Describe a place you visited that was affected by pollution.
This test has appeared in 8 seasons · 3 reported by test takers
- Jan–Apr/2026
- May–Aug/2025
- Sep–Dec/2024
- May–Aug/2024
- Jan–Apr/2024
- Sep–Dec/2023
- May–Aug/2023
- Jan–Apr/2023
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?)
Emails and letters
- How often do you send emails? (Tell me more about that.)
- Who do you usually write emails to? (Tell me more about that.)
- Have you ever written a letter by hand to someone? (Why is that?)
- Do you think people will still send letters in the future? (Why is that?)
Happiness
- What usually makes you feel happy? (Tell me more about that.)
- Who do you like to spend time with when you want to cheer up? (Tell me more about that.)
- Were you a happy child? (Why is that?)
- Do you think people today are happier than people in the past? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a place you visited that was affected by pollution.
You should say:
- where the place is
- when you went there
- what kind of pollution you noticed
and explain how the pollution affected the place and the people there.
Follow-up question after your talk: Would you go back to this place? / What do you think caused the pollution there?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
the causes of pollution in towns and cities
- Can you explain why the air is usually dirtier in large cities than in the countryside?
- In general, which kinds of pollution do people notice most in daily life?
- What could be done about the amount of plastic waste that cities produce?
who should deal with pollution
- Can you explain why some factories go on polluting even when there are laws against it?
- In general, who should pay for cleaning up a polluted area?
- Can you speculate on how electric cars will change the air quality in big cities?
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.