IELTS Speaking Practice Test 1 in 2024 with Model Answers

The IELTS Speaking test measures how well you can communicate in English. It's an essential part of the IELTS exam, evaluating your fluency, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. We'll delve into the three components of the IELTS Speaking test, with sample questions on various common topics like TV programs, jobs and businessman and their answers, and provide helpful vocabulary to boost your performance for a top IELTS band score.

Part 1

Where do you usually watch TV programmes /shows?

What is your favourite TV programmes/shows?

Are there any programmes/shows you don’t like to watch?

Do you think you will watch more TV or fewer TV programmes/shows in the future?

Part 2

Given below is the IELTS Cue Card topic related to a person who has started a business. Get 2 sample answers for this topic below.

Part 3

Choosing Work

• What kinds of jobs do young people not want to do in your country?
• Who is best at advising young people about choosing a job: teachers or parents?
• Is money always the most important thing when choosing a job?

Work-life balance

• Do you agree that a lot of people nowadays are under pressure to work longer hours and take less holiday?
• What is the impact on society of people having a poor work-life balance?
• Could you recommend some effective strategies for governments and employers to ensure people have a good work-life balance?

Part 1 Sample Answers

Given below are the actual IELTS Speaking Part 1 stuff based on TV programs with sample answers.

Where do you usually watch TV programs/shows?

Well, I am not really a fan of TV because nowadays, you can basically watch everything on your laptop itself. I used to watch TV a lot when I was a kid – you know, all the cartoon channels and stuff. In fact, that’s why I am short-sighted now.

What is your favourite TV programs/shows?

As I mentioned before, I was crazy for cartoon when I was small. You know there were a mixed variety of TV programs for children, among which I found Cartoon network the most appealing due to the lively and humorous characters. It could keep me sitting for hours.

Are there any programs/shows you don’t like to watch?

Advertisements… I hate to be disturbed by adverts when I was in the middle of wonderful movies or TV shows. I understand that it is a way to keep people in suspense but too many advertisements can be annoying sometimes. That’s the reason why I switched to watch on the Internet which has less commercial ads.

Do you think you will watch more TV or fewer TV programs/shows in the future?

I will watch less for sure. Why do I need to watch TV when I already have the Internet? I can re-watch my favourite sit-com or reality show anytime I want. However, I don’t want to become a couch potato so I d’ better limit my time with any screens.

Vocabulary :

• Short-sighted (adj): unable to see things clearly
• To be crazy for: really like something
• Appealing (adj): attractive or interesting
• Keep someone in suspense: If you keep or leave someone in suspense, you deliberately delay telling them something
• Become a couch potato: a lazy and inactive person

Part 2 Sample Answers

You will have exactly one minute to prepare and speak on a specific topic like the ‘Describe someone you know who has started a business' for IELTS Speaking Part 2. Check out the sample answers for this topic.

Sample Answer 1

Today I would like to tell you about Mark Zuckerberg who is a famous technology entrepreneur and the founder of Facebook Corporation. Well, I think everybody knows Mark as an important figure in the start-up world because he set up his own business when he was still a student at Harvard University.

He firstly created a social network with profile information of his friends in the dorm which attracted hundreds of users just in a week. Nobody would think that this hobby could turn into a multi-million dollar business 10 years later, especially when he was still so young at that time.

You know what, I think he was so clever to foresee the potential profit of this application so he co-operated with some friends to raise the company profile. Nowadays, Facebook is widely used by millions of people all over the world which brought an impressive sale figure to the company. However, you must have heard that Mark recently faced a scandal of leaking customer personal information, because of which, he must testify with the authorities. Of course.. no pain no gain ..

Despite this issue, I still admire him so much for his talent and determination and want to become a successful entrepreneur like him. Start-up has never been a piece of cake, especially in such adverse competition, you have to be very unique to stand out but once you are, you can earn a fortune. I love the feeling of being challenged because only am I pushed to my limit, my full potentials will be unlocked. Who knows, in the future, I might run my own online education business.

That’s all I want to share.

Sample Answer 2

My uncle is my greatest inspiration in life. He established his own company at an early age. He constantly advised me that entrepreneurs are passionate about developing a business and the product is almost unimportant. He said not to waste my time hunting for ideas that serve my own interests. Instead, to start a successful business, you need to look for something that fills an unfulfilled need.

