Part I
Your Work or Your Studies
Do you work or are you a student?
1a) Your Work
What work do you do?
Why did you choose to do that type of work (or, that job)?
Was that an easy choice to make?
Have you always wanted to do that type of work?
Do you like you job?
Is it very interesting?
Do you think you are more efficient (or, productive) in the mornings or the afternoons? (Why?)
Do you plan to continue doing that work? (or, that type of work / or, that job)
Do you intend to change your job in the near future?
Are you under a lot of stress from your job?
What do you usually do when you are not working?
What’s your biggest challenge with your work?
1b) Your Studies
Note: For high school students or recent high school graduates who have not yet started university, the word "school" or the words, "high school" or "secondary school" will be used instead of "university". If you are no longer a student now and have not yet started to work, the questions will be about the last time you were a student, either high school or university, and the questions will be asked in the past tense. For high school students (or recent high school graduates), the word "subjects" (plural) will be used. For university students, the word "subject" will be used, which has basically the same meaning as the American, "major". (from Chris Green, a former IELTS examiner)
What subject(s) are you studying?
Why did you choose to study that subject? / Why did you choose to study those subjects?
Do you like your subject? (Why?/Why not?) Is it very interesting?
What was/is your university like?
(For high school students & recent HS graduates) What was/is your high school like?
(For high school students & recent HS graduates) What was /is your favourite subject at high school?
Was there/is there any high school subject that you didn't like?
What do you do to concentrate on your studies?
Do you prefer to study in the mornings or in the afternoons? (Why?)
For you, what is the best time to study?
(For non-high school students & non-recent H.S. graduates) What are you going to (or, planning to) do in the future?
Do you look forward to start working?
Do you think you are under a lot of stress from your studies?
Besides studying, what else do you do when you are at school/university?
What’s your biggest challenge with your studies?
What's (the name of) your hometown (again)?
Is that a big city or a small place?
Please describe your hometown a little.
How long have you lived there? (or, How long have you been living there?)
Do you like it? ("It" = your hometown.)
What do you like (most) about your hometown?
Is there anything you dislike about it?
Do you think you will continue living there for a long time?
(Possibly) Where would you like to live? *
Your Home (Or, Your Accommodation)
Do you live in a house or a flat?
Who do you live with?
Can you please describe the place where you live?
How long have you lived in that place?
Do you intend to live there for a long time?
Can you describe your room?
What do you usually do in your room?
Do you live in a good neighbourhood?
What kind of place did you live in when you were a child?
What kind of place do you plan to live in?
Movies N
How often di you watch movies?
What kind of movies do you like?
Do you prefer to go to a movie alone or with others?
Do you prefer to watch movies at home or in a cinema?
Morning routine N
What do you do in the morning?
Is breakfast important?
What is your morning routine?
Do you like to get up early in the morning?
Cooking N
Have you ever cooked?
Do you like cooking?
Do you want to learn how to cook?
Is it difficult to cook Chinese food for you?
Shoes N
How often do you buy shoes?
Have you ever bought shoes online?
Do you know anyone who likes to buy a lot of shoes?
What’s your favorite type of shoes?
Weather N
Do you prefer dry or wet weather?
What kind of weather do you like most?
What’s your favourite season?
What kind of weather is typical in your hometown?
Photos N
Do you like to take photos?
Do you prefer to take photos yourself or to have other people take photos?
How often do you take photos?
In what situations do you take photos?
How do you keep your photos?
Color N
What’s your favorite color?
Do you like dark colors
Are there any colors you dislike?
Do you usually wear clothes in your favourite color?
Holiday N
What kinds of places do you like to go on holiday?
Who would you like to go on holiday with?
Where you do plan to go for holidays in the future?
Sunglasses N
Do you like to wear sunglasses?
Where can you buy sunglasses?
Do people in your country wear sunglasses?
Drink water N
How often do you drink water?
What kinds of water do you like to drink?
Do you drink bottled water or water from water machines?
Cities N
Do you like the city you are living in now?
Which city have you been to recently?
Do you prefer the city of the countryside?
What kind of cities do you like?
Which city do you want to go to?
Paintings N
What do you know about paintings?
Have you learned drawing or painting?
Is it important to hang pictures at home?
What kind of paintings do you like?
If someone wants to draw a picture of you, will you agree?
Park/garden N
Are public parks very important in China?
Are there many public gardens in China?
Do you think there are enough public gardens or parks in your hometown?
What do you think are the benefits of having gardens in the city
Why do people who live in cities like public gardens?
Letters and Emails N(后面有部分新问题补充进来)
Do you write many letter and emails?
