【IELTS-Speaking-B-13】Nail Your 1st Topic in IELTS Speaking (雅思口說第一主題)

【 口說 Speaking 】 結構 : 3部分，11-14分鐘。 Part 1：個人問題（4-5分鐘）。 Part 2：獨白（3-4分鐘，含1分鐘準備）。 Part 3：深入討論（4-5分鐘）。 高分技巧 : 流利優先，適度停頓無妨。 擴展答案，加入例子/理由。 使用多樣詞彙與句型，避免重複。 保持自信，眼神接觸。 練習常見話題（教育、工作、環境）。
Structure: 3 parts, 11-14 minutes. Part 1: Personal questions (4-5 minutes). Part 2: Monologue (2 minutes, including 1-minute prep). Part 3: In-depth discussion (4-5 minutes).
High-Score Tips: Prioritize fluency; occasional pauses are fine. Expand answers with examples/reasons. Use diverse vocabulary and sentence types, and avoid repetition. Stay confident, maintain eye contact. Practice common topics (education, work, environment).
The cue card section (part 2) is the most important and challenging section of the speaking test. Here are some speaking cue cards with example answers to help you speak effectively in your IELTS exam. Prompt Question Template  Describe one of your family members you spend the most time with. You should say: Who is he/she? What do you usually do together? What kind of person he/she is? Why you spend most of the time with him/her? Example Answer: If I had to talk about myself, I would say I am a very reserved person and it takes a lot of time to become familiar with strangers. However, I love spending time with my family. I am very close to both my parents but as we are all working (as they are working and I am studying), it's hard for us to spend time together. The person I do spend a lot of time together with is my nephew- my sister's child. He is nearly five years old. He is very special to me. There are many reasons for that. Firstly, everyone says that he looks like me and secondly, we both like spending time with each other. I think the reason for that is we feel very comfortable with each other. I get to act like a child around him and I miss being a child. He is also like me ? very shy with strangers and he is very naughty ? just like I was in my childhood. So, spending time with him reminds me of my childhood in some ways. In my childhood, I was in a hurry to grow up but now I sometimes wish I could reverse time and bring back my childhood. There are so many things we do together. But something that we really enjoy doing is to play pranks on Deepa, my sister and his mother. I think we can do that all day long. We also both love eating chocolates, so whenever we can, we try to buy and eat chocolates secretly. However, I do get scolded sometimes as I am the adult. I also have a dog and so we both like playing with her. We love taking her out on walks and feeding her. In the evening, I take my nephew to the park and just spend time on the swings there. Sometimes, I wish he would always remain a child, but I know that's not going to happen even if I wish for it a million times. Talk about an interesting conversation. You should say: Who was the person? When and where did you have the conversation? What was the conversation about? Example Answer I consider myself to be a very social person and I love talking to people. There are certain conversations that I can never forget. This specific conversation I am going to talk about today happened roughly four-five months ago and that too with a stranger. I was traveling by bus to Chandigarh for an exam. This person boarded the bus at the next stop. He sat next to me and we just casually started talking. The conversation started with normal day to day things like the increasing traffic and the sweltering summer heat. After some time, he started telling me about his profession. He was in the merchant navy. So, as soon as he told me about his profession, I flooded him with questions. He told me about the difficulties and also told me about the fun part of being in the merchant navy. Some things were very interesting. He told me that he only works about eight months a year. The rest of the four months he spends with his family. He plays cricket, goes on vacations, and does whatever he wants during those four months. I remember that he was a bit sad though, as it was the last day of those four months, that year. After this conversation, all I could think about was a merchant navy like other childhood fantasies, the craze disappeared very soon. However, this conversation will always be a part of my memories. A person who taught you something important. You should say: Who the person is? What he/she is like? What he/she taught you? How you felt about him/her? Example Answer   I have learnt many important things from people around me. One such important thing that I learnt is cooking. My mother taught me this skill. Ever since I made a plan to go abroad for my higher education my mother started involving me in the kitchen. My mother is in her 40s. Her name is Harsimran. She is not very tall but looks very beautiful. Her hair has started greying but she doesn't colour or dye her hair. She has a gifted hand at cooking. Normally she does all the cooking by herself and sometimes my sister helps her, but I hardly ever did anything in the kitchen. But now she has taught me how to knead the dough, how to prepare dal, how to cook rice, how to prepare some vegetables and also how to make chapatis. Actually, my cousin went to Canada for her education and there he found a lot of difficulties cooking for himself. He is a vegetarian and vegetarian food outlets are very few in Canada. Whatever food outlets are there are very expensive. So cooking is a very important skill which I think everyone should know. I am very happy that I can cook for myself now and I can make all the things which I like. Last week my mother had an attack of viral fever when suddenly my aunt and uncle came from Amritsar. I prepared rice and dal for them and both these things turned out really good. They were very happy and praised me in front of everyone. My mother was very proud of me that day. My mother has also taught me some Chinese dishes. I really love cheese chilli and Manchurian. Now I can make these