Describe a time when you saw a lot of plastic waste.
This test has appeared in 5 seasons · 3 reported by test takers
- Sep–Dec/2025
- May–Aug/2025
- May–Aug/2023
- Jan–Apr/2023
- Sep–Dec/2022
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?)
Art
- Are you interested in art? (Why is that?)
- What kind of art do you like looking at? (Tell me more about that.)
- Did you enjoy art lessons when you were at school? (Why is that?)
- Would you like to visit more art galleries in the future? (Why is that?)
Mobile phones
- How often do you use your mobile phone? (Tell me more about that.)
- What do you mainly use your phone for? (Tell me more about that.)
- How old were you when you got your first mobile phone? (Tell me more about that.)
- Do you think children should have their own mobile phones? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a time when you saw a lot of plastic waste.
You should say:
- when and where you saw it
- what the waste looked like
- what you did at the time
and explain how you felt about what you saw.
Follow-up question after your talk: Do you try to use less plastic in your daily life? / Was anyone doing anything about the waste you saw?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
plastic in daily life
- Can you explain why so many products are still sold in plastic?
- What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of using plastic packaging for food?
- In general, what do people in your country do with their household waste?
cleaning up the environment
- Can you explain why recycling works better in some places than in others?
- What could be done about the amount of plastic packaging that shops still use?
- Can you speculate on how much plastic people will be using twenty years from now?
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.