IELTS Speaking Questions: Celebrations and Traditions
Celebrations and traditions questions in Part 1 stay personal: your favourite festival, how your family marks it, and what you eat or do on the day. A direct answer plus one specific detail is enough here.
Part 3 turns the same theme abstract and societal, asking why traditions matter, whether they are fading, and how celebrations might change as societies grow more connected. Prepare two or three real details from a festival you actually celebrate, plus one clear opinion on traditions more broadly, rather than a memorised answer.
Part 1 questions
Short, personal, present-tense. Answer the question directly first, then add the one detail the tip suggests — the extension is what separates a one-line answer from a Band 7 one.
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What is your favourite celebration or festival?
How to extend itName it, then give one reason you enjoy it.
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How do you usually celebrate your birthday?
How to extend itDescribe a typical way, then one specific detail.
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Do you celebrate any traditional festivals in your country?
How to extend itName one, then briefly describe what happens.
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Did your family celebrate festivals when you were a child?
How to extend itContrast childhood celebrations with now, briefly.
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Do you prefer big celebrations or small, quiet ones?
How to extend itPick one, then give a practical reason.
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What do people in your country usually eat during festivals?
How to extend itName a dish, then when it is usually eaten.
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Have you ever celebrated a festival from another culture?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then a brief detail about it.
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Do you give or receive gifts during celebrations?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then name one example.
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What celebration are you most looking forward to this year?
How to extend itName it, then why you are looking forward to it.
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Do you enjoy attending weddings?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then give a brief reason.
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Are public holidays in your country connected to traditions?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then name one example.
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How do you usually spend public holidays?
How to extend itDescribe a typical way, then one specific detail.
Part 3 questions
The same topic, pitched at the abstract level the examiner moves to after your cue card. These want reasoning — a position, a cause, an example, a concession — not a description of your own life.
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Why are traditional celebrations important to a society?
How to structure itGive one reason, then a supporting example.
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Do you think traditional festivals are becoming less popular?
How to structure itState a view, then one likely cause.
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How have celebrations changed because of social media?
How to structure itName the main change, then one concrete effect.
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Should governments support traditional festivals financially?
How to structure itTake a position, then concede one practical concern.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of large public celebrations?
How to structure itCover both sides, then say which matters more.
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Do older and younger people celebrate traditions differently?
How to structure itCompare the two groups, then suggest a reason.
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How might celebrations change as societies become more connected globally?
How to structure itPredict a trend, then explain what drives it.
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Is it important for children to learn about traditional festivals at school?
How to structure itTake a position, then give one supporting reason.
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Do celebrations help bring communities closer together?
How to structure itGive a stance, then support it with an example.
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How does commercialisation affect the meaning of traditional festivals?
How to structure itName one effect, then a supporting example.
Say the answers out loud, then sit the whole test
Reading a question and answering it are different skills. Work through the list above aloud, then put the topic inside a full timed test where you cannot stop to think.
- Describe a celebration or festival you enjoyed Part 2 cue card, with the one-minute prep timer
Part 1, a cue card, then Part 3 — timed, in your browser, about 13 minutes.
One cue card a day on Telegram
A new Part 2 card every morning, a vocabulary topic on Sundays.
Practise this with instant AI feedback
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