CONTENTS
Sample questions and answers from speaking part 1, 2 and 3
Words and terms frequently used when talking about work
Learn how to use wide variety of parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives
Find out groups of words that usually used together by native speakers
References to teaching and authentic materials related to this topic: IELTS blogs, podcasts, videos and articles
Download this article in PDF
Home Town: Sample questions and answers for IELTS speaking exam
Part 1
- Describe your hometown.
-My hometown is a small city. It is both traditional and modern because of having several festivals celebrated by the locals, and at the same time it is starting to be developed with increasing number of infrastructures and establishments.
- Where is your hometown located?
-My hometown, Sorsogon City is located in the southernmost tip of the Bicol Peninsula and the Luzon Island. Bicol is one of the regions in the Philippines and Luzon is the biggest island in the country.
- Is it easy to travel around your hometown?
– Yes, it is. It is a small city but there are different kinds of transportation available.
- What is it known for?
-It is known for “Pili nuts”. They are said to grow in volcanic soil.
5. What do people in your town do?
–Agriculture and fishing are common in my hometown. Also, with the latest modernization, numerous office jobs have appeared in my town.
Part 2
Describe your home town. You should say:
- Describe the place
- What is special about it?
- Compare it to other cities in the world?
My hometown is called Sorsogon. I was born and raised there and I can say it is definitely my favorite place. It is located in the southernmost tip of the largest island in my country. I cannot tell that it is a very big province. The town is both traditional and modern. I call it traditional because there still are many festivals celebrated by the locals, yet modern, as it is starting to be developed just like other province having much more sophisticated infrastructure.
Sorsogon is a province that is about 12-hour bus ride from the capital city of the Philippines. Main roads are part of the national highway, so they are wide and huge. The highway happens to be an important place, because it is a key passage for buses and cars that cross it on their way from the North to the South.
Sorsogon is also special as it offers many tourist attractions. For example, in a close vicinity, there are an active volcano and a lake with very beautiful scenery.
Among all the places I have been to, I think Sorsogon is one of the best. There are wonderful places to visit – not crowded and not polluted. I frequently go to beautiful and clean beaches. Sogroson is located on many islands that are not yet developed and are very peaceful and relaxing to stay in. On top of that, natural cold and hot springs are popular here as well. Many people visit this place to experience them.
Part 3
- In what ways can you improve your hometown?
One problem in my hometown is a low accessibility of some places due to problems of public transportation systems. Although there are different means of transportation, it can still take you hours to get to certain venues. For example, the earliest bus leaves at 5:00 am and the latest – around 5:30 pm. Therefore, for those who go back from work after 5:30 pm, it gets increasingly difficult to commute.
- What is the main reason for liking a hometown other than the fact you were born there?
I reckon, we all love our hometowns, because we were raised there. I am personally used to this place and I have become very comfortable with it. I have created some very pleasant memories here – met friends, family, my first love, first academic achievements. In my hometown I was formed physiologically as an individual.
- Most people in this world do not live in their hometowns. Why?
Well, I guess the majority of people feel that there could be more opportunities outside of their hometowns and consequently – comfort zones. Therefore, many believe that living in such a comfortable place, with relatives and friends can be distracting and too relaxing on the way of pursuing goals. Also, people (not only youth) strive to explore other places and experience different cultures across the globe.
Key vocabulary: Definitions and examples
WORD
DEFINITION
EXAMPLE
famous
well-known
In the 12 days they were in Nevada they paid visits to some of the most famous landmarks in America
situated
located somewhere
Windsor is situated 20 miles (32km) due west of London in the Thames Valley.
imposing local buildings
visually impressive buildings
There ‘s the imposing Queen ‘s Hotel.
huge
extremely large
The universe is so huge and so old we must expect loads of different places where life could exist
shopping mall
shopping centre
All high streets and shopping malls are slightly rearranged versions of each other.
poor area
region; part of world, country or town lacking money
Cities have rich and poor areas.
ethnic neighbourhood
a district forming a community with a common national or cultural tradition within a town or city
PThe multitudes of ethnic neighborhoods in Melbourne are found mainly out in the suburbs.
district
an area or quarter within a city or town; a locality within a country
Melbourne had three identifiable districts: upper middle class, middle class and working class.
traditional
relating or conforming to well-established customs, practices or style
My hometown is a small city. It is both traditional and moderns.
infrastructure
the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise
Wit is starting to be developed with increasing number of infrastructures and establishments.
establishment
a business organization, public institution, or household
More and more educational establishments are starting business studies
transportation
a system or means of taking people or goods from one place to another
It is a small city but there different kinds of transportation are available
agriculture
the science or practice of farming
Agriculture and fishing are common in my hometown.
fishing
the activity of catching fish, for commercial or sporting reasons
The seas around Mayo support a wide variety of fish species which provide the sea angler with excellent fishing.
pace
the relative speed of progress or change
We will remind students to raise their hands if the lecture pace is too fast.
poverty
the state of being extremely poor
Absolute poverty in the globalising developing countries fell sharply in the last 20 years.
amenities
organizations, businesses, or buildings providing a service in a particular location
The village offers an excellent range of amenities including grocery and food stores, post office , public house , primary school and Churches of various denominations.
outskirts
outer areas of a town or city
A gondola from the town centre or a cable-car from the outskirts take you up to Rochebrune
shortage
an insufficiency of something needed or wanted
One of our biggest problems locally is the shortage of housing, particularly for young adults.
congestion
the fact or instance of blocking or overcrowding a place, especially with traffic
The new bridge should ease congestion in the area.
vibrant
full of energy and enthusiasm.
