IELTS Speaking questions
IELTS® Speaking questions for January–April 2027
Not out yet. New topics usually start showing up in test takers’ reports in the first week of January, and we add them here as the reports come in. Until then, practise the September–December 2026 bank: 45 of its 85 Part 2 cards were carried over from the season before.
Next season
Jan–Apr
2027 · not out yet
- New topics from early January
- 85 cards in the current bank
- 45 of them carried over last time
Where things stand
| Status | Not out yet. There are no January–April 2027 cards on this page so far. |
|---|---|
| When new topics appear | From the first week of January, in what people report after their tests. The list fills in over the weeks after that. |
| What changes | Part of the Part 2 cards and Part 1 topics, and the Part 3 questions that go with them. The format, the timing and the four marking criteria stay the same. |
| Who publishes it | No one official. IELTS publishes the test format, sample questions and band descriptors, not the questions in use. Season lists, ours included, come from test takers’ reports. |
| When this page changes | Once several reports agree on new cards in January 2027. Each card then gets its own page, like the cards in the current bank. |
What usually carries over
These are patterns from past changes, not a list of cards that will stay. Which cards stay isn’t announced.
The core Part 1 topics
work or studies, home and accommodation, hometown, the area you live in. Part 1 opens with questions about you, so these come up in almost every test, whatever the season.
Part of the Part 2 bank
In September–December 2026, 45 of the 85 cards were carried over from the season before and 40 were new.
The same four card types
Every bank is built from people, places, objects and events. This season has 23 people, 29 events, 19 objects and 14 places.
Part 3 moves with Part 2
The discussion questions build on the theme of your card, so new cards bring new Part 3 questions with them.
The test itself
Three parts, 11–14 minutes, the same four criteria. A new season changes the questions, not how you are marked.
How to prepare before the list is out
- 1
Get the core Part 1 topics solid
Have two or three real details ready for each: work or studies, home and accommodation, hometown, the area you live in.
- 2
Prepare stories, not answers
9 stories cover all 85 cards this season. A person, a place, an object and an event you can talk about for two minutes will bend to most new cards too.
- 3
Practise Part 2 on the clock
One minute to plan, then talk until the two minutes are up. The timing doesn’t change with the season.
- 4
Find the criterion holding your band down
Take a full mock test and see which of the four criteria is lowest. That is worth fixing before any new topic.
- 5
Check back in January
When new cards show up here, practise them first, then go back to your stories.
Sources
Facts about the test on this page come from the official IELTS pages below. If IELTS changes the test, their pages win.
- 1. IELTS Academic: Speaking test format, IELTS
- 2. IELTS Speaking band descriptors (PDF), IELTS
- 3. IELTS scoring in detail, IELTS
- 4. How to prepare for the IELTS Speaking test, IDP IELTS
- 5. IELTS Speaking free practice questions and sample tasks, IDP IELTS
- 6. IELTS preparation and sample papers, Cambridge English
Practise now with this season’s questions
The free mock test runs Parts 1–3 with an AI examiner that follows up and keeps time. Your first test and its report are free.
Part 1 · AI examiner
Do you work or are you a student?
Answer out loud. Band estimate in about ten seconds.