First Mock Test - Speaking Exam

Facilitator’s Guide

Time Required: 210 minutes

• Duration:
o Total: 3 hours and 30 minutes
o Introduction: 5 minutes
o Preparation: 5 minutes
o Presentation: 190 minutes
o Processing: 10 minutes

Materials: List of Questions, pens, scratch papers, task cards, bowl with names of trainees
Mechanics and Instructions:

• Facilitator will inform the trainees about the first mock speaking test.
• Facilitator will give a short reminder on how the test will be facilitated.
• Facilitator will tell the trainees that the names will be randomly picked.
• Facilitator will remind the trainees to follow the protocol during the speaking test.
• During the speaking test, the facilitator will choose a random question to be asked to the
trainee for the two parts of the speaking test (Parts 1 and 2).
• Facilitator will then ask follow up questions related to the chosen topic.
• After the trainee is done with the test, the facilitator will provide a short coaching and
feedback and give the trainees projected band score for the speaking test.
• Facilitator will then ask the trainee to pick a name of the next test taker, and ask him/her
to call the next person.
• After every one is done with the test, the facilitator will ask the class if they have
clarifications or questions about the test.
IELTS Speaking Test Mock Exam Questions
Part 1 - Introduction
Warm-up

• Could you show me your identification card please?

• Could you tell me your full name please?
• What shall I call you?
• Does your name have any special meaning?
• Why do so many people change their names?
• Is your name important to you?

Hometown or birth place

• Where do you come from?

• Where do you live?
• Can you tell me something about your hometown?
• Can you tell me some famous landscapes or scenic spots in your hometown?
• Can you tell me some history of your hometown?

Personal background and information

• Are you a student or do you have a job?

• What do you like most about your study?
• What kind of job do you prefer after graduation?
• What is your major?
• What do you do for living?
• Could you tell me a typical day of yours?
• How do you get your job?
• Are you satisfied with your job?
• What do you like most about your job?
• What kind of job do you prefer in the future?

Hobby or inclination

• What do you usually do in your spare time?

• Do you prefer to stay alone or with your friends?
• What do you usually do on weekends and weekdays?
• What do you usually do when you go out?
• What do you usually do with your friends?
• Do you like reading?
• What kind of books do you like best?
• Do you like English? Why or why not?
• What do you think of the importance of English?
• What are good hobbies and bad hobbies? Why?
Future plan

• Why do you take the IELTS test?

• What are you planning to do in the next five years?
• What are you planning to do in the next ten years?
• What is the first thing you will do when you arrive at the new place?

Traveling

• Do you like traveling?

• Do you like travel alone or with your friends?
• Have you traveled to other places? Where are they?
• What do you usually do when you first arrive in a new place?
• What are the benefits of traveling?
• Why do so many people like traveling nowadays?
• Do you think it's true that travel broadens the mind?
• Do young people and older people benefit differently from travelling?
• How can you make sure you get the most from your travels?

Family

• Tell me something about your family.

• What do you like doing most with your family?
• Who are you close to in your family?
• In what way is your family important to you?
• In what ways have families changed in the last hundred years?
• Should we rely heavily on our families or is it better to try to be independent?

Friends

• Do you have many friends? Are they casual acquaintances or close friends?
• Do you prefer to stay with your family or with your friends?
• Do you prefer one or two close friends or many friends?
• Can you talk about your best friend?
• How to make friends?
• What do you usually do with your friends?
• Is the time you spend with your friends as much as that you spend with your family?
• What do you expect from a good friend?
• Are friends as important to you as family?
• Do you think friendships change as we get older? How?

Music

• Do you like music?

• What are the benefits of listening to music?
• What kind of music do you like best?
• Why do you like this kind of music?
• What is your favourite musical instrument?
Transportation

• Can you say something about the transportation in your hometown?

• What is the common means of transport in your country?
• Do traffic jams often occur in your hometown or in the city where you live?
• How to solve the problem?
• What changes in transportation have taken place in the past several years in your
country?

Sport

• Are you good at sport?

• What sports do you play?
• What is the most popular sport in your country?
• What do you do to keep fit?
• What are the best ways to keep fit?
• Do you think most people consider exercise a chore or do they find it fun?
• What is the most popular form of exercise in your country?
Parts 2 & 3 (Individual Long Turn and Two-Way Discussion)

In the second section candidates are given a topic card and then have one minute to prepare
after which they must speak about the given topic. The third section involves a discussion between
the examiner and the candidate, generally on questions relating to the theme which they have
already spoken about in part 2.

1. Describe a piece of equipment you often use at home or at work.

You should say:

• What it is
• What you do with it/ How to use it
• How long you have had it
• How important it is to you

Discussion:

• What are the impacts of electrical equipment on human’s life in the past ten years?
• What are the differences of the life in the past and at the present?
• What role does technological development play in people’s life?
• How will technology develop in the future?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of computer and internet?

