IELTS Speaking Questions: Hometown
Hometown questions in IELTS Speaking Part 1 are personal and present-focused: where you are from, what it is known for, and whether you still live there. The examiner wants a direct answer with a specific detail attached, not a tourist-brochure description. In Part 3, the same topic turns abstract - urbanisation, city planning, the balance between rural and urban investment - and you are expected to reason about places in general rather than describe your own town.
Prepare two or three real details before the test: the actual name of your hometown, one specific thing it is known for, and one honest opinion about how it has changed. A natural mix of these details, adapted to whichever question is actually asked, sounds far more convincing than a memorised description.
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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Where is your hometown?
How to extend itName it, then add one detail.
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What is your hometown known for?
How to extend itMention one feature, then a short opinion.
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Do you still live in your hometown?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then explain briefly.
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What do you like most about your hometown?
How to extend itPick one thing, add a reason.
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Is your hometown a good place for young people?
How to extend itGive a reason, then an example.
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How has your hometown changed in recent years?
How to extend itName one change, then your opinion.
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What is the transport like in your hometown?
How to extend itMention one detail, then a brief opinion.
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Would you recommend your hometown to a tourist?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then give a reason.
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Is there anything you dislike about your hometown?
How to extend itName one thing, then explain briefly.
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What is a famous building or landmark in your hometown?
How to extend itName it, then say why it stands out.
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Do you prefer your hometown or a big city?
How to extend itPick one, add a short reason.
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Would you like to live somewhere else in the future?
How to extend itState your intention, then one 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 live in a big city or a small town?
How to structure itCompare both, then favour one.
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How has urbanisation changed life in your country?
How to structure itCompare past and present, then an example.
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Should governments limit the growth of large cities?
How to structure itState a position, then a likely consequence.
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Do you think small towns will disappear as cities grow?
How to structure itGive a cause, an effect, then a concession.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of public transport?
How to structure itCompare both sides, then favour one.
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Should historic buildings be preserved even if it limits development?
How to structure itTake a position, then add a concession.
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How does a city's design affect people's quality of life?
How to structure itGive a reason, then a specific example.
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Do you think young people are moving away from small towns?
How to structure itDescribe the change, then explain a cause.
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Should more investment go into rural areas rather than cities?
How to structure itState a position, support it with a reason.
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How might cities change over the next few decades?
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 city you would like to live in Part 2 cue card, with the one-minute prep timer
- Describe a building or structure you find impressive Part 2 cue card, with the one-minute prep timer
- Cities and transport vocabulary 30 band-graded phrases and a self-test
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
Record your answer in the app and get your grammar, vocabulary, fluency and pronunciation analysed in seconds.
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