Model Answers for the Speaking Part 1 Topic: Dreams. I’ve written a few model answers for each question so you can see the usual length of answers. You do not need to concern yourself too much with the length of answers in part 1. Just keep talking and allow the examiner to interrupt you when the examiner wants to move to the next question. Allow the examiner to guide you through the test.
I’ve also written a list of useful vocabulary for Dreams Topic below.
Dreams – IELTS Speaking Part 1 Questions
- Do you often have dreams?
- Do you usually remember your dreams?
- Do you think we can learn something from dreams?
Model Answers for Dreams IELTS Speaking Part 1
- Do you often have dreams?
- Yes, I do. I have quite vivid dreams about things that are going on in my life at the time and I even have nightmares sometimes.
- No. I usually sleep very deeply and so I don’t dream at all.
- I used to dream all the time but in the last few years I’ve hardly had any dreams at all.
- I usually have dreams when I’m upset about something. I guess it’s my subconscious trying to work things out. But other than that, I don’t often dream.
- Do you usually remember your dreams?
- No, they’re usually very vague and I only remember the odd thing or image. But I can never remember the entire dream as they are too abstract.
- No, luckily I don’t remember them as they are almost always nightmares.
- Yes, I do. I remember almost every dream I have. I keep a dream diary so that I can analyse them later.
- Do you think we can learn something from dreams?
- No, I don’t. I think dreams are nonsense and not based in reality so I don’t think people should waste their time trying to find a meaning in them.
- No, I don’t. I think most people dream because they are not relaxed enough and are not able to enter deep sleep. I don’t think there’s any meaning in what people dream.
- Yes, I do. I think our subconscious is trying to figure things out and we can find clues by analysing our dreams.
- Yes, I do. I think dreams can reveal hidden messages if we know how to interpret them correctly.
- Yes, I do. I know dreaming of a snake means that enemies are close. And if you dream of your teeth falling out, it means a big change will happen in your life. I think dreams are very symbolic.
Useful Vocabulary for Dreams Speaking Topic:
It is possible to get this topic in Speaking part 2 and part 3. So, use this vocabulary list to help you prepare.
- disturbed sleep / disrupted sleep
- deep sleep
- peaceful sleep
- nightmares
- daydreams
- vivid dreams
- vague dreams
- abstract dreams
- subconscious thinking / subconscious mind
- symbolic meaning
- to analyse our dreams
- nonsense
- dream diary
- reveal messages
- interpret dreams
- dreams represent conflicted emotions or thoughts
- dreams associated with past memories and current concerns
- sleep cycles – people go through various cycles of sleeps during the night. Vivid dreams mostly happen during the REM cycle.
- to fall asleep / struggle to get to sleep / struggle to stay asleep / wake up during the night
Recommended for you:
See ALL IELTS Speaking Tips & Model Answers
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I had my speaking test done today.
Part 2- Tell me about an interesting neighbour (what makes the person interesting, how you met, how often you see the neighbour), making community better, what do local businesses owe the communities they occupy, is your country a community, why?
Part 3 do you believe in national identity? If yes, what is it?
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Liz. Thankyou so much, your videos and tips are the sole reason I did amazing today. Keep up the marvelous work! I had my speaking test on 13.01.2020.
PART 1 – After introduction-
1) What do you do- work/study
2) Why do you like your field of study
3) What do you do when you are waiting for a bus
4) Do you consider yourself patient
5) Are people in your country patient, in general
6) Do you have a friend who lives far away
7) Some question about childhood friends
PART 2-
Explain an interesting conversation you had.
With whom? Where? Why did you find it interesting?
PART 3-
1) Do people prefer talking in phone rather than face to face
After I answered this question as she asked me “why so?”
2) Why some people prefer talking in phone
3) Are visual aids important while giving a presentation?
4) Why are visual aids considered distracting sometimes?
5) How can this be avoided? (continuation to previous question)
6) Some people have stage fright while giving presentations. Why so?
Thanks for sharing 🙂 Glad my lessons helped 🙂 Good luck with your results!!
Thanks
Thanks Liz
Thanks a lot for your courses! It’s very useful to me!
Yes thatʼs true
Hi Liz,
I thought I’d drop a message and share my experience here in your blog. I just literally finished my speaking exam today here in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
After the introduction
Part1
-Do you study or work?
-What’s your work?
-Why did you choose your job?
-Where do you go on a day out? (I asked him if it’s an ordinary day out? He just repeated the question)
-What interesting thing you saw in your day out?
