IELTS Speaking practice

Examiner: Do you live in a house or a flat?

Candidate: I live in a flat on the third floor of quite an old building, about ten minutes from the city centre. It's not very big, but it gets a lot of light in the mornings, which I really like.

Examiner: What do you like most about the area where you live?

Candidate: Probably the fact that everything is close by. There's a bakery, a small supermarket and a park just round the corner, so I hardly ever need the car at weekends.

Examiner: Is there anything you would like to change about your home?

Candidate: I'd love a bit more storage space, to be honest. At the moment my bike lives in the hallway, and I'm always walking into it when I come home in the dark.

Examiner: Has your hometown changed much since you were a child?

Candidate: Yes, quite a lot. When I was little, the old factory by the river was empty, but now it's been turned into flats and cafés. It's much livelier, although rents have gone up a lot.

Examiner: Would you like to live somewhere else in the future?

Candidate: Maybe for a few years. I'd like to try living by the sea at some point, but I think I'd come back here in the end, because my family and most of my friends are here.

Examiner: Do you work or are you a student?

Candidate: I'm working at the moment. I'm a lab technician at a company that tests food products, so I spend most of the day checking samples and recording the results.

Examiner: What do you find most interesting about your work?

Candidate: I like the problem-solving side of it. Sometimes a result looks strange and we have to work out whether it's the product or the equipment. Last month it turned out to be a faulty fridge, which was quite satisfying to discover.

Examiner: Is your daily routine usually the same?

Candidate: On weekdays, pretty much. I get up at half past six, cycle to work and finish around four. Weekends are completely different, though – I try not to plan anything before ten.

Examiner: What part of the day do you like best?

Candidate: The early evening. Work's finished, I've usually been for a run or done the shopping, and I can just cook something and relax for a bit.

Examiner: Would you like to change anything about your routine?

Candidate: I'd like to get more sleep! I often stay up too late reading or watching something, and then I regret it when the alarm goes off.

Examiner: What do you like doing in your free time?

Candidate: I play basketball with a group of friends twice a week. It's not very serious, but it's a good way to forget about work, and we usually go for something to eat afterwards.

Examiner: Did you have the same hobbies when you were a child?

Candidate: Not really. As a kid I was much more into drawing and building model planes. I only started playing basketball at university, when a flatmate persuaded me to join a team.

Examiner: What kinds of things do you like reading?

Candidate: Mostly articles on my phone, if I'm honest – things about science or travel. I do read novels too, but usually only on holiday, when I've got time to get properly into a story.

Examiner: Do you prefer reading on paper or on a screen?

Candidate: For books, definitely paper. I find it easier to concentrate, and I like being able to see how much I've got left. For news, though, a screen is more practical.

Examiner: Do you think people read less now than in the past?

Candidate: I'm not sure they read less, but they read differently. People read all the time on their phones – messages, posts, short articles – but maybe fewer people sit down with a long book.

Examiner: How do you usually travel to work or college?

Candidate: By tram, mostly. There's a stop right outside my building and it takes about twenty minutes. If it's a nice day, I sometimes walk part of the way instead.

Examiner: Is public transport good where you live?

Candidate: It's fairly good in the centre. The trams are frequent and quite cheap if you buy a monthly pass. But further out, the buses only come every half hour, so most people there drive.

Examiner: What kind of weather do you like best?

Candidate: I like it when it's cool and sunny, like in early autumn. Really hot weather makes me tired, and I can't stand days when it's grey and drizzly for hours.

Examiner: Does the weather ever change your plans?

Candidate: Quite often, actually. Last Saturday we were planning a picnic, but it poured all morning, so we ended up going to the cinema instead. In summer, though, I hardly ever have to cancel anything.

I'd like to talk about my old neighbour, Mr Kowalski, who taught me how to repair bikes when I was about fourteen. He was retired, and he spent most afternoons in his garage, fixing bikes for half the children on our street.