Who do you usually write to?
How often do you send e-mails?
Do you like writing to people?
What are your main reasons for using e-mails?
Do you prefer writing letter by hand or using a computer?
What are the differences between sending letters and emails?
Is it hard for you to think of what to write?
What do you usually write to?
Is it hard to think of what to write?
How do you feel when you receive a letter?
Do you think people will still write letters in the future?
Map
Do you often use maps?
Do you prefer electronic map or paper maps?
Who taught you how to use a map?
Do you think map is important?
Foreign Food
Do you like any food from the countries near China?
Have you ever tried foreign food?
What kind of new food have you tried recently?
What kind of foreign food are popular in your country?
Plants
Do you know anything about growing a plant?
What plant did you grow when you were young?
Do Chinese people send plants as gifts?
Do you like wearing watches?
What kinds of watches do you like to wear?
When did you get your first watch?
What was your first watch like?
Do people still wear watches very often in your country?
Travel (Space Travel)
Do you think it’s necessary to see other planets?
What would you do if you had that opportunity?
When was the last time you went travelling?
Do you want to travel in the outer space?
Do you like to travel by air
Punctuality
Are you a punctual person?
Do you think it’s important to be punctual?
How do you remind yourself to be on time?
Do you wear a watch?
Why are some people always late?
What do you do when you are waiting for others?
Do you think people are more punctual than they were in the past?
Being bored
When you were young, what would you do if you felt bored?
What would you do when you feel bored?
Do you think young people are more likely to get bored?
Save money
Do you often save money?
Do you think saving money is important?
Did you save money when you were young?
How do you usually save momey?
Do you think parents should teach children to save money?
Do parents give children pocket money in China?
Gifts
Do you like to receive gifts? (Why?/ Why not?)
What kind of gifts do you like to receive? (Why?)
Do you like giving gifts to people? (Why?/ Why not?)
How often do you buy others gifts?
Do you like to send expensive gifts?
When and where (on what occasions) do people give gifts to others?
What kinds of gifts are popular in your country?
Why do people give gifts to others?
What’s your favourite gift that you ever received?
What’s the strangest gift that you ever received?
Rainy days
Do you like rainy days? (Why?/Why not?)
(Similar to above) Do you prefer rainy days or sunny days?
Does it rain much in your hometown? (Include how often)
In what season does it rain the most?
Would you like to have more rain or less rain (in your hometown)?
Do you prefer to wear a raincoat or use an umbrella when it rains?
Have you ever been caught in the rain without an umbrella?
What do you usually do when it rains?
Music
Do you like music?
What types of music do you usually listen to?
When/Where do you listen to music?
How much time do you spend listening to music every day?
What’s your favourite kind of music?
When did you start listening to this kind of music?
Can you play a musical instrument?
Have you ever been to a live concert?
Transportation
Which kind of transportation do you use when you travel?
Do you prefer travelling by bus or by underground?
Do you prefer travelling by car or by bus?
Do you prefer private or public transport?
What are the most popular means of transportation in your hometown?
Is driving to work popular in your country?
What will be the most popular means of transportation in your country in the future?
Do you enjoy taking bus trips?
Do you think you will have more trips by bus in the future?
How can people improve bus trips?
Teachers
What kind of teachers do you like the most?
Do/did you have a favourite teacher at school?
Who was your favourite teacher when you were in primary school?
Have you ever had bad teachers?
What do you think a good teacher should be like?
Do you want to be a teacher in the future?
Sport
Do you like to watch sports on TV?
Do you play any sports?
Do you have a favorite sport star?
What kind of sports would you like to try in the future?
What kind of sport are popular in your country?
人物类:
You should say:
Who this person is
What this person does
What you think this person is interesting
And what you want to do with this person
Part 3
Do you have many friends in you community?
How do technology help the relationship between people?
Do people feel safe in China?
Describe someone you haven’t seen before you would like to know more. N
You should say:
Who this person is
How you knew about the person
What you want to know more about this person
And why you would like to know this person more
Part 3
What kinds of people do you like to be friends with?
Do you prefer to expand your social circle or be friends with a small group of people?
Describe a person who helps to protect the environment. N
You should say:
Who this person is
How this person protects the environment
What difficulty this person has faced
And how you feel about this person
Part 3
What is the importance of environment education?
How to protect the environment?
Is it important to teach students environmental protection at school?
Do you think it is necessary to make environmental protection as a subject?
Describe a teenager you know. N
You should say:
Who this teenager is
How you know this teenager
What this teenager likes to do
And how you feel about this teenager
Part 3
What’s the difference between teenagers and children?
