Describe a time when you helped someone.
This test has appeared in 9 seasons · 4 reported by test takers
- Sep–Dec/2026
- Sep–Dec/2025
- Jan–Apr/2025
- Sep–Dec/2024
- May–Aug/2024
- Jan–Apr/2024
- Jan–Apr/2023
- May–Aug/2022
- 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?)
Singing
- Do you like singing? (Why is that?)
- What kind of songs do you like to sing? (Tell me more about that.)
- Did you sing much when you were a child? (Why is that?)
- Do you think singing is a good way to relax? (Why is that?)
Clothes
- What kind of clothes do you usually wear? (Tell me more about that.)
- Do you wear different clothes at weekends? (Why is that?)
- Do you ever wear traditional clothes? (Why is that?)
- Where do you usually buy your clothes? (Tell me more about that.)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a time when you helped someone.
You should say:
- who you helped
- why they needed help
- what you did to help them
and explain how you felt about helping this person.
Follow-up question after your talk: Do you find it easy to ask others for help? / Did you keep in contact with that person afterwards?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
helping other people
- Can you explain why people help strangers in some situations but not in others?
- How would you compare helping someone with money with helping them with your time?
- In general, who do people turn to first when they need help?
helping in the community
- Can you describe the kinds of volunteer work people do in your country?
- What could be done about young people who never do any volunteer work?
- Can you speculate on how communities will look after their older members 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.