speaking ielts for learner

….Family Tradition
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.
Describe your favourite family tradition.
You should say:
•

what the tradition is

•

when it occurs

•

what you do

and explain why it is your favourite tradition.

My favourite family tradition is most certainly Thanksgiving, which is celebrated
on the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. Actually,
everyday should be a day of Thanksgiving. My family loves to celebrate this
holiday.
It is a yearly tradition for our family to gather at my grandma’s house for
Thanksgiving. I always look forward to this event. My cousins and other family
members that I do not get to see often are there. My grandma and other family
members prepare a big meal. There is always plenty for everyone. The main thing
is of course the turkey. I like turkey, especially the legs. My uncle never eats
turkey. He says it is an ugly bird, and he doesn’t want to eat it. When I was
younger, I would always want to get the wishbone and break it. We also have sides

to go along with the turkey. Everyone loves my grandma’s mashed potatoes. We
also have rolls, dressing, cranberry sauce, and yams. Then, for dessert we have
fresh pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Before we eat everyone always gathers
around the table and someone says the blessing.
Thanksgiving is always a good time of fellowship and bonding for my family. We
usually watch some of the parade on television or a football game. Sometimes


after everyone is done eating, we play card games like Rook. You can see why this
is a favorite tradition for me and my family. I wish we could do it more often.

…Childhood
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.
Describe a happy childhood memory.
You should say:
•

when and where the incident you remember happened

•

who you were with

•

what happened exactly

and explain why it is a happy memory.

I grew up very far from most of my family so I only saw them once a year. Every
summer I would go to stay with them, while my parents continued working.
Although I missed my parents, I used to really enjoy spending time with my
grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. I spent all summer there, nearly two
whole months, so from time to time my cousins and I would get bored. We would
ask my grandparents if they had any ideas for interesting things we could do.
Sometimes they suggested going for a bike ride, sometimes into town to do some
shopping. At other times, they showed us a new game to play. Then we were
happy again.
One day - it must be about 30 years ago (doesn't time fly!) - all of us got really,
really bored and we kept complaining to my grandparents. They were tearing their
hair out, trying to think up ideas of where we could go and what we could do.
Suddenly, my granddad came up with the idea of going to a new water park that
had opened that summer. I hadn't heard about it but my cousins had, and they
told me all about it. It was a park with vast numbers of different pools, some
inside, some outside. There were water slides as well. And, on top of there was


not one, but two playgrounds with swings, a merry-go-round, see-saws. We were
so excited.
We set off and on the way we were all singing songs and laughing. We couldn't
wait to get there. When we arrived, my cousins and I ran into the park and
changed into our swimming costumes. Then we went looking for the most
exciting-looking pool, and we found it, one with brightly coloured tiles and slides,
we jumped straight in. We played all day in the park and had a lovely lunch, sat on
some benches in the sunshine.
My granddad loved a pool that was filled with spa water. It was dark brown and
stank of rotten eggs. I didn't want to go in but he eventually convinced me. I'm
pleased he did because the water was really warm. I'd never swam in water that

warm. I didn't want to get out, despite the terrible smell.
I consider it such a happy memory because we enjoyed ourselves so much and I
remember so vividly how I felt that day. But there's more to it than just that.
When I look back now, I understand how caring my grandparents were and how
much they wanted us all to be happy. They would have done anything to help us
have a good time. I appreciate that more now that I'm older and have children of
my own. I hope we thanked them; I can't remember. But, anyway, they were
content, I'm sure, to just watch us have an amazing time, playing and laughing in
the water. So, as you can see, it was a wonderful day and is one of my favourite
childhood memories.
What other activity did you use to enjoy when you were staying with your
family?
I loved going for walks in the local park. There were people selling all kinds of
delicious foods from carts, so my grandparents would invariably buy us some
treat, like homemade ice-cream or cakes.

Successful Family Member
1) The format of the test is as follows:
In the first part of the interview you will be asked questions
about yourself and familiar topics. In the second part you will be given a card
with a topic and some prompts. You will have one minute to prepare this topic
and then you will talk about it for one to two minutes. In the last part the


examiner will develop this topic into a more abstract discussion. You will be asked
for your opinions and ideas on related issues.
2) Try to talk as much and as fluently as possible. In the actual test, do not let
concern about accuracy obstruct fluency.
3) Do not prepare specific answers: they will not be useful and they will make it
more difficult for you to do a good interview.

4) Relax, be confident and enjoy using your English.
Part 2
Take one minute to prepare a talk on the following subject.
Take notes if you like and remember to include reasons and examples.
You should then speak for between one and two minutes.
Describe the member of your family who is the most successful.
You should say:
•

who this person is

•

how often you see each other

•

what this person does

and explain why he/she is successful.