-Do you like going out alone or with friends?
-Who do you normally go out with?
*can’t remember the rest
Part2
Favorite building
-what it is?
-why do you like it?
-what/how does it looked like?
-what’s the building for?
*i forgot the other one, all the prompt questions you have for building topic in your blog came out in my part2
Then the interviewer asked me if i’m fascinated with buildings, i just said yes, then my part3 was all about building and society. (Not the exact questions as they were lengthy)
– how much do you think the government should regulate the buildings?
-do you think external design is a waste of money in constructing a building?
-what things should be considered in constructing a building?
-how a building affects people’s work and life? (Something like that)
*there was a question where i understood it differently, he stopped me then he paraphrased the question
I never thought 15mins was so fast! Even the part2, i thought i cant fill the 2mins but i was stopped. I talked fast too maybe because i was nervous.
I just wanted to share my experience here as all the comments of experiences had been very helpfull to me. Liz you are a heaven sent! Thank you very much for doing what you are doing. You are helping a lot of people.
Tomorrow is my L-R-W exams, wish me and my husband luck as we are both taking the exams.
Lastly, my tip is to prepare ideas (not memorize) on all the topics on this blog. You’ll never know what you will get. I was smiling when i saw my topic as I had prepared ideas about it.
Goodluck to all of us!
Jen
Thanks for sharing 🙂 You are 100% correct about not memorising answers for speaking. Your answers must be natural. So, prepare ideas and learn vocabulary but let answers come naturally in the test. Lots of luck to you both tomorrow! See my “on the day” tips for each section of the test: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-exam-tips-on-the-day/ 🙂
Thank you so much! Your model answers are very helpful!
Liz you are doing Marvelous job.
In the speaking test …i spoke about 1. 40 on the cue card ..is it okay ….or there will be negative marking
There is no negative marking. Your fluency score is based on your overall performance. Of course, it’s good to speak for 2 mins, but it isn’t a requirement.
Could we use words like “You can say that ” “You know ” in Ielts Speaking ?
It is fine to use informal language in the IELTS speaking test.
No we can not use informal words in ielts speaking test because informal words is wrong for ielts speaking test so we can only use formal words in speaking test
As an ex-IELTS examiner I can say – the speaking test is informal.
but in the last few years I’ve had hardly any “dreams” , will s (plural) do here , kindly guide
Yes, it is plural.
Dear mam, could you please tell the meaning of “abstract” in the second question model answer? Is it “short” or something else? What other synonym we can use here?
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/abstract
Hi Liz:
I just want to ask when do we use “have been”, “has been”, and “had been”?
Thanks
You need to review your English grammar. See this page for links: https://ieltsliz.com/useful-websites-and-resources-for-ielts/
Hi Liz,
I found this very useful. Thank you very much.
Well there’s one thing I’d like to ask:
At the above we have topic for part 1 about dreams.
What I want to ask is which tenses should we use when we want to say that we remember what happen in my dream and want was happen in our dream?
For example my question for answer no. 2:
“Yes I do. I often remember what I saw and feel during my sleep. My late father come then he hug me, he say he miss me” (or) “my late father came the he hugged me. He said he miss me.”
Which tenses is correct?
Because this is something happen in the past which is not actually happen.
Thank you Liz 🙂
Yes I do. I often remember what I saw and felt during my dreams. In some dreams, my late father came to me and then he hugged me. He would say that he missed me”. The dream is finished – over. This means you use the past to describe it.
Hi Liz,
Thank you. you are doing a great job by helping others. it is a good source. I had my speaking test today. I am sharing a few questions that I remember from today’s test.
Part 1:
1.Have you ever been on a boat?
2. Do plan to be on a boat someday?
3. Do you think you could buy a boat in future?
4. Why do you think it is important to reach in time for an interview?
5. Do you think people in the past gave more importance to time management?
Part 2:
Cue card- Describe a leisure facility (e.g cinema, theatre, sports centre etc) that should be made available in your hometown.
Why is this facility important?
What can be done to make it available?
What role would it play?/ What kind of people can use it?
Part 3:
It was about leisure activities like what importance such activities have in our lives? How people choose different leisure activities?
Has this choice changed over the decades?
How the choices of older people change ( in the context of leisure activities only).
Why some people choose risky activities?
There were few more questions in all the parts which I don’t remember now.
