IELTS Listening Preparation

There are four sections in the listening test. Each section has 10 questions, making a total of 40
questions. The sections become progressively harder. The answers to the questions come in the
same order as the information on the recording. The whole test lasts about 30 minutes, including
the instructions, your reading and listening time, and the time allowed for transferring your
answers from the questions paper to an answer sheet. The instructions are included on the
recording.

Free IELTS exam preparation can be difficult to find on the Internet. We have gathered
together the best of the free IELTS exam preparation materials.

Section 1
This is a conversation between two speakers on an everyday, social topic. This means that you
listen to two people talking to each other about arranging a trip, organising an event, etc. The
focus is on listening for specific factual information.
Section 2
This is a talk by one speaker on a general topic. This means that you listen to one person giving
information about a public event, a service provided, etc. The focus is on listening for specific
factual information.
Section 3
This is a discussion between two to four speakers on a topic related to ‘academic needs’. This
means that you listen to up to four people talking to each other about an assignment for a course,
an academic subject in a seminar, etc. The focus is on listening for specific factual information,
attitudes and speakers’ opinions.
Section 4
This is a lecture or talk by one speaker on an academic or study-related topic. This means that
you listen to a person giving a lecture, a talk, etc. The focus is on listening for main ideas,
specific factual information, attitude and speakers’ opinions.
You will be allowed approximately 30 seconds to study the questions before the test begins. You
can use this time to check what types of answers are needed (for example, dates, times, names,
money, etc.), and pay special attention to the first question.

IELTS Speaking - Part 1

The questions in Part 1 are on general topics about your life. Your answers are from your life and
experience. There is no right or wrong answer.
 About you
 Study
 Work
 Your town
 Free time
 Holidays
 Places to go in your free time
 Transport
 Shopping
 Your neighbourhood
 Reading
 Sports and games
About you

 What is your (full) name?

 Can I have your name please?
 Could you tell me your full name please?
 What shall I call you?
 How can I address you?
 Does your name have any special meaning?
 Is your name important to you?
 Do Korean people like changing their name? Why?
 Have you ever changed your name? Why or why not?
 Why do so many people change their name?
 Do you work or study?
Study

 What are you studying?

 What’s your major?
 Why did you choose that subject?
 What do you find most interesting about your course?
 What is your favorite subject?
 What do you dislike about your study?
 What do you hope to do after your graduation?
 What are your ambitions for the future?
 Do you hope to gain any qualifications?
 What are the advantages of studying instead of working?
Work

 Can you describe your job to me?

 What do you do for a living?
 How long have you been doing it?
 Can you describe one of your typical working days?
 What’s your daily routine on a working day?
 Why did you choose to do that job?
 What things do you enjoy about your work? Why?
 What do you think is the attraction of your work?
 What is your ideal job?
 Do you want to change your current job? Why or why not?
 Are you willing to keep your job permanently?
 What are your plans for the future?
Your town

 Can you describe your town or village to me?

 Tell me something about your hometown.
 Where are you from?
 Where is your hometown?
  Where do you come from?
 What is the name of the street you live on?
 What kind of street do you live on?
 What do you like about your town?
 What is the weather like in your town?
 What building is considered famous in your town?
 What jobs do people in your town do?
 How has your town changed over the last twenty years?
 What changes have taken place in your city in recent years?
 Do you think it is better to live in the center of town or outside in the country? Why?
Free time

 What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

 How much time do you have each week for doing these things?
 Why do you like doing these activities?
 How did you start doing this activity at first?
 Is there some other hobby or sport you would like to try? Why?
 How has the way people spend their free time changed over the years?
Holidays

 What do you do when you have a holiday?

 Who do you usually spend holiday with?
 Where do you like to spend your holidays? Why?
 Can you describe a typical day in your holidays?
 Why are holidays and important to you?
 If you could take a holiday anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
 What do people usually do during holidays and in your town?
Places to go in your free time

 What do people do in your town in their free time?

 Where can they go out for entertainment, or to enjoy themselves?
 Which do you prefer: eating in restaurants or eating at home?
  Which are the best places to eat out?
Transport

 How did you come here today?

