Splits cleanly into pets you have, pets you had and animals in general — three answers from one topic.
It is childhood-friendly, culturally variable, and produces past narrative alongside present habit without any specialist vocabulary.
Asked quickly, one after another, with no comment on your answers. Read them aloud and answer each in two or three sentences before you look at the approach below.
we had a dog growing up
natural past framing
look after
the standard verb for caring for a pet
house-trained
specific and uncommon
I'm more of a cat person
the idiomatic preference construction
in the wild
for animals not in captivity
it's a big commitment
the natural adult observation about pets
Nine of these ten questions do not require you to own an animal. Childhood, your country, zoos, wildlife, fear, the future — all still open.
Read these for the shape, not the words — two or three sentences with a reason or an example attached. The details are invented and yours should be your own; an examiner can hear a recited answer, and it costs you more than the answer gains.
Yes, though I'd distinguish between liking them and wanting to live with one. I grew up with dogs and I'm very comfortable around them. I currently don't have a pet because I'm out of the flat for ten hours a day and that seems unfair rather than merely inconvenient.
Why it worksDraws a distinction, then gives a reason with an ethical dimension rather than a practical one.
We had a dog called Bruno for about twelve years, from when I was six. He was enormous, entirely untrained, and universally adored, which are related facts. I think having him is most of why I'm comfortable with animals now — you learn to read them without noticing you're learning.
Why it works'Which are related facts' is dry and economical, and the closing observation is genuinely thoughtful.
Very, and increasingly so — I've noticed far more dogs in the city than there were ten years ago, and a whole industry has appeared around them. Whether city flats are a good place for a large dog is a question I don't think enough people ask before buying one.
Why it worksPresent perfect for a trend, then a mild opinion that shows judgement rather than description.
A description topic that needs adjectives most candidates have never had to produce out loud.
A modern topic that tests whether you can describe an image and a habit in the same breath.
Almost guaranteed if you are not a student, and the topic where candidates most often describe a job title instead of a job.
The alternative to work, and the topic where memorised answers are most obvious because everyone rehearses it.
The single most likely Part 1 topic, and the one most often answered with a tourist-brochure sentence.
A description topic that quietly tests prepositions and room vocabulary, which is where most candidates slip.
Oliver asks Part 1 questions the way the real examiner does — quickly, with no reaction, moving on before you have finished deciding what you think. Reading them is not the same exercise. The first test is free.
This guide is written from the publicly published IELTS Speaking band descriptors, in our own words. For the official wording, see the British Council's band descriptors. MockLive AI is an independent practice tool and is not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council, IDP or Cambridge Assessment English.