IELTS Speaking Questions: History
History questions in Part 1 ask about your experience of the subject: lessons at school, periods you find interesting, places you have visited and whether people around you talk about the past. A short, direct answer and one specific example, such as a museum visit or a story from a grandparent, is enough.
Part 3 asks why history matters, who tells it and how it should be taught and protected, so the answers need a clear opinion and one supporting example. Prepare a view on learning from the past and one on preserving historical places, and practise weighing the needs of the present against respect for what came before.
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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Did you like history lessons at school?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then give one reason.
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Are you interested in the history of your country?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then name a period.
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What period of history do you find most interesting?
How to extend itName it, then say what draws you to it.
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Do you enjoy visiting historical places?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then name one you have seen.
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Have you ever visited a history museum?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then describe one thing you remember.
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Do you watch films or programmes about history?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then name one example.
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Who taught you the most about history when you were young?
How to extend itName a person or source, then one thing learned.
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Do you think history is a difficult subject to study?
How to extend itPick a side, then give one reason.
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Is there a historical figure you admire?
How to extend itName the person, then say why.
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Do people in your family talk about the past?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then give one example.
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Do young people in your country care about history?
How to extend itGive a short view, then one reason.
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Would you like to know more about the history of another country?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then name the country and why.
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 is it important to learn about history?
How to structure itGive one reason, then support it with an example.
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Should history be a compulsory subject at school?
How to structure itTake a position, then concede one practical concern.
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How do museums and historical sites help people understand the past?
How to structure itName one way, then give a concrete example.
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Do you think history is always told fairly?
How to structure itState a view, then explain one cause of bias.
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Can people avoid the mistakes of the past by studying history?
How to structure itTake a stance, then give a supporting example.
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How has technology changed the way people learn about history?
How to structure itName the main change, then one effect.
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Should governments protect historical places even when land is needed for new buildings?
How to structure itTake a position, then weigh the opposing view.
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Why do some people feel more connected to the past than others?
How to structure itGive one cause, then compare two groups.
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Is it better to learn history from books or from visiting places?
How to structure itPick one, then justify it with a benefit.
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How might the way history is taught change in the future?
How to structure itPredict a trend, then explain what drives it.
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 historical place you have visited 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.
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