Common IELTS Speaking topics

Part 1 topics

Familiar subjects. Practice questions:

Home and hometown

• What is your hometown known for?
• Has your area changed much in recent years?

Work or study

• Why did you choose your subject?
• What is the most difficult part of your job?

Daily life

• What time of day do you like best?
• Do you prefer to cook or eat out?

Technology

• Which app do you use most?
• Do you think you spend too much time online?

Free time

• What do you usually do on Fridays?
• Did you have a hobby as a child that you still enjoy?

Part 2 topics

Part 2 cards usually ask you to describe one of these. Prepare a story or two for each type, and you can adapt them to many cards:

• A person: a teacher who helped you, a family member you admire, someone famous you would like to meet.
• A place: somewhere you like to relax, a city you visited, a building you find interesting.
• An object: a gift you received, something you use every day, an old photo.
• An event: a celebration, a time you helped someone, a journey that went wrong.
• An experience: learning a new skill, a decision you made, a time you were proud.

How to plan and fill two minutes: Part 2 guide.

Part 3 themes

Part 3 widens the Part 2 topic. Common themes and practice questions:

• Education: "Should schools teach more practical skills?"
• Work: "Will people work from home more in the future?"
• Technology: "Has social media made friendships stronger or weaker?"
• Environment: "Who should be responsible for keeping cities clean?"
• Culture: "Why do traditional festivals matter to young people?"
• Cities: "What makes a city a good place to live?"

How to prepare topics without memorising

For each topic, collect ten useful phrases and two short stories from your own life. Then answer new questions using them. That way the language is ready, but each answer is fresh. BandGuru asks questions across these topics out loud and marks each answer. Book a demo.