Describe a time you learned words by heart, such as a song or poem.
This test has appeared in 2 seasons · 1 reported by test takers
- May–Aug/2025
- Jan–Apr/2025
Reported by test takers Forecast only
Part 1
The examiner asks about you and two familiar topics. About 4–5 minutes.
Work or study
- Do you work, or are you a student? (Why?)
- Why did you choose that job or that subject? (Tell me more about that.)
- What do you enjoy most about it? (Why?)
- Is there anything you would like to change about it? (Why?)
Small businesses
- Are there many small businesses near where you live? (Why is that?)
- What kind of small shops do you often go to? (Tell me more about that.)
- Is there a small business you have been going to for a long time? (Why is that?)
- Would you like to run your own small business one day? (Why is that?)
Talents
- Do you have any special talents? (Why is that?)
- What talent would you most like to have? (Tell me more about that.)
- Did you show any talent for something when you were a child? (Why is that?)
- Do you think talent is more important than hard work? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a time you learned words by heart, such as a song or poem.
You should say:
- what you learned
- when and why you learned it
- how you memorised it
and explain how you feel about it now.
Follow-up question after your talk: Can you still remember any of it today? / Why did you decide to learn that by heart?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
learning things by heart
- Can you describe the things students are usually asked to memorise at school?
- Can you explain why some things are much easier to memorise than others?
- In general, how useful is learning by heart for language students?
memory and modern study
- Can you explain why schools still ask students to remember facts?
- What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of exams that test how much students can remember?
- Can you speculate on how search engines will change what people bother to learn by heart?
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.