IELTS Speaking Part 1: Sports Questions and Answers

Common sports questions

Here are some useful sports IELTS Speaking questions to practise:

1. Do you enjoy playing sports?
2. What sports do you like?
3. How often do you exercise?
4. Did you play any sports when you were younger?
5. Do you prefer team sports or individual sports?
6. Do you enjoy watching sport?
7. What is the most popular sport in your country?
8. Have you ever been to a live sporting event?
9. Is there a sport you would like to try?
10. Do you think you get enough exercise?
11. Do you prefer exercising indoors or outdoors?
12. Who do you usually exercise with?
13. Are there any sports you dislike?
14. Do you follow a particular sports team?
15. Has your attitude towards exercise changed?

You are unlikely to receive all of these questions. The aim is to practise enough variations that you can respond flexibly instead of memorising one prepared answer.

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Band 7+ sample answers

These IELTS sports questions and answers show how you can develop short Part 1 responses naturally. They are examples of strong speaking style rather than scripts to memorise or guarantees of a particular band score.

Do you enjoy playing sports?

Yes, although I’m more interested in casual sport than serious competition. I enjoy playing football with friends occasionally because it’s social as well as good exercise.

This answer gives a clear opinion and then develops it with a reason.

How often do you exercise?

Usually four or five times a week. I don’t do anything particularly intense every day, but I try to walk a lot and go to the gym a few times a week.

Notice the natural qualification:

I don’t do anything particularly intense...

You do not need to exaggerate your habits to produce a good answer.

Did you play sports when you were younger?

Yes, quite a few. I used to play football regularly at school, and I also went swimming every week for a while. I probably did more organised sport then than I do now.

This question gives you a good opportunity to use used to and compare past habits with the present.

Do you prefer team sports or individual sports?

Probably team sports because I like the social side of them. I find exercising alone a bit repetitive sometimes, whereas playing with other people tends to keep me more motivated.

The contrast with whereas helps connect the ideas naturally.

Do you enjoy watching sport?

Yes, especially football. I don’t watch every match, but if there’s an important game on, I’ll usually make time for it. I think live sport is much more exciting when there’s something at stake.

The expression something at stake means there is an important result to compete for.

What is the most popular sport in your country?

Football is definitely the biggest sport in terms of attention and support. A lot of people follow a particular club, and major matches can attract huge audiences.

Avoid turning this into a factual lecture. Part 1 answers should remain brief and conversational.

Is there a sport you would like to try?

I’d quite like to try climbing properly. I’ve done it once or twice indoors, but never seriously. It looks challenging, and I like activities where you have to think as well as use physical strength.

This naturally demonstrates hypothetical language with I’d quite like to...

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Useful sports vocabulary

Good sports vocabulary for IELTS Speaking should help you describe your real habits and opinions rather than make your answer sound artificially technical.

Other useful expressions include:

• play football / tennis / basketball
• go swimming / running / cycling
• do yoga / exercise
• go to the gym
• follow a team
• watch a match
• play competitively
• train regularly
• get some exercise
• be in good shape
• build strength
• improve fitness
• a close match
• a professional athlete
• a sports fan

Be especially careful with the verbs play, go and do:

play football
go running
do yoga

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Talking about exercise and teams

Sports questions become easier if you have a few flexible ways to describe your habits.

Describe how often you exercise

I work out about three times a week.

I exercise fairly regularly.

I try to stay active most days.

I don’t exercise as much as I should.

I go through periods where I exercise a lot more.

Talk about why you exercise

I mainly do it to keep fit.

It helps me clear my head.

I enjoy the social side of it.

I like having something competitive to focus on.

It gives me more energy.

Talk about teams

I’ve supported the same team since I was a child.

I follow them quite closely.

I only really watch the big matches.

I’m more of a casual fan.

I prefer playing sport to watching it.

Compare past and present

I used to play football every week, but I don’t anymore.

I’m much more active now than I was a few years ago.

I’ve started exercising more regularly recently.

I don’t play as many team sports as I used to.

These structures give you opportunities to demonstrate a wider range of grammar naturally.

Common mistakes

Using do with every sport

Incorrect:

I do football every weekend.

Correct:

I play football every weekend.

Use common combinations such as:

play football, tennis, basketball
go swimming, running, cycling
do yoga, exercise, martial arts

Confusing sport and sports

In British English, sport is often used as an uncountable general concept:

I enjoy watching sport.

Sports refers more naturally to different types:

I played several sports at school.

Saying make exercise

Incorrect:

I make exercise every day.

Correct:

I exercise every day.

Or:

I do some exercise every day.

Giving only the name of a sport

Question:

What sport do you like?

Weak:

Football.

Better:

Probably football. I’ve played it since I was young, and I like the fact that it’s competitive but also very social.

Trying to sound like a professional athlete

You do not need sophisticated training vocabulary if you are simply describing ordinary exercise.

Natural:

I go running because it helps me stay fit.

Unnecessarily complicated:

I undertake cardiovascular endurance training to optimise my physical performance.

Turning Part 1 into a debate

Question:

Do you enjoy watching sport?

Do not immediately give a long discussion about whether professional athletes earn too much money.

Answer personally first.

Confusing fun and funny

Playing football is fun.

This means enjoyable.

The match was funny.

This means it made you laugh.

For sports and exercise, learners often need fun, not funny.

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Extra practice questions

Answer these aloud rather than writing complete scripts.

1. What was your favourite sport at school?
2. Are you a competitive person?
3. Do you prefer exercising alone or with friends?
4. What sports are popular with young people where you live?
5. Have you ever joined a sports club?
6. Do you watch international sporting events?
7. What exercise do you find boring?
8. Do you prefer indoor or outdoor sports?
9. Is it easy to exercise where you live?
10. Have you ever stopped playing a sport?
11. Do your friends enjoy the same sports as you?
12. What sport would you never want to try?
13. Would you like to exercise more in the future?
14. Do you think children should play more sport?
15. Is watching sport as enjoyable as playing it?

Quick practice method

Choose five questions and answer each one aloud.

A useful structure is:

Direct answer + reason + personal detail

For example:

Do you prefer exercising alone or with other people?

Usually with other people because I find it much easier to stay motivated. If I’m exercising alone, I’m much more likely to stop early or decide not to go at all.

Then listen to your answer and ask:

• Did I answer the question immediately?
• Did I give a reason or example?
• Did I use play, go and do correctly?
• Did I repeat sport, exercise or like too often?
• Did I naturally use different tenses?
• Did I sound conversational rather than memorised?

For IELTS Speaking Part 1 sports, prepare flexible ways to talk about sports you play, exercise habits, teams you follow and activities you used to do. Natural expressions such as keep fit, work out, stay active, take up a sport and get into a sport can make your answers more precise, but they should always support genuine ideas rather than replace them.

More IELTS Speaking practice

• Describe a Book You Have Read: Part 2
• IELTS Speaking Part 1 Free Time
• IELTS Speaking Part 1 Topics and Questions

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