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Updated Nov. 19, 2008  

Notes about some Part 1 Questions

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Part 1 topic = Your Work

• Do you think there should be a minimum and a maximum working age for people? * 

This question is in the test, most probably in Part 3 but it is possibly in Part1

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Part 1 topic = Your Work

• Will you change your job?

The exact wording of this question is not known. It could be these words or it could be, "Are you going to change your job?", "Do you want to change your job?", "Would you like to change your job?", "Are you thinking of changing your job?", or "Are you planning to change your job?" Note that these different questions do not all have exactly the same meaning! Also note that you should answer using the same or a similar verb and the same or similar verb tense.

For those of you who are working and are doing the IELTS test because you hope to migrate to another country, obviously you are thinking of changing your job (= changing the place where you work). This does not always mean that you are planning to change the type of work you do, however.

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Part 1 topic = Your Studies

• (Possible question) What year are you in at school/university? *

If you know (definitely) that your examiner is from the U.S. or Canada, it is suitable to say, "I'm a freshman", "I'm a sophomore", "I'm a junior" or "I'm a senior". However, if your examiner is not from North America (or if you are not sure where the examiner is from) you should not use these terms because they are American English only - most examiners from Britain and Australia and other non-North American countries are not familiar with these terms! (About 85% of examiners are non-North Americans, mostly from Britain and Australia.) Remember, it's a communication test. 

For example:

(See Message #199 on this page: http://bbs.51ielts.com/viewthread.php?tid=490257&extra=page%3D1&page=10)

For non-North American examiners, you should say, "I'm a first-year student", "I'm a second-year student", "I'm a third-year student", "I'm a fourth-year student" or "I'm a final-year student". You can also say "I'm in (my) first year" etc. 

Definitely do not use the word "grade" for high school or especially for university - this is mostly used for primary school students. The answer, "I'm a senior grade 3 student"  is not comprehensible to native English speakers!  

In some circumstances, for example, if you are a high school student in Britain or Australia or studying in a British or Australian high school overseas, you can use the word "form" instead of "year". When using that word, we say, "I'm in Sixth form" or "I'm a sixth form student" etc. This usage treats junior high school and senior high school as one combined, 'high school".

It is acceptable to say, "I'm a final-year high school student" or "I'm a third year senior high school student" or "I'm in (my) third year at senior high school". But don't just say, "senior school" - you should say "senior high school".

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Part 1 Topic = Studies Note 2

• What "study tools" do you use in your studies? 
• Do you think these tools are really useful? 

I think this is referring to electronic devices, such as laptop computers (= notebook computers), a PC computer at home or at the university, printers, flash storage devices, tape recorders, video recorders, calculators, electronic dictionaries etc. 

The internet could be called "a tool".

However, non-electronic tools could be used as examples for your answer. For example, pens and pencils are writing tools! 

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Part 1 topic = Your Home

In the questions below, it is unclear which word is used, 'neighbourhood', 'surroundings' or 'environment'. Possible more than one of these words is used. The word, 'neighbourhood' usually includes a description of buildings, landscape and people. But the word, 'surroundings' usually doesn't include a description of people.

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Part 1 topic = Your Home Note 1

• Is there anything (hanging) on the walls of your home (or your room)? (e.g., decorations) 

It is not clear if the word 'hanging' is used but many people write that word when they report this question. It really means, "on the walls". Maybe there is something that is 'taped to the wall' with adhesive tape, not really hanging.

This is a 'Yes/No' questions, so you should first say, "Yes, there is" before you give more details.

Alternatively, the question might be, "Do you have anything on the walls of your home?" If it is those words, begin your answer to this Yes/No question with the direct answer, "Yes, I do".

The question probably does not say, "the inside walls" or "the walls of your rooms" but that is the meaning.

The question might be, "the walls of your room".

Most people in China have very little on the walls because they don't want to damage the walls. But if you just give a simple answer like that you'll be losing the opportunity to show a lot of vocabulary. Tell lies and show a lot of vocabulary if you want to score points! Which do you prefer, to be honest and get fewer points in the test or to tell lies and get a good score in the test?

Some useful key words are: poster, calligraphy (make sure you pronounce it correctly), (a framed) photo(graph), clock, air-conditioner, painting, Chinese knot (be clear on the pronunciation & clearly explain this, with body language for the word, 'knot'), a certificate (degree, award etc.), framed ...