dishes also and I can add the vegetables and sauces according to my liking. I feel that my mother has done a great job by teaching me this important skill in cooking. I would never have learnt it without her guidance. A Leisure activity that you do with your family. You should say: What activity it is? When do you do it? With whom do you do it? Do you enjoy doing it? Example Answer   I always look forward to spending some leisure time with my family. Usually, on public holidays and weekends, we get that opportunity. I would like to talk about an activity that we do as a family on such off days. It is playing the board game - Scrabble. In this game, words have to be created using tiles that have letters and points printed on them. The board has a crossword like design and the tiles are placed on the board to create words and get scored according to the points on the tiles. The board also has some squares that add or multiply the points. We are a family of four and we usually play this game as individual participants and sometimes in pairs. This is the time we get to really bond and chat with each other while having fun playing the game. Sometimes we fight with each other, but playfully. While growing up too, my siblings and I used to play this game. Our parents made sure that even during playtime we learn something. This game has had a tremendous role to play in building our vocabulary. Even though there are many game apps these days that emulate this game, but the real fun is in playing the actual board game. I believe that children should be made to play such games, through which they get to learn something and also spend quality time with family and friends. Part 2 Speaking Cue Card Qu: What to say if you run out of things to talk about?
Ans: Talk about the future

Example 1: A special holiday
- when you return?
- will you recommend this holiday destination to other people?
- will you go on holiday with the same people again?
- where will you go for your next holiday?
Example 2: A book to read
- will you read the book again?
- will you recommend the book to other people?
- will you read any books by the same author?
- will you read any books in the same genre?
Speaking Part 2 - Unsuccessful Example 5 Reasons People Don’t Do Well In Speaking Part 2 1) Don’t speak for the full 2 minutes. 2) Run out of things to say. 3) Have an unstructured talk. 4) Read their notes rather than speak naturally. 5) Panic because they think they know nothing about the topic. Details How long to speak for A common question from students is, “Do I have to talk for exactly 2 minutes?” The simple answer is “No”. Keep talking until the examiner stops you, which will be at around 2 minutes. If you stop before 1 minute 40 or 1 minute 50, this will probably affect your score as you may lose marks for fluency & coherence. Why do people finish early? It’s because they’ve run out of things to say. The reason they don’t know what else to say is generally that they haven’t used their 1-minute planning time wisely. This is most likely because they don’t have a good planning strategy.
Poor planning leads to an unstructured answer with ideas popping up all over the place and not really tying together. You'll find 3 strategies for your IELTS Speaking Part 2 talk on these pages: Planning Strategy - Method 1 :
‘ question prompt ’ + planning notes & sample answers. Planning Strategy - Method 2 :
‘ brainstorming ’ + planning notes & sample answers. Planning Strategy - Method 3 :
‘the 5 senses ’ planning notes & sample answers. Reading out notes Another classic mistake candidates make is to read out their notes rather than talking naturally. This has several consequences. If you read your notes, your speech will sound like ‘reading’, not ‘speaking’. It will have unnatural fluency , sentence stress and pronunciation . This will not please the examiner. They’re there to test your speaking skills, not your reading ability. Focusing too closely on your notes while speaking may also cause you to move quickly from one bullet point to the next without developing your ideas . You're likely to reach the end with lots of time still to go and nothing more to say. Use your notes as a guide only. Don’t panic Don’t be that candidate who completely wastes their planning time because they’re convinced they don’t know anything about the subject they’ve been asked to talk about, and goes into brain meltdown. Most topics are related to everyday life and common experiences . I guarantee that I could ask you about any subject in these categories and you could tell me at least three or four things you know about it, even if the topic was something you believed you knew nothing about. Three or four things are enough to create an answer. Then you just need a few strategies for developing your talk around them .   The examiner will not be expecting a degree-level answer. They just want to know what you  know about the topic – a few facts and your own thoughts, opinions and feelings. The content of your talk is not nearly as important as how you say it , that is, your fluency, grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary. Be confident that you can deal with any topic because you can. Demo: IELTS Speaking Examples - Part 2 IELTS Speaking Part 2  Methods: Method 1 – Using Question Prompts Example : Describe something healthy you enjoy doing.  