Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS General Training Speaking Test 7 (Online Test)

Part 1 · Question 2

How do you feel when someone breaks one?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

Pick up and paraphrase: breaks

• What springs to mind is …
• …, and that is fairly typical where I am from.
• If I had to pick one, it would be …

Part 1 · Question 3

Have you ever promised something you couldn't do?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

Pick up and paraphrase: promised, couldn't

• It depends, but generally …
• …, whereas ten years ago it was quite different.
• A good example of that would be …

Part 1 · Question 4

Is a promise between friends different from a contract?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

Pick up and paraphrase: promise, between, friends

• I would say so, yes, mainly because …
• …, at least that has been my experience.
• On the other hand, some people would argue …

Part 1 · Question 5

Would you promise a child something you weren't sure about?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

Pick up and paraphrase: promise, child, weren't

• Not particularly, no — the thing is …
• …, which makes a real difference day to day.
• That said, I can see why others might …

Part 1 · Question 6

Why do people still trust a spoken promise?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

Pick up and paraphrase: still, trust, spoken

• To be honest, …
• …, which is something I have always found useful.
• The main reason for that is …

Part 1 · Question 7

How do you make a difficult decision?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

Pick up and paraphrase: difficult, decision

• What springs to mind is …
• …, and that is fairly typical where I am from.
• If I had to pick one, it would be …

Part 1 · Question 8

Do you decide quickly or take your time?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

Pick up and paraphrase: decide, quickly

• It depends, but generally …
• …, whereas ten years ago it was quite different.
• A good example of that would be …

Part 1 · Question 9

Who do you talk to before deciding something big?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

Pick up and paraphrase: before, deciding

• I would say so, yes, mainly because …
• …, at least that has been my experience.
• On the other hand, some people would argue …

Part 1 · Question 10

What was the last decision you changed your mind about?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

Pick up and paraphrase: decision, changed

• Not particularly, no — the thing is …
• …, which makes a real difference day to day.
• That said, I can see why others might …

Part 1 · Question 11

Would you rather choose from two options or twenty?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

Pick up and paraphrase: rather, choose, options

• To be honest, …
• …, which is something I have always found useful.
• The main reason for that is …

Part 1 · Question 12

Do people regret their choices more than the chances they didn't take?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

Pick up and paraphrase: regret, choices, chances

• What springs to mind is …
• …, and that is fairly typical where I am from.
• If I had to pick one, it would be …

Part 1 · Question 13

What's your best habit?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

Pick up and paraphrase: what's, habit

• It depends, but generally …
• …, whereas ten years ago it was quite different.
• A good example of that would be …

Part 1 · Question 14

How long does it take you to form a new one?

Aim for 40–60 words, roughly 20–30 seconds.

Answer the question directly in the first sentence, add the reason behind it, then finish on one concrete detail from your own life. Do not stop after three words, and do not turn it into a speech.

• I would say so, yes, mainly because …
• …, at least that has been my experience.
• On the other hand, some people would argue …

Part 2 · Question 15

Describe a piece of news that had an effect on you.

Aim for 180–220 words — the full two-minute long turn.

Use the one minute of preparation to jot a word per bullet. Take the bullets in the order they are printed, spend the most time on the last one, and close by answering the final line of the card. Keep talking until the examiner stops you.

Pick up and paraphrase: piece, effect, story

• Not particularly, no — the thing is …
• …, which makes a real difference day to day.
• That said, I can see why others might …

Part 3 · Question 16

Why does bad news tend to travel faster than good news?

Aim for 80–110 words, roughly 40–60 seconds.

Give your position, justify it, illustrate it with a general example rather than a personal story, then acknowledge the other side. Part 3 rewards discussion, not autobiography.

Pick up and paraphrase: travel, faster

• To be honest, …
• …, which is something I have always found useful.
• The main reason for that is …

Part 3 · Question 17

How well do people in your country tell reliable reporting from rumour?

Aim for 80–110 words, roughly 40–60 seconds.

Give your position, justify it, illustrate it with a general example rather than a personal story, then acknowledge the other side. Part 3 rewards discussion, not autobiography.

Pick up and paraphrase: country, reliable, reporting

• What springs to mind is …
• …, and that is fairly typical where I am from.
• If I had to pick one, it would be …

Part 3 · Question 18

What effect does constant exposure to distressing stories have on ordinary readers?

Aim for 80–110 words, roughly 40–60 seconds.

Give your position, justify it, illustrate it with a general example rather than a personal story, then acknowledge the other side. Part 3 rewards discussion, not autobiography.

Pick up and paraphrase: effect, constant, exposure

• It depends, but generally …
• …, whereas ten years ago it was quite different.
• A good example of that would be …

Part 3 · Question 19

Should there be limits on the images news organisations are allowed to show?

Aim for 80–110 words, roughly 40–60 seconds.

Give your position, justify it, illustrate it with a general example rather than a personal story, then acknowledge the other side. Part 3 rewards discussion, not autobiography.

Pick up and paraphrase: limits, images, organisations

• I would say so, yes, mainly because …
• …, at least that has been my experience.
• On the other hand, some people would argue …

Part 3 · Question 20

Who is responsible for checking facts now that anyone can publish anything?

Aim for 80–110 words, roughly 40–60 seconds.

Give your position, justify it, illustrate it with a general example rather than a personal story, then acknowledge the other side. Part 3 rewards discussion, not autobiography.

Pick up and paraphrase: responsible, checking, facts

• Not particularly, no — the thing is …
• …, which makes a real difference day to day.
• That said, I can see why others might …

Part 3 · Question 21

How might people be receiving their news a decade from now?

Aim for 80–110 words, roughly 40–60 seconds.

Give your position, justify it, illustrate it with a general example rather than a personal story, then acknowledge the other side. Part 3 rewards discussion, not autobiography.

Pick up and paraphrase: might, receiving, decade

• To be honest, …
• …, which is something I have always found useful.
• The main reason for that is …

Part 3 · Question 22

How much of a person's character comes from their family and how much from their friends?

Aim for 80–110 words, roughly 40–60 seconds.

Give your position, justify it, illustrate it with a general example rather than a personal story, then acknowledge the other side. Part 3 rewards discussion, not autobiography.

Pick up and paraphrase: person's, character, comes

• What springs to mind is …
• …, and that is fairly typical where I am from.
• If I had to pick one, it would be …

Part 3 · Question 23

Why are families often the last to notice how alike their members are?

Aim for 80–110 words, roughly 40–60 seconds.

Give your position, justify it, illustrate it with a general example rather than a personal story, then acknowledge the other side. Part 3 rewards discussion, not autobiography.

Pick up and paraphrase: families, notice, alike

• It depends, but generally …
• …, whereas ten years ago it was quite different.
• A good example of that would be …

Part 3 · Question 24

Do children raised in the same household usually turn out similar?

Aim for 80–110 words, roughly 40–60 seconds.

Give your position, justify it, illustrate it with a general example rather than a personal story, then acknowledge the other side. Part 3 rewards discussion, not autobiography.

Pick up and paraphrase: children, raised, household

• I would say so, yes, mainly because …
• …, at least that has been my experience.
• On the other hand, some people would argue …