What kind of music do you like?
Music questions invite a list of genres, which is the weakest possible answer. Say what you listen to, when or where you listen, and what it does for you.
Naming a specific artist is fine, but don't spend the whole answer on their biography. The examiner wants your relationship with music, not a Wikipedia entry.
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.
I like pop music and also rock music. My favourite singer is Adele. I listen music every day, in the bus and at home.
Why it scores Band 5.5: "Listen music" and "in the bus" are slips ("listen to", "on the bus"), and the answer is a list without reasons.
It depends on what I'm doing. When I'm studying it has to be something without words, usually lo-fi or film soundtracks, otherwise I start singing along and lose my place. But at the gym it's the complete opposite: loud, fast hip hop, the more annoying the better.
Why it scores Band 7: Organised around situations, with a clear contrast and natural expressions ("lose my place", "the more annoying the better").
My taste is all over the place, to be honest. My playlists go from old Persian classical music, which I grew up hearing at my grandparents' house, straight into very modern electronic stuff. I think what connects them is that they're both good to get lost in. I'm not really a background-music person: if it's on, I'm listening.
Why it scores Band 8: An honest, natural opening, a personal link, and a thoughtful point about what connects the music. "All over the place" and "get lost in" are used exactly right.
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 learn to play an instrument as a child?
- I had piano lessons for about two years, but I hated practising, so I didn't get very far. I can still play the first half of one song, which I'm quite proud of.
- Do you prefer listening to music alone or with others?
- Mostly alone, with headphones. Music is quite personal for me. But live music is the exception: a concert is much better with friends.
- Have you ever been to a concert?
- A few. The best was a small jazz concert in a basement bar, where there were maybe forty people. It felt like the band was playing in my living room.
- Has the way people listen to music changed?
- Completely. When I was young we bought CDs and listened to whole albums. Now most people stream playlists, so they hear more music but probably pay less attention to each song.
Words that lift this answer
- my taste in music
- The kind of music you like.
- catchy / upbeat / mellow
- Words that describe how music sounds.
- sing along
- Sing while listening to a song.
- stream / a playlist
- Modern ways people listen.
- it grows on you
- You like it more each time you hear it.
- all over the place
- Very varied, without a pattern (informal).
Mistakes that cost marks here
- "I listen music". Always "listen to music".
- Listing genres. Pick a situation and explain what music does for you there.
- "In the bus". Say "on the bus".
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.