IELTS Speaking Part 1: Weekends Questions and Answers

Common weekend questions

Here are some useful weekend IELTS Speaking questions to practise:

1. What do you usually do at weekends?
2. Do you enjoy weekends?
3. Are your weekends usually busy?
4. Do you prefer staying at home or going out at weekends?
5. Who do you normally spend your weekends with?
6. Do you ever work or study at weekends?
7. What did you do last weekend?
8. Are your weekends different now from when you were younger?
9. Do you have the same routine every weekend?
10. What is your ideal weekend?
11. Do you think weekends are long enough?
12. Do you prefer Saturdays or Sundays?
13. Is there anything you always do at weekends?
14. Would you like to change how you spend your weekends?
15. What do people in your country normally do at weekends?

You will not be asked every one of these questions. The goal is to practise enough variations that you can talk comfortably about both your usual routine and a specific recent weekend.

Weekend questions overlap naturally with leisure activities, so you may also want to practise our IELTS Speaking Part 1 free-time questions.

Band 7+ sample answers

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

What do you usually do at weekends?

My weekends are usually quite relaxed. I’ll normally meet friends at some point, but I also like having a bit of time to myself, especially on Sunday. I often use that time to exercise, cook or catch up on things around the house.

This works because the speaker gives an overall answer and then adds relevant details.

Do you prefer staying at home or going out at weekends?

Probably a mixture of both. If I’ve had a busy week, I’m quite happy staying at home for part of the weekend, but I’d get bored if I stayed in for two days straight. I normally try to go out at least once.

A mixture of both is a natural way to avoid forcing an absolute choice.

Are your weekends usually busy?

Not particularly. I sometimes have plans with friends, but I try not to organise every hour because I like having some flexibility. For me, weekends are mainly a chance to slow down a bit.

This answer uses natural qualification instead of simply saying yes or no.

Do you ever work or study at weekends?

Occasionally. I try to avoid it if I can, but if I have something important to finish, I might spend a couple of hours working on Sunday afternoon. I definitely wouldn’t want to work all weekend, though.

What did you do last weekend?

I had quite a quiet weekend. I went out for dinner with some friends on Saturday, and on Sunday I mostly stayed at home and caught up on a few things. Nothing particularly exciting, but it was nice to have some downtime.

This question requires the past simple, so make sure your answer matches the time reference.

Have your weekends changed as you have got older?

Yes, quite a lot. When I was younger, I wanted to be out doing something all the time, whereas now I appreciate having a slower weekend occasionally. I think I value my free time more than I used to.

This naturally combines past and present grammar.

What would your ideal weekend be like?

I’d probably have one fairly active day and one completely relaxed day. I’d go somewhere or meet friends on Saturday, then keep Sunday free so I could sleep a bit later and take things slowly.

This gives you an easy opportunity to use hypothetical language naturally.

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Useful leisure vocabulary

Good weekend vocabulary should help you describe normal activities naturally rather than make a simple topic sound overly complicated.

Other useful expressions include:

• go out for dinner
• spend time with friends
• have a quiet weekend
• go for a walk
• run errands
• do some housework
• have plans
• keep the day free
• sleep in
• have time to myself
• do something spontaneous
• get out of the house
• have a busy week
• make plans
• take things slowly

Use these naturally. You do not need to insert three idioms into every answer.

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Talking about routines naturally

Weekend questions often test whether you can distinguish between usual habits, past events and future or hypothetical plans.

Describe your normal weekend

Use the present simple and frequency expressions:

I normally meet friends on Saturday.

I usually go to the gym in the morning.

I tend to keep Sundays quite quiet.

I hardly ever work at weekends.

Useful expressions include:

• usually
• normally
• generally
• often
• sometimes
• occasionally
• hardly ever

Talk about a specific weekend

If the examiner asks:

What did you do last weekend?

switch to the past:

I met some friends on Saturday.

I stayed at home on Sunday.

We went out for lunch.

Do not continue using the present simple just because you prepared a routine answer.

Compare past and present

I used to go out much more at weekends.

My weekends are quieter than they used to be.

I have less free time now than when I was younger.

I’ve started exercising more at weekends recently.

Talk about your ideal weekend

I’d probably spend Saturday outdoors.

Ideally, I’d have no work to do.

If the weather was good, I’d go somewhere outside the city.

If you want more practice describing habits and schedules, continue with our IELTS Speaking Part 1 daily-routine questions.

Common mistakes

Saying in the weekend

In British English, the usual expression is:

at the weekend

or:

at weekends

For example:

I normally see my friends at the weekend.

You will also hear on the weekend in American English.

Saying every weekends

Incorrect:

I go running every weekends.

Correct:

I go running every weekend.

Or:

I go running at weekends.

Giving the same answer to every question

If you prepare one paragraph about your weekend routine, do not repeat it regardless of the question.

For example:

Who do you spend your weekends with?

needs an answer about people, not simply a list of activities.

Using the wrong tense

Question:

What did you do last weekend?

Incorrect:

I usually meet my friends and go to the gym.

Better:

I met some friends on Saturday and went to the gym on Sunday morning.

Listen carefully to the time reference.

Saying relax myself

Unnatural:

I stay at home to relax myself.

Natural:

I stay at home to relax.

Or:

I stay at home and unwind.

Forcing weekend idioms

An expression such as recharge my batteries can sound natural:

I like having a quiet Sunday because it gives me time to recharge my batteries.

But using several idioms in a short answer can make your speaking sound rehearsed.

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Extra practice questions

Answer these aloud rather than preparing complete scripts.

1. What time do you normally wake up at weekends?
2. Do you usually make plans in advance?
3. Do you ever spend a whole weekend at home?
4. What is your favourite weekend activity?
5. Do you exercise more at weekends?
6. Do you spend much money at weekends?
7. What did you enjoy doing at weekends as a child?
8. Are weekends important for families?
9. Do you prefer busy or relaxing weekends?
10. Would you like a three-day weekend?
11. Do you ever travel at weekends?
12. Is Sunday different from Saturday for you?
13. Do you use weekends to prepare for the next week?
14. Do you spend more time outdoors at weekends?
15. How would you spend a completely free weekend?

Quick practice method

Choose five questions and answer each one aloud.

Use a simple structure when appropriate:

Direct answer + reason + personal detail

For example:

Do you prefer busy or relaxing weekends?

Probably relaxing ones. My weekdays are usually fairly busy, so I don’t really want every weekend to be completely planned. I like having enough free time to decide what I feel like doing.

Then listen back and ask:

• Did I answer the exact question?
• Did I use the correct tense?
• Did I develop my answer naturally?
• Did I repeat weekend, relax or usually too often?
• Did I use leisure vocabulary accurately?
• Did I sound conversational rather than memorised?

For IELTS Speaking Part 1 weekends, be ready to describe your usual routine, a recent weekend and how you would ideally spend your free time. Natural expressions such as have a lie-in, catch up on, unwind, take it easy and make the most of can make your answers more precise, but the most important thing is responding directly and developing your real ideas.

More IELTS Speaking Part 1 practice

• Free Time Questions and Answers
• Daily Routine Questions and Answers
• IELTS Speaking Part 1 Topics