Birthdays
What do you usually do on your birthday? Do you think it is important for you to celebrate your birthday? What did you do on your birthday when you were young? How did you celebrate your last birthday? What birthday presents do you like to get? How do children celebrate birthdays in your country?
Vocabulary
  • Soft play (noun) - activities for small children in an indoor area with play equipment made from soft materials.
  • Icing (noun) - a sweet food used to cover or fill cakes, made from sugar and water or sugar and butter.
  • To justify (verb) - to give or to be a good reason for.
  • Low-maintenance (adj.) - if you describe something or someone as low-maintenance, you mean that they require very little time, money, or effort to look after them.
  • Extravagant (adj.) - extreme and unreasonable.
  • Venue (noun) - the place where a public event or meeting happens.
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Questions and answers
M: Rory, what do you usually do on your birthday?

R: Well, I think every birthday is different. But if it's a nice day, then I usually go out with friends.

M: Do you think it's important for you to celebrate your birthday?

R: Well, I used to think so. But if it's a normal one, like my 33rd, then I don't really go out at all, to be honest. There doesn't seem to be much point.

M: What did you do on your birthday when you were young?

R: Well, when I was a child, we used to go to these sort of, oh, I don't know what you'd call them, specialist soft play centres. But later on in my teenage years, it was usually just house parties. And that was okay.

M: How did you celebrate your last birthday?

R: Well, if you mean my 33rd, then I didn't really celebrate it because I was at work. I suppose if we have to talk about any particular gift, it would have been the gift of sleep at the end of it. And I definitely got a lot of that. I did like my cake, though. Specifically the icing on it. It's really the only time you can justify something like that.

M: What birthday presents do you like to get?

R: Well, I'm pretty low-maintenance. So I usually just want books or clothes, to be honest with you. I don't really like odd or extravagant presents.

M: How do children celebrate birthdays in your country?

R: Well, if they're young, then I think they have parties at their houses or like the type of venues that I mentioned earlier. If they're older than I'm afraid I really have no idea what teenagers are doing these days. Sorry.

M: Thank you, Rory, for your answers! They were gifts for us!

R: Hopefully they were good at presenting the vocabulary and grammar! That was a dreadful pun...
Discussion
M: So birthdays. Birthdays, we celebrate birthdays, it's my birthday, it's my birthday party. We can say throw parties, I usually throw a party on my birthday. Is it on my birthday, or for my birthday, or in my birthday? At my birthday?

R: Never in, but on or for will be fine.

M: So on my birthday, or for my birthday? You can say that I enjoy getting books for my birthday, I enjoy getting nice jewellery. On my birthday or for my birthday, Rory, you said you go out with friends. So you didn't say anything just more interesting than going out with friends, really?

R: Like really, I have a very boring life when it comes to birthdays. This is why I was relying on the grammar, to be honest with you. And there was some nice grammar because we were focusing on the zero conditional. And there was also used to in there as well. But if you're younger, there are also activities in places to go to. So, we talked about soft play centres. Now, those are just places that, you know, you run around and throw yourself through, like into ball pits, for example, or everything's covered in like the soft layer. So if you land on it, then you won't hurt yourself. So that's quite good. If you're a young person, I imagine if you're an adult, it's not very entertaining. But for young people, it's good.

M: Yeah, yeah, you're getting ahead of yourself. Like, let's focus on what you can do on your birthday. What activities. What do we usually do on your birthday? You can say, alright, I enjoy cakes, I blow out candles, I get presents. And Rory, I've prepared a list...

R: Of things for me to do on my next birthday?

M: Exactly, exactly.

R: Come on then.

M: So, please also choose an activity for you. Again, we need you to show off your vocabulary and also like to be interesting and to be like for the examiner to see oh, wow. Like interesting activities. Right. So what do you usually do on your birthday? Choose one activity, write it in the comments. So Rory, on your birthday, you usually host a private movie screening.

R: Who has the facilities to do this?
M: Right. So you rent out, okay? A cinema thing. You rent out the whole cinema. So you host a private movie screening.

R: Is that coming out of the podcast budget?

M: No, it's your birthday. It's your money.

