IELTS Speaking Questions: Memory
Memory questions in Part 1 are about your own habits and experience: whether your memory is good, what you forget, how you help yourself remember and what your earliest memory is. A direct answer with one small, real example, such as a name, a date or a childhood scene, sounds natural.
Part 3 turns memory into a wider topic about learning, ageing, technology and how societies remember, asking whether devices weaken our memory and why some events stay with us. Prepare one clear view on memorising versus understanding and one on photos and shared records, and practise giving a position followed by a concession.
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 have a good memory?
How to extend itGive an honest answer, then one example.
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What kinds of things do you remember easily?
How to extend itName one kind, then say why it stays with you.
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Is there anything you often forget?
How to extend itName it, then say how you cope.
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What do you do to help yourself remember things?
How to extend itDescribe one habit, then say how well it works.
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Do you use your phone to remember appointments or tasks?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then give one example.
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What is your earliest memory?
How to extend itDescribe it in a sentence, then one detail.
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Do you remember people's names and faces easily?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then give a short example.
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Did you have to memorise things at school?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then name what you learned by heart.
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Do you keep photos or objects to remind you of the past?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then describe one.
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Do you remember dreams or special days better than ordinary ones?
How to extend itPick one, then give a reason.
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Have you ever forgotten something important?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then tell a short story.
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Do you think your memory will change as you get older?
How to extend itState a view, then give 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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Why do people remember some events much better than others?
How to structure itGive one cause, then support it with an example.
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Do you think technology is making people's memories weaker?
How to structure itTake a position, then concede one benefit of technology.
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Is it more important to memorise facts or to understand ideas?
How to structure itPick one, then justify it with a situation.
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How can people improve their memory?
How to structure itSuggest one method, then explain why it works.
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Should students be asked to learn information by heart at school?
How to structure itTake a stance, then give one practical limit.
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Why do older people often remember the past more clearly than recent events?
How to structure itOffer a cause, then give an example.
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How important are photographs and videos in keeping memories alive?
How to structure itState a view, then weigh one drawback.
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Do societies need public memorials to remember important events?
How to structure itTake a position, then support it with an example.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of sharing memories online?
How to structure itCover both sides, then say which matters more.
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How might the way people store and recall memories 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 photo you like Part 2 cue card, with the one-minute prep timer
- Describe a skill that took you a long time to learn 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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