IELTS Speaking Part 1: Sport and exercise
Tests sport and fitness vocabulary, past habits at school, and an opinion question about society.
Questions and sample answers
1. Do you play any sports?
I play cricket with friends most Fridays, and I go to the gym two or three times a week.
2. Do you prefer watching sport or taking part in it?
Taking part, by a long way. Watching is fine for a big match, but I get restless if I sit for three hours.
3. Did you do much exercise at school?
Not as much as I should have. We had one PE lesson a week, and most of us spent it chatting rather than running.
4. Do you think people in your country exercise enough?
Probably not. Office jobs and long commutes leave people little time, and gyms are expensive for a lot of families.
Each sample is two to four sentences: the answer, a reason or example, then stop. Use them to hear the shape, not to memorise. Examiners are trained to spot a rehearsed answer, and it costs fluency marks.
Language this topic rewards
- keep fit / stay in shape: Natural fitness phrases.
- a sedentary lifestyle: Precise vocabulary for the opinion question.
- work out: The phrasal verb for exercising.
- by a long way: Emphasises a strong preference.
- I should have …: A past modal that shows grammatical range.
The trap on this topic
Answering "Do you play any sports?" with "No." Even if you do not, say what you do instead: "Not really, but I walk a lot." A no is a full stop; the examiner needs language to mark.
Answer these out loud and get marked
The Part 1 practice runs the interview the way the examiner does: your work or studies first, then two topic sets. It records you, transcribes what you said and marks it on the four official criteria.
Start Part 1 practiceMore Part 1 topics
Ready for the long turn? Browse the Part 2 cue cards.