R: So I'm paying for this then? Fantastic.

M: Oh, yeah. It's your birthday. And you're inviting everybody. Okay? It's your birthday. So host a private movie screening. So rent out your own movie theatre, or you hire a private chef. A private chef, for cooking. Yeah, chef. So a private chef will cook your favourite dishes, or you throw a pajama party.

R: That would work well, if you were like a 12-year-old girl. You know, I don't think that would work if you're a fully grown man, would it? In fact, that might not work very well at all.

M: So you chill out in your PJs, pajamas and you binge-watch some movies. So host a pajama party.

R: That's not what I do for my birthday. That's what I do on my weekends. Like...

M: Did I tell you to comment?

R: No. But I'm doing it anyway because all of these ideas are totally ridiculous and very unrealistic examples of what people do on their birthdays.

M: Oh, the last one, the last one, you will enjoy a staycation. A staycation is when you kind of explore your own town, your own city. You just imagine that you are a tourist or a traveler in your own hometown. And you go to a hotel, you see the sights, so you enjoy a staycation. Vacation -staycation. All right? So Rory, what would it be?

R: None of them. None of them. Like none of these are things that you could do only on your birthday. Like you would be much better, assuming that you're from such a country talking about the different traditions people have on your birthday. So for example, I can't think of any for Scotland seriously, I don't know any birthday traditions, you might have ones in your family or in your culture. Let's move further afield. I cannot think of any birthday traditions in any of the cultures.

M: Exactly. That's why I've given you four choices. You have to choose at least one. Host a private movie screening, hire a private chef, have a pyjama party or enjoy a staycation. What would it be? Dear listener, write in the chat.

R: Staycation then.
M: Staycation. Alright, sweet. Thank you. Off... Let's move on. So it's important to celebrate our birthday. You can say I used to think it's important. Yeah? But now I don't celebrate my birthday, for example. Or if it's a normal birthday, you can have... What's normal birthday? You mean a date? It's not this... No, you don't call it anniversary. What do you call this? Like, I'm, I don't know, 20 years old or I'm 30 years old or I'm 60 years old. What do you call this special date? Special birthday?

R: Like a milestone birthday or a landmark birthday? That's what they are. But like for normal birthdays like you just call it a birthday. I've changed my mind. I don't like talking about this topic.

M: Yeah, you see, so you can say if it's a normal birthday, I don't usually celebrate but if it's a milestone birthday or a landmark, some special days. Yeah, I'm 30, yeah? So... And it's my 33rd birthday. Yeah? It's my 22nd birthday. So careful with the numbers. So yeah, these specialist soft places. I still don't get what they are. Soft play centres?

R: Look it up. Like they're just places where the... Not machinery. The things that the children play on are covered in like soft wrapping to stop them from hurting themselves. It's all very brightly coloured. I'm sure you have them in Russia. They probably have a totally different name, but that's what they're called.

M: So as a teenager, I used to go to some parties, or as a teenager. It was just house parties. Right? So Rory was a teenager, he went to the parties, he doesn't remember what he did, you know, because...

R: Because.

M: A lot of juice Rory drank. A lot of juice.

R: It's just...

M: Too much Coca-Cola.

R: Too much. Far too much.

M: Yeah. When did you celebrate your last birthday? Right? And then you should have some answers and Rory said that if we mean my 33rd birthday, so now we know that Rory is more than 33, 33. Ohh, Rory, look at you. And then Rory said, I did like my cake. Alright? So kind of I did like my party, I did like my cake. I liked it very much. That's a really nice structure. Or I did love my cake. Right? The best gift I was given on my birthday. Right? So that's a nice one, or the best gift I was given on that day. So on my last birthday. I'm low maintenance. Poor Rory. Low maintenance.

R: No, that's not to do with being poorer. That's to do with not wanting people to give you lots of extravagant stuff. If you would like to buy me presents for my birthday send literature, please.
M: Yeah, so low maintenance. Like Rory doesn't want diamonds. He doesn't want gold, cars, a real estate, boats for his birthday. So he's low maintenance, and I don't really like extravagant. How do you pronounce this?

R: Extravagant.

