IELTS Speaking Part 1 — Common Questions and How to Answer Them

What Happens in Part 1?

Part 1 lasts 4-5 minutes. The examiner asks you 3-4 topics with 4-5 questions each. The goal is to check if you can answer simple questions about familiar topics.

Common topics:

How to Answer: The STRONG Method

S — Short answer (direct response)
T — Tell more (add a detail or reason)
R — Real example (give a specific example)

Example:
Question: "Do you like cooking?"

Bad answer: "Yes."
(Band 4-5 — too short)

Good answer: "Yes, I enjoy cooking, especially on weekends. I like trying new recipes — last week I made pasta from scratch for the first time, and it turned out really well."
(Band 7+ — short answer + detail + example)

Most Common Part 1 Topics and Questions

Home/Accommodation

• "Do you live in a house or an apartment?"
• "What is your favourite room?"
• "Is there anything you would like to change about your home?"

Work/Study

• "What do you do?"
• "Do you enjoy your work/studies?"
• "What is the most interesting part of your job?"

Hometown

• "Where is your hometown?"
• "What do you like about your hometown?"
• "Has your hometown changed much recently?"

Hobbies

• "What do you do in your free time?"
• "How often do you do this?"
• "Did you have any hobbies as a child?"

Answer Templates

For "Do you like...?" questions:
"Yes, I really enjoy... The reason is... For instance, ..."

For "What is your favourite...?" questions:
"My favourite... is... I particularly like it because... For example, ..."

For "How often...?" questions:
"I usually... about... times a week. For example, last week I..."

Common Mistakes

• One-word answers — Always give at least 2-3 sentences
• Memorized answers — Speak naturally, not robotically
• Too long answers — 2-3 sentences is perfect
• Wrong tense — Match the tense of the question

Practice

Record yourself answering 10 Part 1 questions. Listen back and check:

Practice daily for 2 weeks and Part 1 will feel effortless.

Practice with Our Trainer

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