SAMPLE IELTS SPEAKING TEST 1

The neighborhood I live in is right outside of the city. It’s almost like living in the city, except that it has houses instead of apartment buildings. The houses are small with small yards. People in the neighborhood really like to garden, so there are a lot of flowers and nice plants.

PART 1 

Describe the neighborhood where you live.

The neighborhood I live in is right outside of the city. It’s almost like living in the city, except that it has houses instead of apartment buildings. The houses are small with small yards. People in the neighborhood really like to garden, so there are a lot of flowers and nice plants. It’s very pretty. We are near a bus stop, so it’s easy to get to the city. There are a few small stores that sell food and newspapers and things like that.

What do you like about living there?

What I like about my neighborhood is that it’s close to the city. It’s very easy to get to work. Also, it’s not very expensive. I can afford to live there and not spend all my money on rent.

What do you dislike about your neighborhood?

My neighborhood is in a boring area. If I want to do something interesting like go to a movie or a concert or if I want to shop at good stores, I have to go to the city. It’s quite, so it’s a good place to relax, but it’s not a good place to have fun.

What kind of neighborhood would you like to live in?

When I start making more money, I’m going to move into the city. I would like to live in a city neighborhood that’s full of activity. I’d to live near restaurants and stores and clubs. I’d like to live in a place where I can walk out my front door and be right in the middle of everything.

Do you like walking? Why or why not?

I don’t dislike walking but I can’t say that I particularly like it. I walk to the bus stop ever day, and I often walk to the store because it’s nearby. I walk to get places, but I never walk for fun. I don’t think it’s an interesting thing to do.

Are there places you can walk near your house?

There’s a nice park not far from my house. It has pretty gardens and some walking trails through the woods. A lot of my neighbors go there to take walks. It’s also easy to walk around my neighborhood because there are sidewalks everywhere.

Do people in your country like walking? Why or why not?

Walking is popular in my country. A lot of people walk for their health. In fact, there are walking clubs. Often, early in the mornings you can see groups of people walking around the neighborhood together. These are the walking clubs. The walk together every morning, I think.

What other kinds of exercise do you enjoy?

I never walk for exercise, but I enjoy bike riding. I often ride my bike on weekends. I go wherever I can find bike trails. There are a lot of them near where I live. When the weather is bad, I go the gym and use the exercise machines there. I really like doing that. I like to play soccer, too. I play it with my friends every week.

PART 2

My friend’s name is Bob. We’ve known each other most of our lives. We met in preschool when we were around four or five years old, and we’ve been friends ever since. We like to do a lot of things together. When we were little kids, we played a lot of different kinds of games together. In high school. We used to study together, but we don’t do that anymore because Bob isn’t studying business administration like I am. He’s studying law. We’re both busy with school and work, but we still get together often. It’s easy because we’re still living in the same city. We play soccer with some other friends at least once a week, and we go to the soccer games together. When the weather’s nice, we go to the beach or hang out in park. We talk about thing we’re doing now, and these days we also talk a lot about the future, the things we hope to do after we finish school. Bob is an important friend because we’ve know each other all our lives. We grew up together. I guess you could say we know just about everything about each other. I know if I ever needed serious help or if I needed money or any kind of support, Bob would help me. And I would help him if he needed it. He’s the kind of friend you can always count on. I think we’ll always be friends, all our lives. I hope so.

PART 3

Generally, are friendships important to people?

I think friendships are important to most people. Nobody likes to be alone. Friends like to do the same things you like to do. Usually, they have ideas similar to yours. Friends understand how you feel. Of course, friends don’t always think alike or feel alike, but generally, they’re similar to you in many ways.

How can friends help each other?

Friends can help each other at work and school. Close friends can help each other with personal problems, and they can be company for each other. That way you don’t have to be alone.

Do people spend more time with friends or with relatives?

I think this depends on the time of life. Children and teenagers spend a lot of time with their friends. But when they get a little older and start their own families, then they spend more time with relatives. They spend time with their children because they have to take care of them, and they spend time with other relatives because they need their support. When the children are older and spending more time with their friends, then the parents might have time again for their own friendships.

How do our friendships change as we grow older?

As we grow older, our lives change, so our friendships change too. Children have a lot of time to play with their friends. When you get older and study or work, you don’t have so much free time, so you might have fewer friends, maybe even just one or two close friends. When you start a family, then your family becomes more important than your friends. Your friend might be other parents and you help each other out with your children.