M: Extravagant or odd presents. Odd presents - meaning strange presents. How do children celebrate their birthdays? So we can again say they throw parties, blow out candles, receive gifts. And also they have parties at their houses. Right? Or they go to these, what, soft play centres? Yeah?

R: Children do.

M: Yeah. And they go to different venues. Venues like places, right? So kind of some cafe is a good venue. It's a good place.

R: For your birthday?

M: Yeah.

R: Why? Like, maybe, maybe, I'm beginning to think that I'm really abnormal. Like abnormally boring. Do people have parties at cafes?

M: Yeah, yeah, I used to go to a cafe, I would book a table and this big table, and we would just go in there. In a jazz cafe, I remember.

R: I don't remember this.

M: You don't remember this? That was before you.

R: Oh, well, then no wonder I don't remember.
M: And what do you call these parties, when I have, for example, a topic? So you have to go, you have to come in wearing a costume. And for example, mafia style. So what do you call these parties?

R: Fancy dress?

M: Fancy dress parties? Theme parties?

R: A themed birthday party.

M: A themed birthday party. Yeah.

R: Listen. Apologies. If you do not find rich grammar and vocabulary in this particular episode, I was trying to be normal, but I imagine most of you will as well.

M: Well, okay, what was the grammar? Tell us about the...

R: Well, we definitely have an example of used to in there. But our main grammar focus was zero conditional, and we've got them but not for every answer, and neither should you person who is listening. So for question number one, if it's a nice day, I go out with friends. So there you go, if Present Simple then Present Simple. Same for the next one. If it's a normal one, like my 23rd, then there's little point. Zero conditional might not seem important. But if you can use the conditional structures, then it's extremely helpful. And so we'll get you started gently with zero conditional, but the next three episodes we'll be focusing, oh, no, next four in fact, because we have first, second, third and mixed conditionals too.

M: Thank you very much for listening! Let's all have nice birthdays, and maybe...

R: And go to them.

M: Boring birthdays. And please write in the comments, what do you usually do on your birthday? What would you like to do if, I don't know, if everything was possible? And leave comments, hearts and love. Bye!

