IELTS · Guide 21 · 11 min read

IELTS Speaking Part 1 sample answers: hometown, mornings and music

Nine IELTS Speaking Part 1 questions on hometown, mornings and music, with transcripts at bands 8, 6.5 and 5 and commentary on each criterion.

How to use this worked session

This page takes a set of Part 1 questions on three familiar topics and shows three candidates answering them at different levels, as transcripts. Try it yourself first: read each question aloud, answer it straight away without notes, and record yourself. Aim for two to four sentences per answer. Then compare your recording with the transcripts and commentary.

The task

In Part 1 the examiner asks short questions about you and everyday topics. It lasts 4 to 5 minutes. There is no preparation time.

Topic 1: Your hometown

1. Where is your hometown?
2. What do you like most about it?
3. Has it changed much since you were a child?

Topic 2: Mornings

1. Are you a morning person?
2. What do you usually do in the first hour after you wake up?
3. Is there anything you would like to change about your mornings?

Topic 3: Music

1. What kind of music do you enjoy?
2. Did you learn to play a musical instrument as a child?
3. Do you prefer listening to music alone or with other people?

What the examiner is listening for

• Answers that are natural and extended: a direct answer, then a reason, detail or example.
• Not long speeches. Two to four sentences is usually right for Part 1.
• The right tense for each question: present for habits, past for childhood, "would" for wishes.

Strong response (around band 8)

Examiner: Where is your hometown? Candidate: I'm from a mid-sized port town on the east coast. It's best known for its fishing harbour, although these days far more people work in logistics than in fishing. Examiner: What do you like most about it? Candidate: Probably the seafront. There's a long promenade that runs the whole length of the town, and on a clear evening it's lovely to walk along it and watch the ferries come in. It's also where everyone meets, so you nearly always bump into someone you know. Examiner: Has it changed much since you were a child? Candidate: Quite a lot, yes. When I was small, the harbour area was fairly run-down, with a lot of empty warehouses. Over the last ten years most of those have been turned into flats and cafés, so it's much livelier now, though some older residents feel it's lost a bit of its character. Examiner: Are you a morning person? Candidate: Not naturally, no. Left to myself I'd happily stay up until one and sleep until nine. But my job starts at eight, so I've had to train myself to be reasonably alert early on. Examiner: What do you usually do in the first hour after you wake up? Candidate: It's fairly routine, to be honest. I make a strong coffee, check the news headlines, and then go for a twenty-minute walk if it's not pouring with rain. I find the walk wakes me up far more effectively than the coffee does. Examiner: Is there anything you would like to change about your mornings? Candidate: I'd like to stop looking at my phone the moment I open my eyes. I've noticed that if I start the day reading emails, I feel rushed before I've even got out of bed, so that's a habit I'm trying to break. Examiner: What kind of music do you enjoy? Candidate: My taste is pretty broad, but I keep coming back to jazz, particularly older recordings from the fifties and sixties. I like the fact that it sounds slightly different every time you listen, because there's so much improvisation in it. Examiner: Did you learn to play a musical instrument as a child? Candidate: I did, yes. My parents signed me up for piano lessons when I was seven, and I kept going until I was about fourteen. I wasn't especially talented, but I'm glad I did it, because it taught me to read music, and I can still pick out a tune if there's a piano around. Examiner: Do you prefer listening to music alone or with other people? Candidate: It depends on the music. For something I really want to concentrate on, I'd rather be on my own with headphones. But live music is a completely different experience. Being in a crowd where everyone's reacting to the same moment is something you just can't recreate at home.

Commentary

• Fluency and Coherence: Every answer starts with a direct reply and then adds a reason, detail or contrast, which is exactly the right length for Part 1. The candidate speaks naturally, with spoken markers such as "Probably", "Not naturally, no" and "to be honest", and never drifts off the question.
• Lexical Resource: Natural, precise phrases suited to everyday topics: "bump into someone", "run-down", "lost a bit of its character", "pouring with rain", "a habit I'm trying to break", "pick out a tune". Topic words are accurate ("promenade", "logistics", "improvisation").
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Tenses match each question: present for habits, past for childhood, present perfect for change ("have been turned into"), "would" for preferences and wishes. Concessive clauses ("although", "though") and conditionals add range. No noticeable errors.
• Pronunciation: This cannot be judged from a transcript. At this level, aim for a relaxed, conversational rhythm, clear stress on the key word in each reply ("Not naturally, no"), natural linking between words ("most of those have been turned into"), and intonation that sounds interested rather than recited.

