Recent IELTS Speaking Test Questions and Topics | Academic, General Training | 2019

On this page, you can find IELTS latest questions and topics on parts 1, 2 and 3.
This page will be updated regularly. So you can check back any time to see what is new with the IELTS speaking test’s topics.

2019

1

Interview

Do you work or study?
What do you do?
What is interesting about your job?
Do you enjoy your work?
Would you like to change it in the future?
What field are you interested in?

Cue Card

Talk about your favorite movie star.
Please say:

Who is he/she?
Why do you like him/her?
Do you want to become a star? Why?

Discussion

Do you like to learn new things? What kind of things?
Do you like to educate others about it?
Who and what do you teach?
Why do you teach that?
How do you teach it?
What skills do children need to learn before going to school?
How can parents teach some skills to their children?
What skills are beneficial for them in adult life?
Why do you think motivation is necessary in life?

(India)

2

Interview

Do you work or study?
What do you do?
Describe the area where you live now.
How long have you lived there?
What are the most crowded areas in your city?
How do you feel when you are in a crowd?
What do you like about your area?
What type of photography do you like?
Do you like taking pictures?
What do you do with the pictures you take?
Do you like to take photos with your phone or a proper camera?
Do you have any plans to learn photography?

Cue Card

Describe a period in history that you would like to learn about.
Please say:

What is it?
Why are you interested in it?
Where did you get the information on it?

Discussion

How do you plan to learn this?
How is history taught to children in your country?
Many people believe history is important, why?
Do you think so, too?
Do you think leaders should learn more about history in order to lead the country efficiently?
Should people look back on history before moving forward?

(Myanmar)

3

Interview

What do you do?
Where do you live now?
What is your favorite color?
Is there any difference between your favorite color now and when you were a child?
Why do you think it is so?
What color would you paint the bedroom walls? Why?
What car colors do you like?
What is your morning routine? Why?
Is there a difference between your routine now and when you were a child?

Cue Card

Describe an instance when you complained about something and the issue was resolved.
Please say:

What did you complain about?
When and where did it take place?
How easy was it to complain about it?

Discussion

Were you pleased with the results?
What do people usually complain about in your country?
Do younger people complain more than older people?
Why do you think so?
Do some people complain more than others?
Is it possible for a child to learn how to complain?
Is it possible to raise a child not used to complaining, if a lot of people do it around him/her?
Do you think we move on after complaining?

(Nigeria)

4

Interview

Do you work or study?
What do you do?
Do you like it?
Do you share things with others? Why?
Did your parents encourage you to share when you were a child?
What are the benefits of sharing?

Cue Card

Describe a party that you have recently attended.
Please say:

When and where was it?
What did you do there?
Did you like it? Why?

Discussion

Have parties changed compared to the past?
Did they change for better or worse, in your opinion?
Do you think spending a lot of money on a party or a wedding is good?
Sometimes a country spends millions of dollars on international events. Is it good or bad in your opinion?

(Canada)

5

Interview

Do you work or study?
What do you like the most about your studies?
Do you like sharing things with other people?
What do you usually share with others?
Did your parents teach you about sharing?
What is your favorite public holiday?
What do you usually do during this holiday?

Cue Card

Describe an intelligent person that you know well.
Please say:

Who is this person?
How did you meet him/her?
Why do you think he/she is intelligent?

Discussion

What is the difference between intelligence and genius?
Why do you think so?
Do you think intelligent people do not like to share things?

(Azerbaijan)

6

Interview

Do you like cooking?
How often do you cook?
When was the last time you cooked?
What kind of food do you dislike?
Do you prefer a home-cooked meal or eating outdoors? Why?
What meal do people prefer in your country? Why?

Cue Card

Describe a skill you recently learned and it took a long time to learn.
You should say:

What the skill is?
When did you learn it?
Why it takes a long time to learn?
How you felt after completing the learning process?

Discussion

What kind of skill would people like to learn?
Why is it important to learn new skills?
Why do most people need a long time to learn a new skill?
What kind of jobs require one to be patient?
Are Older people more patient than younger people? Why?
Do you think passion is important in work life? Why?

