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Describe a piece of local news that people were interested in.

This test has appeared in 5 seasons

  • Sep–Dec/2026
  • May–Aug/2026
  • Jan–Apr/2026
  • Sep–Dec/2024
  • Jan–Apr/2022

Reported by test takers Forecast only

Take this test with the AI examiner

Part 1

The examiner asks about you and two familiar topics. About 4–5 minutes.

Work or study

  1. Do you work, or are you a student? (Why?)
  2. Why did you choose that job or that subject? (Tell me more about that.)
  3. What do you enjoy most about it? (Why?)
  4. Is there anything you would like to change about it? (Why?)

Daily routine

  1. What does a typical day look like for you? (Tell me more about that.)
  2. Which part of your day do you enjoy most? (Tell me more about that.)
  3. Has your daily routine changed much in the last few years? (Why is that?)
  4. Would you like to change anything about your routine? (Why is that?)

Watches

  1. Do you wear a watch? (Why is that?)
  2. Have you ever received a watch as a gift? (Why is that?)
  3. Why do some people wear expensive watches? (Can you give me an example?)
  4. Do you think watches will still be popular in the future? (Why is that?)

Part 2

One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.

Describe a piece of local news that people were interested in.

You should say:

  • what the news was about
  • when you heard it
  • how you found out about it

and explain why people were interested in it.

Follow-up question after your talk: Do you often follow local news? / How did you hear about that story?

Part 3

A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.

how people follow the news

  1. Can you explain why fewer people now read printed newspapers?
  2. How would you compare the news people get from television with the news they get online?
  3. In general, which kinds of news stories do people talk about most with friends?

news and the local community

  1. Can you explain why local news can matter more to people than national news?
  2. What could be done about the difficulty of keeping local residents well informed?
  3. Can you speculate on how social media will change the way local news is reported?

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.