IELTS Speaking Part 1: the questions, and what a good answer sounds like
Part 1 is four or five minutes of questions about you: where you live, what you do, what you like. Easy questions, which is exactly the problem. Here are the ones that come up again and again, each answered at three bands, with what makes the difference.
You and your day
Likes and favourites
People
How Part 1 is marked
The examiner marks four things across the whole test: fluency and coherence, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Part 1 doesn't have its own score, but it's the first impression, and a lot of candidates lose the easiest marks here with one-line answers.
Aim for two to four sentences: answer, reason, one detail. Longer than that and the examiner will cut you off, which is fine, they have a script to follow. Shorter than that and they have nothing to mark.
Don't memorise these answers
Examiners hear memorised answers all day, and they're trained to spot them: the speed changes, the intonation flattens, and the answer doesn't quite fit the question. A memorised answer can be marked down, and the examiner will often change the topic to see what you sound like unprepared.
Use the sample answers to see what changes between bands, borrow a phrase or two, then answer with your own life. Your answers don't need to be interesting, they need to be yours.