If you say a painting, describe it, showing a rich vocabulary.

The word, 'picture' is not wrong but it's general because it can mean photograph or painting or drawing etc.

If you want to say, a pop star (a pop singing star), sports star or movie star, say one of those, not just the one word, "star". If you just say, "star" it means a star in the sky at night time!

If you say a photograph, don't say, "My photograph" when you mean, "a photograph of me". The words, "my photograph" just mean "a photograph that I own". My collection of photographs (= my photographs) includes some photos of my pet dog when I was a kid. These are "photographs of my dog", not "my dog's photographs". My dog never owned any photographs!

It is true that English has the idiomatic expression, "take my photograph" = "take a photograph of me". Similarly, "take my girlfriend's photo" = "take a photo of my girlfriend". Usually we use that expression for one person. It is possible to correctly say, "take my parents' photo" but it sounds a little strange to most English speakers. It's better to say, "take a photo of my parents".

So, don't say, "My photo is on the wall" or, "There's my parents' photograph on the wall". Instead, say, "There's a photo of me on the wall" or, "There's a photo of my parents on the wall." And give a detail or two.

This answer should be one of the longer answers you give in Part 1, maybe 25 seconds. (The average Part 1 answer should be about 20 seconds.) Give details and show your vocabulary. Try to briefly talk about 2 or 3 different things on your walls.

Don't talk about mosquitoes (蚊子) or flies (苍蝇) on your walls. (Just joking.)

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Part 1 topic = Your Hometown. Note 1

• Would you say your hometown is a good place for (families with) children to live?  

Possibly the words, 'young people' are used instead of 'children'. 'Young people' are about 15 to 30 years old.

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Part 1 topic = Your Hometown. Note 2

• What's the oldest thing in your hometown?

Some examples: a road, a building, a bridge, a temple, another kind of structure, a statue, a piece of artwork etc.

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Part 1 topic = Your Hometown. Note 3

a) What do you like best about your hometown? (Why?)

    = What's the best thing about your hometown?

    = What would you say is the best thing about your hometown? 

Or,

b) What do you like best in your hometown? (Why?) *

Or,

c) What part of your hometown do you like best?

Or, 

d) What's the best part of your hometown?

It is not clear exactly which question is used. Maybe more than one of them is used. Whatever you answer, just choose one fact, thing or place to talk about.

For a), it's best to talk about a fact or a situation. For example, "The thing I like best is the fact that it's near the ocean because ...." Or, "I most like the fact that it's near the ocean. I like that because ....". 

Or, "What I like best are the modern shopping malls because all of these malls have clothes boutiques and I just love to look at interesting clothes, (pause) although some of them are far too expensive for me to buy."

It could be an answer about the people but to say the people in your hometown are "kind" or "friendly" is not a very strong answer because most Chinese people, from Harbin to Guangzhou, are more or less the same. However, if your hometown is just a very small town or a village, that answer would be suitable.

You could also talk about a thing (or things) or a place (or places) to answer question a). For that kind of answer, say, " ... the fact that it has many beautiful parks" or "the fact that there's a beautiful river running through the centre of town".

For b), it's best to talk about a thing. For example, "Possibly my favourite thing in the city is the ancient city wall because I'm very interested in history and the wall constantly reminds me that Xian has a long history." (Actually, the wording for b seems strange to me – I think a, c and d are much more likely questions.)

For c), the best answer is to talk about a section of your hometown, such as: the downtown area, the city center, the outskirts of the city, the area around my university, the northern part, etc. You need to express your personal reasons why you like that part of your hometown best.

For d), the question is not really asking for what you like best but rather, is asking you to say which part of your hometown you consider to be the best quality place. Quite often in English, "the best part of town" means the part of town where the richest people live. That part of town has "the best quality houses",  "the best quality facilities", and probably the best location (for example, on a hill or near the beach). This question might be what a newcomer to your hometown would ask, when looking for a place to live (assuming this newcomer has enough money to live in the 'best part of town'). In other words, the question is not really asking what you personally feel is the best part of town to live in, but instead is asking what most people consider to be the best part of town to live in.

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Part 1 topic = Your Hometown. Note 4

• Would you say your hometown is suitable for tourists? (Why?/Why not?) 