 What is public transport like in your town?
 How do you think it could be improved?
 Do you think people should use public transport more? Why (not)?
Shopping

 How much time do you spend shopping every week?

 Do you enjoy going shopping? Why (not)?
 What is your favourite shop and why do you like it?
 What problems are there with shopping in your area?
Your neighbourhood

 Can you describe the house where you live to me?

 What is there to do in the area where you live?
 What do you like about the area where you live?
 How do you think it could be improved?
 Do you think it is better to live in the centre of town or outside in the country? Why?
Reading

 Do you enjoy reading? Why?

 What sort of things do you read?
 Tell me something about your favourite book.
 What are the advantages of reading instead of watching television or going to the cinema?
Sports and games

 What sports are most popular in your country?

 What sports and games did you most enjoy playing
 when you were a child?
  Do people take as much exercise as in the past?
 Why is exercise good for you?

IELTS Speaking - Part 2 & 3

In the second section candidates are given a topic card and then have one minute to prepare after
which they must speak about the given topic. The third section involves a discussion between the
examiner and the candidate, generally on questions relating to the theme which they have already
spoken about in part 2.
 Beautiful places
 Family
 Shopping
 Eating and food
 Travelling
 School
 Adventure
 Newspapers
 Sport
Beautiful places

Part 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.

Describe a beautiful place to visit in your

country.

You should say:

 where it is
 how to get there
  what there is to do when you are there
and explain why you recommend this place.
Part 3
Attitudes to tourism
 Why do you think people like to travel to different places in their free time?
 How do you see tourism changing in your country in the future?
Conserving the countryside
 Why is it important to protect the countryside?
 In what ways is the countryside in danger in your country?
Historic buildings and monuments
 Why are historic buildings and monuments important to a city?
 Is it better to keep old buildings, or build new modern ones?
Family

Part 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.

Describe the person in your family who you

most admire.

You should say:

 what their relationship is to you
 what they have done in their life
 what they do now
and explain why you admire them so much.
Part 3
Attitudes to family
 In what ways have families in your country changed in recent years?
 Should husbands and wives have different roles within the family? Why (not)?
Family or friends
 Which are more important to you: your family or your friends?
 What conflicts can arise between a person's family and a person's friends?
Family responsibilities
 What responsibilities do parents have towards their children?
 What responsibilities do children have towards their parents?
Shopping

Part 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.

Describe your favorite shop.

You should say:

 where it is
 what things it sells
 what sort of people are its customers
and explain why you like the shop so much.
Part 3
Things to buy
 What typical things can visitors to your country buy?
 What things do young people like to buy in your country?
Money
 Is it a good idea to save money? Why (not)?
 Do you think that people are happier if they have money? Why (not)?
Shopping
 What can shops do to make shopping more pleasant for their customers?
 Do you think that in the future people will do most of their shopping using the Internet? Why?/
Why not?
Part 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.

Describe an open-air or street market which you

enjoyed visiting.

You should say:

 where the market is
 what the market sells
 how big the market is
and explain why you enjoyed visiting this
market.
Part 3
Shopping at markets
 Do people in your country enjoy going to open-air markets that sell things like food or clothes or
old objects? Which type of market is more popular? Why?
 Do you think markets are more suitable places for selling certain types of things? Which ones?
Why do you think this is?
 Do you think young people feel the same about shopping at markets as older people? Why is
that?
Shopping in general
 What do you think are the advantages of buying things from shops rather than markets?
 How does advertising influence what people choose to buy? Is this true for everyone?
 Do you think that any recent changes in the way people live have affected general shopping
habits? Why is this?
Eating and food
Part 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.

Describe a special occasion when you had a

really enjoyable meal.