R: Bye!
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Where do you usually meet your friends? Do you think there are some places that are more suitable for meeting others? How have meeting places changed compared with the past? Are there any differences between your favourite meeting places now and in your childhood? Where did you last meet with your friends?
Old Buildings
Have you ever seen some old buildings in the city? Do you think we should preserve old buildings in cities? Do you prefer living in an old building or a modern house? Are there any old buildings you want to see in the future? Why? How do old buildings affect the appearance of a place? What aspects of culture do old buildings reflect?
Sports Programmes
Do you like watching sports programmes on TV? Do you like to watch live sports games? Who do you like to watch sports games with? What was your favourite sport when you were a child? What’s the difference between watching sports live at the stadium and on TV at home?
Evening Time
Do you like the morning or evening? What do you usually do in the evening? What did you do in the evening when you were little? Why? Are there any differences between what you do in the evening now and what you did in the past?
Talents
Do you have a talent or something you are good at? Is it the same talent in your family? Do you think your talent can be helpful for your future work? Do you think people in your family have the same talent? Do you want to work on your talent and why?
Computers
How often do you use a computer? What do you usually use a computer for? What kinds of computers are popular in your country? Who taught you how to use a computer? When was the first time you used a computer? What would your life be like without computers? Do you think computers have changed your life?
Watches
Do you like to wear a watch? What kind of watches do you prefer? Is a watch important for you? Have you ever got a watch as a gift? Why do some people wear/like expensive watches? Do you like expensive watches?
Sitting
Where’s your favourite place to sit? Do you like to sit on the sofa or on a chair? Do you always sit down for a long time? Do you feel sleepy when you are sitting down? Can you fall asleep while sitting on a chair? When you were a kid, did you usually sit on the floor?
Online News
What kind of news are popular in your country? Do you often read the news online? Is it convenient to read online news? Where do you usually read news from? What was the last article that you read about? Do you still read newspapers?
Flying
Do you work or are you a student? Why did you choose this job? Do you like it? What's the most interesting part of your job? What's the most difficult part of your job? Is there anything you don't like about your job? What would you like to do in the future?
Daily Routine
What's your daily routine like? Have you ever changed your routine? What's your favourite time of the day? What do you usually do at this time? How do you organise your study time? Do you like to plan what you'll do every day?
Studies
What do you study? Is there something that helps you to study efficiently? What's more essential for you, lecturers, or friends? Is there anything you want to change in your university? Do you like your studies at the moment?
Accommodation
Do you live in a house or a flat? What do you like the most about it? What's your favorite room? Can you describe the view from your windows? Do you plan to leave there in the future?
Apps
Which apps are popular in your country? What kinds of apps will you use in the future? Do you want to make an app of your own in the future? How much time do you usually spend on apps?
Offices
Is it common for people in your country to work in an office? Where do most of your friends work? Would you like to design an office? What kind of office would you like to work in?
Sports
Do you like watching sports programs on TV? Do you like to watch live games? Who do you like to watch sports games with? What kinds of games will you watch in the future?
Time Management
Do you ever change your plans? Is it easy for you to manage time? What's the hardest thing about making plans? Are you ever late for anything? Do you think most people can manage their time well?
Noise
Are there any sounds that you like? Which sounds do you dislike? Do you think there's too much noise in modern society?
Going out
Do you often go out in the evenings? Do people in your country go out a lot? Where do most young people like to go out in your country?
Relatives
How often do you meet your relatives? How do you spend time with your relatives? Are people in your country usually close with their relatives?
Pets
What kind of pets do you like? What kinds of pets are common in your country? Would you like to have an exotic pet?
Rest
What do you do when you take a rest? When was the last time you took a rest and what did you do? When will you take a rest next time?
Future
How do you think your life will change in the future? Are you worried about your future? What challenges do you see for yourself in the near future?
Math
Do you think math is hard? When did you start learning math? Who taught you math? Did you usually use a calculator?
Memory
Do you have a good memory? Do you do anything to improve your memory? Has your memory changed over the years?
Museums
Are there any museums in your hometown? What's the last time you visited a museum? Did you visit museums when you were a child?
TV Program
What's your favorite TV program? Do you talk with your friends about the program you watched? In your country is it possible to watch any TV programs in English?
Getting up early
