IELTS Speaking Part 1: Food
4 common Part 1 questions on food, each with a sample answer at the length Part 1 actually wants.
What kind of food do you like?
I enjoy a mix of traditional home-cooked meals and international cuisine. I especially like dishes with rich flavours and spices, like grilled meat with herbs or hearty soups. I’m also trying to eat healthier, so I enjoy salads and fresh fruit more than before.
Do you like cooking?
Yes, I do, especially when I have time. Cooking is relaxing for me, and it feels rewarding to create something from scratch. I’m not a professional, but I can make a few signature dishes that my family enjoys.
What’s a popular food in your country?
One of the most popular foods is plov, a rice dish cooked with meat, onions, and spices. It’s often served at celebrations and family gatherings. People take pride in making it the traditional way.
Do you think people eat healthier nowadays?
It depends. Many people are more aware of nutrition and try to avoid junk food, but fast food is also more available than ever. So I think there’s a split: some people eat much healthier, while others rely on convenience foods.
Reading a model answer is not the same as saying one. The sample above shows what a strong Part 1 answer sounds like. What it cannot tell you is how yours sounds — whether you hesitate, repeat the question back, or run out of things to say at forty seconds.
You can record an answer to this exact question and get it marked on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and pronunciation — the same four criteria the examiner uses.
Common questions
How long should Part 1 answers be?
Two or three sentences. Part 1 is a warm-up and one-word answers stall the conversation, but a ninety-second speech on your home town is the wrong length too — the examiner has a list of questions to get through.
How long does Part 1 last?
Four to five minutes, covering three familiar topics. Your identity is checked first, then the questions start.
Can I ask the examiner to repeat a question?
Yes, and it costs you nothing. Asking for a repeat is normal conversational English; guessing at a question you misheard and answering the wrong one is far more damaging.
Model answers written and reviewed by The English All-in-One IELTS team. They are teaching models showing what each band looks like, not real candidate scripts.