How do teenagers treat old people in your country?
Do you think teenagers today are better than those 30 years ago?
What are the differences between teenagers and old people?
Describe an occasion when you helped a person. N
You should say:
What the situation was
Who you helped
How you helped
And explain how you felt after giving help
Part 3
Do you like helping others?
In your view should children be taught to help others?
How can we encourage children to help others?
Do you think people are less willing to help others these days, compared to the past?
How can charitable organizations help people?
What do you think are the benefits of having unpaid volunteer workers?
Describe a childhood friend of yours.
You should say:
When you met him/her
Where you met him/her
what you did with your friend
and how you felt about the friend.
Part 3
Is it important to have friends for children?
Do you still keep in touch with friends in your childhood?
For teenagers, do you think they should have lots of friends or just few good friends?
Are teenagers more influenced by their peer or their parents?
How would you maintain friendship with a friend who’s richer than you?
Describe a popular comic actor/actress in your country.
You should say:
who he or she is
how you knew him/her
what comedies have he/she performed
and explain why he/she is popular.
Should actors be paid more?
What influences do actors or actresses have on young people?
Are there many Chinese who want to work as an actor?
Who are more popular in China, TV actors or movie stars?
Describe someone who is talkative.
You should say:
who this person is
how you got to know this person
what kind of person he or she is
and how you feel about this person.
Part 3
What communication skills are important?
What jobs need employees to be talkative?
Should children be encouraged to talk more?
地点类
Describe an indoor or outdoor place where it was easy for you to study. N
You should say:
where it is
when you go there/ who you go with
what you study there
and why you would study in this place.
Part 3
Do you like to learn on your own or with others?
Do you prefer to study at home or study in other places?
What’s the difference between learning face-to- face with teachers and learning by yourself?
Describe a beautiful city. N
You should say:
where it is
how you know it
what it is famous for
and why you think it is a beautiful city.
Part 3
Do you think having too many tourists is a positive thing for historical attractions?
What can we do to stop visitors from damaging historical places?
Are there more tall buildings than small flats in your country?
Why do most Chinese live in apartments rather than houses?
Why do some people like to visit historical places?
Describe an interesting part of your country. N
You should say:
where it is
how you got to know about it
what it is famous for
and explain why you think it is interesting.
Part 3
What’s the difference between people living in the city and people living in the countryside?
What’s the difference between big cities and small cities?
What’s the difference between the north and south part of your country?
What makes one country different from the other?
Do you like living in big cities or small ones?
Describe a quiet place you found.
You should say:
where it is
how you found it/what it is like
how often you go there
and explain how you felt about this place.
Is it hard to find quiet places in cities?
Why it is quieter in the countryside?
Describe a building you like or dislike.
You should say:
Where it is
What it is used for
What it looks like
And explain why you like or dislike it
Part 3
How do people in China feel about the old buildings?
What aspect of culture do old buildings reflect?
It is important to preserve the old buildings?
物品类
Describe a time when you received money as a present. N
You should say:
Who gave it
When you received it
What you did with it
and how you felt about it
Part 3
In your country, do parents give children money for doing housework?
Is it important for children to have a right attitude towards money?
What do you think of the saying: love of money is the root of all evil?
Is it important to teach children how to manage their pocket money?
What kinds of occasions require people to send money as gifts?
Describe a film or TV program that made you laugh. N
You should say:
What the program is
When you watched it
Who you watched it with
and why it made you laughed
Part 3
Why do children like to laugh?
Is laughing beneficial to children, how about old people?
What kinds of things do Chinese people do to be happy?
Do you think adults are likely to be happier than children?
Describe a time when you had some medicine. N
You should say:
When it happened
Who gave it you
Why you had it
and how you felt about it
Part 3
What do you think of buying medicine online?
In your opinion, why do some people dislike taking medicine?
Some people say medicine is harmful. Do you think so?
What do you think of fake medicine ?
Describe the last book you read. N
You should say:
what type/kind of book it was
what it was about
where you read it
and how you felt about the book?
Part 3
In your country, who would ask children to read, schools or parents?
Do you prefer to paper books or E-books?
Do you think printed books will continue to exist?
Do you think parents should continue reading?
What kind of books do children read?
Describe a good law in your country. N
You should say:
what it is
how you knew it
who it affects
and why do you think it is good
Part 3
What kind of people can become police officers?
Do you think both men and women can be police officers?
Do you think police officers are paid too much?
Is kindness the most important quality of a police officer?
Do all Chinese people obey the law?
