Describe a person you know who runs a family business.
This test has appeared in 3 seasons · 1 reported by test takers
- May–Aug/2026
- Jan–Apr/2026
- Sep–Dec/2025
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?)
Childhood
- Where did you spend most of your childhood? (Tell me more about that.)
- What did you enjoy doing most as a child? (Tell me more about that.)
- Who was your best friend when you were a child? (Tell me more about that.)
- Do you think children today have a better childhood than you did? (Why is that?)
Keeping old things
- Do you usually keep old things or throw them away? (Why is that?)
- What is something old that you still keep? (Tell me more about that.)
- Have you kept anything from your childhood? (Why is that?)
- Do you think it's a good idea to keep old things for a long time? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a person you know who runs a family business.
You should say:
- who this person is
- what the business is
- how they run it
and explain what you think of their work.
Follow-up question after your talk: Would you like to run a family business yourself? / How long has the business been running?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
small and family businesses
- Can you explain why some families keep a business going for generations?
- In general, what kinds of businesses do families in your country usually run?
- How would you compare working for your own family with working for a large company?
business and the local economy
- Can you explain why small businesses matter to a local area?
- What could be done about the difficulties people face when they start a business?
- Can you speculate on how small businesses will survive as more shopping moves online?
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.