Describe a tall building in your town or city that you like or dislike.
This test has appeared in 4 seasons
- Sep–Dec/2026
- May–Aug/2026
- Jan–Apr/2023
- 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?)
Feeling bored
- When do you usually feel bored? (Tell me more about that.)
- What do you do when you feel bored? (Tell me more about that.)
- Did you often feel bored when you were a child? (Why is that?)
- Do you think it is bad to feel bored sometimes? (Why is that?)
Music
- What kind of music do you like? (Tell me more about that.)
- When do you usually listen to music? (Tell me more about that.)
- Have you ever learned to play an instrument? (Why is that?)
- Has your taste in music changed over the years? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a tall building in your town or city that you like or dislike.
You should say:
- where it is
- what it looks like
- what it is used for
and explain why you like or dislike it.
Follow-up question after your talk: Have you ever been to the top of it? / Has that building changed the area around it?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
tall buildings in cities
- Can you explain why big cities keep building upwards?
- In general, what makes a building pleasant to look at?
- What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a flat high above the ground?
how cities are designed
- Can you describe the housing problems that fast-growing cities have?
- In general, who should decide what new buildings look like?
- Can you speculate on how cities will look fifty 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.