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IELTS Speaking Part 1 Questions and Answers

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Published on: September 4, 2026

IELTS Speaking Part 1 is the Introduction and Interview: 4 to 5 minutes of familiar questions about you — your home, work or study, and two or three everyday topics. It is the shortest of the three parts and the one candidates most often mishandle, in both directions: one-word answers, or two-minute monologues that the examiner has to interrupt.

The question bank below is organised by the topics that recur, with a sample answer at band 7 or above for each.

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Key Takeaways

Part 1 runs 4 to 5 minutes out of a total Speaking test of 11 to 14 minutes.
Target two to four sentences per answer — roughly 20 to 30 seconds.
You are marked on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. The four apply across all three parts.
Content is not marked. An invented but fluent answer scores exactly as well as a true one.
Answer the question, then extend with a reason, an example or a contrast — extension is what separates band 6 from band 7.

What Part 1 is and how long it lasts

Feature	Detail
Official name	Introduction and Interview
Length	4-5 minutes
Opening	Identity check, then questions on your home, work or studies
Then	Two or three familiar topics
Questions per topic	Usually 3-4
Answer length	2-4 sentences

The answer shape that scores

Element	Function	Example
Direct answer	Answers the question asked	“Yes, most days.”
Reason or detail	Shows you can extend	“It is a fifteen-minute walk and it wakes me up properly.”
Example or contrast	Shows range	“Though if it is pouring, I will admit I take the bus.”

Three elements, one answer. Longer than that and you are in Part 2 territory; shorter and there is nothing for the examiner to assess.

Topic: work and study

Question	Band 7+ sample answer
Do you work or are you a student?	“I work — I am a logistics coordinator for a freight company. I have been there about two years now, mostly handling the scheduling side rather than the warehouse itself.”
Why did you choose that job?	“Honestly, it started as a temporary contract, but I found I liked the problem-solving side of it. There is always something going wrong that needs a workaround, and I would rather have that than a completely predictable day.”
What do you find most difficult about it?	“The unpredictability, which is also the thing I said I liked — so it cuts both ways. If a driver calls in sick at six in the morning, that becomes my problem before I have had coffee.”
Would you like to change jobs in the future?	“Eventually, yes. I would like to move into planning rather than day-to-day operations, mainly because I would prefer to be solving problems before they happen instead of afterwards.”

Topic: your home town

Question	Band 7+ sample answer
Where are you from?	“I am from a mid-sized city on the coast, about two hours south of the capital. It is not somewhere tourists go, which honestly makes it more pleasant to live in.”
What is it known for?	“Mostly the port and, more recently, a fairly good university. When I was growing up it was known for neither — it was just an industrial town.”
Has it changed much since you were a child?	“Enormously. The whole waterfront used to be closed off for cargo handling, and now it is apartments and cafes. My parents find it unrecognisable, though I think they miss the old version more than I do.”
Would you recommend it to a visitor?	“For a weekend, yes. For a week, probably not — you would run out of things to do by about Wednesday and start looking at train timetables.”

Topic: daily routine

Question	Band 7+ sample answer
What time do you usually get up?	“Around half past six on weekdays, which is earlier than I would like but the commute decides that rather than me.”
Are you a morning person?	“Not naturally, no. I have become one out of necessity, but if I had a free week I would drift back to waking up at nine within about three days.”
What is the busiest part of your day?	“Mid-morning, without question. Everything that has gone wrong overnight lands between nine and eleven, and after that it settles down.”
Would you like to change your routine?	“I would like to move my exercise to the morning rather than the evening. I keep intending to and then not doing it, which I suspect says something about me.”

Topic: free time and hobbies

Question	Band 7+ sample answer
What do you do in your free time?	“Mostly cycling and cooking. Cycling because it gets me outside without needing to plan anything, and cooking because it is the one thing where I can see the result immediately.”
Do you prefer spending free time alone or with others?	“It depends on the week. If work has been full of meetings I will happily see nobody at the weekend, whereas if I have been at a desk alone I want company.”
Have your interests changed over time?	“Quite a lot. I used to play football every week, and that stopped when the group broke up rather than because I lost interest. Cycling replaced it, and it turns out I prefer it.”
Is there a hobby you would like to take up?	“I would like to learn to sail properly. I grew up near the water and never learned, which feels like a waste.”

