IELTS Life Skills A2 sample test 4

Answer questions about yourself, talk about a trip you enjoyed, listen to two conversations at a cinema and a library, and talk about films, books and going out.

How to use this test. The real test is taken with an examiner and one other candidate, and it lasts up to 20 minutes. Practise with a friend if you can. If you are alone, speak your answers out loud and use the buttons to hear the examiner and your partner. The listening task is marked for you. The speaking tasks are not marked, so compare yourself with the example answers.

Phase 1a

The examiner asks you questions

4 to 5 minutes

The examiner asks you and your partner some questions in turn. Press a button to hear a question, then answer it out loud.

What's your name?
Where do you come from?
What do you do?
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
What did you do last weekend?
What are you going to do this evening?

See example answers

What's your name?: My name is Carlos Mendoza.
Where do you come from?: I come from Colombia, from a city in the mountains.
What do you do?: I work in a restaurant kitchen. I start at four in the afternoon.
Do you have any brothers or sisters?: Yes, I have two sisters. They both live in Colombia.
What did you do last weekend?: I played football on Saturday, and on Sunday I stayed at home and rested.
What are you going to do this evening?: I'm going to cook dinner, and then I'm going to phone my sisters.

Phase 1b

Talk for one minute

6 minutes

You get a topic and one minute to prepare. You then talk for about one minute while your partner listens, and your partner asks you two questions. After that you swap: you listen to your partner and ask two questions.

Your topic

Tell your partner about a trip or holiday you enjoyed.

You could talk about: where you went, who you went with, what you did there, why you enjoyed it.

1:001 minute to prepare. Make notes if you want to

1:00About 1 minute to talk about your topic

Then your partner asks you two questions

A real partner asks about what you said. These are the kind of questions to expect. Answer each one out loud.

What did your daughter like best?
Was the hotel expensive?

See an example answer for your topic

Last summer I went to the seaside for three days with my wife and our daughter. We travelled by train, and the journey took two hours. We stayed in a small hotel near the beach. Every morning we swam in the sea, and in the afternoon we walked along the beach and ate ice cream. One evening we had fish and chips in a restaurant by the harbour. The weather was sunny and warm. I enjoyed the trip because we were together all day, and I did not think about work. I would like to go again next year.

Now you listen and ask two questions

Your partner tells you about a pet or an animal they like. Listen without reading, then ask two questions about what you heard.

See what your partner said and two example questions

I want to tell you about my cat. Her name is Luna, and she is three years old. She is black with white feet. A friend gave her to me when she was a baby. Every morning she wakes me up at six o'clock, because she is hungry. In the evening she sits next to me on the sofa when I watch television. Last week she caught a mouse in the garden and brought it into the kitchen. I like Luna because my flat is never too quiet when she is there.

What does Luna eat?
What did you do with the mouse?

Phase 2a

Listen to two conversations

4 minutes

You hear two short recordings. First you answer one question about each, choosing from three options. Then you hear both again and answer two questions about one of them. Here you answer the questions on both.

You hear two conversations in different places.

Listen to both recordings. Where are they? At a cinema, at a library or at a swimming pool?

Phase 2b

Talk with your partner

4 to 5 minutes

You and your partner talk together. Ask your partner questions and answer theirs. The examiner only helps if the conversation stops.

The examiner says

Talk to each other about films, books and going out in your free time.

4:00About 4 minutes to talk together

If you stop talking, the examiner may ask

Do you like going to the cinema? Why? Why not?
What kind of films or books do you like?
What did you do the last time you went out with friends?
Where would you like to go next weekend?

See an example conversation

YouDo you like going to the cinema?
PartnerYes, but I don't go very often, because the tickets are expensive. I usually watch films at home. And you?
YouI prefer books. Last month I read a story about a family in India.
PartnerDid you buy it?
YouNo, I borrowed it. It is free, and I can keep a book for three weeks.

Check yourself

You get a pass or a fail, not a band. Ask yourself whether you did these things:

I answered every question in a full sentence.
I asked my partner questions, and did not only answer.
I talked for about one minute on my topic, and gave a reason.
I understood what each recording was about, and the details.
I asked for the question again when I did not understand.

Next practice test About the A2 test