7

Interview

How long do you sleep at night?
How many hours do you think people usually sleep?
Do you think the number of hours you sleep at is healthy?
Do you think children or adults need more hours of sleep?
Do you take a nap in the afternoon? How does that affect you?
Have you ever found yourself struggling to fall asleep?
What do you do when you have difficulty sleeping?

Cue Card

Describe a time when you received bad service.
You should say:

Where you received it?
When did it happen?
What happened? And explain why the service was bad?

Discussion

What is poor customer service?
Do you receive bad service often?
What should people do about it?
What type of services do they expect?
Do you think facilities are important for the service of the restaurant?
What good customer service looks like?
Why do you think some people choose to be quiet and walk away after receiving bad service?

8

Interview

Do you study or work?
Where do you study?
Do you like your major and why?
Do you like your university? Why?
Do you think the university where you studied is the best in your country?
How do you like your life at university?
What facilities does the university provide?
Is there anything you want to change in your university?

Cue Card

Describe a person you never met and heard about him, and would like to meet in the future.
You should say:

Who this person is?
How do you know the person?
What does he do? And explain why you want to meet him?

Discussion

Do you want to meet a new person? Why?
In what ways can we meet new people?
How do you communicate with a person who never meets but you like to meet?
Do you think technologies help in the relationship between people? How?
Do you think online friends can have a negative impact?
What kind of friends do you prefer, personal friends, or online?
What could be the reason that members of the same family tend to be very different?
How can you make someone new at work or college comfortable?
Do you have many friends in your workplace or community? Why?
How to be a respectable person?

9

Interview

Do you like sports?
What is your favorite sport?
What sport did you like to play when you were young?
What do you prefer? Team sports or individual sports?
Who is your favorite sports person?
Would you like to go to the Olympic games?
What kind of sports are popular in your country?

Cue Card

Describe a healthy lifestyle you know.
You should say:

What it is?
How do you know it?
What one would do to live this healthy lifestyle? And explain why it is healthy?

Discussion

Do people more concern about health in your country now? Why?
Do you think people pay enough attention to their health these days?
Do you think education plays a role in people’s health?
Do you think teachers encourage students to be healthy?
Do you think people were healthier in the past? Why?
What is the role of government responsible for public health?
How could parents encourage their children to be healthier?

10

Interview

What do you do?
Why did you choose this job?
What is your job position?
Do you like your work? Why?
Did you get training for the work you are doing currently?
Do you like the environment at your workplace?
What was your first-day experience?
What changes would you like to see in the place you work?
Would you continue to work there for long?

Cue Card

Describe an ideal house.
You should say:

Where it is?
What it looks like?
When you would like to live in? And explain why you would like to live in it.

Discussion

Do you think you can achieve your dream of building that house?
How would you do that?
Do you still remember your children room? What did it look like?
Do you think children should have their own rooms? Why?
Is it common to own your own house in your country?
What are the advantages of owning your own house?
Do you think it is a good idea to rent a house to live? Why?
Why do most young people live in apartments in cities?
In big cities, the living space is getting smaller. Could you recommend some possible solutions to this?

11

Interview

Can you describe your hometown?
Do you like your hometown? Why?t
Is it a nice place?
What is your hometown known for?
What did you like about your hometown when you were a child?
Is there anything you don’t like about your hometown?

Cue Card

Talk about a period of history that you like and know well.
You should say:

What time it was?
What do you know about it?
Why it is interesting to you?

Discussion

Do you like history in general?
What do you like more, ancient or modern history?
What is the role of history in society?
Do modern people pay enough attention to history? Why?
Do you think children should be taught about history? Why?
Does technology analysis harm history?
Why do you think people should learn about history?
Why do people like to watch historical movies?

12

Interview

Do you like cities? Why?
Have you lived for a long time in your current city?
Why do you live in your current city?
Do you think this city will change in the future?
What are interesting in this city?
Which city would you like to visit? Why?
Do most people live in big cities in your country? why?

Cue Card

Talk about the good news that you recently got from the Internet or TV.
You should say:

What the news was about?
When you got it?
How you heard this news? And explain why you think it was good news?

Discussion

How do most people in your country get their news?
Why do some people still like to read the news in the newspaper?
What kind of news people from different age groups like to watch?
Is it convenient to read news on the internet in your country?
What are the differences for media between current and in old days?
Why do some people still wait to hear/read news from TV/radio/newspaper although they have Internet?
Do you think the information on the internet is reliable?
Do you think social media has changed the way we share the news with others? Why?

