🎙️ IELTS Speaking Part 1: The Most Common Questions You Need to Prepare
- Tom Lockhart
- Apr 16
- 3 min read
This is the first of two blog posts about IELTS Speaking Part 1.
In this post we look at the questions you may be asked, and in the next post we will look at how to give a good answer - and will contrast between a Band 5 level answer and a Band 8 answer.
So, here goes!
If you're preparing for the IELTS Speaking test, Part 1 is your warm-up. But don’t underestimate it. This part lasts around 4 to 5 minutes and covers simple, everyday topics such as your hometown, your job, or how you spend your free time.
It may seem easy, but it’s still fully assessed.
In fact, your performance here contributes to 25% of your total Speaking score.
That means the examiner is already listening carefully to your fluency, grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation from the very first question.
To help you prepare, here’s a list of the most common IELTS Speaking Part 1 questions. These are based on real test trends and cover the types of topics that come up again and again.
Before moving on to the next post on how to answer these questions, read through them and try to think about some of the details you will include.
To watch a video of Tom reading through this blog post and the questions below, please click on the film icon below. Good luck!
🔹 About You
What’s your full name?
Can I see your ID?
Where are you from?
🔹 Hometown
Do you live in a city or a town?
What’s your hometown like?
What do you like about living there?
Has your hometown changed much over the years?
🔹 Work or Studies
Do you work or are you a student?
What do you do?
Why did you choose that job/course?
Do you enjoy your work or studies?
What’s the most interesting part of your job/studies?
🔹 Free Time
What do you usually do in your free time?
Do you prefer relaxing at home or going out?
Have your hobbies changed over the years?
What new hobby would you like to try?
🔹 Daily Life
What’s your typical day like?
Do you prefer mornings or evenings?
How do you usually spend your weekends?
🔹 Technology
How often do you use the internet?
Do you prefer using your phone or your computer?
Are you good with technology?
Do you ever go offline?
🔹 Entertainment
Do you enjoy reading?
What kind of books do you like?
Do you like watching films or series?
What type of music do you listen to?
🔹 Travel
Do you like travelling?
Where was the last place you travelled to?
Do you prefer travelling alone or with others?
What’s your dream travel destination?
🔹 Food
What kind of food do you like?
Can you cook?
Do you prefer eating at home or in restaurants?
What’s your favourite dish?
📌 Final Tip: Practice Like You Speak
These questions aren’t difficult — but your answers should show more than just basic English. Try to:
Give full answers, not just one-word replies
Explain your ideas and give examples
Use a natural tone, like you’re having a conversation
Want to know what a great answer actually sounds like? As we said at the beginning, In Part 2 of this blog series, you’ll see Band 5 vs Band 8 sample answers to these questions so you can compare and upgrade your own responses.