It started because my bike had a flat tyre and I had no idea what to do. My parents weren't very practical, so I wheeled it over to his garage, hoping he'd just fix it for me. Instead, he handed me the tools and said, 'You do it, I'll watch.' I remember feeling quite annoyed at first, because it took me nearly an hour.

After that, I kept going back. He never really gave lessons as such. He'd explain something once, show me the first step and then let me get on with it, even when he could see I was about to make a mistake. If I got something wrong – like putting the chain back on the wrong way – he'd just ask, 'So, what happened there?' and wait until I worked it out myself.

Over that summer I learned how to change tyres, adjust the brakes and gears, and even rebuild a wheel. By the end, other kids were bringing their bikes to me.

I think the reason I remember him so well is that he trusted me to do things properly. Most adults either did things for me or told me exactly what to do, but he let me struggle a bit, and that made me much more confident. Even now, when I'm learning something new at work, I try to have a go myself before I ask for help, and that's really thanks to him.

The place I'm going to describe is a small island off the coast, about two hours by ferry from where I grew up. I went there for the first time three summers ago with two friends from university. We'd just finished our exams and wanted somewhere cheap and quiet to relax for a few days.

There isn't much there, really – one village, a couple of small beaches and a lighthouse at the northern end. There are hardly any cars, so people get around by bike or on foot. We stayed in a family-run guesthouse, and the owner cooked dinner for all the guests every evening, so we ended up chatting with people from all over the place.

Most days we just hired bikes and went exploring. On the second day we cycled up to the lighthouse, which was much further than it looked on the map, and we got completely soaked in a sudden shower on the way back. Strangely, that's one of my favourite memories of the whole trip. We also went swimming every morning, although the water was freezing, even in July.

I'd really like to go back, for a few reasons. First, it was one of the few times I've been somewhere and not looked at my phone for days, and I felt incredibly relaxed afterwards. Second, we only saw about half of the island, so I'd like to walk the coastal path on the western side, which the guesthouse owner kept recommending. And finally, I'd love to go out of season, maybe in October, to see what it's like when it's even quieter and the weather's wilder.

I'm going to talk about something quite ordinary: a small paper diary that I carry around with me. I know most people use their phones for this, but I've had a paper diary every year since I started secondary school, and I honestly don't think I'd cope without one.

The current one is dark green, about the size of my hand, and it's already looking a bit battered, because it goes everywhere with me in my bag. My sister gives me a new one every December, so I've had this one since last Christmas. It's become a sort of family tradition.

I use it for everything. On the left-hand page I write appointments and deadlines, and on the right I make to-do lists for the week. I also jot down random things – a book someone's recommended, a phone number, or an idea for a present. Every Sunday evening I sit down with it for ten minutes and plan the week ahead, which sounds a bit boring, but it really helps me feel organised.

The reason it matters so much is partly practical. I've got a job and I'm also doing an evening course, so there's a lot to keep track of, and when I write something down by hand, I actually remember it. With phone reminders, I tend to just swipe them away and forget about them.

But it's also a bit sentimental. I've kept all my old diaries in a box, and sometimes I flick through them. They're a bit like a record of my life – what I was worried about, who I was meeting, what I was looking forward to. So if I lost the current one, I'd be annoyed about the appointments, but I'd be even more upset about losing that little piece of my year.

The skill I want to talk about is swimming front crawl properly. I could swim when I was a child, but only a sort of slow breaststroke with my head out of the water. About two years ago, a colleague persuaded me to sign up for a charity triathlon, and I realised I'd need to swim four hundred metres without stopping, so I joined an adult class at the local pool.

I honestly thought it would take me a month or so. In reality, it was nearly a year before I felt comfortable. The hardest part was the breathing. Every time I turned my head to breathe, I either swallowed water or panicked and stopped. I remember the instructor telling me to relax, and thinking, that's easy to say when you're standing on the side!

What finally made the difference was slowing everything down. The instructor got me to practise just the breathing, holding onto the edge of the pool, over and over again. It felt a bit embarrassing, because there were teenagers swimming lengths right next to me. But after a few weeks it started to feel natural, and then I could gradually add the arms and legs back in.

