What are you studying at the moment?
I'm in my third year of a computer science degree. It's a four-year course, so I've got one more year to go after this one, and then I'll be out in the job market, which is both exciting and a bit scary.
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Studies questions and answers
If you say you're a student, these questions replace the work ones and are just as brief. The examiner wants to hear you describe your subject and your attitude to it in plain English, not give a lecture on it.
All Part 1 topics
The questions
Answer each one aloud before you read the model — two to four sentences, then stop.
- What are you studying at the moment?
- Why did you choose that subject?
- What do you enjoy most about your course?
- Is there anything you find hard about your studies?
- Do you prefer to study alone or with other people?
- What was your favourite subject at school?
- What would you like to do when you finish your studies?
Model answers
Written to be spoken, at about band 8. Useful phrases are in bold. Borrow the structure and the phrases — never the whole answer.
Why did you choose that subject?
Mainly because I've always been curious about how software actually works. As a teenager I taught myself some basic coding from online videos, and I got hooked. My parents also pointed out that it's a field with plenty of job opportunities, which helped.
What do you enjoy most about your course?
I really enjoy the practical projects. Instead of just sitting through lectures, we work in small groups to build something real, like a simple app. It's satisfying to watch an idea take shape, and it's much closer to what the actual job will be like.
Is there anything you find hard about your studies?
The maths, definitely. Some of the modules are very theoretical, and I sometimes struggle to see how they connect to real programming. I've had to put in a lot of extra hours just to keep up, but I'm slowly getting to grips with it.
Do you prefer to study alone or with other people?
It depends a bit on what I'm doing. When I'm revising for exams, I need peace and quiet, so I usually work alone in the library. But for coding problems, studying with friends is far more useful, because someone always spots a mistake I've missed.
What was your favourite subject at school?
It was probably physics. We had a brilliant teacher who explained everything with everyday examples, so even quite difficult ideas made sense. I think she's partly the reason I ended up choosing a science-based degree in the first place.
What would you like to do when you finish your studies?
Ideally, I'd like to find a job as a software developer, maybe at a smaller company where I could learn quickly. Later on, I might consider doing a master's, but I think it makes sense to get some hands-on experience first.
Useful vocabulary for studies
- got hooked
- Became very keen on something, almost unable to stop doing it.
- plenty of job opportunities
- A natural way to say a field has lots of available work.
- sitting through lectures
- 'Sit through' suggests attending something long, often with limited enthusiasm.
- take shape
- To develop gradually into a clear, finished form.
- getting to grips with
- Starting to understand or deal with something difficult.
- revising for exams
- British English for studying material again before a test.
- hands-on experience
- Practical experience gained by doing something, not just reading about it.
Now answer them with the clock running.
Timed Part 1 practice with an AI band for each criterion.