2. Describe a well-known person.

You should say:

• Who he/she is
• What makes him/her famous
• Why you admire him/her

Discussion:

• Do you want to become famous?

• How to become a well-known person in the Philippines?
• What kind of people can become famous in the Philippines?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of being famous?
• What do you think of the privacy of a well-known person?
• What do you think of the relationship between a well-known person and advertising?
• Would you be influenced by the well-known persons in TV commercials?
 • Do you often talk about singers with your friends? What do you often talk about?

3. Describe a friend in your school time you like most.

You should say:

• Who he/she is
• When you became friend
• Why you like him/her or why you think that he/she is important to you
• How he/she influences you

Discussion:

• What are the differences between adults and children in terms of making friends?
• Can adults make friends with children?
• What do you think are the most important factors when making friends?
• What are the possible factors that cause the break-up of friendship?
• Why is it difficult for adults to make friends?
• What will the friendship become like when getting old?

4. Describe a person whom you like to work or study with.

You should say:

• Who he/she is
• When you worked/studied together
• What you often do together
• Why you like to work with him/her
• What you learn from him/her

Discussion:

• Do you like to work alone or with a partner?

• What do you think of teamwork and team spirit?
• What kind of people are good to work with?
• Do you like group work or group learning?
• What is your opinion on efficiency?
• What are the advantages of studying by yourself?
• What do you think of efficiency?
 5. Describe a restaurant or a cafe.

You should say:

• Where it is
• What it looks like
• What kind of services are provided
• What kind of food you like there/What kind of food is famous
• Why you like it

Discussion:

• Do you like cooking?

• Will you cook for your friends when they visit you?
• Who cooks in a Filipino family?
• What do you think of the advantages and disadvantages of fast food?
• Why is fast food so popular?
• Where would Filipinos go when they eat out?
• What changes would take place in terms of Filipino eating habits?
• What food is popular?
• What is the difference between fresh food and canned food?
• What can we do to solve the problem of food shortage?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of family food?

6. Describe an interesting building.

You should say:

• Where it is located
• What it looks like
• What services are provided
• How you like it

Discussion:

• What role do old buildings and new buildings play in modern society?
• What changes have taken place in architecture in the past two decades?
• Do you think it necessary to protect old buildings?
• What is your take on skyscrapers being built in your country?
 7. Describe a kind of book you like.

You should say:

• What kind of books you like most

• What they are about
• Why you like them most
• What effect the books have brought on you

Discussion:

• What is the difference between men and women when choosing what to read?
• What kind books do children like? Why do they like reading?
• What is the difference between reading and watching TV?
• What is the relationship between reading and computer?
• What are the advantages of reading books?
• Why do children like pictorials?
• What books are popular in the Philippines?

8. Describe one of your favorite books.

You should say:

• What kind of books you like

• What your favorite book is
• What it is about
• When you got it
• Why you like it

Discussion:

• Do you like other books?

• What kind of books do Filipinos in general like?
• What kind of books do Filipino women like?
• What kind of books do Filipino children like?
• What kind of books do you recommend to others?
 9. Describe a letter that you received.

You should say:

• When you received it

• Who sent it to you
• What it is about
• Whether it is important to you

Discussion:

• What is the difference between letter and e-mail?

• Do you often keep diaries?
• What is the difference between diary and letter?
• What is the difference in the past and at the present as regards communications?
• What is the role of letter 50 years ago and at the present?
• What do you think of the role 50 years later?
• What do you think of creative writing?
• Would post office disappear 50 years later?
• What role does computer play in our society?
• What changes have been brought by the computer?

10. Describe a kind of music.

You should say:

• Whether you like music

• What kind of music you like best
• What role music plays in people’s life

Discussion:

• How long do you listen to music every day?

• Why is it easier for children to learn playing a musical instrument?
• What are the benefits of learning to play musical instruments?
• Discuss the impact of western music on the world music?
 11. Describe a traditional festival in the Philippines.

You should say:

• What it is
• When it is celebrated
• How to celebrate
• What you usually do on that day
• What you like and what you don’t like

Discussion:

• What is the concept of holiday in the Philippines?

• Why is holiday so important to modern people?
• Do you think it is necessary to observe the traditional customs?
• What changes in terms of spending festivals and holidays have taken place in the past
decade?
• What is the difference as regards celebration in different part of the country?

12. Describe a perfect trip/holiday.

You should say:

• Where you would go

• When you would go
• Whom you would go with
• What you are going to do

Discussion:

• What is the difference in the past and at the present as regards travelling?
• How would the tourist industry develop in the future?
• What should the government do to attract tourists?
• What should the people do to attract tourists?
 13. Describe an interesting hobby.

