Wildlife and animals might be a topic in part one of your IELTS Speaking test. One possible question is, “Do you like wildlife?”
Let’s look at how you can answer this question really well, with 10 good examples (go straight to the answers here).
What Does ‘Wildlife’ Mean?
Wildlife means animals that live in the wild, out in nature. So in your answer, only talk about wild animals, not tame or domesticated animals (pets or farm animals).
If You Do Like Wildlife
You could talk about:
- Your favorite wild animal and why you like it
- Why wild animals are interesting to you
- If you like watching wildlife documentaries
- If you’re more interested in mammals, birds, or fish and other aquatic animals
- What wildlife is common in your country
- If you like seeing wildlife at the zoo
- If you’ve ever seen a wild animal up close
- If you think endangered animals should be protected
- If you’d like to work with wildlife somehow
- Anything else that comes to mind
If You Don’t Like Wildlife
If you’re not interested in wildlife, or you really dislike wild animals for some reason, you could talk about:
- Why you don’t like wild animals
- Why you’re not interested in them
- Someone you know who likes wildlife
- Any time you’ve seen wildlife in the past
- What kind of animals you prefer
- Anything else you can think of
Use the Three-Step YES Method
In part one, you should give quite short, simple answers.
Remember that part one is only to warm you up. So it’s best that you focus on being fluent (speaking quickly, without hesitation).
Don’t worry about using very clever vocabulary in part one, you can do that in part two.
If you only focus on fluency, it will be easier for you. You can use pretty simple English in part one. That’s fine.
Also, keep your answers to about 10 to 20 seconds long. Not more.
You can use the three-step YES Method to answer all your part-one questions. To do this, just say:
- Your answer (say if you like wildlife or not)
- Explain your answer (add one or two more sentences)
- Stop talking (let the examiner know you’re ready for the next question)
The YES Method reminds you to stop because many students get nervous in part one and start trying to talk too much, which isn’t a good idea.
Stay calm, and give a nice, simple, pretty short answer. And then stop.
Here are 10 good answers to this wildlife question.
‘Yes, I Do’ Answers
1. Yes, I do. I like watching wild animals on TV. A few months ago, I saw a great documentary about polar bears. They’re really amazing animals because they’re so tough and they survive in such cold, icy environments.
2. Yes, I suppose I do like wildlife. I think wild animals like tigers and monkeys and giraffes are beautiful and fascinating to watch. I like to go with my sons to see these animals in the zoo.
3. Yes, I love animals. I often go into nature near my city and I love to catch sight of birds and deer and other animals that live there. I would love to go on safari in Africa to see lions and rhinos.
4. Yes, I especially like aquatic animals that live in the sea. I find sharks and dolphins and whales totally fascinating. I once went scuba diving on vacation in Egypt. I saw so many colorful fish. It was wonderful.
5. Yes, I think everyone should like wildlife and try to protect these endangered animals. It would be very sad if any wild animals started to go extinct.
‘No, I Don’t’ Answers
6. No, to be honest, I’m not interested in wildlife at all. I’m a city girl and I don’t have time to think about wild animals and things like that. I’m too busy working and living my life.
7. No, I don’t. I think wild animals are dangerous and pretty disgusting. They’re smelly, dirty creatures and I don’t want to go anywhere near them. That said, I do like pets, such as cats and dogs.
8. No, I’m not interested in animals at all, but my children love wildlife. They always want me to buy them animal toys and animal games, and they watch animal cartoons online. But I don’t like wildlife, myself.
‘Kind Of’ Answers
9. Well, I kind of like wildlife. I guess baby animals are really cute and fun to watch. I saw a video of baby pandas online a few days ago and they were adorable. I suppose kittens are super-sweet as well. Who doesn’t like kittens?
10. I suppose wildlife is quite interesting. I’m not a huge fan of animals, but if I see wild squirrels or rabbits when I’m walking in the woods, then I always stop to look.
Now, Your Turn to Try
Give this question a go yourself.
Set up the voice recorder on your phone and ask aloud, “Do you like wildlife?”
Answer as quickly as you can. Just saying the first thing that comes into your mind.
Remember to focus on fluency. And use the 3-Step YES Method to organize your answer.
When you’ve finished, listen to your recording. Write down what you said, and then answer it again. Try to improve a little each time.
This is a fantastic way to prepare for a band-seven score in part one of your IELTS Speaking test.