In part one of your IELTS Speaking test, you might be asked about music. One simple, common question is, “Do you like music?”
For a great band-seven score, follow the tips on this page. Below, you can also read 20 good example answers (go straight to the answers here).
If You Like Music
First, say that you like music, then add a little more information (one or two more sentences). You could just say:
- Why you like music
- How music makes you feel
- What kind of music you like
- If you like to sing or play an instrument
- How often you listen to music
- Who your favorite singer, musician, band, or composer is
- How music helps you (perhaps it helps you relax, work, focus, feel happy, express sadness, feel confident…)
- How long you’ve liked a kind of music for
- How your musical tastes have changed over the years
- What you usually do while you listen to music
- If you like music from movies (this is called the ‘soundtrack’ or ‘score’)
- Anything else you might think of
If You Don’t Like Music
No problem if you don’t really like music. Just say that you don’t, then you could talk about:
- Why you don’t like music
- If you used to like music when you were younger
- Someone you know who likes music
- Why you think other people like music
- If you’d like to start listening to music more in future
- Anything else that comes to mind
You Don’t Need To Say Much
Remember that part one of your speaking test is just to warm you up.
The questions are simple, and you should give simple answers.
Just speak for 10 or 20 seconds, like you would in a natural conversation.
You can use the three-step YES Method to keep your answers short in part one. When you answer, just say:
- Your answer (‘yes, I do like music’ or ‘no, I don’t’)
- Explain your answer, or add some more details (one or two short sentences)
- Stop talking (wait patiently for the next question)
In part one, just try to be fluent: speak quickly, and don’t hesitate.
Don’t worry about using clever vocabulary. You can focus on vocabulary in part two when you have more time to prepare.
Let’s take a look at 20 example answers to this ‘music’ question.
‘Yes, I Do’ Answers
1. Yes, I do. In fact, I’m always listening to music, from the morning until I go to bed at night.
2. Yes, I like music a lot. When I get home from work, I put on my favorite classical music like Mozart or Bach, and it helps me to unwind.
3. Yes, I love music. I especially enjoy soundtracks from my favorite movies. All the songs remind me of moments in the movie and I find them very moving.
4. Yes, I do. Actually, I’m a musician. I play the guitar and I’ve recently joined a band. So music is a big part of my life.
5. Yes, I do. I listen to music almost every day. And every time I meet up with my friends we share new songs and singers and bands that we’ve discovered.
6. Oh yes, I certainly do like music. I need music to really experience my emotions more fully. I love rock music when I’m angry, for example, and rhythm and blues when I’m sad.
7. Yes, I’ve liked music since I was a child. But my musical tastes have changed a lot since I was young. I used to like pop music, but these days I prefer electronic music.
8. Yes, I do. I love singing, and I really like singing along to my favorite songs. One of my favorite things to do at the weekend is going to karaoke with my friends.
9. Yes, I’ve been into hip hop and rap since I was a teenager. And I frequently go to concerts when a good hip hop star is performing in my town.
10. Yes, I play the piano. I started learning piano about four years ago. It’s quite difficult but I’m slowly progressing. I think it’s the most beautiful instrument.
11. Yes, I think music is a very important part of our lives. Everyone should listen to music. We need it for our emotions and spirits to grow.
‘No, I Don’t’ Answers
12. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of music. I think I just prefer the quiet, so I can think in peace.
13. No, I don’t. I used to like music when I was younger but I think every young person likes music. These days, I don’t think about music much and I don’t have time to listen to it.
14. No, to be honest, I don’t really like music. But my wife loves music so there’s always some music playing in our home. Usually, it’s pop music on the radio.
15. No, I don’t ever listen to music these days. But I think I’d like to get into music more in future. Perhaps I could learn to play an instrument one day.
16. No, I don’t. I’m very busy with my job and my studies and I find music too distracting. I prefer to work in silence.
‘Kind Of’ Answers
17. I suppose I kind of like music. Sometimes I’ll put on an album when I’m cooking or cleaning, but otherwise, I don’t really listen to music much at all.
18. I used to like music much more in the past. In my opinion, these days, music is mostly terrible. It was so much better when I was a lad.
19. Yes, I do like music, but I only listen to music once in a blue moon. I suppose I should try to make time for music more often.
20. I like music when they play it in a really good movie or TV series. But apart from that, I very rarely listen to music.
Now You Have a Go
It’s your turn to answer the question.
Set up your voice recorder, and ask out loud, “Do you like music?”
Try to speak quickly, without hesitation, using simple English.
You can use the three-step YES Method to help.
When you’ve finished, write down what you said. Try to see if you hesitated or made any mistakes.
Then… do it again!
If you keep repeating this process, you’ll soon be well-prepared for part one of your IELTS Speaking test.