In the end, I did the triathlon, although I was one of the last out of the water. Now I go swimming twice a week before work, and it's become one of my favourite ways to start the day.

Looking back, I'm actually glad it took so long. It showed me that being a beginner as an adult is uncomfortable but not impossible, and I think I'm more patient now when other people are struggling to learn something.

I'm going to describe a train journey I made last winter with my mum. We were travelling to my cousin's wedding, which was in a small town in the mountains, about six hours away. The plan was simple: one train to the city, then a connection to the town, arriving the evening before the wedding.

Things started going wrong almost immediately. Our first train was held up for over an hour because of snow on the line, so of course we missed our connection. At the station there was a long queue at the information desk, and when we finally got to the front, we were told that the next train wasn't until the following morning, which would have been far too late.

My mum was quite stressed, but in the queue we'd started chatting to a young couple who were going to the same area. They suggested sharing a taxi, so the four of us split the cost. The driver was very cheerful and kept stopping to show us the views, even though it was getting dark. We arrived at our hotel just after midnight, completely exhausted, but in time for the wedding.

At the time, it felt like a disaster. We were tired and cold, and the taxi cost far more than the train tickets. But when I think about it now, I actually remember that journey more than the wedding itself. My mum and I still laugh about the driver singing along to the radio, and we've stayed in touch with the couple we met.

I suppose it taught me that when plans fall apart, it's worth talking to the people around you, because they might have a better idea than you do.

A change I made about a year ago, which has worked surprisingly well, is that I stopped taking my phone into the bedroom. Now it stays charging in the kitchen overnight, and I bought an old-fashioned alarm clock instead.

The reason was quite simple: I was sleeping really badly. I'd go to bed at eleven, but then I'd check messages, read the news and watch videos, and suddenly it would be one in the morning. Then I'd wake up tired and spend the day drinking coffee to keep going. A friend mentioned that she'd done the same thing and felt much better, so I decided to try it for a month.

The first week was harder than I expected. I kept reaching for the phone out of habit, and I felt a bit anxious that I might miss something important. I also didn't know what to do with myself at bedtime, so I started reading again, which I hadn't done for years. To be honest, for the first few nights I read until quite late, because I was enjoying the book so much!

After a few weeks, though, it became completely normal. I fall asleep much more quickly now, and I wake up feeling more rested. I've also read about fifteen books this year, which is more than in the previous five years put together.

The biggest effect, I think, is on my mornings. Before, the first thing I did was look at a screen, and I'd already feel stressed before I got out of bed. Now I have breakfast in peace and only check my phone when I'm on the bus. It's a small change, but it's made my days feel much calmer.

Examiner: Who do young people learn practical skills from nowadays – their families, their teachers or the internet?

Candidate: I'd say it's more and more the internet. If my younger brother wants to fix something or cook a new dish, he just watches a video. That's great in some ways, because you can learn almost anything for free. But I think families still matter, especially for everyday things like managing money or looking after a home, because you learn those by watching what people do every day, not from a ten-minute tutorial. Teachers probably play a smaller role, unless the skill is part of a vocational course.

Examiner: Should schools spend more time teaching practical skills, such as cooking or managing money?

Candidate: To some extent, yes. A lot of people leave school without knowing how to plan a budget or understand a rental contract, and that can cause real problems later. That said, I don't think schools should drop academic subjects to make room. Maths, for example, is exactly what you need to compare loans or phone contracts, so maybe the answer is to use practical examples in ordinary lessons. A few dedicated classes on things like cooking would be useful too, but only if schools have the time and the equipment to do them properly.

Examiner: How can tourism affect the people who live in a popular destination?

Candidate: It can work both ways. On the positive side, tourism brings jobs – in hotels, restaurants, shops and transport – and it can keep traditional crafts or festivals alive, because visitors are willing to pay for them. But there are downsides too. In some city centres, so many flats are rented out to tourists that local people can't afford to live there any more, and the bakery or the hardware shop gets replaced by souvenir shops. So I think it really depends on whether the money stays with local people and whether there's some control over numbers.

