When you’re taking part one of your IELTS Speaking test, your examiner might ask, “Do you like animals?”
It’s quite a simple question to answer. Read on for tips on how to prepare for this question and 20 great example answers (go straight to the answers here).
What You Can Say About Animals
If you like animals, you can say that you do, and then add an extra sentence or two to explain your answer. You could talk about:
- Why you like animals
- One animal, or type of animal, you really like
- If you like wild animals or domesticated animals (pets or farm animals)
- A time you went to the zoo
- An animal documentary you’ve seen
- A pet you have, or had in the past
- Any pet you would like to have (an ordinary or exotic animal)
- Anything you know about the lives and habitats of animals
- Anything you know about endangered animals
- Anything else that comes to your mind
Don’t Like Animals?
If you don’t like animals, you can talk about:
- Why you don’t like them
- Which animal in particular you dislike
- Dangerous animals you’ve seen at the zoo, or on TV
- Pets you have, or had in the past
- Pets your friends have
- Someone you know who likes animals
- Anything else you can think of
Keep It Short and Simple
For part-one questions, just remember to KISS (Keep It Short & Simple).
You can’t achieve a very high score in part one. You’ll receive a better score in parts two and three.
In part one, just focus on answering quickly and fluently, without hesitation.
You’re just warming up, so simple English is fine in part one.
Practice using the three-step YES Method to stop you from saying too much.
- Your answer (say ‘yes’ or ‘no’)
- Explain your answer, or add one or two more details (just one or two more sentences)
- Stop talking (let the examiner know that you’re ready for the next question)
There are a few reasons you should keep your answers short in part one:
- Your examiner has only four to five minutes to ask you 10-12 questions
- You will warm yourself up, and begin to relax and feel more confident
- The more you talk, the more you’ll ramble, and the more mistakes you will probably make
Read the following 20 sample answers. You can use them for ideas in your own answer.
‘Yes, I Do’ Answers
1. Yes, I do. I like animals very much. I especially like baby animals like kittens and puppies, or lambs, and baby pandas or little tiger cubs. They’re all so cute.
2. Yes, I do. I’ve always enjoyed going to the zoo and seeing all the elephants and orangutans and other animals. They’re fascinating to me. I like to learn about their habitats and how they live in the wild.
3. Yes, I like animals. I have a pet dog and she’s lovely to have around the home. She’s so sweet and loyal and excited about going for walks.
4. Yes, in fact, only last month I was watching a documentary about aquatic animals that live in the ocean. It was amazing to see all those fish and dolphins and sharks, how they all live and struggle to survive.
5. Yes, I think animals are great and I think we should look after them and protect them. There are many endangered animals in the wild that are close to going extinct, and that’s very sad.
6. Yes, I do. My favorite animals are cats. I like how independent and graceful cats are. I’d like to have some cats as pets one day.
7. I love animals because they’re so innocent and authentic in their nature, and some of them look really beautiful, like wild tigers and eagles.
8. Yes, I suppose I do like animals. I really enjoy animated movies where the animals come to life, like Zootopia. My children love those kinds of movies too.
9. Yes, of course, who doesn’t like animals? I really like birds, because they sound so cheerful when they’re cheeping outside my window in the morning. I’ve always wished I could fly like a bird.
10. Yes, I’m a big fan of animals that help humans to do things, like seeing-eye dogs for blind people, or those dolphins that help sailors at sea.
11. I like farm animals, like cows and sheep and ducks and goats, etc. I think they’re funny and I’d like to visit a farm to see them up close and feed them.
12. Yes, I grew up in the countryside, so we always had lots of animals around and I helped take care of them. I used to go horse riding a lot, as well, which I loved to do.
‘Kind Of’ Answers
13. I kind of like animals, sometimes. To be honest, I’m a city boy, so I’m never around animals. I don’t even have any pets.
14. I guess I like some wild animals, like polar bears. They’re quite cool. They’re so big and dangerous and always alone, hunting in really cold places.
15. I’m not a huge fan of animals, although I do like dogs because they’re so friendly. I don’t like cats because I was scratched by a cat when I was very young and it scared me a lot.
16. I like wild animals, but only on TV. It’s fun to watch how the lions and bears live in the wild, but I wouldn’t want to see any of them in real life.
‘No, I Don’t’ Answers
17. No, to be honest with you, I don’t like animals at all. But my children love learning about animals and going to the zoo. They want me to buy them a puppy, but I’m not sure I will. I’m worried it will make the house smell bad.
18. No, I don’t. I just like people. Animals are smelly and dirty and dangerous, and they carry diseases.
19. No, I don’t like animals at all, except to eat them. I’m a big meat-eater and I love beef, pork, chicken, seafood, any animal-based food, really.
20. No, I hate animals. I grew up on a farm and had to work with the animals all day and I hated it. Now that I live in the city I don’t want to be around animals anymore.
Your Turn to Try
You can see how many different kinds of answers you can give. It doesn’t matter what you say, as long as you speak quickly, and don’t make (many) mistakes.
For part-one questions, just say the first thing that comes into your head, and try to speak without hesitation.
To practice, it’s best to record yourself. Ask yourself aloud, “Do you like animals?”
When you’ve finished, listen to your recording, write down what you said, and think of one or two ways you could improve the answer.
Then do it again!
Keep repeating this process and you’ll soon be ready to give a great band-seven answer to this part-one question in your IELTS Speaking test.
