Describe a time when you encouraged someone to do something they did not want to do.
This test has appeared in 4 seasons · 1 reported by test takers
- Sep–Dec/2026
- May–Aug/2026
- Jan–Apr/2026
- Jan–Apr/2022
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?)
Films
- How often do you watch films? (Tell me more about that.)
- What kind of films do you enjoy most? (Tell me more about that.)
- Is there a film you remember watching as a child? (Why is that?)
- Do you prefer watching films at home or at the cinema? (Why is that?)
Sports
- Do you play any sports? (Why is that?)
- Which sport is the most popular in your country? (Tell me more about that.)
- What sports did you play when you were younger? (Tell me more about that.)
- Do you think children should be made to do sport at school? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a time when you encouraged someone to do something they did not want to do.
You should say:
- who the person was
- what you encouraged them to do
- why they did not want to do it
and explain what happened in the end.
Follow-up question after your talk: Would you do the same thing again? / Was that person glad afterwards?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
encouraging other people
- Can you explain why encouragement often works better than criticism?
- In general, how do parents in your country encourage their children?
- How would you contrast encouraging someone and putting pressure on them?
how people motivate themselves
- Can you describe the ways people make themselves do tasks they dislike?
- What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of pushing someone to do something outside their comfort zone?
- Can you speculate on how employers will keep their staff motivated in the future?
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.