Describe a book you found useful.
This test has appeared in 4 seasons · 1 reported by test takers
- May–Aug/2026
- Jan–Apr/2026
- Sep–Dec/2025
- Jan–Apr/2024
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?)
Views
- Is there a nice view from your home? (Why is that?)
- What kind of views do you enjoy looking at? (Tell me more about that.)
- Can you remember a beautiful view you saw on a trip? (Why is that?)
- Would you pay more to live somewhere with a good view? (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?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a book you found useful.
You should say:
- what the book is
- when you read it
- what it is about
and explain why you found it useful.
Follow-up question after your talk: Would you recommend this book to your friends? / How did you come across that book?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
reading books today
- Can you explain why young people seem to read fewer books than earlier generations?
- In general, what kinds of books are popular in your country?
- How would you compare reading an e-book with reading a printed one?
books and other sources of information
- Can you describe the ways people find information now instead of using books?
- What could be done about the falling number of readers in bookshops and libraries?
- Can you speculate on what role libraries will play in the future?
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.