Do you often get up early in the morning? What kinds of people usually get up early? What are the benefits of getting up early?
Happiness
How would you define happiness? Do you think people in your country are generally happy people? What's the happiest moment in your life?
Forests and Trees
When was the last time you went to a forest? Is there forest near your hometown? Would you like to live in the place that has a lot of trees?
Traffic
How do most people travel to work where you live? What traffic problems are there in your area? How would you reduce the traffic problems in your area?
Songs
Do you like singing? Did you enjoy singing when you were younger? How important is singing in your culture?
Weather
What's the weather like in your country? Does the weather affect your mood? Does rain ever affect transportation in your hometown?
Walking
Do you like to walk on your own or with others? Do people in your country walk a lot? Do you think walking in the countryside is better than walking in the city?
Scenery
Would you like to live in a house with beautiful scenery around it? Why do people like taking pictures of the scenery? Do you enjoy taking photos of the scenery?
Public Holidays
What public holidays do you celebrate in your country? Which public holiday do you like the most? What do you do during public holidays?
Dancing
Why do you think some or many people like dancing? Tell me about any traditional dancing in your country. Do you think traditional dancing will be popular in the future?
Contryside
How often do you visit the countryside? What do you like to do in the countryside? Have areas of countryside in your country changed since you were a child?
Cakes
Do you like sweets more now compared to when you were a child? Have you ever tried to make sweets or cakes? Do you eat cakes or sweets after your meal? What sweets are popular in your country?
Street Markets 2
Do you like going to street markets? When was the last time you went to a street market? Are there many street markets in your country? Do you prefer shopping in a mall or street market?
Losing and finding things
Have you ever lost anything? What should people do to find what they lost? Have you ever found anything? What should people do if they find something? Is it ok to keep the thing you found?
Strangers
Do you often talk to strangers? Is it easy for you to start a conversation with a stranger? Are you afraid of being judged by strangers?
Family
Is family important to you? Who is the favorite member of your family? Who is the oldest member in your family? Do you have a family, not your own that you like, and why do you like them?
Traveling
Do you like travelling? How long was the longest trip you took? What kind of places have you visited?
Street Food
Do you like to try street food? What kind of street food do you like? What street food do people usually eat? Do you like to buy street food when you travel to a new place?
Mobile Phones 2
What was your first mobile phone? How often do you use your mobile phone? Can you describe your mobile phone? How has your mobile phone changed your life?
Taking Photos
Do you like to take photographs? How do you keep your photos? Do you ever delete or throw away photos if they are on paper? Will you take more photos in the future, do you think?
Drawing and Painting
Do you like painting or drawing? Have you ever learned painting or drawing? What do you like to draw? What do you know about painting?
Websites
What kind of websites do you visit? What's your favourite website? What websites are popular in your country? Are there any changes to the websites you use?
Dreams
Do you remember your dreams when you wake up? Do you think dreams affect life? Do dreams have special meanings? Do you like listening about other people’s dreams?
Cinema
Do you like going to the cinema? Did you usually go to the cinema when you were a child? When was the last time you went to the cinema? What kinds of films do you prefer?
New Places
Have you been to a new place recently? How often do you go to new places? Have you ever moved into a new place or a new home? Why is living in the same place for a long time not good?
Driving
Do you like driving? When was the last time you drove? Is driving common in your country? Is it hard to learn to drive? Will you drive more in the future?
Architecture
What kind of architecture do you like the most? If you could live in any home in the world, where would you live? Is architecture an important part in the cities identity?
Concentration 2.0
Are you easily distracted? Why is it difficult for some people to stay focused? What improves concentration? Is it good to do several things at the same time or is it better to focus on one task?
Flowers
What flowers do you like? When was the last time you gave flowers to somebody? What flowers have special meaning in your country? Have you ever planted any flowers?
Colours
What colours do you like to wear? Do people in your country like to wear bright colours? What colours would you never use in your home? Do you think colours influence you?
Animals
What's the most popular pets in your country? What animal would you like to keep as a pet? What's your favourite animal? Would you like to have a pet in the future?
Weather
What's the weather usually like in your hometown? Do you like the weather in your hometown? What's your favorite weather? What do you do in hot weather? 
Watching TV
What types of TV programs do you like to watch? Why do people dislike watching TV? What benefits can people get from watching foreign TV programs? Can you watch TV programs in English in your country?
Spending time with others
Do you like being around other people? Would you prefer to stay alone or with other people? What do you and your friends do together? Do you remember a time when you needed to cooperate with others?
