
Part One
Your Work
1. What job (or, what work) do you do?
2. Why did you choose to do that job (or, that kind of work)?
3. Is that a popular choice of career in your country?
4. What skills do you need for that job?
5. What do you do (in a typical day) at work?
6. How did you get that job?
7. Was it easy to get that job?
8. Is it easy (for other people in your country) to find work doing your job?
9. Where do people get information about jobs, from newspaper or from TV?
10. Are there other ways for people to get information about jobs?
11. What's your job like?
12. Do you like (or, enjoy) your job (or, your work)?
13. (Similar to above) How do you like your current job?
14. (Similar to above) Is your job (or, your work) very important to you?
15. What do you like about your work?
16. Do you think it's very important for people to do a job that they like (or, a job that they are interested in)?
17. Would you say it's a good job?
18. What's the best thing about your job?
19. Is your work very easy to do?
20. Do you plan to continue in this same job (or, kind of work) in the future?
21. Would you like to change your job?
22. What other job do you think you would enjoy, apart from your present job?
23. What are your plans for the future?
24. What job (or, work) would you like to do (in the future)?
25. Why are you taking the IELTS test?
26. Do you remember your first day at work?
27. What did you do on your first day at work?
28. Did you like your first day at work?
29. Do you think the first day at work is important?
Your Studies
1. What subject(s) are you studying?
2. Why did you choose to study that subject?
3. (For high school) Why did you choose those subjects?
4. Is that a popular subject (to study) in your country?
5. Do you think it's popular because people want to gain knowledge or is there some other reason?
6. Have you always wanted to study _____ (your subject)?
7. What are the most popular subjects (= university degree courses = majors) in China?
8. Did your family help you choose that course?
9. What school (or university) do you go to?
10. Why did you choose that university (or, school)?
11. Do you have any recreational or entertainment activities at your school/university? (Past tense if not at school or university right now)
12. How do you like your subject?
13. What do you like about your subject?
14. Do you think it's important to choose a subject you like? (Why?)
15. (For university students) What are your favorite classes/courses/subjects at university?
16. (For high school students) What's your favorite subject at school?
17. Is your subject interesting? (Why?/Why not?)
18. Do you think it's important to choose a subject you are interested in? (Why?)
19. (What's the most interesting part of your subject?
20. (For high school) What's the most interesting of your subjects at school?
21. What are your future work plans? (after you graduate)
22. Do you think what you are studying now will be very useful (or, relevant or, important) for this type of work?
23. How will you (or, how do you plan to) get the job you want?
24. Do you think it will be easy to find that kind of work?
25. Why are you taking the IELTS test?
26. What country do you plan to go to for further study? (Why?)
27. What do you plan to study at university?
28. Did you like your first day at university?
29. Do you think the first day at university is important?
30. How important do you think it is for people to have an enjoyable first day at university (or, school)?
Your Hometown
1. Where do you come from?
2. Where do you live at the moment?
3. How long have you been living there/here?
4. Do your parents also live there?
5. Did your family ever move away from the place you were born? (Why?/Why not?)
6. What tourist attractions are there in your hometown?
7. Would a foreign visitor enjoy them?
8. Is your hometown famous for anything?
9. (If you answer no) How could it become famous?
10. Do you know much about the history of your hometown?
11. Did you learn (or, have you learned) much about the history of your hometown in school?
12. What do you think needs to change in your hometown?
13. What form of transport do you prefer to use in your hometown?
14. What do people in your hometown do in their free time?
15. What place(s) in your hometown do you go to in your spare time? (Why? Include what you do there.)
16. Why did you choose to live here/there? (If not living in your hometown)
17. Do you like _____? (The place you are living in now / your hometown) (Why?/Why not?)
18. Would you say it's a good place to grow up (in)?
19. What do you like (most or, best) about (living in) your hometown (or, about living where you are living now)?
20. What do you think needs to be done to make your hometown a better place to live in?
21. Do you plan to live there/here for a long time?
22. What (other) place would you like to live in (in the future)?
Daily Routine
1. What do you do mainly do with your time?
2. What is the best part of the day for you? (Why?)
3. When do you do most of your study?
4. How do you think your daily routine could be improved?
Food
1. What foods do you usually eat?
2. Did you like to eat the same food when you were a child?
3. (Similar to above) What food did you like to eat when you were a child?