I think that the person who is the most successful in my family would be my
father. I think also that the answer to the question ‘Who is the most successful
person in your family?’ basically depends on what you think ‘success’ means, so,
my answer is in the context of working life, rather than personal life. And that's
why I've chosen my dad. He has a job that is rewarding. He feels like he's
accomplishing something, that is obviously personally and professionally
satisfying, but he also feels like he's contributing to society in a positive way,
which is a quality that a lot of jobs these days seem to lack and is something that I
gauge success on.

It's a bit hard to explain exactly what he does, but basically he works for a
charitable organisation that runs retirement homes for old people, especially old
people who haven't got much money. It's a management job, but working in a
context which is really worthwhile.
His success is due to a lot of different things basically ... finding the right job for
him, one that suited him and his personality as well as his qualifications, and the
goals that he wants to reach in his working life. But he's also just worked hard over
a lot of years, which means that it's more likely that he'll be successful, I guess, if
success comes from hard work, which it often does.
I see my dad very regularly, about once a week. We often eat breakfast together
before we go to our respective workplaces, so, yes, I think that I'd have to say he
was the most successful because he enjoys what he does, as well as making a
decent living out of it and I admire that in him. I think that in a work context this is
what success means.
Describe a museum you have visited and liked
IELTS Cue Card Question 91 With Model Answer:

Topic :Describe a museum you have visited and liked.
You should say:
•

what kind of museum it was

•

when you first went there

•

what you saw and did there

and explain why you liked this museum.
Museum is an exciting place to learn about the past and histories of numerous
issues. A few weeks ago, I went to the War Remnants Museum with some of my
friends.
The War Remnants Museum is located in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. This
museum is a place of wonderful collections of Vietnam War. The museum also
contains relics and collection of the first Indochina war where the participation of
the French Colonialists was a notable issue. The museum is currently operated by
the state. The museum exhibits mostly the relics of the war associated with the


Americans and the French. In the 1970s, the relics were exhibited on the
temporary basis and were termed in a different name. Such exhibitions were also
held in different parts of Vietnam to let people know about the war crimes which
Vietnam has suffered. The exhibition name was changed in the 1990s.
When I was a teen, I went to the museum with my high school mates. It was an
educational trip for us and we visited the museum from our school. The school
authority organised for the tour and all the students of the high school had to
participate in the trip. I learnt a lot of information during the trip but it was not
that much popular as it in the current days. Around one million visitors come to
see the war relics in this museum and it has turned into one of the most attracting
places both for the natives and global travellers. But the foreign visitors are more
in number than the local visitors and the opinions are different among the
travellers. Some of them cannot bear the horrors of the Vietnam wars during the
visit.

Reading

1. Do you like reading books? Why or why not?
2. What (kinds of) books do you like to read?
3. Did you read much when you were a child?
4. What (kinds of) books did you like reading when you were a child?
5. Do (young) children like reading books?
6. For children, what do you think are the benefits of reading?
7. What do you think are the benefits of reading to children?
Yes, I’m really into reading because I believe that reading can be both entertaining
and educational. Reading broadens my knowledge by opening up the whole world
to me. While I’m reading, I can be visiting another country or a different time
period, or traveling through space. I can find out how people solve problems or
think up new ideas.
Oh, it’s a tough question, or it should be more of what books I don’t read. I have a
really open mind to books and what genre they are. Classic literature, novel,
autobiography, historical story…whatever.
Yes, I remember when I was a kid, I’d like to take some historical books from my
father’s bookshelf, and read the historical stories, which were really entertaining


and educational to me. As a result, I’m very familiar with our Chinese ancient
history.
It’s kind of hard to say but young children that I know around me tend to read
fairy tales to cultivate their mental development, but maybe for others, they just
want to watch TV and play toys.
I believe if you want your children to be smart, they have to acquire a love for
reading, which has numerous benefits. Reading opens the door to child’s early
academic success, imparts a love of learning and leads to higher grades in every
subject. Besides, reading can help children Improve linguistic skills in the form of a
richer vocabulary, correct grammar, and more articulate oral communication. On
top of that, books teach child about relationships, situations, personalities, and

what is good and what is bad in the world he lives in.

