiar topics such as home, family, work, studies and interests |
| Part 2 | Individual long turn | 3 to 4 minutes, including 1 minute of preparation | Whether you can speak at length on one topic, for 1 to 2 minutes, without help |
| Part 3 | Two-way discussion | 4 to 5 minutes | Whether you can explain opinions and analyse, discuss and speculate about wider issues |
IELTS Speaking Part 1 questions by topic
Part 1 questions are easy, and that is the trap: candidates answer in one word or recite a memorised speech. The British Council suggests brief but complete answers, typically 2 to 3 sentences per question. Examiners usually ask several questions on one topic, so practise in groups:
- Hometown: Where did you grow up? What do visitors usually notice first about your town? Has it changed much since you were a child?
- Work or study: What do you study, or what is your job? Why did you choose it?
- Food: Do you enjoy cooking? What did you usually eat for breakfast as a child? Do you prefer eating out or at home?
The worked example below answers the first food question at two levels, with notes tied to the four criteria in the IDP guide to the band descriptors.
Question. Part 1: Do you enjoy cooking?
Answer. Band 6 style: "Yes, I like cooking. I cook usually at weekend because in weekdays I am very busy. I make pasta and sometimes rice. It is relaxing for me." Band 7 style: "I do, although mostly at weekends, since on weekdays I tend to get home too late to bother. My speciality is a slow-cooked lentil soup my grandmother taught me, and I find all the chopping oddly relaxing after a week of staring at a screen."
Why. Grammatical range and accuracy: the first answer uses short, simple sentences with small errors ('cook usually', 'at weekend', 'in weekdays'), while the second links ideas with 'although', 'since' and a relative clause, without errors. Lexical resource: 'speciality', 'slow-cooked' and 'oddly relaxing' are precise, while 'very busy' is safe and general. Fluency and coherence: the second moves from answer to reason to personal detail, like conversation. Pronunciation doesn't show on the page, so record both aloud. The Band 7 version says more in two sentences than the Band 6 version does in four.
A complete Part 2 and Part 3 set on one theme
Most question lists stop at the cue card, but the test doesn't. After your talk, the examiner may ask one or two rounding-off questions, then Part 3 continues the same theme. The set below follows that order.
IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card (written by ETP): Describe a time you repaired something yourself. You should say: what the object was, how it got broken, how you repaired it, and explain how you felt about doing the repair yourself instead of paying someone.
One minute of notes might look like this: bike, back wheel, puncture on the canal path, YouTube video and borrowed pump, slow, oily hands, proud, saved money, now I check tyres.
Question. Part 2 long turn: Describe a time you repaired something yourself.
Answer. "I'd like to talk about the first time I fixed my own bicycle, which was last spring. I cycle to my college most days, along a path beside the canal, and one morning I rode over some broken glass, got a puncture, and the back tyre went completely flat. I had to push the bike the rest of the way, and I was twenty minutes late for a lecture, which put me in a bad mood for the whole day. That evening, instead of taking it to the bike shop, I decided to try fixing it myself. I watched a short video on my mobile phone, borrowed a pump and a repair kit from my neighbour, and set everything up on the floor of our flat. Getting the wheel off was the hardest part. I had no idea how the gears worked, so it took me nearly an hour and my hands were black with oil by the end. Finding the hole was quite satisfying, because you put the tube in a bowl of water and watch for bubbles. As for how I felt, I think the strongest feeling was pride, and a bit of surprise, honestly. I'd always assumed I was not a practical person, and this showed me that a lot of repairs are just patience and following instructions. On top of that, it saved me money, which matters when you're a student. Since then I check my tyres every week, and I've even helped a friend fix hers, so in a small way it changed how I see myself." Rounding-off questions from the examiner: "Do you often repair things at home?" "Did anyone help you?"
Why. Fluency and coherence: the talk follows the four prompts in order, and 'That evening' and 'As for how I felt' signal each move. Lexical resource: topic words ('puncture', 'repair kit', 'gears') sit alongside natural expressions ('black with oil'). Grammatical range and accuracy: past simple, past perfect ('I'd always assumed') and present perfect ('I've even helped') each appear where they belong. The 'explain' bullet gets the most time, because personal reflection draws out a wider range of language.
IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions on the same theme (written by ETP):
- Why do fewer people repair their own belongings than in the past?
- Should manufacturers be required to make products easier to repair?
- Is it better for schools to teach practical skills or academic subjects?
- How might attitudes to repairing things change in the future?
Question. Part 3: Why do fewer people repair their own belongings than in the past?
Answer. "I think the main reason is cost. A lot of everyday products, things like kettles or cheap headphones, are now so inexpensive that replacing them costs less than a repair, especially once you add the cost of someone's time. A second factor is design. Many devices are sealed shut, so even if you wanted to open them, you'd need special tools. That said, I wouldn't say people have lost interest completely. Online repair videos are hugely popular, which suggests that when people feel able to fix something, they're quite keen to try."
