In IELTS Speaking Part 1 there are a wide range of topics: habits, family, work, transport, food, superheroes, and so on.

Check out some of my speaking sample answers for free on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@howtodoielts

One of the most common topics is school. The most common type of school discussed on IELTS is high school (or secondary school).

Let’s take a look at some sample questions and answers and do some analysis so that you can improve your speaking score to at least a Band 7!

The IELTS Speaking Examiner

You won’t be able to see it but the examiner will have 4 questions related to high school on the paper in front of him.

The examiner will not explain a question and he will only repeat it once before moving on to the next question.

However, if you ask the examiner to explain a word or phrase – for example you ask: ‘What does high school mean?’ – then the examiner will explain it and you will not lose any points for asking the question.

Sample Questions

Here’s an example of the 4 questions that the examiner may ask you:

Do you stay in contact with friends from high school?

What did you not enjoy about high school? (Why not?)

What was your favourite subject in high school? (Why?)

Do you think people generally enjoy their time in high school? (Why/why not?)

Sample Answers

Here are some sample answers:

Examiner: “Do you stay in contact with friends from High School?”

Sample Answer: “I used to keep in touch with a lot of old friends but lately I’m too busy at work. I’ll send a message on Facebook every once in a while but that’s about it. But my best friend is actually from high school and I see him quite a bit. We talk online and meet up to play videogames together way more than we probably should.”

Examiner: “What did you not enjoy about high school?”

Sample Answer: “Well, to be honest, high school was a really terrible time for me. People made fun of me and I really struggled in class. So, everything basically!”

Examiner: “What was your favourite subject in high school? (Why?)”

Sample Answer: “When I was in high school I remember really enjoying gym. Yeah, I think I enjoyed gym class more than anything else. I’ve never been that studious and it was my only chance during the day to do something I was really good at. I was really fit and sporty at the time.”

Examiner: “Do you think people generally enjoy their time in high school? (Why/why not?)”

Sample Answer: “Where I’m from, in Nepal, I think most people have a pretty good time. There is a lot of bullying, like I talked about before. But in general, the teachers are good, the facilities are modern and clean – they’ve got a lot going for them. Things aren’t as good once you get to Uni but in high school I think most people have a decent experience.”

Here are some more questions about high school – post your answers in the comments below!