IELTS Speaking Part 1 · hobbies

Is there a new hobby you would like to take up?

A strong Part 1 answer puts the actual answer in the first clause, adds one reason or one example, and stops. Two or three sentences, roughly forty seconds.

The question, as the examiner gives it

IELTS Speaking Part 1

Is there a new hobby you would like to take up?

no preparation, about 45 seconds to speak

A band 7 to 8 answer

About 68 words at a natural pace — roughly what 45 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.
A band 7 to 8 answer

Pottery, oddly enough. A friend took a weekend course last year and came back with three lopsided bowls and an enormous grin, and I have wanted to try it ever since. What appeals to me is that it is completely physical, so there is no way to do it while checking messages. The studio near the station has a waiting list, which I take as a good sign.

The words that earn marks

Each one links to how it is pronounced.

  • pottery

    names the hobby exactly, with a clear first-syllable stress

  • lopsided

    a specific adjective that paints the image

  • grin

    sharper than smile, and a short vowel to practise

  • appeals

    natural in what appeals to me is

  • physical

    abstract argument made in one concrete word

  • studio

    the right noun for the place, not just a shop

How a strong answer is built

  1. 1Name the hobby first, with a small aside.
  2. 2Say where the idea came from.
  3. 3Give the reason it attracts you.
  4. 4Add a practical detail about actually starting.

Sounds to watch

The ones this answer leans on most.

Straight answers

How long should my answer to “Is there a new hobby you would like to take up?” be?

About 45 seconds. Long enough for the answer plus a reason or an example, short enough that the examiner can get through the rest of the set.

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.
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