Topic: food and eating

Question	Band 7+ sample answer
Do you enjoy cooking?	“I do, though I am better at it when I have time. On a weeknight it is pasta and whatever is in the fridge; at the weekend I will actually plan something.”
Do you prefer eating at home or in restaurants?	“At home, mainly. Restaurants are a nice occasion but the food is rarely better than what I would make, and I would rather spend that money on something else.”
Has the food in your country changed in recent years?	“Considerably. When I was a child there were essentially three types of restaurant in my town, and now there are cuisines I had never heard of growing up. It has been a clear improvement.”
Do you think people cook less than they used to?	“Probably, yes — delivery apps have made it far too easy not to. Though I would say people who do cook are more ambitious than my parents’ generation were.”

Topic: technology

Question	Band 7+ sample answer
How much time do you spend on your phone?	“More than I would admit comfortably. The screen-time figure is about four hours a day, and I would guess half of that is genuinely pointless.”
What app do you use most?	“A maps app, oddly enough — my job involves a lot of checking routes. Outside work it would be messaging.”
Do you think you rely on technology too much?	“For navigation, definitely. I have lost the ability to find my way anywhere without a phone, which my father finds hilarious given that he drove across the country with a paper atlas.”
Would you like to reduce your screen time?	“I would, and I have tried the various blocking apps, which I then disable. Genuine willpower would probably work better than another piece of technology.”

Topic: travel and transport

Question	Band 7+ sample answer
How do you usually travel to work?	“By train, about forty minutes each way. It is reliable enough and I get some reading done, so I have stopped resenting it.”
Do you prefer public transport or driving?	“Public transport for commuting and driving for anything else. In a city the car is a liability — you spend the whole journey thinking about parking.”
Have you travelled abroad much?	“A reasonable amount within Europe, less further afield. The furthest was Japan about four years ago, which is still the trip I talk about most.”
Where would you like to go next?	“Somewhere with mountains and no itinerary. I have a habit of over-planning trips and then not enjoying them, so the next one is deliberately going to be vague.”

The four assessment criteria

Criterion	What the examiner is listening for	What raises it in Part 1
Fluency and coherence	Speaking at length without unnatural hesitation; logical connection	Extend every answer with a reason; use “though”, “whereas”, “mainly because”
Lexical resource	Range and precision of vocabulary, including paraphrase	Precise verbs and collocations, not rare words
Grammatical range and accuracy	Variety of structures and how often they are correct	Mix tenses naturally: what you do, did, have done, would do
Pronunciation	Intelligibility, stress, rhythm, intonation	Sentence stress and pausing; accent is not penalised

What loses marks in Part 1

Behaviour	Why it costs you	Instead
One-word answers	No language to assess	Answer, then give a reason
Two-minute answers	Reduces the number of questions and often loses coherence	Stop after two to four sentences
Memorised responses	Audible, and the examiner will change the question	Prepare content areas, not scripts
Rare vocabulary used wrongly	Lexical resource marks precision, not obscurity	Use words you control confidently
Asking the examiner questions	Part 1 is not a conversation between equals	Ask only for a repeat if you did not hear
Saying you do not know	Produces no assessable language	Say what you would guess, and why

Useful phrases for extending an answer

Function	Phrases
Give a reason	mainly because… / the reason being… / largely down to…
Add a contrast	though… / whereas… / that said… / having said that…
Qualify	to some extent… / more or less… / broadly speaking…
Give an example	for instance… / take last week — …
Show change over time	I used to… but now… / it has become…
Speculate	I would imagine… / I suspect… / I would guess…

The middle column is not a list to memorise as a block. Pick two from each row that sound like you and use those; a candidate cycling through eight discourse markers in four minutes sounds rehearsed, which does not help the fluency score.

FAQ

How long is IELTS Speaking Part 1?

Four to five minutes, within a total Speaking test of 11 to 14 minutes. Part 2 takes three to four minutes and Part 3 four to five.

How long should each Part 1 answer be?

Two to four sentences, or roughly 20 to 30 seconds. One-word answers give the examiner nothing to assess, and answers over a minute reduce the number of questions asked and often lose coherence.

Are Part 1 answers marked for content?

No. All three parts are marked on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Nothing you say is assessed for truth, interest or opinion quality.

Can I invent details in Part 1?

Yes, and it is often easier than searching your memory. The examiner assesses your English, not your biography. An invented answer delivered fluently scores better than a true one delivered hesitantly.

Should I memorise Part 1 answers?

No. Memorised answers are recognisable from their rhythm and vocabulary, and an examiner who notices will change the question. Prepare topic areas and useful phrases instead of full scripts.

What if I do not understand a question?

Ask for it to be repeated — that is allowed and costs you nothing. What does cost you is answering a different question or saying you have nothing to say, since neither produces assessable language.

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