You should say: what you do where you do it who you do it with  and explain why you think doing this is healthy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6 question prompts: what where who why when how ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Examples Answer : I’m a real fitness fanatic and do loads of things to stay fit and healthy but the one I’d like to tell you about is circuit training. I do this for an hour every Tuesday evening with a group from my rowing club. We meet at TM Fitness, a gym owned by my friend and crewmate Linda and her son Tom. Tom actually runs the gym but we hire the hall and Chris, another of our rowers, leads the session. The great thing about circuit training is that it involves lots of different types of activities so this keeps it interesting week by week. We’re never quite sure what we’ll be doing when we turn up. With a conventional circuit, you work every part of the body in turn, doing aerobic activities and also body conditioning using weights. I like these types of circuits best. Sometimes, if there aren’t many of us there, we do a session on the spin cycles. This is really tough if you don’t get out on a bike very often as I don’t. I used to cycle a lot but don’t have time since I took up rowing. Anyway, spin is hard but I always feel good afterwards. One of my favourite pieces of equipment is the punch bag. If you’ve had a stressful day at work, putting on a pair of boxing gloves and thumping the bag gets rid of all the negative energy. I really enjoy exercising with other crew members from my rowing club. It helps to create a team spirit and we encourage and motivate each another. Our rowing club has members of all ages from teenagers to several people in their 60’s and everyone works out at their own level. I like to really push myself so that I get the most out of the session. There’s no point in going if you’re not going to get the greatest benefit out of it that you can. There can be no doubt that circuit training keeps me aerobically fit and also gives me a strong body. Although I do it mainly to improve my fitness for rowing, I enjoy it so much that I think I’d still keep going even if I gave up rowing. Method 2 – Brainstorming
Example: Describe a place near water you have visited. You should say: where this place is what you did at this place who you went there with  and explain why you liked this place. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Brainstorming Ideas Fremington Quay 2 miles from home busy port years ago railway all gone now popular café with play area walk from here & cycle fish from quay walk dog stony beach along river quiet on beach so peaceful estuary birds when tide’s out black ibis field at end big sky no-one else there chases ball in field favourite time evening sun going down ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Example Answer: I’m lucky enough to live by the coast so I’m close to many wonderful places near water. I’d like to tell you about my favourite. It’s called Fremington Quay and is only two miles from my home. Many years ago it was a busy port with a railway line and station but the ships and trains are all gone now. About 20 years ago, the old railway station was turned into a café and it’s very popular with local people. Locals also park at Fremington Quay to go walking or cycling along the old railway line which has been made into a lovely footpath and cycle route called the Tarka Trail. Furthermore, the quayside is a great place to fish from and you can usually see at least two or three fishermen there whatever the weather. However, it’s none of these things that draw me to Fremington Quay several times a week. I go there to walk my dog on the stony beach alongside the estuary. Not many people go this way. I can’t understand why as it’s a beautiful place, but I’m glad they don’t or it wouldn’t be so peaceful. There are many different sorts of seabirds on the shoreline, especially at low tide. I love to hear their cries and watch them digging about for food in the mud. At the moment there’s a black ibis feeding there, which is a rare sight around here. It’s a very exotic bird for the area. About a quarter of a mile along the beach is a slope up to a hidden field and this is the most special place of all for me. The sky always seems so big when you stand in the middle of the field and the views all around are stunning. I hardly ever see anyone else there and it’s perfect for my dog to chase his ball around. My favourite time to be there is in the evening when the sun’s beginning to go down. It spreads a golden trail on the water and casts a soft light on the surrounding countryside. It’s so beautiful. The tranquillity is unbelievable. I do hope my field stays a bit of a secret place as it wouldn’t be the same if lots of people started going there. I’d still love it though. Method 3 – Using The Senses
Example : Describe a food you used to dislike but now enjoy.  You should say: what it is what you disliked about it how long you disliked it for  and explain what changed so that you now enjoy it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5  Senses sight smell touch taste hearing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ smell       touch       hearing       sight        taste words expression and terms figs Christmas brown  & sticky crunchy seeds strange texture musty smell shrivelled up round box nibbled one each year might taste better  – didn’t walking holiday in Spain great guide vineyards – tasted different grapes passed fig tree picked fresh figs soft & warm purple   velvety skin tasted it delicious sweet, fresh smell ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ beginning: an introduction to the subject of your story middle: the main event – what happened end: a conclusion to neatly round off your story ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Example Answer: I have to say that I like most foods and I’m always keen to try new types, especially traditional food in other countries. However, I can think of one thing that I used to really dislike but now absolutely love. It’s something that always used to appear at Christmas time when I was a child – figs. They came in a round box and were all squashed in. They looked horrible, all brown and shrivelled up, and they had a musty smell. They tasted just as bad as they looked and had a really strange texture, which was part of the problem. You’d bite through the sticky outer layer into crunchy seeds in the centre that would get stuck in your teeth. Not nice at all!
