Describe an old thing your family has kept for a long time.
This test has appeared in 6 seasons
- Sep–Dec/2026
- May–Aug/2026
- Jan–Apr/2026
- Sep–Dec/2025
- May–Aug/2025
- 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 town
- Where is your home town? (Tell me more about that.)
- What do you like most about it? (Tell me more about that.)
- Has it changed much since you were a child? (Why is that?)
- Would you like to live there in the future? (Why is that?)
History
- Are you interested in history? (Why is that?)
- What period of history do you find most interesting? (Tell me more about that.)
- Did you enjoy history lessons at school? (Why is that?)
- Do you think it is important to learn about history? (Why is that?)
Emails and letters
- How often do you send emails? (Tell me more about that.)
- Who do you usually write emails to? (Tell me more about that.)
- Have you ever written a letter by hand to someone? (Why is that?)
- Do you think people will still send letters in the future? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe an old thing your family has kept for a long time.
You should say:
- what the object is
- how long your family has had it
- where it is kept
and explain why your family has kept it for so long.
Follow-up question after your talk: Would you like to pass it on to your own children one day? / Who looks after it now?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
keeping old things
- Can you explain why families keep objects they no longer use?
- How would you compare an old object kept in a family with one kept in a museum?
- In general, what kinds of things do people in your country pass down?
the past and the present
- Can you explain why young people are sometimes less interested in old possessions?
- What could be done about local museums that visitors find dull?
- Can you speculate on how families will keep their memories when almost everything is digital?
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.