13

Interview

How often do you write an email or cards?
Do you write a lot of letters or cards? Why?
Do you send postcards and letters these days?
Do you prefer to have an email or a card for your birthday? Why?
Do you think in the future email will replace the letter?
Do you prefer email or text messages for work? Why?
Tell me about an email that you received that made you happy.

Cue Card

Describe a part of your country that you find the most interesting.
You should say:

What that place is?
How did you know about that part?
What did you expect to see or do there?
Explain why you think it is the most interesting place.

Discussion

Is this place in a city or rural area?
What are the differences between west and east parts of your country?
What are the differences between city and rural life?
Do you think it’s better to live in the countryside or in a city?
Do you think urban planning is important?
How business can influence on urban planning?
What makes big cities interesting to live?
Why do most people prefer to move to big cities?

14

Interview

Do you like buying shoes?
How often do you buy shoes?
Where do you buy shoes usually?
Do you like buying shoes online?
When was the last time you purchased new shoes?
Do you prefer shoes which are fashionable comfortable? Why?

Cue Card

Describe an indoor or outdoor place where you do the study in.
You should say:

Where the place is?
When you usually study there?
What it is like?
And explain why it is easy for you to study in this place.

Discussion

What is the importance of education in the recent era?
Do you think education can help to improve one’s situation? How?
Why do some students can’t able to concentrate on the study?
What are the factors affecting a person’s study?
Do you think it is good to have a timetable and why?
Which way is better, online, or classroom teaching?
Which place is most suitable for study? Why?
Nowadays, people don’t study for their personal interest. Why is it so?

15

Interview

How often do you listen to music?
What type of music do you like? Why?
What are the kinds of music that you don’t like?
Have you gone to/watched a live music concert?
Do you play musical instruments?
Do you download music from a website or buying a CD? Why?
Do you think your taste in music will change in the future? Why?
What are the differences between traditional and modern music?

Cue Card

Describe a book you have read recently.
You should say:

What it is about?
Who wrote the book?
What the story of the book is?
And explain if it is a good book or not.
Would you recommend this book to others?

Discussion

Why do you think people like reading?
What are the advantages of reading?
What can you do to influence others to read more?
Do you think people read less nowadays? Why?
Who do you think is responsible for teaching children, teachers, or parents? Why?
What can parents do to encourage children to read?
How do technologies involve in reading?

1

Interview

Where do you come from?
Have you lived for a long time in your current city?
How much do you like this city?
Why do you like here?
Do you think this city will change in the future?
Who is your favorite movie star?
Why do you like him/her?
Have you seen a movie star somewhere?

Cue Card

Describe an item you already bought but you don’t use it.
You should say:

When did you buy it?
Why you buy it?
Explain why you don’t use it?

Discussion

How popular is shopping in your hometown?
How do people can feel better besides shopping?
Is quality more important or price to buy something? Why?
How different advertising on TV and journals?

(UK)

2

Interview

Do you work or study?
What do you exactly do?
How often does it rain in your city?
Do you like to go out on rainy days?

Cue Card

Describe a place where you spend your free time.
You should say:

Where is it?
How did you find it?
What do you do there?

Discussion

Why do old people like quiet places?
What are the sources of noise in the cities?
Why are suburbs quiet?
Why don’t some people enjoy calm places?
Will cities noisier in the future?

(Australia)

3

Interview

Where do you live, in an apartment or house? Why?
Which is your favorite area in the house?
Why do you like to spend your time in that area?
What you do here and what time you spend your time here?
Why do some people keep pets at home?
What kinds of animals do you like?
Have you ever had a pet before?
Do you like to see animals in the zoo?
What is the most popular animal in your country?

Cue Card

Talk about an intelligent person that you know.
You should say:

Who is it?
How did you know him/her?
Describe this person.

Discussion

Do you love receiving handwritten letters? why or why not?
Why do you think intelligent students are sometimes get bullied at school?
Why do people often talk about intelligent people but seldom talk about genius people?
Are intelligent people always happy?
What do you think are the qualities that a good teacher should have?
Do you think that teachers and parents should work hand in hand in educating a child?
Nowadays children do not like studying or learning. What do you think are the reasons?
How do you think teachers can motivate their students to study more?

