IELTS Speaking Part 1 Sample Answer

These are high-scoring sample answers for the following IELTS Speaking Part 1 questions. Read them to understand what you need to talk about and the kind of answers you need to start your IELTS speaking test well. For advice, strategies and tips on the best ways to answer (because 1 minute is very short), this article will help.

Sample Answers

Social Media

1/ Do you or your friends like using social media?

I think these days everybody likes it to a certain extent, now the overall novelty has gone. I think it’s essential in some ways. It’s a new way to basically keep in touch with your friends and distant family, to stop you losing touch with people. So, yes.

2/ Do you think you or your friends use too much social media?

I think people my age, I think it’s quite sad if they use it too much. And so if they use it too much, it’s maybe a sign of them being bored, whereas younger people, it’s maybe a sign that they’ve got too many friends or they’re wanting to impress somebody.

3/ Do you want to work in social media? Why?

I need to work with social media in some ways. For example, this video is basically for social media, but you know, I can’t stand it. I really have trouble with posting things online, to be quite honest with you.

4/ What’s the most popular social media in your country? Why?

I’m not sure. Okay. I come from the UK, but I live in China, and so I’m not sure what the most popular social media would be in the UK. Maybe. WhatsApp? Twitter. I’m not sure. Instagram, maybe? I think, from what I gather, Facebook’s not so popular these days. But definitely in China it’s Weixin, which is em, basically people wouldn’t be able to live without Weixin these days.

Speaking Analysis

This is my opinion of the above answers. The answer was given as in a test, with minimal preparation time.

Question 1 – Good answer, with some good vocabulary (see below).

Question 2 – Good, a comparison between my friends and younger people.

Question 3 – Good answer. Truthful. Many students believe that they should always say something positive, but it doesn’t matter. Good intonation on ‘I can’t stand it’

Question 4 – Good. Repeatedly show I don’t know by using phrases, such as ‘I’m not sure’. Also compare the UK to China.

Less Common and Idiomatic Vocabulary