This question can be interpreted in two different ways.

Firstly, you could consider the question to be asking you to talk about the untapped tourist potential that your hometown might have. In other words, the question is asking if you think your hometown is suitable for tourists when, in fact, very few tourists come to your hometown now (maybe because of undeveloped infrastructure such as poor transportation or a lack of good hotels). You could say yes if you think your hometown has something unique such as a connection to the history of China. Or you could say yes if you think there is some especially beautiful natural feature in or near your hometown such as a beautiful waterfall and a crystal-clear lake or a large, beautiful virgin forest on the side of a mountain. 

Secondly, it's also possible to answer by saying that your consider your hometown would be a suitable tourist destination if someone was planning to go somewhere as a tourist when, in fact, tourists do already come. Here, your meaning is that your hometown is suitable to be included in an itinerary (a plan of places to go to) for tourists. The word 'suitable' also includes such factors as suitable accommodation for tourists and convenient transportation for tourists

However, it's not a strong answer to just name two or three places that are current tourist attractions because just giving the names of a few places does not require very strong English. (Anyone can memorize a few names.) For example, if you come from Beijing and you say Beijing has The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace and the Great Wall, you will not really impress the examiner. It is much better, after you name these places, to give the examiner a summarized description or explanation of what the The Forbidden City or The Summer Palace is. (Use connecting words such as, "which", "where" etc.)

(By the way, The Great Wall is not in Beijing city. If Beijing is your hometown, the Great Wall is not 'in your hometown' unless you live near Badaling or some similar place.)

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Part 1 topic = Reading

The meaning of 'read' here is 看书, not 读书.

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Part 1 topic = Weekends Note 1

• Are weekends important to you? 

Why?/Why not? Include what you usually do on weekends.

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Part 1 topic = Weekends Note 2

• How does the average person in China spend his or her weekend? 

= What do they do?

It is not 'wrong' to say that some people like to 'travel to different places in China' but that answer is unsuitable. After all, the weekend is just two days, Saturday & Sunday. Some people like to travel away from where they live, to a nearby place, but not really 'travel around China'. A short trip like that can be called a 'day trip', meaning you just go somewhere for the day and come back home to sleep. (Of course, many people stay away from home all weekend.)

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Part 1 topic = Weekends Note 3

• Do you think it is reasonable that employees be paid at a higher rate for working overtime?

In (most countries in) the West, a 40-hour workweek, consisting of five 8-hour work days is considered to be the standard. If an employee is asked to work more than 8 hours in one day, the extra time is called "overtime". Overtime is usually paid to the employee at a higher rate than normal working hours. For example, many employers (must, by law) pay employees 150% of the normal pay for overtime hours worked, and in some cases, such as working on Christmas Day, it is 200% or more. The reason for paying overtime at a higher than normal rate is to compensate the employees for the loss of valuable time that could have been spent with the family and, to some extent, to penalize the employer for asking employees to sacrifice their family (or personal) time. 

Employees who have (senior) managerial positions usually do not claim or receive overtime – they receive a flat salary per year, which, of course, is considerably higher than that of  lower-level employees. 

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Part 1 topic = Family, Note 1

• Who are the people in your family? 

We can say, "He's a family member" and, "He's a member of the family". But we don't usually say, "My family has four members" or "There are four members in my family." Instead, we say, "There are four people in my family".

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Part 1 topic = Family, Note 2

• What does your family do together? 

Some English speakers treat the word, 'family' as plural. E.g., 'What do your family do together?'

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Part 1 topic = Family, Note 3

• What is the biggest influence in your life? 

Your job? Your girlfriend? Your family? Your friends? Why is it (or, are they) so important?

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Part 1 topic = Telephones 

• Do Chinese people prefer to use cellphones or the older-style phones? 

Which? Why? Guess if you don't know why.

Some English speakers also use the word, 'mobile phone' rather than 'cellphone'.

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Part 1 topic = Daily Routine

• What are you usually doing at this time? 

'This time' = the time of the Speaking test.

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Part 1, Topic = Weather, Note 1

• Do you think the weather can affect people's moods? 

Say how – guess how.

How do you feel during a light snowfall and immediately after, when the snow is still fresh? Most people are uplifted & refreshed by such a beautiful sight! (That is, if you live in a place that doesn't get a lot of snow.)