Pass-level response (around band 6.5)

Examiner: Where is your hometown? Candidate: My hometown is a small city in the south of my country. It's about two hours from the capital by car. Examiner: What do you like most about it? Candidate: I think the thing I like most is the food. There are a lot of small restaurants that serve traditional dishes, and they are very cheap. Also the people are friendly, so it's a nice place to live. Examiner: Has it changed much since you were a child? Candidate: Yes, it has changed a lot. When I was a child there were not many shopping centres, but now there are three or four big ones. Also the traffic is much worse than before, because more people have cars. Examiner: Are you a morning person? Candidate: Not really. I prefer to sleep late, especially at the weekend. But on weekdays I have to get up early for work, so I'm used to it. Examiner: What do you usually do in the first hour after you wake up? Candidate: Usually I take a shower first, then I have breakfast, normally some bread and eggs and a cup of tea. After that I get dressed and I check my messages before I leave home. Examiner: Is there anything you would like to change about your mornings? Candidate: Yes, I would like to wake up earlier, so I can do some exercise before work. At the moment I'm always in a hurry in the morning, and I don't have time for anything. Examiner: What kind of music do you enjoy? Candidate: I like many kinds of music, but mostly pop music and sometimes traditional music from my country. I listen to music when I'm driving or when I'm studying. Examiner: Did you learn to play a musical instrument as a child? Candidate: No, I didn't. I wanted to learn the guitar, but my parents said I should focus on my studies. Maybe I will learn it in the future, because I still think it would be fun. Examiner: Do you prefer listening to music alone or with other people? Candidate: I prefer listening alone, because I can choose the music I like. When I'm with friends, we often like different songs, so it's difficult to agree.

Commentary

• Fluency and Coherence: Answers are a good length and each gives a reason or detail. They are easy to follow and stay on the question. The linking is limited mostly to "Also", "so" and "because", and the first answer stops after a basic fact.
• Lexical Resource: Clear and correct everyday vocabulary ("traditional dishes", "in a hurry", "focus on my studies"), but much of it is general ("nice place", "very cheap", "fun"). There are few idiomatic or less common expressions.
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Tenses are correct throughout, including present perfect ("it has changed a lot"), "would like" and reported speech ("my parents said I should"). Sentences are mostly simple or compound, with few complex structures. Errors are rare.
• Pronunciation: This cannot be judged from a transcript. To move higher, aim to sound engaged rather than as if reading a list (the breakfast answer is a list that needs rising and falling intonation), stress the contrast in answers such as "Not really ... But on weekdays ...", and link words smoothly in common phrases ("a cup of tea").

What would lift it: add a more personal or specific detail to each answer, and replace some general words with more precise ones ("bustling", "affordable", "rushed").

Weaker response (around band 5)

Examiner: Where is your hometown? Candidate: My hometown is ... er, it's a small city. In the north. Examiner: What do you like most about it? Candidate: I like ... er, the weather. The weather is good. Not very hot. Examiner: Has it changed much since you were a child? Candidate: Yes, it change. Now is many building. Many new building and, er, many car. Examiner: Are you a morning person? Candidate: No. I don't like morning. I like sleep. Examiner: What do you usually do in the first hour after you wake up? Candidate: I wake up and I wash my face and I eat breakfast. Then I go to university. Examiner: Is there anything you would like to change about your mornings? Candidate: Er ... change ... I don't know. Maybe I want more sleep. Yes. Examiner: What kind of music do you enjoy? Candidate: I like pop music. English pop music. And, er, songs from my country also. Examiner: Did you learn to play a musical instrument as a child? Candidate: No. I never play. I don't have ... er, the chance. Examiner: Do you prefer listening to music alone or with other people? Candidate: Alone. Because, er ... I like alone. With headphone.

Commentary

• Fluency and Coherence: The candidate answers every question, but most answers are one short sentence or a fragment, with hesitation before key words. Reasons are missing or circular ("Alone. Because ... I like alone"). The examiner would have to work hard to keep the conversation going.
• Lexical Resource: Enough words for very familiar topics, but the range is narrow ("many", "good", "like") and nothing is described in detail. The candidate repeats the examiner's words ("change") instead of developing them.
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Mostly short, simple sentences. Frequent errors: "it change" (present perfect needed), "Now is many building", missing plurals ("many car", "With headphone"), and present tense for the past ("I never play").
• Pronunciation: This cannot be judged from a transcript. A speaker at this level should aim to say plural and past endings clearly ("buildings", "changed"), keep the voice moving rather than stopping after every two or three words, and stress the main word in each answer so the listener hears the point at once.

What would lift it: use a simple pattern for every answer: answer + reason + example. For example: "Yes, it's changed a lot. There are many new buildings now, because the city is growing. For example, there's a big shopping centre where my old school used to be."

The three answers side by side

Self-check checklist

1. Did I answer each question directly in my first sentence?
2. Did I add a reason, detail or example after the direct answer?
3. Did I keep each answer to about two to four sentences, without a long speech?
4. Did I use the past tense for childhood and the present perfect for change?
5. Did I use "would" or "I'd like" for wishes and preferences?
6. Did I use at least one precise or natural phrase per topic, instead of "good" and "nice"?
7. Did my answers sound like conversation, not memorised lines?
8. In my recording, are plural and past endings clear?

About the band levels

The band levels on this page are our own estimates for practice purposes. They are not official scores and are not produced or endorsed by any IELTS partner. Only a certified examiner assessing a real test can give you an official band.

Related guides

• IELTS Speaking: the three parts, timings and how the examiner works
• IELTS Speaking band descriptors explained in plain words
• Back to the IELTS hub