Did you play any sports at school?

We had to play volleyball in PE, and I was always the person the ball seemed to avoid. I enjoyed the team side of it, though, more than the actual sport.

Do you prefer team sports or individual sports?

Team sports, I think. Running on my own is good exercise, but I get bored. With a team there's a bit of chat and some competition, which keeps me going.

Why do some people not like sport?

Often it goes back to school. If you were made to feel bad at sport as a child, you tend to avoid it later. A lot of people discover they quite like exercise once nobody is grading them.

Is watching sport on TV popular in your country?

Massively, especially cricket. When there's a big match, the streets go quiet and every café has a TV on. It's one of the few things the whole country does at the same time.

IELTS Speaking Part 1 · Favourite sport

What is your favourite sport?

You don't need to be sporty to answer this well. Watching, playing or even disliking sport are all fine answers. What the examiner wants is a clear preference and a reason that's specific to you.

If you play, talk about how it feels. If you watch, talk about who you watch with and why. Both give you much more to say than the rules of the game.

Answer it out loud with the AI examiner

Sample answers at 3 bands

Same question, three answers. Read them out loud and notice what changes: not longer words, but more detail, better linking and a bit of you in it.

Band 5.5 answer

My favourite sport is football. I like to play football and also watch. My favourite team is Real Madrid. Football is very popular in my country.

Why it scores Band 5.5: Four facts and no reason. "Football is very popular in my country" is true of most countries and doesn't answer the question.

Band 7 answer

Badminton, without a doubt. I play twice a week with a group from work at a sports centre near the office. It's much faster than people think, and after an hour I'm completely exhausted, but it's the best way I know to forget about deadlines.

Why it scores Band 7: A clear choice, a habit, a surprising fact and a reason. "Without a doubt" and "completely exhausted" are natural collocations.

Band 8 answer

I'm a terrible player, but I'm a devoted watcher of cricket. My father and I have watched every India match together for as long as I can remember, usually shouting at the television. Even now I live in another city, we text each other ball by ball, so it's as much about him as it is about the game.

Why it scores Band 8: An honest twist ("terrible player, devoted watcher"), a strong personal story and a reflective final line. Fluent and precise.

Bands are our estimate against the public IELTS Speaking band descriptors. In the real test your band comes from all three parts, not one answer.

The follow-up questions

Part 1 stays on one topic for three or four questions. These are the ones that usually come next.

Did you play any sports at school?: We had to play volleyball in PE, and I was always the person the ball seemed to avoid. I enjoyed the team side of it, though, more than the actual sport.
Do you prefer team sports or individual sports?: Team sports, I think. Running on my own is good exercise, but I get bored. With a team there's a bit of chat and some competition, which keeps me going.
Why do some people not like sport?: Often it goes back to school. If you were made to feel bad at sport as a child, you tend to avoid it later. A lot of people discover they quite like exercise once nobody is grading them.
Is watching sport on TV popular in your country?: Massively, especially cricket. When there's a big match, the streets go quiet and every café has a TV on. It's one of the few things the whole country does at the same time.

Words that lift this answer

a big fan of / devoted to: Strongly support or enjoy something.
keep fit / stay in shape: Exercise to stay healthy.
a sense of team spirit: Feeling part of a group working together.
competitive: Wanting to win: "I get very competitive, even in friendly games."
be out of breath: Breathing hard after exercise.
a spectator sport: A sport people enjoy watching.

Mistakes that cost marks here

Explaining the rules of the sport. The examiner knows them.
"I like to play football and also watch". Say "both playing and watching it".
Saying you hate sport and stopping there. Give the reason, it's still a good answer.

Reading answers won't move your band. Saying them will.

Take a full Cambridge Speaking test: the examiner's questions are played out loud, you answer, and you get a band for fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. 10 free corrections a day.

Start a speaking test