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Part 1, Topic = Weather, Note 2

• How does bad weather affect your life? 

Pay attention to the exact words of this question. If the questions is, "... affect your life" then it means more than just affecting your mood. For example, you could say that heavy rain damages your shoes because it is difficult to keep your shoes dry. 

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Part 1 topic = Weather, Note 3

• (If doing the test far from your hometown) Compare the weather in your hometown and the weather here. 

'Here' = at the place where you are doing the IELTS test.

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Part 1 topic = Friends, Note 1

• Have you met any interesting people recently? 

Here, 'meet' = meet for the first time.

This means meeting new people – people you didn't know before.

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Part 1 topic = Friends, Note 2

• How long do you think it takes to get to know a person? 

 = to really know a person; to understand a person

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Part 1 topic = Friends, Note 3

• Do you like face-to-face conversations with people? 

Or do prefer using the phone or email?

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Part 1 topic = Friends, Note 4

• Do you think it's possible to become real friends with the people you meet on the internet, for example, on chat sites or personal introduction sites? * 

This question has not yet been reported for Part 1 but it is sometimes used in Part 3. It might be used in Part 1. 

Hint: If, after you first meet them on the internet, you then meet them in person, then of course it is as possible as meeting anyone new face-to-face.

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Part 1 topic = Parks and Public Gardens 

• What do you think are the functions of parks and public gardens? 

 = What are parks and public gardens used for?

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Part 1 topic = Clothes, Note 1

• Do people around you also wear the same type of clothes? 

 = the same type as you wear?

'People around you' means your workmates, classmates, neighbours, friends etc.

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 Part 1 topic = Clothes, Note 2

• In China, are students allowed to wear different clothes to other students? 

Or do students all wear a uniform?

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 Part 1 topic = Clothes, Note 3

• Do you think people spend too much time choosing their clothes? 

Or, too much time buying clothes?

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Part 1 topic = Leisure Time & Relaxing 1

• When you relax, what do you like to do? 

Or: What do you like to do to relax? (Why?)

See also important notes here.

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Part 1 topic = Leisure Time & Relaxing 2

• Do you think holidays are important? 

Weekends are not considered to be 'holidays' but rather, 'time off work'.

This question might be: Do you think leisure time is important? 

Of course, this question is really asking you, "What is the importance of holidays (or, leisure time)?"

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Part 1 topic = Meals, Note 1

'Meal' has several slightly different meanings. 

a) A mean is an event,  一顿饭 

b) A meal is a dish (菜肴) i.e., the specific food eaten.  

c) A meal can also mean, 'a relatively large amount of food, enough to satisfy your appetite.' 

Here, it means a) an event, or c) a large amount of food. Here, it does not mean, b) a dish.

The three meals of the day are breakfast, lunch & dinner. 

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Part 1 topic = Meals, Note 2

• Is there any special food that you particularly like? 

This question probably comes under the 'Meals' topic.

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Part 1 topic = Photography, Note 1

• Do you like photography? 

= Do you like taking photographs?

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Part 1 topic = Photography, Note 2

• Do you prefer to take pictures of people or of scenery? * 

If people, say who. If scenery, say what kind of scenery.

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Part 1 topic = Photography, Note 3

• Who do you take photos of? 

= Who do you photograph?

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Part 1 topic = Photography, Note 4

• Why don't some people like having their photo taken? 

= Why do some people not like having their photo taken?

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Part 1 topic = Art (Or, The Arts), Note 1

A broad definition of the word, 'art' or an 'art form' means 'a creative skill' or the product of this creative skill. This includes such activities as drawing & painting, writing poetry and the 'performing arts' such as making music, dance, acting etc. In Chinese, this is 艺术.  

In a more narrow sense, 'art' means drawing, painting, sculpture, (photography) and similar visual art forms. This group is sometimes called 'the fine arts'. In Chinese, this is 美术. For the questions in the test, any type of art is probably suitable.  

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Part 1 topic = Art (Or, The Arts), Note 2

• Do you like visiting (or, do you often visit) museums and art galleries? (Why?/Why not?) 

American English for 'art gallery' is 'art museum'.

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Part 1 topic = Art (Or, The Arts), Note 3

• Did you ever do any artwork when you were a child? 