Music
1. Do you often like to listen to music?
2. When do you listen to music?
3. How much time do you spend listening to music every day?
4. What kinds of music do you like to listen to?
5. What’s your favourite kind of music?
6. How often do you listen to that type of music?
7. When did you start listening to this type of music?
8. Where do you listen to it?
9. How do you feel when you listen to this music?
Yes, I am a big fan of music all these years. I sometimes listen to music before
sleeping at night for one hour and when I am driving, which will both help me
relax. I am very fond of pop music from Taiwan and Hong Kong, and I also
frequently listen to some American pop singers, like the Backstreet Boys. I can feel
the energy when I hear the tune.
Personally, I am interested in the traditional instrumental music, like erhu, mixed
with pianos and guitars. I always get time to listen to these music during the
weekends. It is an impressive combination that can give you a both nostalgic and
modern feelings. I firstly encountered this type of music when I was driving and
listening to the radio five years ago, I forgot the name, but the tune sounded really
amazing.


Oh, yes, I saw a pop singer performance several years ago. It was a really
memorable night as the live performances were very exciting. I remembered that
after the song, when the singer talked to the audience, everyone cheered and
clapped crazily. It made me feel so cool being there.
Unfortunately, I had not learned to play any type of musical instrument when I

was a little boy. I remembered that in schools, teachers always told us to put all
energy into studying and preparing exams. The music lessons, along with physical
exercises and paintings, were not so important as the schools claimed to be. I
really felt pity when I grew up.
I didn’t get enough time to listen to music because I had to give all time to study.
That was my biggest pity during my childhood, so when I got to the university,
what I firstly did was to buy me a new mp3 player.
I believe currently in China, the most popular music is pop music. There are many
famous pop singers now, releasing numerous albums every year, and they are
always trendy for a period of time.

…Describe a newspaper or a magazine.
You should say:
•

What it is and why you read it

•

What are the benefits of reading a newspaper or a magazine

•

How often you read it and what are the contents of it

and explain why do you like reading this newspaper or magazine.
Follow-up Questions:
• What do you think are the important qualities for a news reporter?
• What's the main difference between newspaper and magazine?
• What’s the function of a report to the society?

• What kinds of books/newspapers/magazines do adolescents read in your
country?
• With the popularity of Internet, do you think newspapers and magazines will
disappear?


Possible Answer:
I read the newspaper almost every day and sometimes I purchase or borrow
magazines to read as well. I'd like to describe a magazine that I usually buy each
month and enjoy reading a lot. The name of this magazine is PC World which is a
global computer magazine published monthly by IDG in the USA. It offers advice
on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personaltechnology products and services. In each publication, PC World reviews and tests
hardware and software products from a variety of manufacturers, as well as other
technology related devices such as still and video cameras, audio devices and
televisions.
I have been reading this magazine for the last 6-7 years or so. It is specifically
useful for people who love computers, other technology devices; software and ITrelated news and updates. I am doing my graduation in Computer Science and
Engineering and love to learn about new hardware and software. This is a
magazine that offers great hardware & software reviews, tips on advanced
computing and many other useful articles.
Reading a newspaper or a magazine is always helpful for learning new
information. Newspapers provide contemporary local news, international news,
editorials, entertainment, news, sports news and so on. Without reading
newspapers or magazines one can't keep himself / herself updated with the latest
news and views of the world. I purchase the PC World magazine every month and
read it for about 7 days. Sometimes I read older versions as well to find out any
particular reviews or articles. This magazine is helpful for basic, moderate and
advanced computer users and techno lovers. Someone who has a computer
should read it to increase his/ her knowledge of hardware and software. Even it’s
helpful for those who are going to buy computers, printers, cameras, scanners,

software or other hardware devices. I enjoy reading it a lot.

Travelling
1. Do you like travelling?
2. In which seasons do you prefer to travel?
3. Would you say your country welcomes travellers? (or tourists)?
4. Would you say your country is a good place for travellers to visit?


You bet! I am a big fan of travelling around. I spend months all together each year
to go somewhere else. I feel that it’s not only an indispensable part of my life, but
also can culture my mental development.
I guess the autumn is the best time to travel. As it is neither too hot nor too cold,
people will feel comfortable to go out. Besides, as the foliage of trees will turn
yellow or red, you will find the picturesque views all around you. Wherever you
go, you will experience a memorable trip.
Yes, Chinese people are renowned for their hospitality to visitors. And there are
also numerous tourist attractions around the country. For instance, you can visit
the natural landscape to see the picturesque views, or you can go to the historical
relics to know the events through the long Chinese history, or you can just stay at
the metropolises to experience the local people’s lifestyle.