Each Christmas, I’d have a little nibble of one, hoping it would taste better than before, but of course, it never did. Dried figs were never going to be my idea of a festive treat. Then, many years later, I went on a group walking holiday in Spain. We had an excellent guide who was keen for us to learn about and experience as much of the local area as possible. There were vineyards everywhere, and he would sometimes pick a bunch of grapes so that we could taste the different types used to make different wines. One afternoon, we passed a large fig tree. Our guide started to pick the ripe fruit and hand them around to everyone in the group. I immediately thought of those dried figs at Christmas, but quickly realised that what I had in my hand was something completely different. For a start, it was soft and warm with a velvety purple skin. Everyone else was eating theirs, so I decided to give it a try as well. I bit into it, and an amazing taste filled my mouth. It’s difficult to describe, as it’s not like anything else, but it was delicious. I must have had a look of total surprise and delight on my face because suddenly everyone was looking at me and laughing. Now, if anyone asks me if I like figs, I say that I adore them, but only fresh ones. Although I must admit, I’ve never tasted one quite as good as that fig picked straight off the tree in sunny Spain. Part One Improving your Responses This lesson uses a quiz to teach you how to best answer questions in part 1 of the IELTS speaking test.  Types of Speaking Questions In this IELTS practice lesson, some of the common types of questions that appear in part 1 of the test are explained. The aim is to improve the accuracy of your answers to questions. Tips and a Technique for the Best Answers in Part 1 Your answers should be concise but interesting. This lesson provides tips and a technique for doing this, plus some IELTS speaking practice. Part Two Extending Your Answer In this lesson, learn some tips on how to extend your speaking for part 2 of the speaking test.  Mind Map: Structuring your talk This lesson explains how you can use a mind map to help you brainstorm and organise your talk for part 2 of the test. There is also a sample answer. Using "would" to Describe Hypothetical Situations Learn when to use "would" to speak about an unreal future situation in part 2 of the IELTS test. Part Three Describing Changes You often have to discuss changes in part 3 of the speaking test. This IELTS speaking practice lesson provides you with grammar tips to answer these questions.  Talking about the Future You often have to discuss the future in part 3 of the speaking test. This lesson provides you with grammar tips to answer these questions.  Giving & Justifying Opinions Learn some useful phrases for giving opinions in part 3 and justifying those opinions.  Talking about Personal Experiences Many students make the mistake of talking about themselves in part 3. This is ok, but only for examples. Learn more about it here. Parts One to Three Formality & Getting the tone right This lesson explains what tone you should use when speaking to help you sound natural. Useful IELTS Interview Expressions This lesson provides you with a set of useful expressions that you can use to help you in all parts of the speaking test, particularly part 3.  Common Questions about the IELTS Speaking Test Here we look at 10 frequently asked questions about this section of the test. Fillers to Improve Fluency: Avoid Saying 'Uhm' 'Eh' In this lesson, we teach you some useful fillers to avoid a low fluency score for using bad fillers like 'Uhm' and 'Eh'. Key Phrases for IELTS Speaking This lesson provides you with lots of key phrases to improve Fluency and Coherence , one of the criteria you are graded on in the test. How to Paraphrase for Band 8 To get a band 8, you have to be able to paraphrase effectively. Learn more and practice. Discourse Markers for Fluency and Coherence Learn how to use these to make your speech more organised, coherent, and engaging for the examiner. Examples: Cue Card Examples IELTS Speaking Part 2: Common Topics, Assessment Criteria, Tips for Success IELTS Speaking Part 2 Samples Describe an exciting sport you know Example Part 1: Introduction and Interview [This part of the test begins with the examiner introducing himself or herself and checking the candidate’s identification. It then continues as an interview.]