Parks and Gardens
Do you like going to parks? When was the last time you went to a park? Are there any parks where you live? Should parks be free for people?
Shoes
How often do you buy shoes? Have you ever bought shoes online? What's your favorite type of shoes? Do you know anyone who likes to buy a lot of shoes?
Headphones
Do you use headphones? Do you usually use headphones when you listen to music? In what situations would you not use headphones? How often do you buy headphones?
Robots
In the first ever episode, Maria and Rory discuss robots, a topic that sometimes comes up during speaking parts of the IELTS exam
Names
In this episode Rory and Maria discuss "Names" - another very common topic that comes up during IELTS Speaking test
Age
In the third episode of IELTS Speaking for Success podcast Maria and Rory discuss "Age" - a topic that comes up fairly often in IELTS Speaking
Accomodation
This episode Maria and Joe talk about "accommodation" - one of the three topics (along with "studies" and "work") that you can actually prepare for
Water
In the fifth episode Maria and Rory discuss water. Lot's of useful words, grammar and jokes to satisfy your knowledge hunger and brighten up your day
Jeans
Lots of people struggle to talk about Jeans... But have no fear! We have come to the rescue with 12 minutes of useful "Jeans" content".
Patience
Let's see how big your patience reservoir is and whether you can sit through the whole episode without turning it off.
Animals
Maria and Rory talk about animals - allergenic and hypoallergenic, wild and domesticated, dogs and cats, sharks and alligators
Sharing
In this episode, Maria and Rory talk about sharing and discuss lots of useful vocabulary related to the topic!
Season Finale
In the final episode of season 1 Rory takes a full IELTS Speaking test
Hairstyle
The topic of the first episode of 2020 and Season 2 is "Hairstyle". Maria and Rory discuss bad haircuts, fringes and of course, ridiculous decisions that Rory made when he was a teenager.
Perfume
Tune in to find out the difference between aftershave and body spray, perfume and cologne, fragrance and scent, as well as what vocabulary one can use to describe how something smells.
Teamwork
We’re back with a new episode. This time Maria and Rory discuss “Teamwork” - a topic that might come up in parts 1 and 3 of your IELTS Speaking test.
Pens
We are back with weekly episodes! This week Maria and Rory talk about "Pens" as it is of the new topics of 2020 IELTS Speaking test and you guys should be ready for it!
Art
Listen to the episode to find out whether Rory has a painting of Maria in his bedroom or not, as well as what it takes him to be cultured and sophisticated.
Books
In this episode (our longest episode so far) Maria and Rory discuss books. Page-turners and door-stoppers, fiction and non-fiction, encyclopedias and fairytales, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, Pushkin and Lermontov and of course, red riding hood
Coffee
In this episode we are finally talking about Coffee - the second most traded commodity in the world and a drink loved all around the globe. We'll discuss different types of coffee, ways to describe its taste and smell.
Toys
What words should you use when describing something like a toy? What do toys teach children? Do modern parents spend too much on toys for their kids? Innovative or innovAtive?
Boredom
If you have ever wanted to know 10 ways to say "I am bored", if you are in your 20s/30s but still wondering what has Papa Roach's song "Last Resort" got anything to do with resorts this episode is for you.
Science
This time Maria and Rory talk about Jessie Pinkman's field of expertise - SCIENCE! Why do planets go around the sun? Do all sciences end with "_ology"? Is a tomato a fruit, a vegetable, a cherry, or a berry?
Cake
Tune in to hear Rory's sweet answers, find out about the the most popular dessert (or desert?) in Scotland and whether Rory is a good cook (or cooker?).
Dreams
Do you often have dreams? Do you think we can learn something from dreams? Do you think dreams affect life?  Do you believe that dreams have a meaning?
Morning routine
What’s your morning routine? How is your morning routine different from when you were a child? What would you like to change about your current routine?
Crowded Places
Which places in your city are crowded? How do you feel in these crowded places? Have you ever felt comfortable in a very crowded place?
Plants
Do you know a lot about plants? Have you ever had a plant? Would you give a plant as a present? Do you know how to cultivate plants?
Food
Are you a foodie? What kinds of food do you particularly like to eat? What kinds of foods are most popular in your country? How many meals a day do you have?
Seasons
Which season do you like the most? What’s the weather like in your hometown?  Do you prefer dry or wet weather? Rory how do people in your country deal with bad weather?
Films
Do you enjoy watching films? What kinds of movies do you like best? Do you prefer foreign films or films made in your country? Who’s your favorite film star?
Friends and Friendship
Do you have many friends? How often do you see your friends? What kind of people do you like to make friends with? Do you think you are a good friend to others?
Hotels
What are some good hotels in your city? What qualities make a hotel a good one? What problems do people usually have in hotels?
Social Media
Which social media websites do you use? How much time do you spend on social media? What kind of information about yourself have you put on social media?
Insects
Do you like insects? What kinds of insects make some people scared? Do you think insects are useful? Are many different insects in the place where you live?