Describe your favourite item of clothing.
You should say:
•

What it is

•

When you bought it

•

Why you bought it

and say why you like it so much.
Ooh, my favourite item of clothing! I’m not much of a clothes horse to be honest,
I’m not very interested in fashion so at first, I thought this topic might be quite
hard. However, I’ve thought of one. I’ll tell you what it is, when and why I bought
it and why I like it so much.
The item is in itself unremarkable. It is a purple craghoppers’ long-sleeved shirt. It
is made of a quick-drying poly cotton blend and the fabric has some stretchy
qualities which make it easy to wear. The fabric keeps out the sun, and the design
incorporates a couple of pockets, one of which has a zip so you can keep small
items securely on your person. It is designed as a travel shirt, and to be honest,
was rather expensive compared to clothes I would normally buy.
I bought the shirt online ahead of travelling to South East Asia. It was just coming
out of winter in the UK, but I’d be going to a hot climate. I wanted something


lightweight and comfortable to take with me. It was the wrong time of year to be
browsing shops in England, they were all still full of winter clothes, so I just had to
trust the description on the site that this would be a good buy, but I was nervous
in case it didn’t fit or wasn’t practical. I shouldn’t have worried.
I LOVE this shirt. It is incredibly comfortable to wear, the colour suits me quite
well, and even though it is designed as a travel shirt, it’s actually smart enough to
wear for work if you match it with some respectable trousers (or a skirt I suppose,
but I never wear skirts!). It washes brilliantly, and if you shake it out and put it on
a hanger it dries crease-free within an hour or so. The hidden pocket is handy for

carrying emergency cash on your person, and I like to have a hanky with me too –
there is a pocket for that as well. Because the shirt is so comfy, and much harder
wearing than I expected, I wore it almost all the time on my travels. This means
that the shirt is now linked to very many happy memories of places I’ve been,
people I’ve met and adventures I’ve had. I wish I’d bought loads of them at the
same time. I’ll be heart-broken when it eventually wears out as one day it surely
must.
Talking about it has got me thinking – would it really hurt to have another quick
look at their travel clothes website once again? You never know, perhaps they’ll
have a sale on and it would be a shame to miss out...

Tet Holiday
In Vietnam, there are many festivals in a year such as Double Five festival, Midautumn festival, etc. Among them, the Luna New Year is the most important and
popular holiday in these traditional festivals. This is a transitional period between
old year and new year; is a occasion for everyone to commemorate ancestors,
pilgrims and family reunions. Therefore, Vietnamese people need make a good
preparation to welcome the New Year festival.
Preparation often begins a week before the actual celebration. At that time,
everyone is busy buying some necessary items such as clothes, food, shoes, etc. In
spring flowers market, people go to visit and choose their most satisfied flower
pots. Peach blossom, kumquat, yellow daisy, apricot blossom, etc are flowers
which are used to decorating in the traditional festival. Moreover, food is gotten
ready; the traditional dishes get ready: square glutinous rice cake, pickled welsh
onion, pie, chicken, spring roll and these confectioneries such as ginger jam, sugar-


preserved lotus seeds, sweet, cake, etc. Everybody often cleans and decorates
their house; their ancestral altar is tidied up. Vietnamese families have a tray of
five fruits on their altar called five - fruits tray, including banana, orange, kumquat,
pomelo and chili; each of which conveys a different meaning and is symbolic of

happiness, luckiness, richness. The atmosphere of this festival is coming and
people are animatedly to welcome spring time
On the last day of the year, preparation for new year is completed. Families have a
New Year’s Eve supper together and expect the New Year’s Eve. At the mid-night,
everyone performs ritual offerings to the ancestor on New Year’s Eve. Then, they
flock to pagoda to burn incense and to pick buds. As they want to bring luckiness
for their family. After that, almost people often go to bed and hope their family
will be many fun and luckiness in the New Year.
The first day of Tet is reserved for nuclear family. Children receive a red envelop
containing money from their elders. Then, these families often warmly greet the
first person enter their house. This act is called “ First - food”, which is one of the
most important rituals during festival, During subsequent days, people visit
relatives, friends and give these close relatives the traditional Tet greetings. This is
a lucky, healthy, happy wish such as: “wish you a happy new year”, “wish you in
security and good healthy”, etc. Traditionally but strictly, the first day of Tet is
usually reserved for parents; the second day is for relatives and the third day is for
teachers, who command respect in Vietnam. These others days, people are
delighted to enjoy exciting games such as buffalo fight, chess, cock fight, etc.
When the festival ends, people return their works, their study. However, these
welcoming spring activities continue happening.
Luna New Year is the most important festival for Vietnamese people. These are
funny and happy days that people prepare and welcome new year together. In
addition, it is a wonderful occasion for Vietnamese families to reunite and
remember their ancestors.