Why. Part 3 asks you to explain and analyse, so this runs longer than a Part 1 answer: an opinion, a reason with an example, a second reason, then a qualification ('That said'). Every move adds an idea, so none of it is padding.
Using the last bullet and filling the full 2 minutes
Don't rush the final bullet. ielts.org says the card instructs you to explain one aspect of the topic, and giving reasons and comparing before with after stretches your grammar and vocabulary more than storytelling does.
The examiner stops you when the time is up, so running out of things to say is the bigger risk. The British Council says you will need to talk for 1 to 2 minutes.
- In your minute of preparation, write two or three words for each bullet and four or five for the last one.
- If you finish early, extend the last point: how you feel about it now, what you would do differently, or what it taught you.
- Do not memorise a full answer. Build your talk from the points on the card, as the notes for the repair card above do.
What to say when the examiner challenges you in Part 3
A follow-up that pushes back on your opinion doesn't mean you answered badly. IDP says the examiner may ask you to justify your opinions to see how well you communicate abstract ideas. Keep these phrases ready:
- Justifying: "The main reason I say that is...", "A good example would be..."
- Holding your position politely: "That's a fair point, but I'd still argue that..."
- Speculating: "I'd imagine that...", "If governments were to..., we might see..."
- Changing your mind openly: "Now that you mention it, I'd probably say it depends on..."
- Reasoning aloud with no strong view: "I haven't really thought about that before, but I suppose..."
How the IELTS Speaking band descriptors mark you
IDP confirms that the IELTS Speaking band descriptors are the same for Academic and General Training. Examiners use them to assess four criteria across 9 bands:
- Fluency and coherence: speaking at length without long pauses, with ideas that connect logically.
- Lexical resource: discussing a topic precisely and paraphrasing round gaps.
- Grammatical range and accuracy: a controlled mix of simple and complex structures.
- Pronunciation: being easy to understand, with clear sounds, word stress and natural intonation.
Answer length targets and a recorded practice routine
Recording yourself matters more than timing yourself, because you can't hear your own pauses, filler words and repeated vocabulary while you speak.
| Part | Target per answer | Shape of a good answer |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | 2 to 3 sentences | Direct answer, reason or detail, optional small example |
| Part 2 | Talk until the examiner stops you (1 to 2 minutes) | Each bullet in order, most time on the 'explain' bullet |
| Part 3 | Longer than Part 1, with justification | Opinion, reason, example, qualification or prediction |
A practice routine you can do with a mobile phone:
- Record yourself answering one Part 1 topic straight through, without stopping.
- Make 1 minute of notes on a cue card, then record a talk with a 2-minute timer running.
- Answer the Part 3 questions on that theme, ideally with a friend challenging one of your opinions.
Then write down one minute of the recording word for word, mark repeated words, errors and long pauses, and choose one thing to fix next time. Every pass includes full timed mock tests, and the free IELTS level test gives you an estimated score range for Reading and Listening in 20 minutes.
Test day logistics and retaking Speaking alone
Your Speaking test may not fall on the same day as the rest of the exam. The British Council says it can be on the same day or within 7 days before or after the other sections, so check your booking confirmation.
IELTS One Skill Retake lets you retake a single section if your full test was IELTS on computer, once per original test and within 60 days of that test. Before you book, take a timed IELTS practice test to check that your other sections are where you need them.
Frequently asked questions
Will short Part 1 answers lower my band, or should I talk for longer?
The British Council suggests brief but complete answers, typically 2 to 3 sentences per question. Answer directly, then add a reason or a detail. The Band 7 cooking answer in this guide is only two sentences long.
Will the examiner really stop me in the middle of my Part 2 talk?
Yes. According to ielts.org, the examiner stops you when the time is up. Plan to keep talking until the examiner cuts in rather than finishing early.
Do I need to prepare differently for Speaking if I switch from General Training to Academic?
No. IDP confirms that the Speaking band descriptors are the same for both versions, so examiners mark you on Fluency and coherence, Lexical resource, Grammatical range and accuracy, and Pronunciation either way.
Can I resit just Speaking if I took IELTS on paper and only my Speaking band was low?
Not through IELTS One Skill Retake, which is only available if your full test was IELTS on computer. In that case you can resit one section, including Speaking, once per original test and within 60 days of that test.
Is my Speaking test recorded?
Yes. Ielts.org describes the Speaking test as a face-to-face interview with an examiner and says the examiner records the session.
Sources
- IELTS Academic: Speaking test format (ielts.org), checked on
- IELTS Speaking Test: How it Works (British Council), checked on
- Understanding the IELTS Speaking band descriptors (IDP), checked on
- IELTS Speaking question types (IDP), checked on
- Your Guide to the IELTS Test Format and Structure (British Council), checked on
- IELTS One Skill Retake (ielts.org), checked on