Describe a family business you know. N
You should say:
what the business it
how you know it
what products it sells
and how you like it
Part 3
What are the advantages and disadvantages of family business?
How to be a successful businessman in your country?
Do people in your country like to work for big companies or small companies?
Do you think globalization is a positive development?
Describe a time that you borrowed something from your friends or family. N
You should say:
What it was
When you borrowed it/ Whom you borrowed it from
What you did with it
and why you borrowed it.
Part 3
Why do some people like to borrow things instead of buying them?
What would you do if people don’t return the money they borrowed from you?
Why are people embarrassed when they borrow money from others?
What do you think of the sharing economy?
Describe something given to you that you really need. N
You should say:
what it is
who gave it to you
why you need it
and how you felt about it.
Part 3
What things do young people like to buy?
Why do people buy things that are not necessary?
What should parents do when their children ask for things their friends have?
Is consumption important to a country?
Describe something you made that you gave to other people. N
You should say:
what it was
what it was like
who you gave it to
and how you felt about it.
Part 3
Have you received anything that was made by the giver?
When receiving a gift, do you prefer something that was self-made, or something bought in stores?
Which is better, self-made food or food that you buy?
Are art classes important in schools?
Describe an important plant in your country. N
You should say:
what it is
where you see it
what it looks like
and why it is important.
Part 3
Do people in your country like to grow plants at home?
Do old people grow plants?
How do schools teach students to grow plants?
What is the main plant in your country?
Describe a time that a piece of equipment of yours was broken. N
You should say:
what the equipment was
when the problem was
what you did after it was broken
and how you felt about it
Part 3
What are the common home appliances that people use these days?
Do you think modern technology makes people lazier?
What can people do to protect their equipment from technical problems?
When an electronic item of yours does not work, would you repair it or buy a new one?
Are you good at handling problems on your own?
Describe an activity you would do when you are alone in your free time. N
You should say:
what the activity is
how often you do it
who you would like to do it with
and explain why you would like to do this activity.
Part 3
How do you usually plan your free time?
Do young people in your country work longer hours now than in the past?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of flexible work time?
What’s the best way to learn a new language?
Describe a skill that took you long time to learn. N
You should say:
what it was
when you learned it
why it took you so much time to learn
and how you felt about it.
Part 3
What skills may take a long time to learn?
Why would people spend a lot of time learning one skill?
Do people feel happy after they have learned a new skill?
Why are some people unwilling to learn new skills?
Do you think it takes a long time to learn a language?
Describe a language you want to learn (not English). N
You should say:
what it is
how you would learn it
where you would learn it
and explain why you want to learn the language.
Part 3
What can people do to learn a second language?
Is it popular to learn English in your country?
What are the difficulties of learning a new language?
Describe a useful skill you learned in a math class from your primary/high school.
You should say:
what the skill was
who taught you
how you learned it
and explain why it was useful to you.
Part 3
Can computers help us in math class?
What is the first subject learned by children in China?
What methods can be applied to make math class more interesting?
Describe something you own that you want to replace.
You should say:
what it is
where it is
how you get it
and explain why you want to replace it.
Part 3
What kind of things do young people like to replace?
Who do you think will want new things, children or old people?
Describe something important that you lost in the past.
You should say:
what it is
how did you lost it
what did you do after you lost it
and explain why it is important.
Part 3
What kinds of people may lose things often?
What can we do to prevent losing important things?
What kind of things may people often lose?
Describe a favorite song of yours.
You should say:
What this song is about
When you listened to this song for the first time
How often you listen to this song
And explain why you think it is your favorite.
Part 3
What types of songs is the most popular among today’s young people in China?
What kinds of songs do elders prefer?
Why do you think pop music is so popular?
You should say:
what the animal was
when and where you saw it
what it was doing when you saw it
and explain how you felt about it.
Part 3
What should we do to protect endangered animals?
Do you support doing experiment on animals?
What would happen when some species disappear on earth?
Describe an interesting job that you want to have in the future
You should say:
What it is
How you can find this job
What qualities it requires
And explain why it is an interesting job.
Part 3
What kind of preparation should people do for a job interview?
Why do some people keep changing their jobs?
Is it hard to find an interesting job in China?
Describe a sport that you have watched before and you want to try
You should say:
What it is
When you first watched this sport
What you like about this sport
And explain why you would like to try this sport.
Part 3
Why do old people like to watch sports on TV?
Do you think group sports are more useful than individual sports?
Are there many sports programs on TV?
Describe a magazine that you like.
You should say：
What the magazine is
How you knew this magazine
What the content is
And explain why you like this magazine.
