Health Speaking Part 1 Sample Answers

This article contains the Health Speaking Part 1 sample answers.

IELTS Speaking Part 1 consists of a short discussion between the examiner and the candidate. You will be asked a series of questions on common topics. You have to state your opinion or experiences.

Given below are real IELTS Speaking Part 1 questions with sample answers on the subject – Health.

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Speaking Part 1

Speaking Part 2

Sample Answer 1

Well, I’ve never been seriously ill, but I can remember a couple of weeks ago, I had taken leave for 3 days because I was under the weather.
I was walking back home from work and it suddenly started to rain cats and dogs, so I got wet. The next day when I woke up, I was a bit off-color. I still remember feeling poorly, even I got a headache, a sore throat, chesty cough, and a blocked nose.  I decided to see my GP for a check-up. My GP said that I caught a heavy cold and had to take a lot of medicines. I was in charge of a project presentation at that time, and due to the situation, I had no choice but to phone in sick and reschedule the presentation until this week. But thank God, I was over the worst of it and made a speedy recovery after 3 days of suffering.

Vocabulary For Cue Card

• Take leave: to use time permitted to be away from work
  Eg: John has taken leave on half-pay. 
• To be under the weather: (informal) to not feel well
  Eg: After returning from her vacation, she felt under the weather and took a leave from work. 
• Rain cats and dogs: rain heavily
  Eg: It was raining cats and dogs. 
• A blocked nose: when the nose has excess fluid due to a cold
  Eg: Rose has a sore throat and a blocked nose. 
• To be a bit off-color: to feel a little ill
  Eg: John’s been a bit off-color for the past two days. 
• A sore throat: inflammation that causes pain when swallowing
  Eg: Mary has a severe cold and a sore throat. 
• Chesty cough: a cough caused by congestion around the lungs
  Eg: Since He’s a chain smoker, and has a chesty cough.
• Catch a heavy cold: have a bad cold
  Eg: Since I got drenched in the rain last, I had caught a heavy cold. 
• To be in charge of: take over something; responsible for something
  Eg: The old man is in the charge of taking care of the mansion. 
• To phone in sick: to call work to explain you won’t be attending work due to illness
  Eg: Rose has again called in sick today. 
• To be over the worst: to have got through the most serious or uncomfortable stage of an illness
  Eg: The damage in his lungs seems to be over the worst
• Made a speedy recovery: to recover quickly from an illness
   Eg: The doctor wished John a speedy recovery. 

Sample Answer 2

I came down with the Coronavirus during the first few weeks of lockdown and it was a pretty terrifying experience. Not only was it a completely unknown disease, but due to the travelling restrictions and isolation period imposed on those affected, I was not able to have anyone help me or take care of me at all. It began like a cold, only my ears were plugged and I coughed my lungs out. I would get a fever and chills, which became worse at night. I was exhausted – if I took a hot shower to relieve the chills, I’d then have to sit down for fifteen minutes due to my legs trembling before I could do anything else. For the first three days, I had headaches, a sore throat, and lost my sense of smell.

Then for an entire week, I could hardly move. I also lost my appetite, suffered chronic exhaustion, chest and sinus congestion, and developed a fever. I would sleep for most of the day, just getting up to sip water and use the restroom. I was ultimately released from quarantine after three weeks, but I was still suffering from brain fog, just a complete inability to concentrate on things, and it took me a long time to get back on my feet. The strangest aspect was that the symptoms were not consistent. It would be pretty bad one day, then I’d feel mostly normal the next, and then it’d return with a surprising new symptom. It is an unusual sickness with no prediction. I would never wish it on anyone. I’m relieved to finally get the vaccination.

Speaking Part 3

1 Do you think people pay enough attention to their health today?

No, I don’t think so. Nowadays, most people are leading a sedentary lifestyle where they don’t have enough time to look after themselves. They don’t pay attention to their diet and hardly workout. But there are a few self-conscious people who are aware of their health and prefer eating a healthy diet and doing some physical activities in their life to ensure they’re healthy.

2 What costs are involved when you are ill in your country?

In my country, the costs depend upon the kind of hospitals we prefer. There are government hospitals that are less expensive than private hospitals. In private hospitals, we have to pay a fortune to get our treatment done. However, it is up to us to choose the hospitals wisely.

3 Do you think most people worry more about their health as they get older?

Of course! In my opinion, once a person hits the 40s, they’re more likely to get signs of diseases and conditions like blood pressure, heart attack etc. So they become health-conscious and take precautionary measures. 

