IELTS-Style Speaking Test Questions and Answers

Sport

Part 1

1) Do you like sport?

I’m a great sports fan. I sometimes watch on it TV but I prefer actually taking part in
sport.

2) What sports did you do at school?

Sport was my favourite subject at school. In the autumn and spring terms I played
hockey and during the summer months, we did athletics. I even enjoyed cross-
country running which most people hated.

3) How important is keeping fit to you?

Keeping fit is a very important part of my life. In fact, my friends would say I’m a bit
of a fitness fanatic. It helps to keep me healthy and I also work out to be in good
shape for taking part in my sport of rowing.

4) What do you do to keep fit?

I do several things to keep fit including weight training, jogging, training on the
water with my rowing crew and walking my dog twice a day.

5) Is violence a problem at sporting events in your country?

There used to be a serious problem with football fans getting involved in fights both
inside and outside stadiums but a lot has been done to stop this happening. It’s
much safer to go to matches now and they have become family events again.
 Part 2

Describe a sports club you belong to or used to belong to.

You should say:
what club it is
when you joined
why you joined
and explain the benefits of belonging to your club.

I belong to Barnstaple Pilot Gig Club. It’s a rowing club but we row a very special type of
boat called a pilot gig. They’re traditional wooden boats, about 30 foot long and with six
rowers and a cox. In the old days, these gigs would have been used to take a pilot out to
sailing ships coming into port and they were also used as lifeboats. Now gig rowing has
become a competitive sport which is gradually growing in popularity.

I joined the club when it started back in 2010. I’d wanted to row pilot gigs from the age of 12
when my family started taking holidays in the Isles of Scilly where gig races between the
islanders took place every Friday evening in the summer. I loved going out on the
passenger boats to watch and cheer on the crews. As soon as I heard about a gig club
starting in my own town I jumped at the chance to join.

Back when I was young, I never imagined that one day I’d be racing in the Pilot Gig World
Championships in the Isles of Scilly but I’ve done so with my club several times now. It’s
an amazing experience with over 140 boats taking part. …a bit different to all those years
ago when I used to watch just seven or eight boats racing while on my holidays.

Although we mostly row on the river, we also train on the sea to prepare us for rowing in
competitions. We compete in regattas all year round but the main season is from March
to September.

Rowing is very strenuous exercise and you need a high level of aerobic fitness as well
as strength. We train hard both on the water and in the gym and I really enjoy working out
and training with the other club members. We’re all close friends and often enjoy social
activities together. I’d go as far as to say that the club is my social life as well as my sport.

I guess that sums up the main benefits of belonging to my club. It contributes so much to
both my physical and mental well-being that I can’t imagine it not being a part of my life.
 Part 3

1) Do you think people in your country exercise enough? If not, why?

In my opinion, the majority of adults in the UK definitely don’t get enough exercise. You
only have to look around at the level of obesity to see that this is true. I’d go as far as to say
that the majority of people are very out of condition and never do any strenuous
exercise.

I really don’t understand why this is the case. There’s more knowledge than ever before
about the advantages to both physical and mental health of keeping fit, and the negative
effects of not taking enough exercise are well-known.

Every town has a range of sports facilities including fitness centres, gyms and
swimming pools for people to use. Or they could just walk more or maybe cycle to work.
There really isn’t any excuse not to take at least some exercise every day.

Many doctor’s surgeries even run their own fitness programmes or will recommend some
that you can join to help you get in shape. I wish more people would take their fitness
seriously and take advantage of the opportunities to stay healthy.

2) Do you think competitive sport should be part of the school curriculum?

Yes, I definitely think it’s important for children to take part in competitive sports at school.
In recent years there’s been a trend of having non-competitive sports days so that less
sporty kids can take part without always being the loser. I disagree with this.

I was good at sport and it was the only thing I really achieve a high level of success in at
school. This was extremely important to me, so it works both ways. Life is competitive and
schools need to help children to cope with this.

I’m not saying that those children who hate sport and always fail at it should put through
this negative experience. Rather, I think schools need to rethink how sport is taught. There
is such a huge range of sporting activities to choose from these days that I truly believe
there’s something every child can enjoy participating in. Schools need to provide the
opportunities.
3) What are the benefits of international sports events?
I think there are several major benefits of international sporting competitions. Firstly, it
helps to build relationships between people of different nationalities and cultures. This is so
important in our divided world. While the competitors may be rivals during competitions,
there is friendship when the contest is over. You can see this and the respect they have for
each other when you watch big sporting events on TV.

Secondly, when top international athletes compete together, they motivate and inspire
each other. This is why new world records are often set at events such as the Olympics
and many athletes achieve personal bests.

Finally, international sporting events encourage people to get involved in sport themselves,
especially the younger generation. The TV coverage of competitions for disabled
sportspeople in recent years has led to a massive increase in people with disabilities taking
up sports which is life-changing for them.

Sports Vocabulary for IELTS