Describe a useful skill you learned as a teenager.
This test has appeared in 2 seasons · 2 reported by test takers
- Jan–Apr/2024
- May–Aug/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?)
Pens and pencils
- Do you use pens or pencils very often these days? (Why is that?)
- Which do you prefer to write with, a pen or a pencil? (Tell me more about that.)
- Did you use pencils more than pens when you were a child? (Why is that?)
- Do you think people will still use pens in the future? (Why is that?)
Birthdays
- Do you usually celebrate your birthday? (Why is that?)
- How did you celebrate your last birthday? (Tell me more about that.)
- What did you do on your birthdays when you were a child? (Tell me more about that.)
- Do you think birthdays are more important for children than adults? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a useful skill you learned as a teenager.
You should say:
- what the skill is
- when and how you learned it
- who helped you learn it
and explain why this skill is useful to you.
Follow-up question after your talk: Would you like to teach this skill to others? / How do you use this skill now?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
skills young people learn
- Can you explain why some useful skills are not taught at school?
- In general, what practical skills do teenagers in your country most need?
- What could be done about students who leave school without practical life skills?
skills and work
- Can you explain why employers value practical skills as well as qualifications?
- How would you contrast skills learned through study with skills learned through experience?
- Can you speculate on which skills will matter most to workers 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.