IELTS Speaking Questions: Home and Accommodation
Home questions in IELTS Speaking Part 1 are personal and present-focused: what kind of home you live in, who you live with, and what you like or would change about it. The examiner wants a direct answer with a specific detail attached, not just a room count. In Part 3, the same topic turns abstract - housing affordability, renting versus owning, sustainable design - and you are expected to reason about housing as a wider issue rather than describe your own flat.
Prepare two or three real details before the test: a genuine description of where you live, one specific thing you like about it, and one honest opinion about what you would change if you could. A natural mix of these details, adapted to the exact question asked, sounds far more convincing than a rehearsed 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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Do you live in a house or a flat?
How to extend itName it, then add one detail.
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Can you describe your home?
How to extend itPick one room and describe it briefly.
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What do you like most about your home?
How to extend itName one thing, add a reason.
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Who do you live with?
How to extend itSay who, then one detail about them.
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Would you like to move to a different home?
How to extend itSay yes or no, give a reason.
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What is your favourite room in your home?
How to extend itName it, then explain why briefly.
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Is your home close to shops and public transport?
How to extend itSay yes or no, add a detail.
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Do you prefer living in a house or an apartment?
How to extend itPick one, add a short reason.
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Have you always lived in the same home?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then explain briefly.
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What changes would you make to your home if you could?
How to extend itName one change, then why.
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Is it noisy or quiet where you live?
How to extend itGive a cause, then how you feel.
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Do you spend a lot of time at home?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then add a reason.
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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Is it better to own a home or rent one?
How to structure itCompare both, then favour one.
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How has housing changed in cities over the past few decades?
How to structure itCompare past and present, then an example.
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Should governments do more to make housing affordable?
How to structure itState a position, then a likely consequence.
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Do you think smaller living spaces will become more common?
How to structure itGive a cause, an effect, then a concession.
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What effect does housing cost have on young people's lives?
How to structure itGive a reason, then a specific example.
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Is it better to live near family or live independently?
How to structure itCompare both sides, then favour one.
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How important is outdoor space in modern housing design?
How to structure itTake a position, then add a concession.
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Do you think shared housing will become more common in the future?
How to structure itDescribe the change, then explain a cause.
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Should new buildings prioritise sustainability over cost?
How to structure itState a position, support it with a reason.
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How might people's ideas about an ideal home change in future?
How to structure itPredict a trend, then give a reason.
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 quiet place where you like to spend time 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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