What Are Your Hobbies? IELTS Speaking (20 Example Answers)

In part one of your IELTS Speaking test, you might be asked about your hobbies. Let’s look at what you can say if the examiner asks, “What are your hobbies?”

Below, you can also read 20 good example answers (go straight to the answers here).

How To Talk Easily About Your Hobbies

Keep it very simple with a part-one question like this. Just say one or two hobbies you have. You can talk about anything you like doing in your free time.

Then, add one or two more simple sentences. You could say:

•  Why you like these kinds of hobby
•  Why you really like one of those hobbies
•  How it makes you feel
•  How often you do it
•  How long you’ve been doing one of those hobbies
•  Who you do it with
•  Where you do it
•  Anything else that comes to mind.

Use the Three-Step YES Method

You can use the YES Method to answer any part-one question, including this one. Just say:

•  Your answer (say what hobby you do)
•  Explain your answer (say why you like it) or add more details
•  Stop talking (wait patiently for the next question)

Don’t Say Too Much

Some students feel nervous in part one (which is fine and normal), but because they’re nervous, they start talking and talking and talking and…

Stop. Please don’t do that. 

In part one, just give simple answers (10 or 20 seconds) just like in a normal conversation. And don’t talk too much. 

You can talk a lot more in parts two and three of the exam. 

In part one, focus on fluency; try to speak smoothly and quite quickly, without hesitation. 

Don’t focus on vocabulary or grammar because this will probably slow you down. You have plenty of time in part two to think about vocabulary and grammar.

Part one is just to warm you up, so focus on fluency alone. 

What If You Don’t Have Any Hobbies?

It’s ok if you can’t think of any hobbies to talk about. Just say anything you like doing in your free time. This could be:

•  Playing games on your phone
•  Browsing social media
•  Hanging out with your friends
•  Watching TV
•  Reading
•  Going for walks
•  Eating good food
•  Sleeping
•  Studying English
•  Anything at all that you do in your free time.

It’s not important what you talk about. It’s only important that you say something, and say it with good English.

Example Answers

Let’s take a look at 20 good answers to this question about hobbies.

Sports and Fitness

1. I’m really into sports and fitness, so my hobbies include football, tennis, and karate. I’ve always enjoyed doing physical things and playing competitive sports in my free time.

Looking at My Phone

2. I think my favorite hobby is looking at my phone, using social media and playing games. I think I’m a little bit addicted to my phone, to be honest.

Traveling

3. I’m crazy about traveling. My number one hobby is traveling, and I also like photography, which is perfect because I can take lots of beautiful pictures when I visit new places. 

Languages

4. All my hobbies involve studying and gaining knowledge. I especially like learning new languages. At the moment, I’m learning English, Spanish, and Thai.

Brewing Beer

5. My only real hobby is brewing my own beer. It’s a really fun hobby to learn, and it feels very satisfying when I successfully make a tasty ale and can enjoy it with my friends.

Watching TV Shows

6. I don’t really have many hobbies, but I suppose one of my hobbies at the moment is watching good TV shows. I like old American comedy shows like Friends and Big Bang Theory. It’s good practice for my English. 

Cycling

7. I’ve always enjoyed cycling in my free time since I was a child. Every weekend, I take my bike out into nature and go for a good, long bike ride. It’s very refreshing and it’s great exercise, too. 

Writing Fiction

8. I have a dream to become a successful novelist, so my main hobby is writing fiction. I’m currently writing a romance novel. I’m about halfway through, and hopefully, I’ll publish it when I’m finished.

Pokemon Cards

9. To be honest, I’m crazy about Japanese card games. I’ve been collecting Pokemon cards for years now, and I have a huge collection. I’m always trying to find new rare Pokemon cards. 

Trading Cryptocurrencies

10. I’ve recently gotten into trading cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin and Ethereum. I’ve made some money with it and now I spend all my time learning about crypto and trading various coins.

Sailing

11. I enjoy sailing, working out at the gym, and playing computer games. I think sailing is my number one hobby because it’s such a great adventure to go out onto the open sea. It’s very exciting for me.

Skating

12. I’ve recently taken up skating classes with my daughter. She’s only six years old and she wanted to try it so I decided to learn to skate as well. We both enjoy it very much.

Video Design

13. I’m quite a creative, visual person, and my favorite hobby is video design. I love creating really cool, beautiful, engaging videos that people like to watch.

Swimming

14. I don’t have many hobbies, but I do go swimming a few times a week. It’s a really relaxing, refreshing way for me to unwind after a busy day at the office. 

Formula One Racing

15. Everyone in my family is into Formula One Racing. We always watch all the races and tournaments on TV and sometimes we go to see them live. Our favorite team is Ferrari. 

Shopping

16. My main hobby is shopping. I love buying beautiful new shoes and bags and jewelry. I don’t think my husband is very happy with my hobby because I spend a little too much money on it. But I enjoy shopping so much. 

Paintball

17. I like playing roleplay games with my friends, and I also like paintball, which is an exciting activity with guns that fire little pellets of paint. I go paintballing a couple of times a month with my friends. 

Cricket

18. Cricket is my main pastime. I’m from India and Cricket is the most popular sport in my country. I like playing it and watching it. I think it’s a very intelligent game that requires great teamwork to win. 

Pilates 

19. I’m a big fan of eastern culture, and I love to practice yoga and pilates in my spare time. I do pilates every morning for an hour. I’d like to become a pilates instructor one day.

Musical Instruments

20. I’ve always been quite a musical person, and my favorite hobbies are playing the drums and the guitar. Creating music feels amazing to me. I could happily play the guitar all day and all night if it was possible. 

Your Turn To Answer

Now you give this question a go!

Turn on your voice recorder and ask out loud, “What are your hobbies?”

Answer as quickly as you can, using the three-step YES Method.

When you’ve finished, listen, find any mistakes you made, then repeat the question.

This is an excellent process to get you ready for part one of your IELTS Speaking test.