4. Do you still like that food now?
5. (Similar to above) Would you want your children to eat the same food now?
6. (Similar to above) If your children asked for that food now, would you make it for them?
7. If you had children, what foods would you recommend they eat?
8. (Similar to above) In the future, if you have children, what food will you recommend they eat?
9. Do you think it's good to (often or sometimes) take children to restaurants?
10. How has food in your country changed since you were a child?
Sport
1. Are you interested in sport?
2. What sports do you like? (Why?)
3. Do most people in your country like sport?
4. Do men and women feel the same about sport?
5. What benefits do you think sport can bring us?
6. Do (did) you often play sport at school? (What sport?) (Past tense if you have finished school.)
7. What sports did you play when you were a child?
8. What are the benefits of doing sport?
9. What are the differences when boys and girls do sports?
10. Do you think we should encourage children to do sport in school?
11. Will you let your children do sport?
Leisure Time
1. How much free time (or time to relax) do you have (per week)?
2. How do you relax?
3. What do you do in your spare time (= free time)?
4. What do you do on weekends?
5. (In the evenings), do you prefer to relax at home and watch TV or go out with your friends?
6. Do you think it's important to (have time to) relax?
7. Do men and women relax ( = spend their free time) in the same way?
8. What do you usually do with your family?
9. Do you think modern people like to do things with others, in a group?
10. Do you often do things in a group?
11. Do you prefer to do things in a family group or in a group of friends?
12. How did you spend your last holidays (vacation)?
Mobile Phones
1. Do you have a mobile phone (= "a cell phone")?
2. Is your cell phone important for you in your daily life?
3. What do you use it for?
4. How often do you use it?
5. When did you get it?
6. How did you get your first mobile phone?
7. How did you feel when you got your first mobile phone?
8. What feature (or, function) of your cell phone do you like the best?
9. Is there anything you dislike about using cell phones?
Colors
1. What's your favorite color? (Why?)
2. Do you usually (or, often) wear clothes in your favorite color?
3. Are there any colors that have a special meaning in your country?
4. What color would you choose to paint the walls of your room?
5. Do you think different types of people like different colors?
Animals
1. What's your favorite animal? (Why?)
2. Are people in your country fond of animals?
3. Do you think cities are suitable places for keeping a pet?
4. Do children like animals?
5. What was your favorite animal when you were a child?
6. Did you have any pets when you were a child?
7. What do you think are the benefits of a child having a pet?
8. If you have children in the future, will you allow them to raise a pet?
Sounds and Noise
1. Do you prefer a quiet environment or an environment with some sounds?
2. Does your school have any quiet places for studying?
3. What natural sound do you like (the most)? (Why?)
4. What sounds do you dislike? (Why?)
5. (Possibly the question above is worded this way:) Are there any sounds that you dislike? (Why?)
6. What sounds remind you of your childhood?
Collecting
1. Did you collect anything (such as stamps or CD's) when you were a child?
2. Do you still collect them now?
3. Do you collect anything as a hobby now?
4. Why do you like collecting things?
5. Do people in your country like to collect things?
6. Why do you think people like collecting things?
7. What are some examples of things that some people collect (as a hobby)?
8. Do you think you will collect anything in the future?
9. If you had a lot of money, what would you like to collect?
Language
1. What foreign languages have you studied (or, learned)?
2. Why did you choose to study that language?
3. How did you learn that language?
4. How long have you been learning that language (or, learning English)?
5. Would you say it's a difficult language to learn? (Why?)
6. Do people in your country have many chances to practice oral English?
7. Do you think it's important to know more than one language?
8. If you had the chance, would you be willing to learn another language?
Weather and Seasons
1. What's the weather (usually) like in your hometown?
2. Do you like that weather (or, that kind of climate)? (Why?/Why not?)
3. Have there been any changes in the weather over the past few years?
4. What's your favorite season? (Why?)
5. What do you usually do during your favorite weather (or season)?
6. Is there any season you dislike? (Why?)
7. Would you prefer to have (or live in a place that has) the same climate all year, or a place that has different seasons?
