Describe a sport you would like to try.
A strong long turn names the subject in the first sentence, spends most of the two minutes on the last bullet — the why — and arrives at a prepared final line rather than trailing off.
The question, as the examiner gives it
Describe a sport you would like to try.
You should say
- what the sport is
- what you know about it
- why it interests you
- and explain what might stop you
60 seconds to prepare, up to 2 minutes to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 191 words at a natural pace — roughly what 120 seconds holds.
Answer it yourself first
Record your own answer first. A model you have read three times comes out with a flattened rhythm, and examiners are trained to hear exactly that. Read it afterwards for the vocabulary and the shape, not to memorise the sentences.I would like to try rock climbing, specifically indoors on a wall rather than anything involving a mountain and a rope over a drop. What I know about it comes almost entirely from a colleague who climbs three times a week and talks about it constantly, which I initially found tedious and have gradually been converted by. She describes it as a physical puzzle rather than a test of strength, and apparently the people who do best are rarely the strongest ones, which is encouraging for somebody built like me. Why it interests me is that it seems to be a sport where you cannot think about anything else. I have never found that in anything except swimming, and swimming is repetitive in a way that lets the mind wander back after about ten minutes. What might stop me is the ordinary thing, which is that the nearest wall is forty minutes away and I have watched several enthusiasms die of exactly that distance. She has offered to take me four times and I have found a reason each time, so the honest obstacle may not be the distance at all.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- indoors
one word instead of inside a building
- tedious
a precise, higher-register word for boring
- converted
used figuratively about changing your view
- puzzle
the noun that reframes the sport
- encouraging
four syllables with the stress on the second
- repetitive
four syllables with the stress on the second
- enthusiasms
four syllables with the stress on the second
How a strong answer is built
- 1Name the sport and narrow it precisely.
- 2Say where your knowledge comes from.
- 3Explain the appeal, with a comparison.
- 4Answer the last bullet with a realistic obstacle.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Describe a sport you would like to try.” be?
You get 60 seconds to make notes and then speak for up to two minutes without interruption. Aim to still be talking at ninety seconds: finishing at forty is the commonest way to lose marks on this part.
Should I memorise the model answer?
No. Record your own version first, then read the model for the shape and the vocabulary. A memorised answer changes rhythm and pace noticeably, and examiners are trained to hear it — it usually costs more than the better wording gains.
Does sayit score this answer?
It scores what a microphone can observe: an estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.
What the band on your result means
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.One question a day until your test
A free account remembers every take, so you watch a trend instead of a single answer, and it picks tomorrow's question for you.