IELTS Speaking Part 1: Animals and pets
The questions
Asked in this order, in one sitting.
- What is your favourite animal?
- Should pets be kept indoors or outdoors?
- Have you ever owned a pet?
- Which animals are popular in your country?
How to answer it
Pick an animal you can say something unexpected about rather than the one you like most — the question is a vehicle for language. The indoors-or-outdoors question is an opinion question in disguise; answer it with a condition (it depends on the animal and on where you live) rather than a flat preference.
What moves the band
- Animal lexis: they're low-maintenance, it's cruel to keep them cooped up, a stray, they roam freely.
- If you have never owned a pet, say why not — allergies, a landlord, travel — and the answer still runs three sentences.
These are candidate recalls. These are questions reported by test-takers after their exams, not official or leaked IELTS material. Wording varies by test version, location and memory. Use them for timed practice — never as a prediction of what you will be asked.
Practise these next
Know the number. Now move it.
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