Numbers
Do you have a favorite number? Do any numbers have special importance in your country? Were are you good at math, at school? What numbers do people often have to memorize?
Health
Is health awareness important? Do you think people have become more health conscious in recent years? What can be done to make people more aware of their health?
History
Do you like history? Did you enjoy learning history when you were a child? When was the last time you read about history? Do you think children should learn history?
Public Transport
Do you travel by public transports? When was the last time you traveled by public transport? What’s the most popular modes of transportation in your hometown?
Music
What kind of music do you listen to? What kinds of music do you dislike? Do you prefer listening to music alone or with someone? Does music influence your mood?
Handwriting 2
Do you often write things? Do you prefer to write by hand or using a computer? Is your handwriting easy to read? Did you like writing things when you were a child?
Shopping
Do you often buy things? Do you enjoy buying expensive things? Do you compare the price in different shops before you buy something? Do you usually search for bargains?
Staying up late
Do you stay up late? How do you feel when you’ve stayed up late to the night before? What do you usually do when you stay up late? How do you stay awake if you stay up late?
Laughter
Do you often laugh? When was the last time you laughed? Do you like watching funny TV programs? What kinds of things make you laugh?
Holiday
How often do you go on holiday? Do you like taking one long holiday or a couple of short ones? Do you prefer a holiday in a city or at the beach?
Languages
Do you like learning languages? Are you learning any foreign languages now? Is it important to learn a foreign language? How did you learn the languages that you speak?
Rubbish
Why do some people throw garbage on the streets instead of using trash bins? What do you do if you see rubbish on the street? Do you help in keeping the streets tidy?
Tidiness
Should you force yourself to be tidy? Is a bit of chaos good for creativity? What's the difference between vacuuming and hoovering?
Clothes
Do the clothes we wear say something about who we are? Unconventional = free thinking and creative? Formal = industrious and work-oriented? Do you think men and women have the same view of clothing?
Meeting new people
How and where do you meet new people? Should you care about other people's opinions about you? How much should you trust the first impression of someone? Has your star sign got anything to do with how much of an extrovert/introvert you are?
Mobile phones
Should there be laws and regulations on the use of mobile phones? At what age should we give a mobile phones to our children? Voice messages or text messages? What's the future of mobile phones?
Baking
Do you like baking? What do people usually bake in your country? Do you think you’ll be baking more in the future? What would you like to bake?
Goals
What's more important: short-term goals or long-term ones? What kind of personal goals do people usually set in their life? Not having goals = stagnating?
Maps
What kind of maps are available in the world? Why do people prefer electronic maps to paper maps? Would Rory survive without a map?
Bicycles
Are bicycles suitable for all ages? What are the benefits of riding a bicycle for a child? What are some of the world's countries with the bike-friendliest cultures?
Parks
IELTS Speaking model answers (Parks) - What are the benefits of having gardens in the city? Is it important for cities to have public parks? Why do people living in cities like public gardens? Can you really walk anywhere in Scotland?
Neighborhood
What do you like and dislike most about your neighborhood? What are some of the changes you have noticed in your area? What facilities are there in your neighborhood?
Newspapers
Is the Internet is a good way to get news? Is it important to stay informed about what's happening in the world? What effect do newspapers have on society?
Picnics
What are some of the places that one could go to to have a picnic? Does Rory like mosquitoes and do they like him back? Why in general do people go on picnics? Where and when was Rory's last picnic?
Concentration
What are some of the things you could do to improve your concentration? Is multitasking real? What distracts you the most?
New Activities
What's neophobia and why are some people afraid of trying new things? Is it better to have new experiences when you're young or when you're older? Should you try new activities alone or with friends?
Fish and fishing
Is Fishing a good hobby or do you need to have patience of a saint to succeed? Where do people go fishing in Scotland? Fish or fishes? Where can you buy fish from? Is it a good idea to keep fish as pets?
Being in a hurry
What are some of the things that you should and should not do in a hurry? Why do people make mistakes when they're in a hurry? Should you always try and do everything planned?
Weekend
Would you say that weekends were more important to you as a child or now? What would your ideal weekend be like? Do men and women usually do the same kind of things on the weekend?
Text messages
Why do people send texts? What do you prefer: sending or receiving messages? In what situations are phone calls better than text messages and would you say that in general, phone calls are better than texts?
Gifts
Do you prefer to give or receive gifts? How often do you buy gifts for other people? What gifts did you get when you were a child? Have you ever received a gift which you didn't like?
Furniture
