IELTS Speaking Part 1: Food and cooking
Food is one of the commonest Part 1 sets. It rewards precise taste and cooking vocabulary and an honest preference with a reason.
Questions and sample answers
1. What kind of food do you enjoy most?
I’m a big fan of spicy food, especially biryani. Anything with a bit of heat and a lot of flavour, really.
2. Do you cook at home, or do you prefer to eat out?
I cook at home most days because it’s cheaper and healthier, but I treat myself to a meal out once a week or so.
3. Did you learn to cook when you were a child?
Not really. My mother did all the cooking, so I only learned the basics when I moved out for university.
4. Have eating habits in your country changed in recent years?
Yes. Fast food has become much more popular, especially among young people, and families eat together less often than they used to.
Each sample is two to four sentences: the answer, a reason or example, then stop. Use them to hear the shape, not to memorise. Examiners are trained to spot a rehearsed answer, and it costs fluency marks.
Language this topic rewards
- I’m a big fan of …: A natural alternative to "I like".
- spicy / savoury / bland: Taste words that show range.
- a home-cooked meal: Collocation for food made at home.
- treat myself to …: Explains occasional eating out.
- eating habits have shifted: Frames the change question.
The trap on this topic
Describing a recipe step by step. Part 1 asks what you like and why; a recipe is a long turn nobody asked for, and it usually runs into grammar errors.
Answer these out loud and get marked
The Part 1 practice runs the interview the way the examiner does: your work or studies first, then two topic sets. It records you, transcribes what you said and marks it on the four official criteria.
Start Part 1 practiceMore Part 1 topics
Ready for the long turn? Browse the Part 2 cue cards.