You should say:

• What it is
• How long you spend on it
• How often you do it
• Why you like it

Discussion:

• Do you think that surfing the Internet, watching TV, listening to music or keeping a pet
are interesting hobbies?
• Do you think it will cost too much time to do them?
• Do you like hobbies requiring teamwork?
• Why do people usually do in their spare time?

14. Describe an environmental problem.

You should say:

• What it is
• How long it has existed
• What effect it has brought to people’s life
• What we can do to solve it

Discussion:

• What causes environmental problems?

• What should the government do to protect the environment?
• What should we do to protect the environment?
• What other measures can you think of to protect the environment?
• How should we educate children to protect environment?
• What’s the difference between the old and the young as regards environmental
protection?
 15. Describe a kind of extreme weather.

You should say:

• What it is
• When did it happen?
• Where you were
• How you felt at that time

Discussion:

• What should you do in a bad weather?

• Will bad weather mold or change people’s personality?
• What is the relationship between weather and culture?
• The climate has changed these 50 years. Have you noticed the changes?
• What changes do you predict in the following years?
• Are the people interested in gathering the weather information in your place?
• How does weather influence people’s personalities in your country?

16. Talking about learning English.

You should say:

• When and where you began studying English

• What the most interesting thing is in an English class
• What the most effective way of learning English is
• What difficulties you have when learning English
• What the advantages of learning English are

Discussion:

• What problems do you have when studying English?

• Do you think that English is the most important language in the world?
• Can English take the place of the Filipino language in the Philippines?
• What other languages are taught in the Philippines?
• Do you think that age is the most important factor of learning English? Why?
• What difficulties would a foreigner have when he learns your native language?
• What problems would Filipino people have when communicating with foreigners?
• When would be most suitable for children to learn English?
• How will translation and interpretation develop in the future?
 17. Describe different ways of getting news.

You should say:

• Whether you get news every day

• Whether the news is national or international
• How you get news (via newspaper, TV, Internet, radio or other people)
• How most Filipinos think about the importance of getting news update every day

Discussion:

• Do you think the information on the Internet believable or not?

• What is the most effective way of getting news?
• How do reporters gather information?
• What do you think of the importance of privacy?
• How do journalists entertain their customers?
• What role do media play in people’s life?
• How do Filipino people gather information?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of different media?
• Do you think it necessary to control the news coverage?
• What kind of news do you think should be controlled?

18. Describe a skill you want to learn.

You should say:

• What it is
• Why you think it is important
• How you are going to learn it
• What role it will play in your future life

Discussion:

• What do you think of the traditional skills?

• What skill do you think the university has provided for your job?
• What skills can you learn in school?
• What kind of skills have your parents learned?
• What do you think of the role of family for children to learn skills?
• What is the most popular skill that people want to learn?
• What kind of school would you send your children to? Why?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of school education and family
education?
 19. Describe a piece of art you like.

You should say:

• What the work of art is

• When you first saw it
• What you know about it
• And explain why you like it

Discussion

• What kind of art do you enjoy?

• What are the tradition art forms in your country?
• What makes a good painting?
• Do you think children should study art at school?
• How can children benefit from learning art?
• How has art changed in the last few decades in your country?

20. Describe a piece of advice you recently received

You should say:

• When this happened

• Who gave you the advice
• What the advice was
• And explain how you felt about the advice

Discussion

• How do you usually take the advice of your family?

• What is your take on unsolicited advice?
• Does it hurt you if the advice is too personal?
• Was there a time when you gave advice to someone close to you? How did she/he
take it?
• What was the worst advice ever given to you?

21. Describe a member of your family you get on well with

You should say:

• Who it is
• What relationship you have to that person
• What that person is like
• What you do together
• And explain why you get on so well
Discussion

• Is family important in your country?

• How has the size of the family changed in the last few decades in your country?
• How do you think the family will change in the future?
• What role do grandparents play in the family in your country?
• Who do you think should be responsible for the care of the elderly, the family or the
government?

22. Describe a useful website

You should say:

• What it is
• How often you visit it
• What kind of site it is
• What kind of information it offers
• And explain why you think it is useful

Discussion

• Do most people have a computer at home in your country?

• Do you think all information on the internet is true?
• How can people find reliable information on the internet?
• How has the internet changed the way we live?
• How has the internet changed the way we work?
• Do you think the internet is safe for children to use unsupervised?

23. Describe a place you have recently visited.

You should say:

• Where you went

• Who you went with
• How you got there
• And explain why you enjoyed it

Discussion

• Why do some people prefer to travel abroad rather than in their own country?
• Do you think traveling to another country can change the way people think?
• Do you think it is good for children to experience life in a foreign country?
• How have holidays changed over the past few decades?
• Do you think it is safer to travel now than in the past?