Food


1. What is your favourite food?
2. When do you usually eat that food?

3. What was your favourite food when you were a child?
4. Did that change when you became an adult?
5. Is food important to you?
6. What food do you usually eat?
7. What kind of food do you particularly like?
The fish is my favourite, especially with red hot chilies, cos it is so tasty and
colourful and beside fish is nutritious too. I will cook it myself at home during the
weekends for my family.
When I was a child, I liked the food made by my mother. She was an expert at
cooking, and the fish was my favourite. I’m still fond of eating fish when I became
an adult, and now I always cook it myself at home during the weekends for my
family, once a week maybe.
Yes, definitely. I believe good food is very important because it is not only very
tasty, but could also guarantee our health.
In general, I eat a lot of rice and vegetables every day. And once a week, I will cook
a fish myself at home during the weekends for my family which is my favourite.
I always tell my son to eat more fresh vegetables and fish because they are
healthier and more nutritious than meat, but he just fancies meat the most.
No, it will be boring to eat the same food every day. I also like noodles, dumpling,
and sometimes I eat pizza and curry which are both delicious.
I’m really not into Japanese food because they are sometimes cold, or even are
raw food, like sushi. I once bought them in the supermarket, but the taste really
disgusted me.

Describe YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER
You should say
✐ What this teacher looks like
✐ What sort of person this teacher is

✐ What this teacher helped you to learn
✐ And explain why this teacher is your favorite
I would like to talk about one of my favourite teachers during the past 20 years I
have been under formal education. Her name is Thy and she was my English
teacher when I was in grade 10.
Off the top of my head, she has a feminine round face with distinctive facial
features, which easily catch the eyes of the passers-by. She is petite and personally
speaking she looks the best wearing the traditional Vietnamese dress ‘Ao Dai’
because the dress accentuates her body.
About who she is as a person, she is the most delightful and friendly teacher I
have ever had. She is extremely attentive, caring and patient person. She took
time out to listen to our struggles in studying English and she actually tried to
figure out a learning method that could suit each of us. Grade 10 is the first grade
in Vietnamese high school after students graduate from secondary school. The
transitioning process was quite daunting because I had to learn to adapt to the
new environment, new friends and extensive amount of knowledge everyday. But
she did make the whole process less painful and more enjoyable in her lectures.
She helped the class members to get to know each other by getting us to take part
in interactive games. I remember that she used to ask my group to search for the
lyrics of our favorite English songs and blank out some of the words as a challenge
for another group in the class to listen and fill in.
We got to revise, practice English and had fun at the same time in her class so
there is no doubt that she was also everyone’s favorite. Now that this topic has
reminded me of her, I feel a bit guilty for not keeping in touch with her to show
her how much I appreciate her efforts to help me be this good at English. But I do
hope that she’s been doing well and wish her all the best in whatever she tries to
achieve..

Neighborhoods
1. Are there many people living near you?

2. Do you know all your neighborhood?
3. How often do you see your neighborhood?
4. When do you meet your neighborhood?


5. How often do you talk to your neighborhood?
6. Do you think it’s important to know your neighbordhood?
7. How well do you know your neighbours?
8. Do you think it’s important for a person to have a good relationship with their
neighbours?
9. What do you think of your neighbours?
10. What kind of people are your neighbours?
11. How do you get along well with your neighbours?
12. What are the benefits of having good relationships with one’s neighbours?
13. What sorts of problems can people have with their neighbours?
Yes, I live in the small village , so there are many people living near me, and I know
some of them. I can meet them from time to time in the community. Every time I
meet my neighbours, I will say hell to them and talk with them for a little while.
Yes, we will say hello when we meet in the district. My nearest neighbour is an old
lady living with her son. She is always alone at home as her son is working at office
in the daytime, and she has no grandson to look after. Every time we meet in the
corridor, she is likely to talk with me about her family and play with my little boy
for a while. I think she really needs a company.
I don’t intend to know much things about neighbours because I want to respect
others’ privacy. But some of my neighbours are close friends, we meet regularly,
and we sometimes go out for dinner. In this case, we are inevitably familiar with
their domestic problems.
Most of my neighbours are generous and kind-hearted.
Yes, I feel that having a good relationship with them can allow me to lead a
comfortable life in the community. I can make new friends with them, sharing the

same interests and I can learn more skills from them about how to educate my
boy.
Not so much big problems in neighbourhood I believe, except some noise.
To choose between the two, I will probably go with young people because I am
young myself, it’s easy for me to make friends with them so that we can hang out


together, whereas, living with old people will probably bring me inconvenience
because if I make noise they will complain to me incessantly.