IELTS Speaking Questions: Sports programmes
Sports programmes questions in Part 1 are about your own viewing: whether you watch sport on screen, which sports, with whom and how often. Keep each answer short and add one detail, such as a match you remember or the people who watch with you, instead of listing rules or results.
Part 3 looks at what sports media does to fans, players and communities, asking why sport is so popular, whether watching leads to playing and how technology is changing broadcasts. Prepare one view on the benefits of sport as shared entertainment and one concern about too much coverage, and practise supporting a position with an example.
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 watch sports programmes on television?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then name one sport.
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How often do you watch sports programmes?
How to extend itGive a rough frequency, then say when.
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What sports do you like watching most?
How to extend itName one, then give a reason.
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Do you prefer watching sport live or on a screen?
How to extend itPick one, then give a practical reason.
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Who do you usually watch sports programmes with?
How to extend itName the person, then describe the atmosphere.
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Did you watch sports programmes when you were a child?
How to extend itContrast then with now in one extra sentence.
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Do you follow any particular team or player?
How to extend itName one, then say why you follow them.
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Do you read or listen to sports news?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then name the source type.
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Do you ever talk about sports programmes with friends?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then give an example.
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Do you think sports programmes are popular in your country?
How to extend itGive a short view, then one example.
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Is there a sports programme you would recommend?
How to extend itName it, then say what makes it worth watching.
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Would you like to present or comment on sport yourself?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then explain 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 are sports programmes so popular around the world?
How to structure itGive one reason, then link it to everyday life.
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Does watching sport on television encourage people to play it themselves?
How to structure itState a view, then give one example.
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Should major sporting events always be shown on public channels?
How to structure itTake a position, then concede one practical concern.
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What effect does media attention have on professional athletes?
How to structure itName one effect, then explain whether it helps or harms.
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How has technology changed the way people watch sport?
How to structure itName the main change, then one effect.
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Do sports programmes bring people together or create rivalry?
How to structure itTake a stance, then support it with an example.
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Is there too much sport on television today?
How to structure itState a view, then give one reason.
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Why do some people prefer watching sport to taking part in it?
How to structure itOffer one cause, then compare the two.
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Should children be encouraged to follow professional sport?
How to structure itTake a position, then give one supporting reason.
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How might sports broadcasting 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 live sports event you watched Part 2 cue card, with the one-minute prep timer
- Describe a TV programme you enjoy watching 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.
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