Part 3
What kinds of magazines are the most popular?
Do people read magazines for fun or learning?
Describe a website you like to visit.
You should say:
When you found it
What it is about
How often you visit it
And explain why you like this website
Part 3
What influence can the Internet have on children?
Do you think parents should control what websites their children visit?
What are the reasons why people use internet?
事件类
Describe a time that you looked for information from the Internet. N
You should say:
when it happened
what you were looking for
where you were searching on the Internet
and how you felt about the information.
Part 3
What ways can people get information these days?
What are the difference between getting information from library and getting information from newspaper?
Describe an occasion when you were scared. N
You should say:
when it happened
where you were/ who you were with
why you were scared
and explain how you felt about it.
Part 3
Is it OK to frighten others?
How do people usually get frightened?
Do children like to scare others?
Why is it easy for some people to be scared?
What should people do when they feel scared?
Describe a complaint that you made and you were satisfied with the result. N
You should say:
when it happened
who you complained to
what you complained about
and why you were satisfied with the result.
Part 3
What products or services do people in your country like to complain about?
Would you buy things in the shops which you have made complaints before?
Is it necessary for companies to set up customer service?
Do you think customers’ complaints will improve products or service?
Are there any disadvantages to set up customer service?
Describe an interesting talk or lecture. N
You should say:
when you heard it
where you heard it
what it was about
and explain why you think it was interesting.
Part 3
What kinds of people will be invited to give a speech?
In what occasion would you be a good listener?
Is listening to speeches important to children?
What is required to be a good public speaker?
Will Chinese people feel nervous when it comes to public speaking?
Describe an important decision made with the help of other people. N
You should say:
when it happened
who helped you to make the decision
what the decision was
and how you felt about it.
Part 3
Should we trust the advice given by strangers for making decisions?
Who would like to make bad decisions, men or women?
Who will be helpful when making decision in your country?
Do you think it is advisable listening to other’s advice when making decision?
When young people are to make a decision, should they listen to some advice?
Describe a trip that you went on by public transportation.
You should say:
where you went
what means of transportation you took
who you were with
and how felt about the trip.
Part 3
In what ways can we fix traffic problems?
Is fair to limit the use of private cars?
Should government encourage people to use public transportation?
What’s the most popular means of transportation in your country?
Do you prefer public or private transportation? Why?
Describe something you do to keep you concentrated.
You should say:
what it is
when you started doing it
how often you do it
and explain why it helped you concentrate.
Is it important for children to learn how to concentrate?
What can employers do to help employees concentrate?
What kinds of jobs require higher concentration at work?
Have you ever felt difficult to concentrate?
What kinds of distractions are bothering you in your life?
Describe a time that you wore a type of clothes for a special occasion.
You should say:
What the occasion was
What you wore
Where you bought the clothes
And what other people at the occasion thought of your clothes
Does personality affect how people choose what to wear?
When should people wear formal clothes?
Do people wear formal clothes more often than before?
Describe a time that you were shopping in a street market.
You should say:
When it was
Where it was
What you bought
And explain how you felt about this shopping experience.
Part 3
Why do some people prefer street markets over shopping mall?
Do you think the goods sold at discount stores do not have good qualities?
Why do some people like to buy expensive goods?
You should say:
When it was
Who gave you the cellphone
What it was like
And explain how you felt about it.
Part 3
For children, what age do you think is suitable to allow them to use cellphone?
What do teenagers in your country use cellphones for?
Why are many people addicted to apps?
Describe something interesting that your friend has done but you haven’t.
You should say:
What it was
Where your friend did it
When your friend did it
And explain why you think it was interesting.
Part 3
Are people influenced more by their friends or their parents?
Do you think there are more and more people becoming self-centered?
Describe a party that you joined.
You should say:
When and where it took place
Whose party it was
What you did there
And how you felt about the party.
Part 3
What do children often do in a birthday party?
What do adults do at parties?
Do you think people can make more friends if they often attend parties?
Describe a competition you want to take part in.
You should say:
what it is
when it happens
who you would like to go with
and explain why you would like to take part in this competition.
Part 3
Why are there many competition programs on TV nowadays?
Do you think competition is important at work place?
What do you think of those who lose in competition?
Describe a time that you had to change your plan.
You should say:
When this happened
What made you change the plan
What the new plan was
And how you felt about the change.
What are the common reasons when people need to change plans?
Do young people like to change plans?
Describe a happy experience you had before.
You should say:
Where you were
When it happened/ who you were with
what you did
and why you felt happy
Part 3
What’s the relationship between money and happiness?
