IELTS Speaking Topics: Part 1 Questions, Part 2 Cue Cards and a Sample Answer

The IELTS Speaking test is an 11 to 14 minute face-to-face interview in three parts, and the topics are everyday ones: your home, work or studies, people you know, places, events and objects in Part 2, and broader social questions in Part 3. There is no list of "this year's questions" to memorise, and examiners are trained to spot memorised answers. What you can do is practise the topic areas that come up, so that you always have something to say and the vocabulary to say it.

This guide explains the three parts, lists the topic areas to practise, gives sample cue cards and Part 3 questions, and shows what a strong Part 2 answer sounds like.

How the IELTS Speaking Test Works

The format is the same in IELTS Academic and General Training, and the same whether you take the rest of the test on paper or on computer. You always speak with a real examiner, and the interview is recorded (IELTS.org).

How Speaking Is Marked

The examiner scores you on four criteria, each worth a quarter of your Speaking band:

• Fluency and Coherence: speaking at length without long pauses, and linking ideas so they are easy to follow.
• Lexical Resource: the range and accuracy of your vocabulary, including less common words and natural phrases.
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: a mix of simple and complex sentences, mostly without errors.
• Pronunciation: how easy you are to understand. Your accent itself is not penalised.

Our guide to the IELTS Speaking band score explains what separates a 6 from a 7 on each criterion.

Part 1 Topics to Practise

Part 1 questions are short and personal. Answer in two or three sentences: a direct answer, a reason, and an example. One-word answers lose fluency marks, and a two-minute speech wastes your time.

These are practice questions written by REG in the style of the test, not questions from real exams.

Part 2 Cue Cards: Sample Topics

Part 2 topics fall into a few families. If you have a story ready for each family, you can adapt it to almost any card.

• A person: someone who helped you, a teacher you remember, a colleague you admire
• A place: a city you visited, a quiet place you like, a building you find interesting
• An event: a celebration, a time you learned something new, a time you were late
• An object: a gift you received, something you bought that you use every day
• An activity or experience: a skill you want to learn, a goal you achieved, a journey that went wrong

Here are three practice cards in the format you will see:

Describe a skill you learned as an adult.
You should say:
what the skill is
when and how you learned it
how difficult it was
and explain how this skill has been useful to you.

Describe a place in your city where people go to relax.
You should say:
where it is
what people do there
how often you go there
and explain why it is popular.

Describe a time you helped someone.
You should say:
who you helped
what the situation was
what you did
and explain how you felt afterwards.

A Strong Part 2 Answer, Annotated

Here is a sample answer to the first card, of the kind that scores well. Read it aloud and time yourself: at a natural pace it runs about a minute and three quarters, close to the full two minutes.

I'd like to talk about driving, which I learned here in Kuwait about three years ago, when I was already in my late twenties. Back home I'd always relied on buses, so I'd never really needed a licence, but once I moved here it became obvious that without a car I'd spend half my salary on taxis.

I signed up with a driving school near my flat in Salmiya and took lessons twice a week after work. To be honest, it was much harder than I'd expected. The theory was fine, but the roundabouts were terrifying at first, and I failed my first road test because I hesitated at a junction and the examiner had to tell me to go.

What got me through was practice on quiet roads early on Friday mornings, when there was hardly any traffic. By the second test I was far more confident, and I passed.

It's been useful in ways I didn't predict. Obviously, getting to work is quicker and cheaper, but it has also changed my social life, because I can visit friends in Mangaf or Fahaheel without planning the whole evening around transport. And if I'm honest, it gave me a lot of confidence. Learning something new as an adult, and failing at first, reminded me that I can still get better at things if I keep at it.

Why it works: it covers every point on the card, in order, so it is easy to follow. It tells a short story with a problem (failing the first test) and a resolution, which keeps it going for two minutes without padding. It uses natural spoken phrases (to be honest, back home, if I'm honest) and a mix of tenses: past simple, past perfect and present perfect. It also ends on the "explain" point with a reflection, which is where many candidates run out of things to say.

Part 3 Questions to Practise

Part 3 moves from your experience to society in general. The examiner is testing whether you can give opinions, compare, speculate and justify. Practise answering with a view, a reason and an example, and consider the other side.

• Is it easier for children or adults to learn new skills? Why?
• Should employers pay for their staff to learn new skills?
• How has technology changed the way people learn?
• Why do some cities have more public spaces than others?
• Do people help their neighbours less than they used to?
• Should governments or individuals be responsible for keeping people healthy?

Seven Tips That Move Your Speaking Band

1. Extend every Part 1 answer by one sentence. Answer, then add a reason or an example.
2. Use your one minute in Part 2. Write four or five keywords, one per bullet point, plus one story idea. Do not write sentences.
3. Keep talking until the examiner stops you. If you finish early, add an example or say how you feel about it now.
4. Do not memorise answers. Examiners recognise rehearsed speech, and it does not count as evidence of your real ability.
5. Ask for repetition if you need it. In Part 3 you can ask the examiner to rephrase a question. That costs you nothing.
6. Use natural linking phrases. Say "the main reason is" or "on the other hand", not textbook connectors like "furthermore" in every answer.
7. Record yourself. Most candidates are surprised by how often they pause or repeat the same words. Listening back is the fastest way to fix it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Practise Speaking with a Trainer

Speaking is the hardest skill to improve on your own, because you cannot hear your own mistakes in real time. REG Education & Immigration's IELTS course in Kuwait includes one-to-one speaking practice and full mock tests, with your Speaking marked against the official band descriptors, at our branches in Salmiya, Jaleeb Al-Shuyoukh and Mangaf, and online.

See the IELTS course in Kuwait or contact us to book a speaking assessment.