Do you work or are you a student?
I work full-time. I'm an accountant at a mid-sized construction company, and I've been there for about two years now. It was my first proper job after university, so it still feels fairly new in some ways.
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Work questions and answers
This frame always comes first and it's short: a few questions about your job before the examiner moves on. They're checking that you can say what you do and how you feel about it, clearly and without a rehearsed speech.
All Part 1 topics
The questions
Answer each one aloud before you read the model — two to four sentences, then stop.
- Do you work or are you a student?
- What does your job involve?
- Why did you choose this line of work?
- What do you enjoy most about your job?
- Is there anything you find difficult about your work?
- Did you have any part-time jobs before this one?
- Would you like to change jobs in the future?
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.
What does your job involve?
Mostly I keep track of the money going in and out on our building projects. I check invoices from suppliers, chase up late payments and put together monthly reports for the managers. It sounds dry, but there's a fair bit of problem-solving when the numbers don't add up.
Why did you choose this line of work?
To be honest, it was partly practical. I was always good with numbers at school, and accountancy seemed like a stable career with decent prospects. But I also like the fact that there's usually a right answer, which suits my personality.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I'd say it's the people I work with. My team is small and very supportive, so if I'm stuck on something, there's always someone willing to lend a hand. We have lunch together most days too, which makes the long weeks much easier.
Is there anything you find difficult about your work?
The end of the financial year can be pretty stressful. Everything has to be finalised by a strict deadline, so we often end up working late for a couple of weeks. It's manageable, but I'm usually exhausted by the time it's over.
Did you have any part-time jobs before this one?
Yes, when I was at university I worked weekends in a café near the campus. The pay wasn't great, but it taught me how to deal with difficult customers and stay calm under pressure, which has actually come in handy in my current job.
Would you like to change jobs in the future?
Not in the short term, no. I'd like to get fully qualified first and build up a few more years of experience. Further down the line, though, I can imagine moving into a management role, or perhaps working for a larger firm abroad.
Useful vocabulary for work
- keep track of
- To keep checking something so you always know its current state.
- chase up late payments
- To contact people repeatedly until they pay what they owe.
- decent prospects
- Good chances of promotion or progress in a career; 'decent' means solid rather than spectacular.
- lend a hand
- An informal way of saying 'help', usually with a practical task.
- a strict deadline
- A final date or time that cannot be moved.
- come in handy
- To turn out to be useful, often unexpectedly.
- further down the line
- At some point later in the future, usually a few years away.
Now answer them with the clock running.
Timed Part 1 practice with an AI band for each criterion.