What furniture do you own? What's your favorite item of furniture? Have you ever received furniture as a gift? What style of furniture do you prefer: modern or traditional?
Change
What has been the greatest change in your life so far? Have there been any changes in your hometown recently? What do you plan to change next year?
Sport
What are the benefits of doing sport? What was your favorite sport when you were a child? Do you like to watch sports on TV? What kinds of sports would you like to try in the future?
Work and Studies
What's the most interesting part in your work/studies and what's the most difficult one? What do you dislike about your work/studies? What kind of work would you like to do in the future?
Recycling
What kind of things do you recycle? Did you learn about recycling when you were a child? Do people usually recycle in your hometown? Have your attitudes towards recycling changed over the last couple of years?
Making Lists
How often do you make lists? Do you make a shopping list when you go shopping? Why don't some people like making lists? Do you prefer to make lists on paper or on your phone?
Famous People
Have you ever met celebrities or pop stars in person? Who's your favorite movie star? Do you read news about celebrities? How do celebrities influence their fans in your country?
Hometown
What's your hometown like? What did you like about your hometown when you were a child? What's your hometown known for?
Jokes
Are you good at telling jokes? Do you like listening or telling jokes? How do you know what jokes are proper to say to your friends?
Discussions
Who do usually have discussions with? Have your discussion topics changed since you were a child? Do you often change your opinions? Do you prefer to talk or to listen?
Borrowing Things
Have you ever borrowed money? Do you mind if someone asks to borrow something from you? How do you feel when people don't return things they borrowed from you?
Your Country
Where is your country located? Which part of your country do most people live in? What are the main industries in your country? What are some of the good things about living in your country?
Colours
What colour would you like to paint your bedroom? Is colour, very important to you when you are buying something? Are there any colours that have a special meaning in your country?
Home
What can you see from the windows where you live? What do you like about living there? What do you dislike? Would you change anything about your home?
Smiling
Do you like smiling? When do you usually smile? What can make you smile? Can you identify a fake smile?
Evenings
Do you do the same thing every evening? Do you prefer to spend your evening with family or friends? Do you do the same thing in the evenings as you did when you were a child?
Ads
How do you feel about advertisements? Is there much advertising in your country? What do you think is the purpose of advertising?
Car trips
Do you like traveling by car? What's the farthest place you've traveled to by car? When will your next car trip beam?
Environmental Protection
What can people do together to protect the local environment? What's the importance of environmental education? What do you personally do to protect the environment?
Special Costumes
Did you wear any special costumes when you were young? When was the last time you wore a special costume? Do you ever buy special costumes?
Wild Animals
Is it important to protect wild animals? Should children learn things about animals? In which country do you think you can see wild animals?
Sky and Stars
Do you like to watch the sky? What's the sky like at night in your hometown? What's your favorite star? Is it important to study stars?
Primary School
Did you like primary school? What did you like to do when you were in primary school? What did you do in your free time at primary school?
Relaxing
What do you do to relax? Do you think vacation is a good time for you to relax? Do you think students need more time to relax?
Make-up
What does wearing make-up mean to you? Do you give make-up as a gift? What do you think when you see a man wearing make-up?
Mirrors
Do you think mirrors are a necessary decoration? Where do you put mirrors? Do you have a mirror in your bag?
Politeness
Do you think people should be polite? Is it important to be polite in your country? How important is politeness for you?
Mobile Apps
What apps do you usually use? Do you use your smartphone more now than in the past? What kind of smartphone will you use in the future?
Rain
Do you like rainy days? What do you do on rainy days? Does it rain much in your country? Is there any part of your country where it doesn't rain much? Does rain ever affect transportation in your hometown?
Tiredness
What do you do when you feel tired? Who do you usually talk to when you feel mentally tired? Are you often tired? Do you like to talk to strangers when you feel mentally tired?
Markets
Do you like to go to street markets? Which do you prefer markets or shopping malls? Have your shopping habits changed over the years?
Islands
Do you like islands? Are there any islands in your country? Do you want to live on an island? What would you like to do if you were on an island?
Amusement parks
Do you like amusement parks? When was the last time you went there and what did you do? Are there many amusement parks where you live?
Getting lost
Have you ever got lost? How can you find your way when you are lost? Have you ever helped someone who got lost? Do you ever use any applications with maps?
Handwriting
How did you learn to write? Do you usually writes by hand? Do you have good handwriting? Do you like receiving handwritten letters?
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