Examiner: Should popular places limit the number of visitors?

Candidate: In some cases, I think they should. If a small historic town gets thousands of visitors a day, the streets become so crowded that nobody enjoys it, including the tourists. Something like a booking system or a daily limit could protect the place and make the visit more pleasant. The risk, of course, is that it becomes something only richer people can do, especially if limits push prices up. So I'd prefer measures that spread visitors out – encouraging people to come in quieter months, for example – before introducing strict limits.

Examiner: Do you think people rely too much on their phones nowadays?

Candidate: In some ways, yes. Lots of people can't remember a single phone number or find their way around their own city without a map app, and I've noticed I get anxious myself if my battery is low. But I don't think relying on them is always bad. A phone replaces a whole collection of things – a camera, a map, a diary, a ticket – and that's genuinely useful. The real problem is the time we spend scrolling without any purpose, which can take over whole evenings without us noticing.

Examiner: Has technology made communication between people better?

Candidate: It's made communication easier, but I'm not sure it's always made it better. My grandparents can see their grandchildren on video calls every week, even though they live in another country, and that's wonderful. On the other hand, a lot of everyday communication is now short messages, and it's easy to misunderstand someone's tone. I also think people are sometimes so busy with their phones that they don't really listen to the person sitting next to them. So the tools are good; it's how we use them that matters.

Examiner: Why do some adults decide to change careers?

Candidate: There are lots of reasons. Some people simply get bored after doing the same job for years and want a new challenge. Others are pushed into it – their industry shrinks, or their job is replaced by technology, so they have to retrain. And sometimes it's about lifestyle: a friend of mine left a well-paid office job to become a primary school teacher because she wanted to feel her work was more useful. The difficult part is usually money, because retraining can mean a few years on a much lower income.

Examiner: What skills do you think will be most important for workers in the future?

Candidate: I think the ability to keep learning will matter most. Jobs are changing so quickly that whatever you study at twenty might be out of date by forty, so people who are comfortable picking up new tools will have an advantage. Communication and teamwork will probably become more important too, because those are things machines still aren't very good at. And basic digital skills are already essential in almost every job, even ones that used to be completely manual, like farming or building.

Examiner: What could cities do to persuade more people to use public transport?

Candidate: The most important thing is reliability. People won't leave their cars at home if they can't be sure the bus will turn up on time, so things like bus lanes, which stop buses getting stuck in traffic, make a big difference. Price matters too – a simple monthly ticket that covers buses, trams and trains is much more attractive than paying separately for each journey. And routes need to go where people actually work, not just into the city centre. Of course, for some people, such as those working night shifts, driving might still be the only realistic option.

Examiner: Do you think people will travel more or less in the future?

Candidate: It's hard to say. For work, I think people might travel a bit less, because so many meetings now happen online and some people work from home several days a week. For holidays, though, I suspect people will keep travelling, because it's such a big part of how they spend their free time. What might change is how they travel. If flying becomes more expensive, more people could take the train for shorter trips, which personally I'd be quite happy about, because I find trains much more relaxing.

Examiner: What can local communities do to help people become more active?

Candidate: I think the key is making activity easy and cheap. Not everyone can afford a gym, so free outdoor equipment in parks, safe cycle lanes and well-lit paths can make a real difference. Local sports clubs could also offer beginner sessions for adults, because a lot of people feel embarrassed about starting a sport later in life. In my town, there's a free group run every Saturday morning, and you see all kinds of people there, from teenagers to people in their seventies. It works because it's friendly and nobody cares how fast you are.

Examiner: Is it mainly the government's job or the individual's job to make sure people stay healthy?

Candidate: I think it's a shared responsibility. In the end, individuals make their own choices about what they eat and how much they move, and no government can force people to exercise. But governments shape the conditions in which those choices are made. If healthy food is expensive and there's nowhere safe to walk, it's much harder for people to look after themselves, especially if they work long hours or don't have much money. So I'd say governments should make healthy options easy and affordable, and then it's up to each person to use them.