(Russia)

4

Interview

Do you study or work?
Did you like studies when you were in college?
Were you patient in your childhood?
How patience is important in the study and at work?
Do you like to take photographs from a camera or phone?
Why do you like taking pictures?
Do you take pictures of humans or places?
Do you want to learn photography in the future?

Cue Card

Describe the kind of food people like to eat in a special event.
You should say:

What kind of food they like?
How they prepare it?
And why it is important?

Discussion

Do you think diet is important?
What is a balanced diet?
What is the typical diet of people in your country?
Do many people eat in restaurants in your country?
Why do some people enjoy eating out?
What’s the difference between restaurant food and home cooked food?

(Vietnam)

5

Interview

How many seasons are there in your place?
What is your favorite season and why?
How often does it rain at your place?
Which weather do you like the most?
Do you prefer hot weather or cold weather? Why?
Do you prefer to stay in dry or rainy weather? Why?
Where would you like to live, in a place with the same weather or different types of weathers?

Cue Card

Describe something you received that you really wanted.
You should say:

What it is?
Who gave it to you?
Why you wanted it?
What your feelings after you got it?

Discussion

Why are some people so materialistic?
Do you think our friends have an effect on what we buy especially on young people? why?
Do you think young men and women spend money on different things?
What do young people spend their money the most nowadays?
Do you think people own more things than they really need these days?
Why do you think people want to show their social status?
What are the negative effects of consumerism?

(India)

6

Interview

What are you doing? Job or study?
Where did you study? Why?
Is it a good place to study? Why?
Will you recommend others to study there? Why?
Why did you choose to study there?
What do you like about your subjects?
Is there something that helps you to study efficiently?

Cue Card

Describe a party that you joined.
You should say:

Where it was?
Who the guests are?
What is the reason for the party?

Discussion

Are family events important?
What are the reasons when families organize a party?
Do families use to spend more time together in the past?
Are the reasons for organizing a party same today as compared to the past?
What are international events important?
How does the person feel when he is representing his country on a global level?
What are the benefits of international events?
What is the most valuable festival in your country?

7

Interview

How is your workplace?
Can you describe your workplace?
How can it be improved?
Do you like the environment at your workplace?
Would you continue to work there for long?

Cue Card

Talk about a law in your country which you like the most.
You should say:

What the law is about?
How did you know about the law?
In your opinion do you think people like this law?

Discussion

Why do you think the law is important?
What are some ways that people can be encouraged to obey the law?
Many people think that occasionally minor breach of the law is OK. What do you think?
How successful do you think the laws are in your country?
What are the qualifications of a good police officer?
Do you think they are really maintaining law and order?
Why do you think international laws are important?
Why do some people prefer to be a lawyer?

8

Interview

Did you travel recently?
Where do you like to travel?
What is the most important thing when going to travel?
Do you plan to travel in advance?
When we plan any trip, which things should we consider?
Have you traveled a long distance? Why?
Do you think you will travel abroad in the future?
Are you someone who travels a lot by plane?
Have you ever thought to travel in space?

Cue Card

Describe a teenager you know.
You should say:

How old she/he is?
Where you met her/him?
What kind of person she/he is?
Do you like her/he?

Discussion

Why do many teenagers want to look different than their parents?
How do you think the change in a person’s behavior starts from childhood?
Is there a generation gap between adults and teenagers?
At what age should teenagers be considered as adults?
What is the difference in behaviors between teenagers’ and children’s?
Do in our society teenagers respect elder? If not, why?
Do people like parents respect elders in our society? If not, why?

9

Interview

Do you write letters and cards?
Is your handwriting good?
When did you last time write a letter?
Have you written many letters today than you were a child?
Do you prefer to write by hand or type?
Do you think computers might replace handwriting one day?
Do you love receiving handwritten letters? why or why not?

Cue Card

Describer an occasion when someone didn’t tell you the truth.
You should say:

How the situation was?
Who was involved?
How you found the person didn’t tell you the truth?
How did you feel after it?

Discussion

What is considered a lie?
Do people lie on a daily basis? Why?
What situations do you lie a little?
What are the consequences of telling lie?
Why is honesty important for kids?
What is the importance of teaching children to be honest?
Tell me a situation when someone is lying but it didn’t hurt anyone.