A vibrant cosmopolitan city.
bustling
full of activity and people
Louth is a beautiful unspoilt Georgian town , with a bustling market
provincial
relating to or involving a province
Scenes of violence were reported in provincial towns
dull
boring
Students short of money have always faced long hours of dull or repetitive work in supermarkets , pubs or clubs
local delicacy
something that is good to eat belonging or relating to a particular area or neighborhood
But the French were the first to consider geese a culinary delicacy
growing rapidly
ncreasing quickly
The interactive games industry is growing rapidly
culture
art, music, literature, and related intellectual activities, considered collectively
It is less stressful than a big city , and full of bookshops , libraries , and people interested in culture
downtown
n or relating to the business and commercial centre of a town or city
The heart of Sydney’s downtown
intersection
a road junction
The University’s main entrance and reception is at the intersection of Borough Road and Albert Road.
dramatic change
sudden and striking difference, modification or an alteration
This dramatic change was caused both by the presence of the pairing family and by the introduction of herding and agriculture
railway
1-a track made of parallel bars on which trains run
2-the system of transport
Japan’s privately run railway, for example, is among the best in the world.
industrial facilities
the means to do something, as provided by the equipment in a building, room, or other place
A very large number of the city’s industrial facilities were destroyed or severely damaged
familiarity
experience and knowledge of something
Increase customer familiarity with a product
crowded roads
roads full of people
The roads can be very crowded with traffic
accessibility
being physically accessible or available
South Liverpool is the ideal short break destination with easy accessibility from the north via the M5
traffic
vehicles moving on roads
At peak hours, we have been overloaded with traffic.
it used to be
used to talk about habitual actions in the past
Downtown used to be very commercial, with merchants selling their products.
improved economically
Become better
Multiple new train lines improved economically remote city’s parts.
business center
a place where businesses can rent offices or rooms for meetings, events, etc
Business Center is located along Norton Shops.
building
structure such as a house
The engineer said the Council does not intend to demolish the building or breaking the street line on Market Square.
expanding
growing larger in size or scope
Northampton is an expanding area and wages for care assistants cannot match those to be found in industry , ‘ says Bill Aitken , the department ‘s operations manager
Word Formation
WORD
PART OF SPEECH
EXAMPLE
growth
noun
The borough has experienced one of the fastest population growths in England in the last decade
to grow
verb
North America, that ‘s second behind Mexico , whose population grew 1.8 percent over the previous year.
growing
adjective
The interactive games industry is growing rapidly
tradition
noun
My hometown is a small city. It is both traditional and modern.
traditional
adjective
My hometown is a small city. It is both traditional and modern.
accessibility
noun
South Liverpool is the ideal short break destination with easy accessibility from the north via the M5.
to access
verb
With the opening of the bypass scheduled for early December shoppers should be able to easily access the town’s businesses.
accessible
adjective
Peterborough and Swindon now almost as accessible as suburbs only fifteen miles away from Piccadilly
Collocations
beautifully
delightfullys
ideallyg
pleasantly
conveniently
inconveniently
centrally
remotely
adverb+
situated
neighbouring
surrounding
northern
southern
rich
wealthy
poor
working-class
coastal
country
local
metropolitan
rural
suburban
urban
agricultural
business
commercial
adjective +
district
build
found
live in
verb +
town
big
large
major
little
small
nearby
ancient
historic
medieval
old
adjective+
town
hall
square
walls
council
life
planning
town+noun
town
the centre/middle of (the) town
the edge/outskirts of (the) town
phrase
town
good
great
ideal
terrible
adjective+
place
interesting
busy
crowded
quiet
strange
faraway
out-of-the way
remote
adjective+
place
big
high-rise
large
tall
low
single-storey
adjective+
building
small
attractive
beautiful
fine
imposing
impressive
magnificent
crumbling
ancient
historic
old
seventeenth-century, etc
adjective+
building
build
erect, put up
demolish
destroy, flatten, gut, knock down
pull down
damage
renovate
restore
verb+
building
Useful resources
This topic on IELTS blogs
- IELTS Speaking Part 1: home town [ielts-simon.com]
- Home town vocabulary and ideas for IELTS [dcielts.com]
- IELTS Speaking : Home Town [ielts-exam.net]
Podcasts
- Scott Hutcheson: I Love this Town
- Podcast 73 – Brisbane – The River City [slowenglish.info]
- Scott Hutcheson: Hometown. Collaboration. Initiative (right click save as)
Articles
Videos
More videos:
- Talking About Your Hometown – Spoken English Lesson [Oxford Online English]
- Talking About Your Hometown: IELTS Lesson [ETJ English]
Downloads
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