IELTS Speaking Part 1: General questions on Health & fitness, Swimming, Hobbies, photography; with example answers

August 15, 2018June 20, 2023

This is the sixth set of general questions of IELTS Speaking Part 1 with example answers. In IELTS Speaking exam general questions or part 1 plays a very significant role. Practicing the general questions frequently can make it possible to build up your speaking skills and improve your score. Here are some questions related to health and fitness, swimming hobbies and photography with model answers for Speaking part 1, which, I think, will assist you a lot in your IELTS Speaking preparation. You can always add to or change the answer according to your situation.

Health & fitness

(Here, some answers may vary from person to person.)

What do you do to stay healthy?
Example answer: I do swimming, play some sports and walk in the afternoon to stay healthy.
Is it easy for you to keep fit where you live?
Example answer: Yes, it’s quite easy to keep fit where I live. There are various health and fitness centers as well as big fields where many people come to play and workout.
What do you think is more important, eating healthily or doing exercise?
Example answer: I think both are equally important to Eating healthily and doing exercise evenly help us to keep fit. The former gives us energy and the latter provides necessary relaxation.
Do you have a good public health system in your country?
Example answer: Yes, we have a very strong and effective public health system in our country. Every patient is considered important here and they are taken care of better than many other countries. (Provide the accurate information about the public health system from your own country.)
Is there anything you’d like to change to improve it further?
Example answer: Yes, I’d like to add some facilities like emergency healthcare service at a low cost, free health insurance for elderly people with poor economic condition etc. I’d also like to add a yearly free check-up service for students with no jobs. I think these steps can be useful.
Do you think technology is helping us to keep fit?
Example answer: Yes, and No. Technology helps us to wake up early and maintain a healthy life by keeping us alert about new diseases and medications. At the same time, it is weakening our stamina and irritating our eyes and mind because we are becoming more and more engaged with smartphones and computers which are destructive for our health.

Swimming

(Here, some answers may vary from person to person.)

IS swimming popular in your country?
Example answer: Yes, our country is famous for lakes and big rivers. So, swimming is very popular here.
Should young people, especially children, learn to swim?
Example answer: Well, I think not only young people and children but also adults and elderly people should learn to swim.
Can you swim?
Example answer: Yes, I can swim.
When did you learn swimming?
Example answer: I learned swimming when I was only 8 years old.
Do children learn to swim at a young age in your country?
Example answer: Yes, in my country children learn swimming at a young age.
Do you like swimming? Why?/Why not?
Example answer: Yes, I like swimming very much. Because it is a good exercise and it helps directly to keep my body fit and active.
Are there enough places to swim where you live?
Example answer: No, unfortunately. I live in a city where there are very few places to swim. We only have a small lake and some swimming pool centers.
Or, Yes, there are a lot of places where people can swim as I live in a village. We have many ponds, lakes and two big rivers where people can go swimming.

Hobbies

(Here, answers may vary from person to person.)

What kind of hobbies is common in your country?
Example answer: Well, there are some common hobbies in our country like reading, listening to music, gardening, angling, playing different games, collecting different objects, and browsing the internet etc.
Do people collect different things as a hobby?
Example answer: Yes, some people collect postal stamps, coins, and other antique things as a hobby.
Did you ever collect anything when you were a child?
Example answer: Yes, I did. When I was a child, I collected stamps and coins from different countries as a hobby.
Why do people have hobbies?
Example answer: It’s quite difficult to tell. Some people do different things to entertain themselves. There is no purpose here. Others, however, have hobbies to forget any pains or sufferings of their life. People mostly have hobbies to pass their leisure hours with enjoyment.
Can you make money from doing your hobby?
Example answer: I can’t make money from my hobby but it is possible to make money from exercising hobbies. I know a person who collects old or ancient coins from different countries. He opened a small exhibition center in his house and now he is earning money from the entry fees of his exhibitions.
Can a hobby be dangerous?
Example answer: Yes, it can be. Some young boys are fond of bike-riding or skiing. These sports are not safe at all.
Does your hobby interfere with your work/study/personal life?
Example answer: No, not at all. My hobby is reading different books. But I read them only when I am free. It rather helps me in my work as I am a teacher.
Is hunting a hobby or a sport in your country?
Example answer: Though it’s not legal, hunting migratory birds is a hobby for some people in my country.

Photography

(Here, answers may vary from person to person.)

Is photography a common hobby in your country?
Example answer: Well, yes. Nowadays photography is a common hobby in my country. Young people have expensive smartphone with high-resolution cameras and some own very high-quality DSLR cameras with which they love to take photographs.
Do you like taking photographs?
Example answer: Yes, sometimes I like to take photographs of nature. At times I take photographs of my own.
What kind of photographs do you like?
Example answer: I like photographs of nature, mostly when it is foggy, cloudy or when it rains.
Why do people take photos?
Example answer: People generally take photos to remember any past events. They try to capture the memories of the past and they look at those pictures later on. Some people take pictures just for fun.
Should pictures be posted on the internet without permission?
Example answer: No, not at all. I completely disagree with this kind of act. Any picture, let it be the picture of a house without any person, or the picture of an animal, whatever it is, should not be posted without taking permission from the owner. It may be a secret or private matter. So, taking permission is the best thing to do.
Do you consider yourself a camera-shy person?
Example answer: No, not all the time. Sometimes it looks funny for my part to get my pictures taken. But mostly I do not hesitate much in taking pictures of myself.

Click the following links for practicing other Speaking part 1 topics:

work, studies, school, hometown/city

friends, home, family, food, free time/pastime

weather, travel, tourism

games, sports, music

computers, internet, emails

shopping, festivals, smoking

If you consider that this post is interesting and handy for you, please make sure to comment below. You can also propose me any new topic on which I can provide answers.