Describe the first time you used a foreign language to communicate.
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 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?)
Parks and gardens
- Is there a park near your home? (Why is that?)
- How often do you go to parks? (Tell me more about that.)
- What do people do in parks in your city? (Tell me more about that.)
- Did you go to parks a lot as a child? (Why is that?)
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?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe the first time you used a foreign language to communicate.
You should say:
- when and where it happened
- who you were talking to
- what you talked about
and explain how you felt about the experience.
Follow-up question after your talk: Did the experience make you want to practise more? / Did the other person understand you?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
learning a foreign language
- Can you explain why many learners feel nervous about speaking a foreign language?
- In general, what situations do people in your country need a foreign language for?
- How would you compare learning a language at school with learning it by living abroad?
languages and technology
- Can you describe the ways people practise speaking outside the classroom?
- What could be done about the lack of chances to speak English in daily life?
- Can you speculate on how translation technology will change the need to learn languages?
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.