10

Interview

What do you prefer, tea, or coffee?
Do people in your country drink coffee or tea?
Do people in your country serve these drinks to the guests?
When was the last time you drank coffee or tea?

Cue Card

Describe a time when you needed to repair a broken equipment/device ( TV, radio…)
You should say:

What it was?
What the problem was?
What you did after it was broken? And explain how you felt after repairing it?

Discussion

Do you like repairing equipment or rather buy a new one?
What sort of equipment/device is easy to break?
Do you think advanced technology is making people lazy?
Why is play important to children’s learning and development?
Is it important to teach children to repair stuff?
What causes equipment to get broke?
Do you think manufacturers are responsible for equipment when it got broke early?

11

Interview

Do you like the New Year celebration?
What is your favorite public holiday?
What do you usually do during this holiday?
Are there many public holidays in your country?
What do people usually do on public holidays?
Should there be more public holidays?

Cue Card

Describe an important decision you made with someone’s help.
You should say:

What the decision was?
Who helped you?
Explain how the decision helped you.

Discussion

Is it important to ask for help when you are making decisions? Why?
What are some important decisions teenagers might have to take?
Do you agree that parents should make important decisions for their children?
Why do some people feel more difficult than others to make decisions regarding private life?
Should decisions be taken quickly or with time?
What are some important decisions national leaders would have to take?
What should national leaders consider when they make decisions?
Would there be a situation where national leaders would have to take decisions that might disappoint a set of people?

1

Interview

Where do you live?
What do you like the most about this place?
Would you change anything?
Do people in your country drink coffee or tea?
Do people in your country serve these drinks to the guests?
Are you a patient person? Do you think this is important?

Cue Card

Describe a traditional meal that you prepare in your country on special occasions.
You should say:

What it is?
How you prepare it?
What ingredients are used to prepare it? and explain why you enjoy it?

Discussion

Tell me about the types of food that people eat in your country?
How are eating habits now in your country different from eating habits in the past?
How healthy is your country’s food?
What more do you think could be done to promote healthy eating in your country?

(Canada)

2

Interview

Where do you live?
How Long have you been there?
Is there any place or thing which you like from your area?
Do you receive emails?
Do you think it is important to give a reply to emails immediately? Why (not)?
Do you like to receive emails or text messages?
Which is your favorite film star? Talk about him.
Have you seen any film star? When?

Cue Card

Talk about an interesting old person you met.
You should say:

Who was the person?
How you met that person?
Where you met him or her? And explain why you find him interesting?

Discussion

Do you think the way kids grow up today is different from the past?
Are famous people a good example for children?
Do you think that companies should use celebrities to advertise their products?
Do you think that celebrities have the responsibility for what they advertise?

(India)

3

Interview

Where do you live, in an apartment or house? Why?
Which is your favorite area in the house?
Why do you like to spend your time in that area?
What you do here and what time you spend your time here?
Do you like plants? Why?
Which plant did you grow for the first time and why you chose that plant?
Who guides you to grow plants?
Have you received any plant from anyone as a plant? When?
Do you like to gift plant to your family and friends? Why? Which type of plants?

Cue Card

Describe a useful website you have visited and liked.
You should say:

What the website was?
How you fund the address of this website?
What the website contained? And explain why it was useful to you.

Discussion

Do you think that the effects of mobile phones are increasing these days?
How the use of a mobile phone is different than the past?
Do you think this attitude will change in the future or not?
Do think the internet or online classes will replace teachers or not?
What are the effects of digital books on libraries?
When should we let children use mobile phones? Why?
Do mobile phones affect our relationships?

(Australia)

4

Interview

Do you work or study?
Why did you choose this work?
Did you enjoy your first day at work? why?
Do you remember your primary school teacher?
Describe a teacher you liked?

Cue Card

Describe a building or construction that you have seen and impressed you.
You should say:

Where it was?
What it looks like?
When did you saw it? And explain why it impressed you.

Discussion

Is it important to conserve old buildings? Why?
Is the history useful for the coming generations? Why?
What is the difference between houses built in the past and now?
What are the differences in the sizes of houses? Why?
Do you prefer a big or a small house? Why?

(Turkey)