An advice to the test takers- those who are learning new words to improve their vocabulary, please try to use those words on a daily basis because learning/ memorizing alone won’t help. Don’t stop until you are asked to. Don’t give the examiner a chance to tell you to speak more.
Thanks for sharing 🙂 I agree completely with your tips 🙂
Hi Liz,
How can I answer this question? Is my answer enough for speaking part 1? Thanks
What kind of dishes do you cook?
I used to cooked chicken dishes, which I find very easy to prepare and is always available in supermarkets aside from that you can do a variety of experiment with the chicken like for example adding pineapple while boiling it with a milk, the combination of its sweetness and creamy flavor will surely remains unforgetable taste.
It doesn’t matter if your answer is too long. The examiner will stop you when it’s time to move to the next question. However, the question asks “What dishes DO you cook” – this means mean. Your answer is in the past tense. Pay attention to the grammar in the question and answer appropriately.
hello liz, i have one question. if i am asked about useful website, can i answer ur website. as i found ur website very useful.
Sure. You can choose any website you want. But if you talk about an IELTS website, also try include other aspects:
social media
communication
educational videos
layout / content / style / appearance
Try to include as much as you can in your description and that way you can steer the talk away from only IELTS and into other aspects of online media.
thank you so much for your response.
Hi Liz,I had my IELTS exam on 9th and 10th of September.The speaking one was on 10th and the topic was A Rule you had in your school which you agreed or disagreed?What action was taken if u dint follow those rules in your school.This topic was quite uncommon.so I decided to share with you
Thanks. Was that your speaking part 2 topic?
Hi,
I am looking for someone for speaking test preparation and if somebody is living in Dubai and currently, working on IELTS so let’s help each other.
You can contact me on 056-7443199
Thank you a lot, Liz. I’m so glad I’ve found your website. I have a few questions, if you don’t mind.
1. I often use American-style phrases, words, and constructions. Is this bad? Should I avoid it? Americans are the only native speakers I have communicated with.
2. Can I distribute time unequally (extremely unequally) among the answers in Part 1 and Part 3? For instance, I would like to answer about sports shortly, but I would tell more about friends or food. Would a simple and short answer be sufficient as long as I explain another one deeper?
3. Would my examinator give me a hint when my Part 2 speech exceeds 1 minute? I always feel the necessity of cutting my speech short(
1. Having a mixed accent or an American accent is fine for IELTS speaking.
2. You don’t decide the length of time for topics and questions in part 1 and part 3 – the examiner does. In part 1, there will be about 12 questions which means one or two long sentences. In part 3, there will be from 4 to 7 questions (more or less) and so you need to expand all answers, give examples and showcase the level of your English more.
3. In part 2, your talk, you will have 1 to 2 mins for the talk. You should aim to talk for 2 mins to show fluency. The examiner will tell you when to stop.
The examiner controls all time in the test.
Thanks for your answer. Time-management is my weakpoint. So, it’s good if it’s controlled by examiner. Still, I can’t understand about part one: according to your video those 12 questions should take less than 5 min, but it’s unclear how time is controlled. If my answer for 1 of 12 questions is too detailed, would examiner say “Next question!”? If my answer is too short, would he give me a hint to go on, instead of asking the next question?
In part 1, some questions will require only short answers – as the example I gave you. Other questions might require you to explain a bit more. At all times, the examiner will control the time. The examiner will interrupt you and move on to the next question if needed. This is very common. In fact, many students feel very uncomfortable when it happens because they think they did something wrong – they didn’t do anything wrong – it’s just a natural part of the test. So, be direct and add more – if the examiner wants to move on, he or she will stop you. It won’t affect your score at all.
It’s a relief. I will try not to fear being stopped by the examiner. Thank you a lot.
That’s right. It is just a normal part of the test. When it happens, just wait for the next question and continue as usual.
hi Liz,
I got a couple of questions that popped up during my practice.
Would you kindly answer them?
1) I am speaking about a special cake. At the end, as a conclusion, I say ” This is the most special cake I had in my life”
Did I use the tense correctly? Because it is still my most special cake. But that cake is a thing of past and I had many cakes after that. So should I say ” That was the most special cake” ??
2) Is it correct to say ” current scenario “?
3) In one of the listening tests, the answer given is school fees. Instead, if I write educational expense because I missed it during listening and later wrote from my memory, will it be counted?
