Speaking Part 1: Tips and Tricks

 Speaking Part 1

The examiner will ask you questions about yourself.  This part will last 4-5 minutes.

Example part 1 questions:

• What kind of food do you like to eat?
• Where do you study/work?
• How often do you visit your hometown?
• Do you spend a lot of time with your family?

Easy Ways to Extend Your Part 1 Answers

Feelings and Opinions

Speaking Part 1You can easily extend your answer by saying how you feel about the question you were just asked. It will also make your answer more interesting.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Short answer: ‘I like shopping.’

Longer answer: ‘I like shopping because I love trying on new clothes and I always feel more confident when I’m wearing a new outfit.

Contrasting Details

One of the easiest ways you can extend your answer is to simply use the word ‘but’ to contrast details.

How long have you worked there?

Short answer: I’ve worked there for three years.

Longer answer: I’ve worked there for three years, but I’m going to change careers next year.

Combining Details

Instead of giving a very short answer you can add in some extra details with ‘and’, ‘with’ or ‘also’.

Do you live in a flat or a house?

Short answer: I live in a house.

Longer answer: I live in a house with my two brothers and my mum. We’ve also got a dog and a cat.

I hope you have found this article useful. If you have any comments or queries, please feel free to comment below.

If you would like to keep up to date with more IELTS posts please like our Facebook page.