Internet and cable television were relatively new services while he was growing up. So he started his business, providing package deals on network cable for sports as well as high-speed internet services. Once people started hearing about the advantages of the internet and its usefulness, his client base grew rapidly as there were no other competitors in the area. He was able to give people something new and useful that they could use for fun as well as educational purposes. He established his business to ensure that even people who lived away from the city centre were able to access these services. He would work throughout the week to ensure that the connection never went down during important days.

I still remember he would get so many phone calls during the cricket world cup! I was motivated by his drive and dedication. However, I don’t think I could work in the same field as I’m more drawn toward the teaching profession. I still learned a great deal from him about how to be successful in life.

Vocabulary :

Check out some IELTS Vocabulary to use while answering the cue card, 'Describe someone you know who has started a business' and make sure to impress your IELTS examiner.

• set up own’s own business
• Multi-million dollar business
• potential profit
• raise the company profile
• sale figure
• leaking customer personal information
• no pain no gain
• a piece of cake
• adverse competition
• earn a fortune
• to be pushed to one’s limit
• potentials will be unlocked

Part 3 Sample Answers

In IELTS Speaking Part 3, you will be asked some questions related to the topic of the cue card you have been given in Part 2. Given below are the sample answers to Part 3 questions mentioned in the previous section of the article with expert-curated sample answers.

Choosing work

What kinds of jobs do young people not want to do in your country?

That’s an interesting question, let me think about it… I would say it is labour job.. you know.. stuff like cleaners, builders and waiters. The reasons are probably low salary and intense labour. In fact, many students work part-time as a waiter and waitress but it is just a temporary job. As soon as they graduate from college, they will compete to get a position in the office because white-collar workers are still more preferable than blue-collar workers.

Who is best at advising young people about choosing a job: teachers or parents?

Well, I would say it depends. While teachers would have a better knowledge of student’s academic performance, parents will know their kids’ personalities the most. In terms of the job market, I suppose they have an equal amount of knowledge. Therefore, it is the best for the young to consult with whoever they feel more comfortable with.

Is money always the most important thing when choosing a job?

Not necessarily… we all know that millionaires in the world don’t work for money but passion. It is said that “If you love your job, you won’t have to work a day in your life” and I completely believe in it. For me, I can’t imagine myself get stuck in a nine-to-five job without any job satisfaction.

Work-life balance

Do you agree that many people nowadays are under pressure to work longer hours and take less holiday?

Yes, I think so. We are living in an increasingly competitive world and there is no doubt that the labour market is getting more selective. Students from top universities will have a higher chance of being hired, and even after that, they are likely to be exploited by excessive workload and constant pressure. Therefore, maintaining a work-life balance is vitally important for workers.

What is the impact on society of people having a poor work-life balance?

That’s truly intriguing.. To be honest, I have never thought about it before. I guess they will be a negative impact on the community because they don’t have enough time to take care of family and friends. As a result, they do not only destroy themselves but also hurt people around them. If there are thousands of workaholics like that, you can imagine what the domino effect will be like. To be honest, I would never do that myself.

Could you recommend some effective strategies for governments and employers to ensure people have a good work-life balance?

Well, definitely governments should impose law restricting the number of hours that people can work per day. Although it is necessary to work overtime once in a while, it shouldn’t become a daily habit. I suggest that the authorities can even punish business owners if they let their employees work later than 5 pm. It may sound too controlling but the sad news is that many people in Japan killed themselves for over-working which shouldn’t have happened if the Japanese government had ways to manage this issue from the beginning.

Vocabulary:

• white-collar workers: White-collar workers work in offices rather than doing physical work
• blue-collar workers: Blue-collar workers work in the industry, doing physical work
• nine-to-five job: a job during regular business hours usually in an office
• job satisfaction: a feeling of fulfilment or enjoyment that a person derives from their job

Also Check:

• IELTS Speaking tips
• Linking words for IELTS Speaking
• IELTS Speaking recent actual test
• IELTS Speaking Part 3 Topics
• Idioms for IELTS Speaking
• IELTS Pronunciation Guide
• Common English words in IELTS Speaking
• Ough words