In part one of your IELTS Speaking test, you might well be asked, “What do you like about your city?”
Here, you’ll learn how to answer this question easily, including 10 great example answers (go straight to the answers here).
Hometown vs City
A common mistake students make is to mix up ‘hometown’ and ‘city.’
If someone asks about your city or town, they mean where you live now, not where you were born.
So don’t answer this question by talking about your hometown (where you were born) unless you still live in your hometown.
If you do still live in your hometown, it’s still better to talk about ‘my city’ than ‘my hometown’ so the examiner can clearly see that you know the difference.
How You Can Answer
Like all part-one answers, it’s best to speak for 10 or 20 seconds. Not too short and not too long.
So for this question, you can say one thing you like about your city. Then explain that thing with one or two more simple sentences.
Here are some things you might like about your city:
- Lots of job opportunities
- Quality of life
- Affordable cost of living
- Many fun things to do
- Safety
- Convenience
- Nice weather
- Architecture
- Exciting nightlife
- Good education
- Lack of pollution
- Public transportation
- Light traffic
- Friendly locals
- Slow or fast pace of life
- Peaceful atmosphere
- Beautiful scenery
- Great sights to see
- Fantastic local food
- Anything else that comes to your mind…
Extra Things To Say
You could also explain:
- Why you moved there
- How long you’ve been living there
- If you plan to stay there or move on
Don’t Say Too Much
It can be easy to say many, many things about your city. But try not to do this. It’s a mistake to speak too much in part one.
Keep your part-one answers short (10 to 20 seconds is fine). In parts two and three, you will have more time to talk in greater detail.
You can practice using the three-step YES Method to give a good-length answer to your part-one questions. Just say:
- Your answer (say one thing you like)
- Explain your answer, or add a few more details
- Stop talking (let the examiner know you’re ready for the next question)
Example Answers
Let’s take a look at 10 good example answers to this question.
Job Opportunities
1. Well, I live in Barcelona and the main reason I moved there was that it’s a big, bustling city with many great job opportunities. It’s much easier to find work there than in my hometown.
Architecture
2. I currently live in London, which is famous for its stunning architecture. I think that’s what I love most about the city. Everywhere I go, I can see wonderful buildings, both old and modern.
Friendly Locals
3. My town is a really friendly, welcoming place to live. I love how easygoing and sociable the locals are. It makes me feel very comfortable there.
Beautiful Scenery
4. I’ve recently moved to a rural village near the coast. And I love going for long walks in nature, taking in all the beautiful natural scenery.
Nightlife
5. I’m a bit of a party-goer, to be honest. And so the thing I like most about my city is how it never really sleeps. There’s always something fun to do at night with my friends, like a great bar or pub or nightclub to go to.
Safety
6. The most important thing for me is safety, and my city is very safe. Crime is really low there, and that helps to create a wonderful quality of life for my family and me.
Affordable Cost of Living
7. My city isn’t too exciting, but one great advantage it has is a very affordable cost of living. Even the price of housing isn’t too high, which I think is rare in large cities these days.
Convenience
8. I like how easy it is to get around my city. The public transport is excellent, with a very developed metro system. And if you want to drive, there are rarely any traffic jams.
Friends and Family
9. All my friends and family live in my city. That’s the most important thing for me and what I like most about it. I’m happy to live anywhere as long as I’m surrounded by people I love.
Local Cuisine
10. I’m very lucky to live in a city with the best local cuisine in the world, in my opinion. Every day of the week I can eat scrumptious food for very reasonable prices.
Now, It’s Your Turn To Try!
Answer this question yourself. Hopefully, these examples have given you some ideas on what you can talk about.
Set up the voice recorder on your phone, and ask aloud, “What do you like about your city?”
When you’ve finished, listen to your answer, and see if you can hear any mistakes or hesitation.
Keep repeating this process and you’ll soon be ready to give great band-seven answers in part one of your IELTS Speaking test.