8. When is (what season has) the best weather in China (or, in your hometown)?
9. How often is the weather good in your hometown?
10. What did you do the last time the weather was good?
11. Do you (or, do people in China or, in your hometown) do the same thing in different seasons?
12. Do you pay attention to (or, watch/listen to) the weather forecasts?
13. Does the weather ever affect what you do?
14. How does bad weather affect your mood?
15. How do you feel when the weather is cloudy?
Films
1. Do you like to watch films?
2. How often do you watch a film?
3. What types of films do you like?
4. Are there any types of films that you dislike?
5. What kinds of films did you like to watch when you were a child?
6. Where do you prefer to watch films?
7. Do you like to watch films in a cinema? (Why?/Why not?)
8. Do you prefer to watch films at home or in a cinema? (Why?)
Clothes and Fashion
1. Do you like shopping for clothes?
2. Where do you buy your clothes?
3. Where do you think you can buy the most fashionable clothes?
4. Where do you usually buy your clothes?
5. When was the last time you went shopping for clothes?
6. Do you think men and women think the same about clothes?
7. Do you like to try on clothes before you buy them? (Why?/Why not?)
8. For you, is the color of the clothes very important when you are shopping for clothes?
9. What kinds of (or, style of) clothes do people in your country like to wear?
10. What kinds of (or, style of) clothes do you usually wear (or, buy)?
11. Do you wear the same clothes both at work and after work?
12. Do you wear the same kinds of clothes in winter and summer?
13. Are you very interested in fashion (or, clothes fashions)?
14. Are people's ideas about fashion (or, ideas about what is 'fashionable') today the same as people's ideas in previous years?