Thanks
1. There is no conclusion in speaking part 2. This is not a formal talk. The WHOLE speaking test is informal. If you are checking your tense, you need present perfect “the most special X I have ever had …”
2. Don’t learn phrases to use. It is rare to use academic phrases in informal chats.
3. You can’t change the words of the answer. You must write answers exactly as you hear them.
Hi Liz,
In speaking part 2 , can we say words like ‘you’ and ‘I’ or do we have to speak in third person like ‘people’, ‘individuals’.
Kindly help me !!!!
You answer the question!!!! Talk about a book YOU read – of course you talk about “I”. Just be logical. This isn’t a complicated test. The questions are clear and easy to understand. IELTS speaking is an informal test. Read all model answers on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-speaking-free-lessons-essential-tips/
Thank you mam…..
Thanks a lot ,,, you are a great teacher😎
Thanks you so much liz
thanks liz u are the best
Hi Liz,
Thank you for these model answers ! Wow, so generous of you for sharing your ideas and lessons for free. Thanks a lot.
Regards,
Arlyn
Tomorrow Morning I have exam in Saudi Arabia Jubail. I have heard a lot about Liz from my other collages who scored really good. Hopefully I get good score as this is my first time. Thanks Liz You are the best .
Good luck!! See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-exam-tips-on-the-day/ and also this page: https://ieltsliz.com/recent-ielts-questions-and-topics/
Dear Liz,
I would like to share me answer
1. Yes, I am well known as dreamer person.
It seems to me I dream every night when I go to sleep.
2. I do remember almost all the dreams for a short time and I forgot it. However, there were some espcial dreams that I never forget it.
3. Yes, I think that dream is one part of our life. It help to reveal something will coming soon.
In my personal experience about dream. I could learn a lot from my dream. There were some dream that did became true and fulfill everything.
Thank you so much . I really appriaciate what you do for us Liz. big thanks.
Thank you so much liz
Thank you so much Liz, It’s very helpful.
Thanks Liz
I was asked the same questions for my part 1 on 5 July. I found it helpful.
Thank you very much. You are useful girl. That is teaching me too much
Thanks Liz,
I thought that dreams means aspiration or hope in the question, and accordingly I answered it. IS IT ACCEPTED???
You won’t be marked down on misunderstanding the topic.
Hi liz you are a best teaching
for me
thanks, Liz
Many thanks Liz.
Thnx💯
Much of help,
Many thanks 🙂
zillion times of thanks for the vocabulary list 😀
Dear liz
What should be my response,if the examiner ask me to speak on painting or color
The examiner will ask specific questions and you will answer them. Your answer will depend on the question asked. See my main speaking page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-speaking-free-lessons-essential-tips/
Thanks for sharing Liz! This could probably help me get the score I want to achieve in the ielts exam. 😁
was it wrong to use dream as it means “hope and ambition” rather than what we see in sleep? Unfortunately, it was the meaning that first came to my mind. But It seems that “having dreams” is mainly about sleeps.
Thanks for the speaking sample answers and best wishes!
When the question is “Do you often have dreams” it refers to sleep and the frequency. If the question is “What is your main dream in life?” this is about ambition and hope. But the examiner won’t mark you down because you misunderstood. You will still get marked on the language you produced. Remember, ideas are not marked in speaking, only the language is marked.
Thank u Liz, the vocabulary words you provided were very helpful, with this support, i think band 7 is possible
Thank u Liz, l am glad that you provided the list of vocabulary used, it was really helpful
you are a great teacher. you really have good command on IELTS. I am also a teacher and I followed your writing style in IELTS Exam and I got 7 band scores. I appreciate your style of teaching. In short, you are one of millions.
Well done 🙂 It isn’t so easy to hit band 7. Good for you 🙂 And thanks for support of my work 🙂
A Big Thanks to you Mam👍🏼. I have exam on 15 of july, Your blog is providing me a lot of help.
Thank you ma.
Mam i have a question in my mind… I am talking ielts course From a private institute.My teacher there told me that overview should be written in at end of task 1.But u say to write it after introduction.what should i do know? Plz reply and help me.
And also my ielts tutor told me to write a agree/disagree essays by giving partial opinion …but acc. To u, only a proper answer should be given.( Agree only or disagree only) who is correct …suggest me plzz.
The overview can go after the introduction or at the end of the report – both locations are fine. I explained it in this video: https://ieltsliz.com/writing-task-1-paragraphs/. Your opinion for the opinion essay can be what you want. You can choose a one sided approach or a partial view – both are fine. Please think about getting my advanced lessons where all this is explained: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/
Thanks so much Liz