IELTS Speaking Questions: Being bored
Boredom questions in Part 1 are casual and personal: what you do when nothing is happening, what bored you as a child, and whether you reach for your phone while you wait. Answer directly and add one honest detail, such as a specific place or situation where you get restless.
Part 3 asks why boredom happens, whether it is always harmful, and what technology and repetitive work have done to it. Prepare one clear opinion on whether boredom is useful, with an example from school or work, rather than a memorised answer.
Part 1 questions
Short, personal, present-tense. Answer the question directly first, then add the one detail the tip suggests — the extension is what separates a one-line answer from a Band 7 one.
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How often do you feel bored?
How to extend itGive a rough frequency, then say when it usually happens.
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What do you usually do when you are bored?
How to extend itName one habit, then give a recent example.
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Do you get bored easily in class or at work?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then describe one situation.
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What did you do when you were bored as a child?
How to extend itDescribe one activity, then compare it with now.
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Do you get bored when you have to wait?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then explain what you do.
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Do you feel bored on long journeys?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then say how you pass the time.
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Do you use your phone when you feel bored?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then say what you do on it.
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Is there an activity you find boring but have to do?
How to extend itName it, then say how you get through it.
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Do you think some people get bored more easily than others?
How to extend itGive a view, then one reason for it.
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Do you think being bored is always a bad thing?
How to extend itTake a position, then support it with one specific example.
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Do you prefer to be busy or to have quiet time?
How to extend itPick one, then give a reason from daily life.
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What would you do with a whole day with nothing planned?
How to extend itDescribe one plan, then say why you would choose it.
Part 3 questions
The same topic, pitched at the abstract level the examiner moves to after your cue card. These want reasoning — a position, a cause, an example, a concession — not a description of your own life.
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Why do people feel bored?
How to structure itGive one likely reason, then support it with an example.
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Is boredom more common among young people or older people?
How to structure itCompare the two groups, then suggest a reason.
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Can being bored lead to something positive, such as creativity?
How to structure itTake a position, then give a supporting example.
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How has technology changed the way people deal with boredom?
How to structure itName the main change, then one concrete effect.
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Should schools try to make every lesson entertaining?
How to structure itTake a position, then concede one practical concern.
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Do repetitive jobs harm people's wellbeing?
How to structure itState a view, then one likely consequence.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of always being busy?
How to structure itCover both sides, then say which matters more.
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Do children today get bored less than in the past?
How to structure itCompare the two periods, then suggest a reason.
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Should employers give workers more varied tasks?
How to structure itTake a position, then name one practical difficulty.
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Will people become less able to tolerate boredom in the future?
How to structure itPredict an outcome, then explain what drives it.
Say the answers out loud, then sit the whole test
Reading a question and answering it are different skills. Work through the list above aloud, then put the topic inside a full timed test where you cannot stop to think.
- Describe a time you were stuck in a traffic jam Part 2 cue card, with the one-minute prep timer
- Describe a hobby you would like to try Part 2 cue card, with the one-minute prep timer
- Hobbies and free time vocabulary 30 band-graded phrases and a self-test
Part 1, a cue card, then Part 3 — timed, in your browser, about 13 minutes.
One cue card a day on Telegram
A new Part 2 card every morning, a vocabulary topic on Sundays.
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