IELTS Speaking Questions: Music
Music questions in Part 1 stay personal: what you listen to, how, and whether your taste has changed. The examiner wants a direct answer with one added reason or memory, not a review of your favourite artist’s whole career.
Part 3 moves the same topic outward, into streaming, music education, and how the industry or people’s habits might change. Prepare two or three real details about your own listening habits, plus one clear opinion on a trend in music 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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Do you like listening to music?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then name a genre you favour.
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What kind of music do you usually listen to?
How to extend itName a genre, then say what you like about it.
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How do you usually listen to music?
How to extend itName the method, then say when you use it most.
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Did you learn to play an instrument as a child?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then add one memory or reason.
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Do you listen to music while you work or study?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then explain the effect it has.
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Has your taste in music changed over the years?
How to extend itCompare past and present taste briefly.
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Do you prefer live music or recordings?
How to extend itPick one, then give a concrete reason.
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Do you ever go to concerts?
How to extend itSay how often, then describe a recent one.
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Is music important in your country's culture?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then give one specific example.
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Do you sing, even just at home?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then when it happens.
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What music did your parents listen to?
How to extend itName a genre or artist, then your own reaction to it.
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Do you use music to relax?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then describe a typical moment.
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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How has streaming changed the way people discover music?
How to structure itState the main change, then one concrete effect.
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Do you think music brings people from different cultures closer together?
How to structure itTake a position, then support it with an example.
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Should music education be compulsory in schools?
How to structure itState a stance, then concede one practical concern.
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How does music influence people's emotions in daily life?
How to structure itName one effect, then a supporting example.
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Do older and younger generations value music differently?
How to structure itCompare the two groups, then suggest a reason.
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What impact has technology had on musicians' income?
How to structure itName an effect, then one likely consequence.
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Is live music becoming less popular because of streaming?
How to structure itGive a view, then weigh it against a counterpoint.
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How might the music industry change in the next decade?
How to structure itPredict a trend, then explain what drives it.
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Should governments fund traditional music and instruments?
How to structure itTake a position, then give one supporting reason.
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Does the music people listen to say something about their identity?
How to structure itGive a stance, then one concrete example to support 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 song that means something to you Part 2 cue card, with the one-minute prep timer
- Media and entertainment 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
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More topics
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Part 1 and Part 3 IELTS Speaking questions on books and reading, from personal habits to the role of libraries and reading in society, with a tip per answer.
Daily Routine
Commonly reported IELTS Speaking questions about daily routine for Part 1 and Part 3, with short tips for extending your answers and structuring opinions.
Family and Friends
Commonly reported IELTS Speaking questions about family and friends for Part 1 and Part 3, with short tips for extending answers and structuring opinions.