15. What types of clothes are in fashion now?
16. Are the clothes that people in your country wear today the same as people's clothes in previous years?
17. Do many people (in your country) follow fashion?
18. What are the benefits of following fashion?
19. Do you think your tastes in fashion will be the same when you are old?
Shopping
1. Do you like (going) shopping? (Why?/Why not?)
2. How often do you go shopping?
3. When do you think is the best time to go shopping?
4. Which day of the week do you usually go (or, do you like to go) shopping?
5. What do you usually buy when you go shopping?
6. When was the last time you went shopping? (Include what you bought.)
7. What did you buy?
8. What are some differences between men and women concerning shopping?
9. In what ways do you think people's present and past shopping habits are different?
10. Do you prefer to buy things in small shops or in big shops such as supermarkets and department stores?
11. What do you buy in big shopping centers?
12. Do you think it's good that there are more and more big shops nowadays?
13. Is there anything you dislike about shopping?
14. Do you like window shopping?
Flying
1. Have you ever traveled by (= flown in a) plane?
2. Do you like it (like flying)?
3. How does flying compare to other forms of transport?
4. Would you like to travel by plane again?
5. Do you think aircraft will be used more in the future?
6. If you travel by plane again, where do you think you will go (or, you will be going)?
Museum
1. Are there many (or, any) museums in your hometown?
2. Do you think museums are useful for visitors to your hometown/country?
3. Do you often visit a museum?
4. Did you go to any museums when you were a child?
5. When was the last time you visited a museum?
6. Do you think museums are important?
7. Do you think it's suitable for museums to sell things to visitors?
News
1. How do you usually get your news? *
2. Do you prefer to read newspapers or watch TV to get your news? NC
3. What news topics are you most interested in watching/reading about? N
4. Do you ever get your news from the internet? N
5. How important do you think the news is?
Holiday
1. What do you usually do when you have holidays?
2. What did you do in your last holidays?
3. Would you like to go to the seaside for a holiday?
4. Why do you think people who don't live near the ocean like going to the seaside for a holiday?
5. Do you think holidays are important?
6. Is there anything you dislike doing during holidays?
7. Do you prefer spending holidays alone or with other people?
8. Do you think we have enough holiday time (or should people's holidays be longer)?
Traveling
1. Do you like travelling?
2. Where do you like to go when you go traveling?
3. Have you ever traveled for a long time? = Have you (ever) been on any long trips?
4. Do you like long trips?
5. What's the longest journey you've been on?
6. How do you feel when you travel?
7. What form of transport do you prefer to use when you travel?
8. What was the last place you traveled to?
9. Which city (or place) that you have been to did you like the most? (Why?)
10. Have you ever been to any unusual (or, strange) places?
11. Have you ever travelled alone?
12. Where (which country or place) would you like to travel to (in the future)?
13. What makes a place attractive for visitors (or, tourists)?
14. What places in China are (or, would be) attractive for foreigners to travel to?
15. Why do you think traveling is so popular nowadays?
16. Do you think finding out about other people's culture is important? (Why?)
Cooking
1. Who usually does the cooking in your family (or, in your home)?
2. Do you know how to cook?
3. Would you like to (learn to) cook in the future? (If you say you don't know how to cook.)
4. What (food/dishes) would you like to (learn to) cook in the future? (If you say you don't know how to cook.)
5. Do you like cooking?
6. When did you learn how to cook?
7. (Similar to above) Did you learn how to cook when you were younger (or, when you were a child)?
8. (Similar to above) Did you ever cook (or, make a meal) when you were a child?
9. Who taught you how to cook?
10. When was the last time you did some cooking?
11. Can you see yourself cooking more in the (near) future? Why?
12. (Similar to above) In the future, do you think you will be cooking more than you do now, or less? (Why?)
Dancing
1. Do you like dancing?
2. Have you ever learned to dance?
3. When was the last time you danced?
4. When was the last time you went to a party where people danced?
5. Do you like to watch dance performances?
6. How do you feel when you watch dance performances on TV?
7. Why do you think some (or, many) people like dancing?
Reading
1. Do you like reading books? (Why?/Why not?)
2. What (kinds of ) books do you like to read?
3. Did you read much when you were a child?
4. What (kinds of) books did you like reading when you were a child?
5. Do (young) children like reading books?
6. For children, what do you think are the benefits of reading?
7. What do you think are the benefits of reading to children?
8. Do you think children should learn to read at an earlier age than they do now?
9. Is reading books important for you now?
10. Would you like to write a book?
11. Do you like receiving a book as a gift?
12. Would you like to receive a book as a gift?
13. How would you feel if someone gave you a book as a gift?
14. Do you think it's important to have public libraries?
15. Do you think the government has a responsibility to provide public libraries for everyone?
Ocean
1. Have you ever been to the seaside?
2. How many times have you been to the seaside?
3. Did you like the ocean it? (or, like he sea; or, like the seaside)
4. What interests you most about the beach?
5. What would you enjoy doing if you were at the seaside?
6. Would you like to live in a house near the ocean?
Friendship
1. Do you have many friends?
2. What do you usually do with your friends?
3. Where did you (first) meet your friends?
4. Do you often make new friends?
5. Where do you go to make new friends?
6. How do young people meet others in order to make new friends?
7. What do they do there?
8. Where do children (i.e., aged 4 to 12) make new friends?
9. Do you ever meet any foreigners where you live?
10. Where can you (go to) speak to foreigners in your country?
Emails and Letters
1. Do you write many letters or emails?
2. What are the differences between emails and letters?
3. What do you usually write about?
4. Is it hard to think of what to write?
5. What kind(s) of letter/email do you think is (are) the hardest to write? h
6. What kinds of emails (or letters) do you receive that make you feel excited?
