If you’re talking about your home in part one of your IELTS Speaking test, you might be asked, “What do you like about living there?”
Let’s look at the best way to answer this question, including 10 good example answers (go straight to the answers here).
What You Can Say
There are many things you might like about your home. Here are a few ideas to talk about:
- It’s in a great location
- It’s in a great neighborhood
- It’s your family home, so you have many happy memories
- You have great housemates
- The rent is very affordable
- It’s cozy
- It’s stylish
- It’s spacious
- You have a comfy, cozy bedroom
- It has a great living room, kitchen, balcony, garden…
- It offers a nice view
- It’s surrounded by nature
- You have adorable pets
- Anything else you can think of
Just choose the first thing that comes to your mind, and then explain why you like that thing.
Use the Three-Step YES Method
For all your part-one answers, you can use the three-step YES Method to give just the right length of answer. Just say:
- Your answer (say what you like best about your home)
- Explain your answer (say why you like that thing)
- Stop talking (smile, and wait patiently for the next question)
In your answer, you should speak for 10 or 20 seconds, not longer.
Focus on Fluency, Not Vocabulary
Part one is just to warm you up.
So you don’t need to use very complex grammar and vocabulary in part one. Just try to answer as quickly and fluently as you can, without hesitation.
You can save the clever vocabulary for part two when you’ll have more time to prepare your answer.
Example Answers
Here are 10 good examples for this question about your home.
Spacious
1. I really like how spacious my apartment is. It’s about 130 square feet in size, which is really good for its location near the center of the city.
Neighborhood
2. I like my neighborhood a lot. I live in a peaceful area with lots of trees and greenery and lovely neighbors. But there’s also a metro nearby, so I can get around the city conveniently.
Stylish
3. I like that my apartment has really stylish decor. It’s decorated tastefully, with a bright modern feel. The furniture is very elegant too.
Housemates
4. My housemates are the best thing about where I live. I share with three other people, and we’re all good friends. It’s a pleasure living with them.
Bedroom
5. I like my bedroom because it’s the only place I have real privacy. It’s a very comfortable room with a nice view of the garden.
Kitchen
6. I’ve always been an avid cook, so I love my kitchen. It’s a perfect kitchen for preparing meals in, with lots of space and really high-quality cooking equipment.
Location
7. Well, my apartment is quite small and cramped, to be honest. But I do love the location. It’s right next to one of the city’s trendiest areas, so I can easily walk to many excellent cafes and restaurants nearby.
Balcony
8. I’m very lucky to have a nice big balcony. My girlfriend and I love to relax there with a glass of wine in the evenings, looking out over the city. I think the balcony is the best thing about my apartment.
Rent
9. I like how cheap my house is to rent. It’s great value compared to other houses on my street. We got a really good deal when we moved in.
Cats
10. I have two adorable cats, who make my home so much more relaxing, warm, and comfortable. They’re so cute and friendly and great to have around.
Your Turn To Answer
Now give this question a go yourself.
It’s best to use a recorder, so you can listen to your answer and improve upon it.
Set up the voice recorder on your phone and ask out loud, “What do you like about living there?”
Listen to your recording, notice any mistakes or hesitation, then answer it again.
Keep repeating this process and you’ll soon be ready to give a great band-seven answer in part one of your IELTS Speaking test.