A face-to-face interview with the examiner (4-5 minutes)
12 Questions based on 3 Topics
Questions based about yourself, your life and your country. Topic: Home
Where is your home? Do you live in a house or a flat? Who do you live with? Are there many rooms in your home? What is your favourite room? How are the walls decorated? What would you change about your home? Do you plan to live there in the future? What facilities are there near your home? What is your neighbourhood like? Do most people live in houses in your country?
https://ieltstutorials.online/sample-questions/cue-card https://www.ieltsbuddy.com/ielts-speaking-samples.html
50 Recent IELTS Speaking Topics for Parts 2 and 3 for IELTS 2025
https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-speaking-part-1-topics/ IELTS Speaking Sample Questions with Answers for IELTS Speaking Part 3 https://www.ieltsjacky.com/ielts-speaking.html https://ieltsmaterial.com/50-ielts-speaking-part-2-3-topics-2020-with-model-answers/ https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-speaking-free-lessons-essential-tips/ https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/take-ielts/prepare/free-ielts-english-practice-tests/speaking https://ielts-up.com/speaking/ielts-speaking-test.html https://leapscholar.com/exams/ielts/practice-test/speaking/part-1 https://ielts.org/take-a-test/preparation-resources
IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors  - Speaking Assessment Criteria What is the IELTS Speaking test?   Four Skills   33 interview questions for students (with sample answers)   Interviewers usually ask these questions for students to learn about their basic knowledge and abilities. They also ask these questions to get a better understanding of your interests, attitude, and personality. Some common general questions include: Can you tell us about yourself? How did you learn about our organization/ university? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses, and how do you overcome them? Why did you choose your school? What motivates you? How do you believe you can contribute to our growth? Where do you see yourself in the next five years? Can you tell us why you think you're the best fit for this role? Do you have any questions for us?
Experience and Background The interviewer may ask questions about your background and experience to understand your responsibilities in previous roles and how you handled them. They also ask these questions to envision you in the role and determine whether you fit their company culture. Below are examples of these questions: Tell us something about your field of study. Which academic accomplishment are you most proud of? Do you have prior experience in this role? Do you have any academic goals you hope to achieve before you graduate? What are they? What skills and experience do you hope to gain in this job? Do you have plans to further your education? Do you participate in any extracurricular activities? What are they? What do you wish you knew before choosing this career path? What steps have you taken for your professional growth and development? Do you think your education helped to prepare you for this role? In what way?
In-depth Questions Interviewers ask in-depth questions to get detailed information about your behaviour or abilities. These questions usually relate directly to the role and give the interviewer an idea of how well you'd perform. Examples of in-depth questions include: Can you give an example of a time you applied your leadership skills at work? How do you work under pressure? How do you handle stress? Do you prefer working alone or with a team? Why? Tell us about a time you exceeded your expectations. Have you ever missed a deadline? Why and what was the result? Describe how you organise your schedule and prioritise your tasks. Have you ever managed multiple tasks simultaneously? How did you handle them? How do you manage two projects that are due at the same time? How do you intend to make an impact in this role?
Discussion Questions (Tests) (1) What images spring to mind when you hear the word ‘test’? (2) Do you get nervous when you take tests? (3) Are there any kinds of tests that you love? (4) Do you follow any special routines before you take a test? (5) What test has made you most nervous? (6) What do you think about while you wait for the result of a test? (7) Have you ever cheated on a test? (8) Have you ever taken an IQ test? (9) Do you think testing is useful or a waste of time? (10) Do you think your test scores reflect your true ability and intelligence? (11) Do you like taking tests? (12) Are you good at taking tests? (13) What was the last English test that you took like? (14) Have you ever had a blood test? (15) Would you be more nervous before your driving test, a blood test or an English test? (16) What’s the best way to prepare for a test? (17) What medical tests have you had? (18) What was the worst test you ever took? (19) Are there too many tests in school? (20) How do you feel when you fail a test?