You should say:

 what the occasion was
 who was at the meal
 what you ate
and explain why the meal was so enjoyable.
Part 3
Attitudes to food
 What do you think a healthy diet consists of?
 Which do people in your country prefer: traditional food or fast food such as hamburgers or
pizzas?
Learning about food
 Do you think children should be taught about healthy diets and cooking at school? Why (not)?
 At what age do you think children should be taught to cook?
Food aid
 What can be done to prevent poor people in the world going hungry?
 Should rich countries help poor countries with more than just food?
Travelling

IELTS Tip
Travel is a verb: I enjoyed my travel trip very much. It is only used as a noun in a general sense,
e.g. travel broadens the mind.

Trip refers to both a journey: the trip there was fine; or a short stay: a business trip; or a holiday:
I’m going away on a trip.
Journey only refers to getting from one place to another: the journey there was very
uncomfortable.
Part 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.

Describe a memorable journey you have made.

You should say:

 where you were going
 how you were travelling
 why you were making the journey
and explain what made the journey so
memorable.
Part 3
Travelling and learning
 What do people learn from travelling?
 Do you think the growth of international tourism is a good thing? Why (not)?
Tourism and culture
 How has tourism changed the way people in your country live?
 How should tourists behave when they visit your country?
Ways of travelling
 What do you think is the best way for a tourist to travel if they want to learn about your
country?
 What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by plane?
Part 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.

Describe a journey that you remember well.

 You should say:
 where you went
 how you travelled
 why you went on the journey
and explain why you remember this journey
well.
Part 3
Reasons for daily travel
 Why do people need to travel every day?
 What problems can people have when they are on their journey, for example to work or school?
Why is this?
 Some people say that daily journeys like these will not be so common in the future. Do you
agree or disagree? Why?
Benefits of international travel
 What do you think people can learn from travelling to other countries? Why?
 Can travel make a positive difference to the economy of a country? How?
 Do you think a society can benefit if its members have experience of travelling to other
countries? In what ways?
School

Part 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.

Describe a school which you went to.

You should say:

 when you went there
 how many people studied there
 how long you spent there
 and explain what you liked and disliked about it.
Part 3
Attitudes to education
 How has education changed in your country in the last ten years?
 Is a good education more important to a boy or a girl? Why?
The focus of education
 How well do you think schools prepare young people for working life?
 Do you think schools should teach subjects like art, music and dancing? Why (not)?
Education and technology
 How important is it for schools to have computers for their students?
 Is the Internet a valuable educational tool?
Adventure

Part 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.

Describe an exciting experience in your life.

You should say:

 when the experience took place
 where the experience took place
 what happened exactly
and explain why the experience was so exciting.
Part 3
Safety and danger
 In what ways is life becoming safer, and in what ways is it becoming more dangerous?
 Should people always avoid danger, or is it a good idea sometimes to take risks?
Taking risks
 What risks should people try to avoid?
 Do you think people take fewer risks as they grow older? Why (not)?
Adventure
 How important is it to have adventure in our lives?
 What do people learn about themselves from having adventures?
Newspapers

Part 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.

Describe a newspaper or magazine you enjoy

reading.

You should say:

 what kind of newspaper or magazine it
is, e.g. fashion
 how often you buy it
 what articles and information it contains
and explain why you enjoy reading it.
Part 3
Attitudes to newspapers
 In what ways are newspapers better for learning about the news than listening to the radio or
watching television?
 Do you think newspapers should be completely free to say whatever they want?
Tastes in reading
 What do people enjoy reading in your country?
 Do you think it is important for people to read a lot? Why (not)?
Public and private lives
 What sort of stories do newspapers and magazines publish about well-known or famous people
in your country?
 Do you think the media should be allowed to publish stories about the private lives of public
figures?
Sport

Part 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.

Describe an exciting competition or sporting

event you have witnessed.

You should say:

 what the competition or sporting event
was
 when and where it took place
 who won
and explain why it was exciting.
Part 3
Sport & Health
 What do you do to keep fit?
 Are you good at sport?
 What sports do you play?
 What is the most popular sport in your country?
 What are the best ways to keep fit?
 Do you think most people consider exercise a chore or do they find it fun?
 What is the most popular form of exercise in your country?
 Do you think people in your country are less healthy than they used to be?
 How can we encourage young people to stay healthy?
 Should governments intervene to force people to be healthier?