IELTS Speaking Part 1: Home and accommodation
7 common Part 1 questions on home and accommodation, each with a sample answer at the length Part 1 actually wants.
What colour would you choose to paint the walls of your room?
I would choose a soft sage green because it’s both calming and connected to nature. Studies show that green tones reduce anxiety and improve concentration, which is perfect for a study-and-sleep space. Plus, it pairs beautifully with wooden furniture and plants.
What colour would you never use in your home?
Bright neon orange – it’s far too aggressive and overstimulating for any room where you want to relax. I also find that such intense colours feel dated very quickly. Neutral or muted tones are much more timeless and versatile.
Can you describe the place where you live?
I live in a two-bedroom apartment on the third floor of a modern building. It’s not huge, but the open-plan living area makes it feel airy. Large windows let in plenty of natural light, which I really appreciate.
What kind of housing accommodation do you live in?
It’s a rented flat in a quiet residential neighbourhood. The building has about 20 units and a small communal garden. Renting gives me flexibility, though someday I’d love to own a place I can renovate myself.
What do you like about your flat?
My favourite thing is the balcony, where I grow herbs and have my morning coffee. It’s just big enough for a small table and two chairs, but it feels like an extension of the living room. I also love the parquet floors – they add warmth.
Which room does your family spend most of the time in?
Definitely the kitchen-diner, because my family loves to cook and eat together. We have a large wooden table where we chat, do homework, and play board games. It’s the heart of the home, always filled with laughter and the smell of something baking.
What can you see from the windows where you live?
From my bedroom window, I see a row of cherry trees and a small playground. In spring, the blossoms are absolutely breathtaking. From the living room, the view is of a quiet street with a few shops and a bakery.
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.