Handicrafts can be included as a form of 'artwork'. In China, there are many kinds of traditional handicrafts such as making and painting a kite, making & painting a mask for a Beijing opera performance, paper cutting, embroidery, making Chinese knots ... Calligraphy can be included in this! 

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Part 1 topic = Newspapers

• Do you most often read about local news or international news? (Why?)

The wording might be, "Do you prefer to read local news or international news?"

The word, "local" usually means 本地的. That is, it refers to your local community, town, city or province. But when it is used in contrast to "international" it is possible to interpret the meaning as, "domestic" or "national". Alternatively, you could continue to interpret the meaning as  本地的.

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Part 1 Topic = Names Note 1

• Does you name have any special meaning?

If you get this question, try to be clear and methodical in the way you give your answer.

For example, "Yes, it does. My surname, XXX means YYY and my given names, ZZZ and WWW mean AAA and BBB. My parents gave me that name because ...." 

The points to note here are:

1. Clearly say which part of your name means what.
2. You can use "family name" instead of "surname" but most English speakers say, "surname" and showing that you know this word will impress the examiner.
3. Most Chinese people have a two-word given name, that is, two different Chinese characters with a meaning for each character and you should explain the meaning of each character. 
4. Definitely do not use the expressions, "first name" and "second name". These expressions apply to Western names, not Chinese names. If you use these expressions, you will seriously confuse the examiner because your surname is the first word in your full name, which is the opposite to the case with Westerners' names.
5. Give additional information, such as why your parents gave you that name.
6. If your surname no longer has any (known) meaning and is simply a name, just say that to the examiner. You could give extra information about your surname, even if you don't know the meaning of it. For example, if your surname is 赵, just explain that it was the name of an ancient emperor.

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Topic = Birthdays Note 1

What did you do on your last birthday?

• The key point here is to show you can use past tense verbs. Don't forget to show some vocabulary and to give a few details so that the answer is not too short. Remember, your average Part 1 answer should be about 20 seconds long.

• It is possible the question is, "How did you celebrate your last birthday?" but I don't think that is the question because not everybody celebrates every one of their birthdays.

• If you celebrated your birthday with friends and/or family, just describe what you did, for example, you went to a restaurant for a special meal.

• The fact is that many people who are living away from their family and their former friends don't do anything special on their birthday - it's just another day. So, you can just say that you went to work or classes as usual and didn't do anything out of the ordinary to celebrate your birthday. And give a short explanation why you didn't celebrate your birthday. 

• Some people announce to their friends, "Hey! It's my birthday on Friday and I'm having a party at XXX restaurant (or at my home) to celebrate and you're invited to come."  But I think most people don't do that and, instead, they wait for family members or friends to organize a celebration (e.g., a party). This is a way for friends or family members to show their affection for you. But, as I mentioned above, many people are living away from their family and their friends might be new friends who don't know when your birthday is. 

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Topic = Gifts

What sorts of things do people in China usually give as gifts? 

The word, "send"

We usually say, "give a gift". In English, if you say, "send a gift" it means to "mail a gift", "post a gift" or, "ask someone else to take and give your gift to another person". 

The word, "send" means "to cause something or someone to go somewhere" but the person who sends does not go with that thing or person. For example, when you send a letter to your friend in another city, you don't go with the letter! Or, if Mum sends her daughter to the shop (= asks or tells her daughter to go to the shop) to buy some vegetables, Mum stays at home while the daughter goes to the shop. 

Similarly, if your cousin from another city visits you and you are planning to go with your cousin to the airport or train station to say goodbye when your cousin is leaving, we don't say, "I'll send you to the airport". That is wrong because you plan to go with your cousin to the airport. Instead, you should say, "I'll take you to the airport" (or, "I'll see you off at the airport".) When you "take" something or someone somewhere, you go with that thing or person.

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Topic = leisure 1

The American (and Canadian) way of pronouncing 'leisure' is quite different to the British (and Australian etc.) way.

Listen: 

The British pronunciation of 'leisure'

The American pronunciation of 'leisure'.

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Topic = names 1

How are babies given their names in China?

If possible, try to give some information about where the names come from. For example, from traditional Chinese stories, from Tang poetry, from some special book of names, .....

(In the West, many people give their children the names of the baby's grandparents or uncles or aunts etc.)

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