Describe a skill you learned as a child.
This test has appeared in 5 seasons
- Sep–Dec/2026
- May–Aug/2025
- Jan–Apr/2025
- May–Aug/2024
- Jan–Apr/2024
Reported by test takers Forecast only
Part 1
The examiner asks about you and two familiar topics. About 4–5 minutes.
Your home
- Do you live in a house or an apartment? (Why?)
- Which room do you spend the most time in? (Why?)
- What would you like to change about your home? (Why?)
- Do you think you will live there for a long time? (Why not?)
Jokes and comedy
- Do you like telling jokes? (Why is that?)
- What kind of comedy do you enjoy? (Tell me more about that.)
- Do you have a friend who always makes you laugh? (Why is that?)
- Is it easy to understand jokes in a foreign language? (Why is that?)
Tidiness
- Are you a tidy person? (Why is that?)
- Is your room usually tidy? (Why is that?)
- Did your parents ask you to tidy your room when you were young? (Why is that?)
- Do you think tidy people work better? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a skill you learned as a child.
You should say:
- what the skill is
- who taught you
- how you learned it
and explain how this skill has helped you.
Follow-up question after your talk: Do you still use that skill today? / Was that skill difficult to learn at the time?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
skills children learn when they are young
- Can you explain why children learn some skills faster than adults do?
- In general, which skills should every child learn before they leave school?
- What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of teaching children practical skills such as cooking at school?
who teaches children
- Can you explain why children often learn more from family members than from lessons?
- How would you compare learning a skill from a parent with learning it from a teacher?
- Can you speculate on how online videos will change the way children pick up new skills?
Test titles follow test-taker reports and each season's forecasts — IELTS does not publish its papers. "Reported" means someone reported meeting this topic in a dated test. The questions are written by us in the format of the real test.