4 How can people be encouraged to stay healthy?

One of the best ways a person can be encouraged to stay healthy is by talking to them about the health benefits. They can even promote health benefits through advertisements. People will get motivated and adopt a healthy lifestyle.

5 What are the most popular ways of keeping healthy in your country?

 There are many ways to stay healthy and in my country, a majority of the youngsters prefer working out in gym and fitness center, while the middle-aged men and women prefer doing yoga, pilates, squats, and other exercises, and the old people prefer walking or jogging in the early morning to remain healthy. 

6 Why do you think some people continue bad habits when they know that they are damaging to their health?

Although some people know that bad habits are damaging their health, they continue to follow them. This is because they have attached themselves to bad habits.  As the saying goes ‘bad habits die hard’  it becomes difficult for the people to stop doing things that they’ve inculcated in their daily routine. 

7 Do women pay more attention to their health than men?

Not exactly! Women in my country always pay more attention to the health of their husbands and kids rather than paying attention to themselves. But they make sure that they don’t involve themselves in bad habits that would have an impact on their health. 

8 Do you think people have become more health-conscious in recent years?

Obviously, Yes! Nowadays, many people have become health conscious which is a positive sign. It may be because of the influence of their favorite actors who portray the importance of health benefits on television. Moreover, everyone wishes to live a long and illness-free life. So they have realized the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

9 How can children learn to have a healthy lifestyle?

Children should be taught to stay healthy from the day they start going to school. Moreover, they are influenced by people around them. So, as a society, we should adopt a healthy lifestyle which will influence the children. Instilling a healthy lifestyle in children can help in building the framework of healthy habits till the end of their life. 

10 Do you think the government should promote a healthy lifestyle among the citizens?

According to me, yes, the government should promote a healthy lifestyle among the citizens by setting up campaigns about the awareness of chronic diseases. They can impose tax on junk foods, build a public park for the citizens to exercise in the morning, forecast a program and advertisement regarding the healthy lifestyle on TV and radio. 

11 Would you say modern science and technology has more of a positive or a negative influence on people’s health?

There are various ways in which modern science and technology has helped the human race such as curing diseases through operations/surgeries. Modern Science has simplified the concept of  health in daily life, by giving important details and opportunities for treatment quickly and accurately. Yet, there are some negative impacts of using these technologies. But they are minimal.

A Healthy Lifestyle and the Workplace

1 What would be the results of having employees who are not healthy?

If an employee is unhealthy, he may be a negative influence on the other employees. They may follow suit. As the saying goes “one bad apple may ruin the entire bunch”, the negative demeanor of the employee can affect the people around him. This would affect the company’s productivity, reputation, and profitability. 

2 Do you think this might have an effect on the economy of the country?

Well, I think it might affect the economy of the country as health impacts economic growth in several ways. For example, it leads to production losses due to worker illness and increased absenteeism rates.

3 Do you think work stress is a health issue?

It may not exactly be called a health issue but work stress certainly has adverse effects on employee’s mental health such as decreased energy levels and insomnia. Employees stressed at work are found to engage themselves in unhealthy habits such as cigarette smoking, consumption of alcohol, and poor eating habits. 

4 How could work stress be reduced?

Work stress can affect a person’s physical and emotional well-being. To reduce the work stress levels, a person can meditate for 10 to 15 minutes, organise and prioritize his tasks by making notes. He/She can form a healthy relationship with colleagues and talk to them or do a 5-minute exercise to relieve the stress. They can make it a practice to take a deep breath and start work in a calm and composed manner.

Vocabulary For Speaking Part 3

• Health-conscious: concerned about how healthy one’s diet and lifestyle are.
  Eg: My mother is health-conscious and she doesn’t allow me to eat junk food. 
• Precautions: a measure taken in advance to prevent something dangerous, unpleasant, or inconvenient from happening. 
  Eg: The government has taken several precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. 
• Middle-aged: (of a person) aged about 45 to 65.
  Eg: The CEO of our company is a middle-aged man. 
• Pay attention: take notice of someone or something.
  Eg: The students paid attention to the teacher and made a note of it. 
• Influence: to cause someone to change a behavior, belief, or opinion 
  Eg: I was greatly influenced by the Minister’s speech. 
• Campaigns: an organized course of action to achieve a goal
  Eg: The NGO members have decided to set up an awareness campaign next week. 
• Minimal: of a minimum amount, quantity, or degree; negligible 
  Eg: My car suffered minimal damage during the accident

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